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Old 09-16-2010, 07:06 PM
 
2,612 posts, read 5,566,256 times
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I doubt it - unless prices in DC were suddenly a lot cheaper. I think people think DC is so undesirable because of the crime and the schools that people don't want to live there, but I don't think that's completely true. A nice house in DC is actually quite expensive - just as expensive as a nice place in Old Town or Arlington or any of the other urban or urban-ish areas. We looked in DC ourselves, and discovered that we couldn't afford anything nice in a nice neighborhood. We do own a small condo there and have no problem at all renting it, but it's too small for us to live in.
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Old 09-16-2010, 09:01 PM
 
2,688 posts, read 6,660,301 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brooklynborndad View Post
there being no hope for the NYC schools or Chicago schools or Philly schools, since she isnt there. She is indispensable, the only person on the earth who can save an urban school system.
There may be a few others but we'll never know because if she leaves it will be back to business-as-usual.
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Old 09-16-2010, 09:40 PM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
14,129 posts, read 31,140,555 times
Reputation: 6920
Quote:
Originally Posted by normie View Post
So when is all this supposed to happen? In the next year or so? Or, maybe ten years from now? Is it something we can watch happen, and maybe track?
Right near Union Station along the H Street corridor you can almost see it happening in time lapsed photography. They're building a street car along there and the whole area along there is changing rather quickly. For example, Taylor Gourmet has opened on a formerly fairly run down block serving the best Philly style sandwiches in the city. I expect that whole area will soon be overrun with the types of folks Tone listed in his steps of gentrification. I'm guessing a lot of the former residents are being priced out and have headed to PG County. Sort of a 21st Century version of "urban renewal".
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Old 09-16-2010, 10:33 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,321,639 times
Reputation: 19072
I grew up in the suburbs and currently live in the suburbs, so I want to at least enjoy some of my youth not living with my car chained to my hip amidst cul-de-sacs, big-box stores, chain restaurants, parking lots, and all the other things people on this sub-forum seem to love that I personally do not. However, I do have to face the reality that my office is in McLean and that I can potentially be moved in the future back to Herndon, where I started, to Fairfax, or to Chantilly. It would be foolish of me to move to the District for that reason. Ideally DC would be the region's primary employment center because sprawl wouldn't be as awful here as it is, and mass transit would be a breeze to plan since there wouldn't be so much suburb-to-suburb commuting.

My compromise is hoping to go door-to-door and get on my knees to beg someone in North Arlington (i.e. Cherrydale, Westover, Lee Heights, etc.) to rent out a basement apartment to me at a price point I could afford! I'd be convenient to my office, to Metro, and to the city. Right now Reston offers nothing "urban". Reston Town Center is only "urban" to those with low standards.
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Old 09-16-2010, 10:33 PM
 
2,737 posts, read 5,433,226 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by terrence81 View Post
I agree. Not to mention there are over 2 million people in NoVA it would be physically impossible to fit an extra million in the District which covers a relatively small area.

As far as others' crime concerns. Well it is a city the higher crime stats in wealthy areas has more to do with density than anything else. In say...Burke or Ashburn there's a lower density in a given area so that's part of the less crime.
You're right about Burke/Ashburn, and density has to be factored in, but that can't account for much of the difference. There are many parts of Arlington, for example, that are as densely populated as Dupont and Logan, but the crime rates are much, much lower.

Again, I hope no one here (or anywhere for that matter) is victimized repeatedly by robberies, burglaries, or worse. But I think it makes you much less likely to dismiss them casually.
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Old 09-16-2010, 10:37 PM
 
2,737 posts, read 5,433,226 times
Reputation: 2305
Quote:
Originally Posted by RestonRunner86 View Post
I grew up in the suburbs and currently live in the suburbs, so I want to at least enjoy some of my youth not living with my car chained to my hip amidst cul-de-sacs, big-box stores, chain restaurants, parking lots, and all the other things people on this sub-forum seem to love that I personally do not. However, I do have to face the reality that my office is in McLean and that I can potentially be moved in the future back to Herndon, where I started, to Fairfax, or to Chantilly. It would be foolish of me to move to the District for that reason. Ideally DC would be the region's primary employment center because sprawl wouldn't be as awful here as it is, and mass transit would be a breeze to plan since there wouldn't be so much suburb-to-suburb commuting.

My compromise is hoping to go door-to-door and get on my knees to beg someone in North Arlington (i.e. Cherrydale, Westover, Lee Heights, etc.) to rent out a basement apartment to me at a price point I could afford! I'd be convenient to my office, to Metro, and to the city. Right now Reston offers nothing "urban". Reston Town Center is only "urban" to those with low standards.
Hey, RR, have you looked around Addison Heights? (near Crystal City and Pen. City metros) There are a lot of people there who rent out rooms or apartments - there are some underground springs there, so some houses don't have basement apartments. It's not cheap, but could be a little less expensive than the neighborhoods you list, and there are TONS of people in your age group and a diverse range of lifestyles.
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Old 09-16-2010, 11:01 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,321,639 times
Reputation: 19072
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACWhite View Post
Hey, RR, have you looked around Addison Heights? (near Crystal City and Pen. City metros) There are a lot of people there who rent out rooms or apartments - there are some underground springs there, so some houses don't have basement apartments. It's not cheap, but could be a little less expensive than the neighborhoods you list, and there are TONS of people in your age group and a diverse range of lifestyles.
Thanks for the tip! I had never even heard of Addison Heights. I was looking into the Columbia Pike Corridor but have nixed it since I see it becoming rapidly gentrified with newer high-end developments, especially now since Arlington County was just granted ownership of the road from VDOT (meaning the much-anticipated streetcar project can get under way). I was specifically looking into Northwest Arlington (north of I-66/Ballston and northwest of Clarendon/Court House) because, while not the cheapest, it would give me a "back road" commuting option into McLean, and I'd be within walking distance of Metro (a long walk, but as a distance runner that doesn't bother me). I also hear good things about the ART bus system. There's no way I'm going to be able to afford anything in the immediate Orange Line Corridor, so I'm not even going to look. To be honest I've never spent much time in the Pentagon City/Crystal City/Addison Heights areas, which is odd since I've been to Del Ray, Old Town Alexandria, Rosslyn, and the Columbia Pike Corridor---all around it but never really "there."
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Old 09-17-2010, 08:19 AM
 
Location: among the clustered spires
2,380 posts, read 4,498,369 times
Reputation: 891
Quote:
Originally Posted by RestonRunner86 View Post
I grew up in the suburbs and currently live in the suburbs, so I want to at least enjoy some of my youth not living with my car chained to my hip amidst cul-de-sacs, big-box stores, chain restaurants, parking lots, and all the other things people on this sub-forum seem to love that I personally do not. However, I do have to face the reality that my office is in McLean and that I can potentially be moved in the future back to Herndon, where I started, to Fairfax, or to Chantilly. It would be foolish of me to move to the District for that reason. Ideally DC would be the region's primary employment center because sprawl wouldn't be as awful here as it is, and mass transit would be a breeze to plan since there wouldn't be so much suburb-to-suburb commuting.

My compromise is hoping to go door-to-door and get on my knees to beg someone in North Arlington (i.e. Cherrydale, Westover, Lee Heights, etc.) to rent out a basement apartment to me at a price point I could afford! I'd be convenient to my office, to Metro, and to the city. Right now Reston offers nothing "urban". Reston Town Center is only "urban" to those with low standards.
Wait, you're ditching Columbia Pike because it's "gentrifying" but want something in North Arlington?

"Sprawl" to you is a nice yard my daughter can play in and not having to hear drunken fights at 1am. If you want that and consider it "real," that's your choice.
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Old 09-17-2010, 08:30 AM
 
1,183 posts, read 2,880,409 times
Reputation: 1079
Quote:
Originally Posted by michgc View Post
Until the schools improve, I don't think people with children will be pouring in. Perhaps singles or childless couples.
Yep. Living in the area is expensive. Adding the costs of private schools would make it impossible for a lot of people. Especially when there are fantastic schools just a few miles away.
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Old 09-17-2010, 08:41 AM
 
8,976 posts, read 21,073,335 times
Reputation: 3784
I think the point that many people may be missing is that assuming DC schools and neighborhoods would improve dramatically with the involvement of yuppie/hipster families (see my previous post) then the city may attract some Northern Virginians, albeit not "half", who work closer-in and would be content without the typical suburban land mass.
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