Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I grew up in the DC metro area in the 1970s/1980s. Reston, VA, to be exact (ScranBarre—I totally get where you’re coming from, “Mauve, Taupe, HOAs, and SUVs, Oh My!”…haha…although, Reston in the ‘70s was a far different place from now!) My parents moved to Reston from Johnstown, PA for the schools, and I must say I did get a wonderful education and a pretty ideal childhood. But, like any teenager, I was desperate to leave my bland suburban life for the big city as soon as possible. That came at the age of 17, when I moved to NYC and vowed to never return to the suburbs . I lived in the East Village (1990-1998)...then, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (1998-2000). In 2000, I moved to New Orleans, met my husband, and stayed until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now, my husband and I are in Chicago. It is the city we chose to live in out of necessity (going back to New Orleans was not an option and NYC was too expensive and impossible after the financial impact of Katrina). Now, we are considering a move to the DC metro area. Chicago is perfectly fine...a pretty wonderful big, but affordable city, but we are left feeling 'blah' and COLD here. Plus, my whole family is still in NoVA, a lot of my friends are in NYC (4 hours away), I miss the East Coast, we want great public schools for our future child/ren, the weather is better, and the job market seems to be even better. But, after living in such inspiring, diverse, and culturally-rich cities, will we be satisfied in the DC ‘burbs? Now if money and public schools were no object, we would live in the District in a second. Alas, we are not so fortunate. So, I am thinking; if we can’t live in the CITY, would the country or a small historical town be less “soulless” than the suburbs. By country /small town, I mean; Leesburg, Middleburg, Purcellville, Winchester, or even Harpers Ferry, WV…or Frederick, MD (all of which I know little to nothing about). I’ve been to Leesburg and Middleburg, and I like both towns. They seem charming, yet close enough. I have only been to Harpers Ferry as a child and a tourist, but I like the historical town feel, and that there is a MARC and an Amtrak train station in town. I have never been to Frederick, MD or Winchester, VA, but again they look like historical towns with real town centers.
A bit more about us; we’re in our 30s, I worked in film, he is a musician (jazz, et al.), he has a Master’s degree, I’m working on my Master’s towards a CPA (don’t ask), and we both work from home for a company based in NYC. We have always been surrounded by musicians, filmmakers, photographers, writers, and the like. Suburban sprawl, subdivisions, bland culture, a lack of a creative class…is that how you would truly describe the DC metro area? Maybe we could enjoy it for a time, and for the positive trade-offs? Great schools and the opportunities that they bring for our future children are very important to us, but I also want them to have a diverse, creative, and full life.
I would love to hear anyone’s feedback on the smaller towns I mentioned…or, other suggestions. And, I’d love a true sense of how many creative-types are in the area.
Funny, my parents who now live in Ashburn, VA LOVE their surroundings. They like clean, safe, NEW…no surprises. Maybe it’s generational. Maybe it’s different strokes for different folks. My mother keeps trying to convince me that Reston Town Center is a mini-Manhattan .
I really don't know much about those towns, it's been years since I've even just driven through some of them. But if you want urban without living in the big city you could investigate Arlington or Alexandria. They use to be part of the District and have Metro lines. I've heard people suggest Fredericksburg, VA too. It's a nice little historic city, its downtown if I remember correctly is quite walkable. I have heard that Leesburg is a nice town with its own identity. It might work for you. Good luck with your search!
Middleburg is nice, but there's nothing to do there. Everything revolves around the horsey set. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it makes Middleburg area MUCH more expensive than the area around Leesburg and Purcellville. Downtown Leesburg is nice, but lots of sprawl around it. Two words, Outlet Mall.
Frederick Maryland is becoming much the same, a commuter town, although the downtown is nice.
You might like Round Hill which is very small and some artists are there, although only a handful. Round Hill Arts Center
Honestly, Shepherdstown is your best bet. Perhaps Harpers Ferry, I can't advise on that because I know too little about it.
My husband and I are certainly more the creative types: He's a professional musician (classical), and I'm also employed in a more creative industry. We recently moved from Alexandria to Bristow, and we really like it out here. I will say, though, that there's nothing remotely "artsy" about our immediate neighborhood. I guess that wasn't too important to us; we create an environment that makes us happy within our home, and outside our home we really enjoy mixing with people of all kinds. Plus the schools out here in western PWC are good -- important now that we have the little kiddos.
Most of our close friends are musicians, photographers, filmmakers... It just works out that way, as you already know, when you have a core group of creative friends. They live much as we do: Some of them are in Springfield, some of them are in Leesburg, some of them are in Alexandria, some of them are in DC; few of them live in what I would call an artsy enclave. It works out, though: We have cars, we drive to get-togethers at one another's homes or elsewhere, and we certainly don't feel culturally shortchanged. In fact, while Bristow is anything but an artists' haven, we've been surprised to learn how many "closet creatives" live around us. They may not work in the arts, but they live in the arts on their own time.
Takoma Park immediately came to my mind, too, as a more affordable area you might like a lot if you're really set on living in and around lots of other artists and musicians. Closer to us, if you can believe it, Old Town Manassas has been revitalized and is getting pretty darned artsy, and there are some gorgeous old neighborhoods right in that part of town. The only thing there is that the schools aren't the greatest, or at least that's our impression.
Honestly, though, I think you'd find yourself pleasantly surprised if you just found a community you enjoy for other reasons. You will find the creative community here, and it will find you. (Heck, you already found part of it! See how easy that was?)
Please feel free to PM me if I can be of any specific help. And good luck with your decision!
I think the problem many in the region are having is that Metropolitan Washington (outside the Beltway) doesn't exactly have enough "cozy" or "walkable" areas to support the population that seeks such areas. The region saw much of its growth occur from the 1960s-1990s---a HORRIBLE era from the perspective of urban planners---resulting in most areas being designed exclusively around the automobile (think of the soulless armpit they call Tyson's Corner as a prime example). I'm living in a neighborhood within NoVA's most heavily-populated community outside the Beltway on the cusp of a bunch of high-rises, and yet I, too, still feel hopelessly trapped in suburbia. I was at a community planning meeting back in June, and I was floored when one woman whom I was conversing with joyfully said her son wanted to move back to Reston because "there's just no place quite like it." I really didn't know how to respond other than to just smile and nod my head like a dope because from my perspective there's not much that sets a place like Reston (or Ashburn, or Sterling, or South Riding, etc., etc.) apart from any other suburb in the country.
This complaint is echoed by MANY here---not just from me, the sub-forum's notorious anti-sprawl windbag that many probably wish would crawl back under the rock from whence he came. The region needs MORE areas like Bethesda, the Ballston-Rosslyn Corridor of Arlington, Old Town Alexandria, Kentlands, Brambleton, etc., but sadly developers here still just don't "get it." Reston Town Center is the one thing about Reston that keeps me from going insane and just ending it all in a big pile of earth-toned & SUV bliss, but even then you can't help but get depressed as you realize 90% of what's there is geared towards those with a great deal of discretionary income (i.e. how is a 22-year-old who isn't sponging off of mommy and daddy supposed to "enjoy" Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, McCormick & Schmick's, or $11 mixed drinks?) Reston may have been planned as a community that would champion socioeconomic integration, but the advent of Reston Town Center and the upcoming Metro stations will likely relegate this as just another upper-middle-class pseudo-urban enclave.
In my opinion any of the places you recommended would be a welcome breath of fresh air. After some additional consideration you may also like the City of Falls Church. Initially I ruffled some feathers by saying I didn't like it due to the immense traffic congestion and rather disappointing downtown bookended by two stewing pieces of urban planning garbage (Tyson's Corner and Seven Corners), but after having done some further exploration (on foot) in the City of Falls Church I can safely assure you it isn't nearly as bad as I had first claimed, and I will gladly be eating some crow. Many of the residential areas away from Route 7 are quiet, leafy, and actually have some charm and chracter (unlike most of the rest of the region). I will be attending a concert in Downtown Falls Church with some friends this Tuesday and will report back further findings.
I've been to Winchester twice since I've been here. I would have posted a photo tour by now, but I felt that the massive construction projects occurring downtown would have portrayed the city in a very unfair light, as right now the place is hideous and unappealing with roads that resemble Baghdad! Overall I really like Winchester. There is a quaint walkable downtown (even with a pedestrian mall), the homes are generally well-kept, and the ugly industrial area I had the misfortune of walking through was on the edge of town. There's a Sonic there too!
Leesburg would be a fine choice for certain. I like Leesburg's city proper---the rest of Leesburg that resembles a sprawling HOA/country club combo and steals the city's mailing address makes my skin crawl, but the city proper is VERY charming and appealing. When I first moved here my family and I, at my request, checked out Leesburg because I had heard great things about it. We just so happened to have lucked out because they were having some sort of Lawn & Garden Festival there at this time, and ever since then I truly have fallen in love with Leesburg. Traffic SUCKS though. In my humble opinion the proposed Silver Line of the Metro should stop in Leesburg---not in Ashburn or Sterling---to help further reduce congestion along Route 7.
I must say that in terms of being "Wild and Wonderful" West Virginia truly does live up to its name. While Denton56 often times probably wants to shove a piece of duct tape over my mouth I wholeheartedly CONCUR with her recommendation of Shepherdstown. I was only there once since having moved here (I'm planning to take friends here again next month when the Fall colors are around to enjoy), but this small town packs quite a punch. Harper's Ferry is indeed very nice as well, but even though it is more historic I still prefer Shepherdstown. My uncle and his fiance just but a home in Sharpsburg, Maryland, just across the bridge from Shepherdstown, and I plan to make it a point to scope out this town more once I go to visit.
I'm admittedly not very familiar with Frederick, but I do subscribe to the Washingtonian, and this publication, along with Northern Virginia Magazine both profiled it this month as a great Fall getaway. I heard they have a great minor-league baseball team, so next Spring I hope to head on up there with friends to scope the place out. I've heard nothing but great things, but I'm also well aware that traffic here is AWFUL as well. Since moving to NoVA I've attempted to go home twice. On the Fourth of July I tried heading up I-270 from my office in Tyson's Corner to access Route 15, only to be in bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to Frederick and THEN SOME (I was stuck in congestion halfway to Thurmont!) More recently I tried to be "sneaky" this past Labor Day Weekend and was stuck in horrible gridlock trying to get up Route 15 between Leesburg and Frederick. It appears as if there is no easy way to get from "Point A" to "Point B" ANYWHERE in the metro.
Most Saturdays I'll drive all the way out to Purcellville in order to get some fresh air, destress, and run 8 miles along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail from the very beginning of the route. Purcellville, while small, truly doesn't feel like a typical part of "NoooooVA." A couple of weeks ago I let middle school-aged kids wash my car for a good cause. A week before that I bought lemonade from children at a lemonade stand. While many people on the W&OD Trail in Reston are stuck-up and won't return a "Good morning" greeting, I've actually had people be quite CHATTY along the trail in Purcellville. It's truly a great town, but just as with Middleburg there's nothing there. I believe the town has a Giant, a Domino's Pizza, a couple of gas stations, a one-block-long downtown, a few housing developments on the fringe of town, and that's about it.
A big THANK YOU to everyone's thoughtful and helpful suggestions! I'm so happy to see that there are creative people n the area too !
I feel like Alexandria (especially Old Town) and even the Arlington "corridor" would seem like a no-brainer decision for urban-dwellers like us. Are there charming, walkable areas bordering Old Town, Alexandria...Del Ray? Do the towns along the Arlington "corridor" (Ballston, Clarendon, Court House, Rosslyn) have their own identities or character? Are these areas full of 20-something group houses and bar-hopping? No offense, just been there done that .
I am very intrigued by Shepherdstown, WV, but I do have a worry that as much as I romanticize the small town life (or country life), I may feel too isolated??? I wonder how the schools are in WV?
I did have some interest in Takoma Park, MD, as well, but I heard that there are some safety issues? Schools?
I would love to hear more about the City of Falls Church. What makes it desirable?
Overall, I think we could start out renting in the TOWN of Leesburg, then when I finish my Master's degree and our income increases (hopefully!), we could move to Old Town, Alexandria. Both areas seem to have good schools, are close to my family, and are charming and walkable without being too isolated. We shall see.
During my visit home for the holidays, I'll have to check out ALL of everyone's suggestions in person to get a real feel.
Thanks again!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. I lived in the East Village (1990-1998)...then, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (1998-2000). In 2000, I moved to New Orleans, met my husband, and stayed until Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now, my husband and I are in Chicago. It is the city we chose to live in out of necessity (going back to New Orleans was not an option and NYC was too expensive and impossible after the financial impact of Katrina). Now, we are considering a move to the DC metro area. Chicago is perfectly fine...a pretty wonderful big, but affordable city, but we are left feeling 'blah' and COLD here. Plus, my whole family is still in NoVA, a lot of my friends are in NYC (4 hours away), I miss the East Coast, we want great public schools for our future child/ren, the weather is better, and the job market seems to be even better. But, after living in such inspiring, diverse, and culturally-rich cities, will we be satisfied in the DC ‘burbs? Now if money and public schools were no object, we would live in the District in a second. Alas, we are not so fortunate. So, I am thinking; if we can’t live in the CITY, would the country or a small historical town be less “soulless” than the suburbs. By country /small town, I mean; Leesburg, Middleburg, Purcellville, Winchester, or even Harpers Ferry, WV…or Frederick, MD (all of which I know little to nothing about). I’ve been to Leesburg and Middleburg, and I like both towns. They seem charming, yet close enough. I have only been to Harpers Ferry as a child and a tourist, but I like the historical town feel, and that there is a MARC and an Amtrak train station in town. I have never been to Frederick, MD or Winchester, VA, but again they look like historical towns with real town centers.
.
The region needs MORE areas like Bethesda, the Ballston-Rosslyn Corridor of Arlington, Old Town Alexandria, Kentlands, Brambleton, etc., but sadly developers here still just don't "get it." Reston Town Center is the one thing about Reston that keeps me from going insane and just ending it all in a big pile of earth-toned & SUV bliss, but even then you can't help but get depressed as you realize 90% of what's there is geared towards those with a great deal of discretionary income (i.e. how is a 22-year-old who isn't sponging off of mommy and daddy supposed to "enjoy" Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, McCormick & Schmick's, or $11 mixed drinks?) 
Reston may have been planned as a community that would champion socioeconomic integration, but the advent of Reston Town Center and the upcoming Metro stations will likely relegate this as just another upper-middle-class pseudo-urban enclave. 
Overall I really like Winchester. There is a quaint walkable downtown (even with a pedestrian mall), the homes are generally well-kept, and the ugly industrial area I had the misfortune of walking through was on the edge of town. There's a Sonic there too! 
