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Old 12-01-2010, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Loudoun
30 posts, read 126,507 times
Reputation: 27

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I moved from the Midwest as well (city gal), and below are the things I wished I would have known before moving to NoVa:

* The cost of living is relatively high
* Most children are overly scheduled.......if you dont have your child involved in multiple activities you are an unfit parent
* I think everyone in the neighborhood has a dog, sometimes I feel like I live in a kennel (barking from dust to dawn, and yes there is an HOA)
* I wished my close friends could have tagged along!! Making acquaintances/friends in this area has its challenges

Other than that, I am totally thankful for stable employment in this region. I just suck up the things I DISLIKE and keep it moving!!

Welcome to NoVa
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Old 12-01-2010, 03:44 PM
 
Location: In the woods
3,315 posts, read 10,055,924 times
Reputation: 1525
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrettyinMyOwnSkin View Post
. . .* Most children are overly scheduled.......if you dont have your child involved in multiple activities you are an unfit parent
Good point PMy-skin! My daughter was in all kinds of school clubs, activities, and sports, AP classes, Girl Scouts, martial arts school, and did volunteer work at the library. Out here, that;s considered "normal".

Quote:
* I wished my close friends could have tagged along!! Making acquaintances/friends in this area has its challenges
Another good point -- it takes time to make new friends in this area.
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Old 12-01-2010, 04:38 PM
 
947 posts, read 1,393,381 times
Reputation: 2327
A few things I've noticed about life in NoVA:

1. If you don't have plant allergies when you arrive here, you will after a few years, thanks to the stupendous pollen drop we get every year from the various flora.
2. This is a very transient community.
3. Corollary to #2, no one in NoVA is actually from Virginia originally.
4. Deer are as common to NoVa as rats are to New York or Washington (actually, the deer are just rats with antlers). Don't plant anything without first checking that it's a deer-resistant plant.
5. 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. weekdays is the golden hour in terms of having the least traffic. Everyone's at work, it's too late for breakfast, and too early for lunch. You have 60 minutes to run errands without running into traffic.
6. You're going to live in Leesburg but work in Reston? You're breaking one cardinal rule of commuting -- never live west of your job, because you'll be driving into the sun both coming and going. But at least you're not breaking the second cardinal rule of commuting -- never have a river and resulting bridge crossing between your job and your home.

Welcome to our neck of the woods!
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Old 12-01-2010, 05:13 PM
 
367 posts, read 881,903 times
Reputation: 167
- Traffic (obviously we can't stress this enough, I live in Leesburg and commute to Fairfax or I should say directly across from the Dunn Lorring Metro, it takes me an hour each way leaving at 6:15 and leaving work at 4:00, worst personal hell I go through every day, your commute will be longer if the roads aren't dry and perfect so rain an snow are out of the question getting anywhere on time. Being that your only going to reston you should be fine, in the morning I hit my MAJOR parking lot right after Reston PKWY at Utterback, unfortunetly on the way home through sterling and ashburn are bad but livable everyday.)
- HOA Fees in pretty much every community and they keep going up!

The good outweighs the bad in this area
- Employmeny is fairly steady in this area than others for that I am grateful
- Plenty of shopping
-Cultured
-People are pretty friendly
-Great schools
Good Luck!
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Old 12-01-2010, 09:36 PM
 
219 posts, read 470,216 times
Reputation: 154
Another thing that is a big shocker is the cost of child care. Your kids are older than mine so I'm not sure how things are for their age range, but daycare costs the bomb here.
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Old 12-01-2010, 09:37 PM
 
248 posts, read 698,326 times
Reputation: 105
I wish I knew mother nature still had a grudge against me for whatever reason; one of the reasons I moved to NoVA was to escape NY snow.

Apparently that did not work, as mother nature dumped all the snow on me and not NY.

Other than that things have been so far so good and I'm past the year mark in NoVA. All of the issues pointed out in this thread have either not bothered me or I found a way around it.
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Old 12-01-2010, 10:18 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,308,465 times
Reputation: 19071
Like you I relocated to Northern Virginia (Reston) from a medium-sized metropolitan area (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA), and after just a year-and-a-half I decided I just couldn't "hack it" anymore, quit my job, and fled to Pittsburgh. I told myself that there was just too much of a "live to work" vibe in NoVA vs. a "work to live" vibe in many other places with a comparable quality-of-life. I found myself crying myself to sleep most nights in NoVA. In Pittsburgh after just a few days I already have interviews scheduled, have a budding romance, great new friends, and a wonderful life.

What did I wish I knew back in May 2009 when many people encouraged me to move to the area because of its supposedly high quality-of-life?

-Traffic: As others have noted while rush-hour is brutal it is also not just an "hour". Traffic starts to get hairy by 3 PM and can be that way until 7 PM. In the "off" hours on the weekends and during the evenings there is heavy traffic, too. Tyson's Corner, where I worked, even had what was called a "lunch rush hour" around midday as all of the office workers in that autocentric suburban pit hopped into their SUVs and clogged the roadways there. As someone else already said NoVA really screwed itself by not having a typical grid-shaped street network to give people more surface street options to get from Point A to Point B. Mass transit options that should have been available years ago (i.e. the Silver Line of the Metrorail) still aren't operational. With rapid growth continuing I don't foresee the traffic congestion woes there improving anytime soon, especially when the answer is always "let's add more lanes", which is only a band-aid fix.

-Career-Obsession: It's fine to be proud of what you do. If you put in a hard day's work for an honest day's pay, then I salute you. However, the problem I noticed in NoVA is that many people became so wrapped up in their work that they began to define themselves by what they did for a living. Social functions almost always revolved around work in conversations, I'd overhear 30-something single guys bragging about their jobs to try to score chicks at the generic and overpriced chain bars in Reston Town Center, and there was always so much pressure, whether explicit or implicit, to "keep up" professionally. I just turned 24, and everyone around me talked about nothing but getting their CPA, CIA, CFE, MBA, Ph.D., yada, yada, yada day-in and day-out, asking everyone else around them when they were going to get theirs (and then behaving oddly if someone dared say they didn't want to pursue them). People are slaves to work. I used to shake my head seeing sorry saps in suits riding the Orange Line back into NoVA at 8 PM after presumably having started work in the morning. What type of life can you provide your family if you're never around for them?

-Materialism: Some on this forum claim there is no materialism or conspicuous consumption in NoVA, but I'm inclined to highly disagree. Perhaps it's just because I'm from more modest means as a native Pennsylvanian, but I noticed immediately in NoVA that there was a very high "bling" factor here---many people driving BMWs or Lexuses, people tearing down nice older (yet smaller) homes in places like Vienna or Falls Church and replacing them with ostentatious McMansions just to show off, people wearing nice clothing, etc. Those who claim it doesn't exist are either guilty of buying into this consumerism themselves or have become desensitized to it. For me it wasn't a case of jealousy (as some would lead you to believe) but rather a case of thinking to myself "Does all that stuff really bring one happiness?"

-High Housing Prices: Overall the cost-of-living in NoVA is "average", but housing prices are definitely astronomical. Not knowing how I'd ever be able to manage to afford my dream home on a $60,000-$70,000 salary in NoVA was always a major kick to my psyche. What is my "dream home?" A 2-BR/1-BA older home with some character on a small lot. A home like that would go for $75,000 in Pittsburgh or $400,000 in NoVA. Guess which place won me over in the end? The problem with NoVA is that it is family-oriented, which means there are a lot of dual-income householders where if each spouse is earning a $75,000 salary, then those high housing prices become more attainable. For singles, though, why should we be relegated to living with roommates or buying a crumby 1-BR condo in a sketchy area in our 20s when we can buy gorgeous older homes in many other parts of the country?

-Lack of Character/Soul: NoVA is a "newer" area; however, that didn't mean that the entire area had to look like DisneyWorld (and, sadly, much of it does). There are lifestyle centers and faux "town centers" to make up for the fact that there aren't any real "downtowns" here, and those replications fall WAY short of delivering the true experience for those of us from historic areas (PA's older Bedford Falls-like "boroughs" especially). Brambleton was the only newer suburbanized part of NoVA that I could stomach because at least that developer tried to pursue mixed-zoning, walkability, sustainability, etc. in his plans and created a better sense of "community" as a result. Much of the rest of NoVA (outside the Beltway, to clarify) feels like living in a cartoon with its neutral-toned Soviet-styled apartments, condos, and townhomes, cul-de-sacs lined by neutral-vinyl-sided McMansions, massive parking lots, generic strip malls, big-box stores, etc. Where's the "character" here? Where's the "soul" here? I walk down my street here in Polish Hill in Pittsburgh, and it really does seem like I'm in Warsaw, yet I'm a 30-minute walk from a wide array of other distinctive historic, tight-knit, ethnic, and unique neighborhoods with all sorts of amazing nooks and crannies. Where can you find that in NoVA outside the Beltway? You can't. Leesburg itself used to have charm, but a mere few square blocks surrounded by poorly-planned suburbia isn't really worth it to me.

-Rudeness/coldness: I attempted suicide earlier this year. I underwent a very severe bout of depression. I got to the point where I exhausted all of my sick days and would just spend my weekends crying or vomiting. I was in very rough shape, and yet the only ones (for the most part) who gave a damn about me were my friends back in PA, many of whom I hadn't seen in a year or two. People in NoVA thought to themselves "too much drama" and stopped talking to me instead of checking on me. Some people did some pretty cruel things to me when I lived there, and I am never returning once I come down early next week to sign someone onto my lease in Reston to absolve myself of financial obligation. I've been told not to malign the area just because I had the personal misfortune of being taken advantage of the way I was by as many people as I was, but a year-and-a-half is sufficient enough time to garner a pretty accurate personalized assessment of an area, and for me at least it wasn't a glamorous one. I never did see how NoVA was "super rad awesome", and I probably never will, which is why I'm happy I can put my talents to better use in a city that already loves me back. I'm not perfect, but that's okay in Pittsburgh. In NoVA? If you're a non-conformist and don't fall into rank you're not worthy of the time of many. If you can't help to enhance someone's status or image, then you get cast by the wayside. I'm a very kind and extraverted person. I did so much in 2009 to organize things, plan events, and held so many people together. Then as soon as I fell ill everyone bolted. I'll never forgive NoVA for having so many people who are always looking for "the next best thing."
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Old 12-02-2010, 12:20 AM
 
107 posts, read 249,975 times
Reputation: 59
I've been here over two years. My search for a place to live was based solely on my bicycle commute to work, bike paths, and access to some urban wilderness in the city. Transit did have some consideration, but where I found the bike paths there was also easy access to buses/Metro. Since I only use the bus/metro in the winter by the time I am driven absolutely nuts by all the people and what appears to be a disinterest in acknowledging those around you, it has warmed up I am once again commuting on my bike.

I've been pleasantly surprised with myself as I love it here.

I did have the opportunity to spend a short time in DC before moving here and was able to observe the people. I enjoy observing the culture around here (I'm merely an observer since I have always been a non-conformist (not because I try to be, just because that is who I am)), the people are severely interesting. Okay, so I will not go continue to provide you with my observations of the interesting people and their social behaviours in this region, as it has been highlighted previously.

The traffic is what surprised me. I expected more traffic and competent drives (to match with their career ambitions), to be honest. The quantity of incompetent drivers surprised me. I66 never fails to drive me nuts and mainly because of gawkers (do not ask me about Turkey day and the accident that was on the east bound traffic side and the effect it had on the west bound side even though all you could see were lights since the barrier were protecting any clear sight of what they may have been hoping for? Ask me about what happens when heading eastbound and the only remaining users seem to be those getting off in Arlington. They are beyond belief - they go slower, they do not think anyone else is on the road (cause they might make room for me, who is going the speed limit), left lane hoggers, and they just drive me crazy. So, now I take 495 to Arlington even though continuing east bound is shorter for time. Love Arlington, not the drivers. I do not drive but about 3 times a month and on weekends.

Evidently I have nothing new to add, but I do like it here even though I should be in the middle of nowhere nowhere enjoying the lack of people, trees, and mountains. My friend told me I probably like it here because, like mountain living, it is always an adventure, you have to have strategy, and there are struggles. I think she is right. Have a safe move and be flexible.
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Old 12-02-2010, 12:22 AM
 
3,164 posts, read 6,925,191 times
Reputation: 1278
RestonRunner, While I didn't read your entire post, it's much too long, it did jump out that you think once you sign someone else onto your lease you no longer have any financial responsibility. That is not true. If your name is on the lease, you are responsible.

It's wonderful that you have established a wonderful new life, in a wonderful new city, in a mere 3 days. Amazing! Congratulations!
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Old 12-02-2010, 05:47 AM
 
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,682 posts, read 41,545,907 times
Reputation: 41302
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICS67 View Post
A few things I've noticed about life in NoVA:

1. If you don't have plant allergies when you arrive here, you will after a few years, thanks to the stupendous pollen drop we get every year from the various flora.
2. This is a very transient community.
3. Corollary to #2, no one in NoVA is actually from Virginia originally.
4. Deer are as common to NoVa as rats are to New York or Washington (actually, the deer are just rats with antlers). Don't plant anything without first checking that it's a deer-resistant plant.
5. 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. weekdays is the golden hour in terms of having the least traffic. Everyone's at work, it's too late for breakfast, and too early for lunch. You have 60 minutes to run errands without running into traffic.
6. You're going to live in Leesburg but work in Reston? You're breaking one cardinal rule of commuting -- never live west of your job, because you'll be driving into the sun both coming and going. But at least you're not breaking the second cardinal rule of commuting -- never have a river and resulting bridge crossing between your job and your home.

Welcome to our neck of the woods!
That's one thing that still shocks me. Here in Kentucky a lot of people move to Louisville or Lexington from more rural parts of KY once they go to or finish college. During my time there I was the only guy I knew who was a native of the NON-NoVA Virginia. Hampton Roads which is a transient community itself still has its natives.

One thing I wish I knew about was how much racial diversity and segregation was in Northern VA. Hampton wasn't the most diverse in the world but it was pretty decently intregated. Alexandria was very diverse but people stayed in their own racial cliques for the most part.

I didn't enjoy my time in NoVA, so I found something, I think, is better for me in the time being. I'm satisified with Kentucky because I did more research than I did in my move to NoVA.
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