Manassas questions-need help! (Burke, Woodbridge, Lake Ridge: crime rate, house, neighborhoods)

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by Love2LiveNCities

here is the thing about manassas and woodbridge. Manassas Park and Manassas City are very crowded OLD cheap buildings. And we have a serious problem with alot of illegals living in them. They do not always have the best track record as far as crime goes. Woodbridge, also is very old its one of the first places there in PW. its got route 1 that runs right through it and 95 Parallel to it, traffic is always there and lights like you wouldnt beleive. There is one very nice neighborhood though in Woodbridge and it is towards the river. In which you will always find a nice neighborhood. and talking about soccer mom heaven you are literall a half mile for pretty much where all PW kids and leagues play football, soccer and baseball all day everyday of the year. Its by Featherstone Plaza and when your driving there you go over some train tracks then al of the sudden there is beautiful houses and nice river views. It also offers a water park in the summer. Thats my only good thing about Woodbridge. If you want to live Towards manassas like i do go to Nokesviles, Brentsville, or Independent Hill. Its amazing open acres of land and beautiful new and old houses back there. and literall a mile away from PW main backbone road 234. which will take you to either 95, 66, manassas, manassas park, woodbridge...thats your best bet. Trust me on this one we lived in Woodbridge and moved literally 5 miles and you would think we are in a different world

First, I want to thank everyone for their input. However, Love2Live, I am not sure I understand your last sentence. Are you saying that you lived in Woodbridge and moved 5 miles to Manassas? I am sorry, I was not clear
The area that you are talking about is it Lake Ridge near Woodbridge?
Thanks

[MovefromFla]

Thanks everyone for your input
However, Love2Live, i did not understand your last sentence

Did you move from Woodbridge to Manassas?

Thanks

[Love2LiveNCities]

Originally Posted by MovefromFla

First, I want to thank everyone for their input. However, Love2Live, I am not sure I understand your last sentence. Are you saying that you lived in Woodbridge and moved 5 miles to Manassas? I am sorry, I was not clear
The area that you are talking about is it Lake Ridge near Woodbridge?
Thanks

no there the road Spriggs road towards 234 splits Woodbridge in a very odd way, You can turn onto minnieville and be in Dale City or right onto minnieville and be in manassas, i am on the very VERY outskirt of manassas right next to dale city and woodbrige, its all very clustered towards 95 and hard to tell when you have left one into the other

[MovefromFla]

Thanks, everyone, for their input. However, Love2LiveNCities, do you actually live in Woodbridge now?
I did not understand your last sentence

Thanks!

[MovefromFla]

Thanks.. I think we will lean towards Manassas and Burke, depending on where we obtain jobs.
Really appreciate the information
Thanks again!

[HEATHER72]

Surprised that no one has mentioned living in Bristow or Gainesville to you. These are up & coming cities west of Manassas, approx 8 to 10 miles. New housing, schools and lots of new stores coming this way. Close to 66 and the VRE, and also just an hour drive from the mountains, what could be better?

I did all my research via the internet when looking for a home in the area. All I can say is I'm sooo glad I didn't "accidently" pick something in Woodbridge, Manassas, or Manassas Park. We wound up in Gainesville and couldn't be happier.

[canesfan]

MovefromFla...

Perhaps I can be of some help as I am a fellow South Floridian (Broward County) that relocated to NOVA eight years ago having been raised in Broward/Dade/Palm Beach counties. I work for Fairfax County public schools as a computer programmer. Private schooling in Northern Virginia is a waste of money (unless it is a religious education you seek) when compared to what you are accustomed to in South Florida. The level of violence is non-existent compared to what you will find in any South Florida school or neighborhood and the level of traffic congestion while bad still is significantly less than you have in South Florida ( I go home at least 4 times a year to Broward).
I live in the Dale City Area of Prince William County now for the past few years. I have also lived in Fairfax County. I commute through a maze of surface streets combined with Route 1 which you and I know as Federal Highway. My commute in the morning is 1 hour and in the afternoon is 1 to 1 and a half hours. Friday this may stretch to two hours. All in all Northern Virginia is a great place to raise a family and if you endeavor to be a federal employee or civil servant you will find more than ample opportunity to realize your goals here.
If you are into the Civil War or American History at any level you have all kinds of things to see and do. You may even enjoy the mild change of season.

As I read my post I cannot believe I authored it since I would love nothing more than to move back to South Florida. But the reality is we have less traffic, less crime particularly that of a violent nature, and you can day trip to New York, Philadelphia, or Baltimore.

-canesfan

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Canesfan - Why do you want to move back to Florida?

I agree - dont be afraid of the gangs - MS13 is here but in most areas you dont have to worry. Try living near Trenton, NJ and you have to worry!

To me being a newcomer - I am always confused as to how then towns are set up around her - one minute I am in Woodbridge and the next in Manassas - even though the town of Fairfax isn kinda in the middle of them.

For some reason I like Manassas better than Woodbridge - parts of it seem more folksy - country - like NOVA used to be I think - there is a large Spanish presence on the main drag - Hispanic grocery stores, restaurants, pawn shops, etc. but the Old Town Manassas is so historic and cool looking and there is even an area of old, magestic homes - old money looking - not sure which street. There are cruddy apartments and shacks but I have been to beautiful homes set on nice wooded acres - friends in my Moms Clubs - I am jealous as to how large their homes are. There is a waterpark called Splashdown there that I liken but it is surrounded by a very rundown neighborhood and I guess these types of neighborhoods turn people off on Manassas.

[MovefromFla]

canesfan
Thank you for your post. I really appreciated it.
Can you please tell me why you want to move back to South Florida. Also, we saw some beautiful homes in Dale City, however, I understood (maybe mistakenly), that it was a bad area..
We have a three year old son and I was afraid that I would robbed at gunpoint, etc after reading some of the police blotters on the Potomac news.
We want to make sure that we are making a great decision by moving to Prince William County as opposed to Fairfax County.
The truth of the matter is Fairfax County is too expensive for us. Our budge $450K does not go far unless we want to live in a townhouse. Please advise
I really appreciated your input...

[Nancy in Nokomis]

You can get a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in a nice neighborhood with excellent shcools in the town of Fairfax (not Fairfax City) for $450.