Moving to Alexandria? (Fairfax, Washington: for sale, city hall, home)

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by Guamanians

Old town is a great place to live! I prefer the southeast quadrant of old town because it is tucked away from the hussle & bussle. If you live near Washington St then you will be right on the bus line, which can take you to the metro. Of course, there are homes close to the metro as well.
If you get a chance to check out OTA, then walk (or drive) in the SE quadrant, and you might agree with me. The area that I am talking about is south of King St, and E of Washington St.

I've always liked that area the best, as well. The Safeway is in that end.

Originally Posted by Guamanians

There is also an area between old town and Del Ray. It is basically an extension of Old town to the northwest along Commonwealth Ave. There are nice homes there.

That's called Rosemont. It's all residential (except for the tiny Rosemont Market). $850,000 to $1.2 million would get a very nice detached home there, $600K to $850K a smaller 3BR, and townhouses for $500K and up. Very nice leafy area.

[Flamingo13]

Last I heard, FIOS is NOT coming to Alex. City

[phrekyos]

FiOS is most certainly NOT available in Alexandria City, and that includes Old Town. You can thank the city council for that - they jerked Verizon around for years until they finally gave up. You can read their letter to the mayor here:

Verizon FiOS FAQ | Citizen Assistance | City of Alexandria, VA

We're now stuck with slow, unreliable, expensive Comcrap for the foreseeable future.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Last I heard, FIOS is NOT coming to Alex. City

Well that's what I get for assuming!

Thanks to your info I've just been reading up on it. Verizon has scaled back its rollout of FIOS and Alexandria doesn't have it and won't get it.

FiOS buildout is dying

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by phrekyos

FiOS is most certainly NOT available in Alexandria City, and that includes Old Town. You can thank the city council for that - they jerked Verizon around for years until they finally gave up. You can read their letter to the mayor here:

Verizon FiOS FAQ | Citizen Assistance | City of Alexandria, VA

We're now stuck with slow, unreliable, expensive Comcrap for the foreseeable future.

Bolded is not what happened.

You can read my earlier link and find others to see that Verizon's decision is not because of the Alexandria city council.

Even in your link, "but Verizon subsequently suspended all such negotiations nationwide while the company conducted a review of its business plans."

From what I've read, Boston isn't getting FIOS, either. Nor Baltimore.

[TipsyDaisy]

Hmmm... and I thought real estate prices might be our breaking point. Never imagined it would be internet service. What does one do for high speed internet in Old Town?

[phrekyos]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

Bolded is not what happened.

You can read my earlier link and find others to see that Verizon's decision is not because of the Alexandria city council.

Even in your link, "but Verizon subsequently suspended all such negotiations nationwide while the company conducted a review of its business plans."

From what I've read, Boston isn't getting FIOS, either. Nor Baltimore.

If city council had agreed a bajillion years ago when this started (late 2006 or so), it wouldn't have been a problem. Alexandria is the only place without it - Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church all have it. It's not Verizon's fault they missed their chance.

[phrekyos]

Originally Posted by TipsyDaisy

Hmmm... and I thought real estate prices might be our breaking point. Never imagined it would be internet service. What does one do for high speed internet in Old Town?

Comcrap cable is it. Don't expect DOCSIS 3.0, either - last I checked it's not available here either.

(I'm not counting DSL as high speed. At least where I work, it's not considered suitable for teleworking.)

[TipsyDaisy]

What about Cox Cable. Is it available in OTA? Looks like their "Ultimate" package would be fast enough. I absolutely refuse to use Comcast. Would rather chew my own leg off.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by TipsyDaisy

What about Cox Cable. Is it available in OTA? Looks like their "Ultimate" package would be fast enough. I absolutely refuse to use Comcast. Would rather chew my own leg off.

Comcast is the only cable company available in the Alexandria city limits. There are surrounding areas with an Alexandria address that are actually part of Fairfax County; Cox Cable is available there. Various neighborhoods near George Washington Pkwy (aka Washington St in Old Town) might appeal to you there, including Belle Haven, Fort Hunt and Stratford Landing. The shopping centers at Hollin Hall and Belle View are quaint and you might appreciate the big box selection over on Route 1. Old Town Alexandria would be 5-15 minutes away although, besides the 11Y express bus I suggested earlier, transportation may not be as convenient for commuting although the Huntington Metro station is close for unhurried trips.