The Leesburg, VA Thread: What I Love/Hate/Like/Dislike about the town ranked 4th best place to live in the U.S. (Jefferson: should, start)

[United_Caps_Skins_Fan]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

Isn't Leesburg, Loudoun County's version of Woodbridge? My brother bought a TH there in 1989 for 125K, and I don't think it is worth much more than that now. I also don't think the public works are up to the standards of Fairfax County--sidewalks, etc.... If you worked out there it would be cool, but even commuting to Tyson's would suck.

I don't think I would compare those two honestly. Woodbridge is mostly just ugly, nasty urban sprawl, and from my visits there has no real discernible down town / historic district. Not saying that there is no historic things there, but its mostly just suburban sprawl. Strip malls, box stores, crammed in mini mcmansions and townhouses. Also not saying that that does not exist in Lessburg, but that is generally on the outskirts of a defined town. Maybe someone who knows more specifically about Woodbridge can start a thread about it. To me, the two are apples and oranges though. If you do a quick image search on Woodbridge, VA and Leesburg, VA you kinda get the idea of the difference.

Also, RE the commute: Not sure why not many people seem to know, but Loudoun County has fairly good transit. The Tysons Express bus (aka the "WIFI" bus) makes the commute into Tysons very simple. It is actually a shorter, and less expensive commute to Tysons from Leesburg, than it is from Old Town Alexandria, VA where we live now.

Love the photos Caladium!

[peanutrach]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

There is some big money out there in Loudoun, we all know that--but let's look at people that have to go to work and use the public schools--the middle class. I think their counterparts in places like West Springfield, Annandale, and Vienna attend better schools, are more highly educated, and have much greater access to the things that make DC special.

I take offense to this. This is a pretty broad comment to make without any backup. I grew-up in Oakton (Vienna's neighbor) and currently live in Leesburg. I am highly educated and my neighbors are the same. I see no difference in the middle class between Leesburg, West Springfield, Annandale or Vienna. I'd be interested to see if you have any statistics to back-up your comment. Otherwise, keep your snarky comments to yourself.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

I think their counterparts in places like West Springfield, Annandale, and Vienna attend better schools, are more highly educated, and have much greater access to the things that make DC special.

I agree that those communities are closer to DC, and if you need to commute to DC for your work I wouldn't recommend living in Leesburg. But when it some to which one I'd rather live in, Leesburg beats out Annandale hands down (for me, anyway). Springfield and Vienna have their charms, but their closer proximity to DC isn't enough to make me like them more than life in Loudoun (even though I do think their great little communities). What can I say, everyone has different tastes and I like Leesburg. The only downside that I can see is it's a long commute if you work in DC.

The thing is, most people in Leesburg don't need to commute to DC. They work in the Dulles Tech Corridor or right in Leesburg. When you don't have to drive in for work everyday, going into DC isn't that big of a deal. On those days you do want to go there it's a longer drive (or train ride) but it really isn't a huge PITA. IMO, of course. You just have to add an extra 30-40 minutes to the trip. Big wazoo.

As far as having access to the things that make the DC area special, I personally think this is where Leesburg shines. Being close to wineries, horse country, mountains, great parks, the bigger and more interesting Air & Space Museum, charming small towns, and all the local festivals is my idea of being close to the things that make this region special.

Sure, Leesburg isn't close to Mt. Vernon. OTOH Leesburg has two restored plantations (Oatlands and Dodona Manor) that are just as nice and how often do you go to restored plantations anyway?

But.... everyone's different. I get it that people who like living close to DC find it hard to fathom how anyone can like living way out in Loudoun County. That's ok, many of us out here in Loudoun can't fathom why anyone would want to live so close to DC. That's what make the DC metro areas great--we have something for everyone.

ps. I don't agree that people in Annandale, Springfield, and Vienna are more highly educated than people in Leesburg. Believe it or not, when your residents include plenty of surgeons, CEOs, physicists, software designers, etc. you have a good number of highly educated people. The Janelia Research Center, for example, employs some of the top scientists in the country (BTW, if you want something different to do out here they hold some amazing lectures). You might be surprised how many people in Loudoun have multiple graduate degrees, not to mention specialized certifications out the ying yang.

[Lucky★]

Leesburg is a really cute city, but the Leesburg outlet is my favorite thing about Leesburg-

Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets

Most outlets that I’ve been to have not been in upscale areas, so Leesburg outlet is different in that respect. The only negative about the outlet is spending too much money there.

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I agree that those communities are closer to DC, and if you need to commute to DC for your work I wouldn't recommend living in Leesburg. But when it some to which one I'd rather live in, Leesburg beats out Annandale hands down (for me, anyway). Springfield and Vienna have their charms, but their closer proximity to DC isn't enough to make me like them more than life in Loudoun (even though I do think their great little communities). What can I say, everyone has different tastes and I like Leesburg. The only downside that I can see is it's a long commute if you work in DC.

The thing is, most people in Leesburg don't need to commute to DC. They work in the Dulles Tech Corridor or right in Leesburg. When you don't have to drive in for work everyday, going into DC isn't that big of a deal. On those days you do want to go there it's a longer drive (or train ride) but it really isn't a huge PITA. IMO, of course. You just have to add an extra 30-40 minutes to the trip. Big wazoo.

As far as having access to the things that make the DC area special, I personally think this is where Leesburg shines. Being close to wineries, horse country, mountains, great parks, the bigger and more interesting Air & Space Museum, charming small towns, and all the local festivals is my idea of being close to the things that make this region special.

Sure, Leesburg isn't close to Mt. Vernon. OTOH Leesburg has two restored plantations (Oatlands and Dodona Manor) that are just as nice and how often do you go to restored plantations anyway?

But.... everyone's different. I get it that people who like living close to DC find it hard to fathom how anyone can like living way out in Loudoun County. That's ok, many of us out here in Loudoun can't fathom why anyone would want to live so close to DC. That's what make the DC metro areas great--we have something for everyone.

ps. I don't agree that people in Annandale, Springfield, and Vienna are more highly educated than people in Leesburg. Believe it or not, when your residents include plenty of surgeons, CEOs, physicists, software designers, etc. you have a good number of highly educated people. The Janelia Research Center, for example, employs some of the top scientists in the country (BTW, if you want something different to do out here they hold some amazing lectures). You might be surprised how many people in Loudoun have multiple graduate degrees, not to mention specialized certifications out the ying yang.

remember, I said "middle class". I think those, who attend FCPS have an edge over those at LPS, but the gap has been narrowing. Don't recall any impressive "It's Academic" teams from LPS.

I also believe that the places where service workers live in Leesburg (let's say under 40K income) are quite ghetto and would be right there with the nastier areas of Sterling Park. Teenage pregnancies, oxycontin, PCP, high school dropouts, pitbulls, food banks, abortion clinics........all in your All-American City.

[mac10]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

remember, I said "middle class". I think those, who attend FCPS have an edge over those at LPS, but the gap has been narrowing. Don't recall any impressive "It's Academic" teams from LPS.



I also believe that the places where service workers live in Leesburg (let's say under 40K income) are quite ghetto and would be right there with the nastier areas of Sterling Park. Teenage pregnancies, oxycontin, PCP, high school dropouts, pitbulls, food banks, abortion clinics........all in your All-American City.

If you are comparing the "middle class" of Leesburg, you need to compare it to the "middle class" of Fairfax County. Why don't you try comparing it to Alexandria or Falls Church where the income is under 40k. BTW, I don't know anyone in Loudoun County whose household income is less than 150k.


Loudoun County public schools do not have the history that Fairfax County public schools. It is not quite as established as the growth here is relatively recent.

[Caladium]

Quote removed per member request

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

I also believe that the places where service workers live in Leesburg (let's say under 40K income) are quite ghetto and would be right there with the nastier areas of Sterling Park. Teenage pregnancies, oxycontin, PCP, high school dropouts, pitbulls, food banks, abortion clinic s........all in your All-American City.

LOL you guys need to get together and decide which way you want your slurs to run. Gotta love how one guy is complaining that it's too uniform and the other is complaining there are parts of town that are different from others.

[United_Caps_Skins_Fan]

Originally Posted by Caladium

LOL you guys need to get together and decide which way you want your slurs to run. Gotta love how one guy is complaining that it's too uniform and the other is complaining there are parts of town that are different from others.

LOL! My thoughts exactly! Apparently I agree with / like your posts too much because I cant rep you again.

Maybe its the same person (AKA Sock Puppet) with split / multiple personalities? LOL!

[Novadhd5150]

Leesburg seems like a great place if you dont have school age kids, have to commute to DC or care about being near DC.

[peanutrach]

Originally Posted by Novadhd5150

Leesburg seems like a great place if you dont have school age kids, have to commute to DC or care about being near DC.

Why isn't it a good place to be if you have school age kids?