Potential Move But Have Some Concerns (Arlington, Alexandria: crime, how much, house)

[Egyptian2009]

Hello , Hello All , We are married msulim couples . we are looking to a good place that is near to aerospace companies and have a good job growth .We suppose that your area with its proximity to DC . Arlington and Alexandria have that but we cannot determine where exactly to narrow our search I would appreciate your suggestions to find a place that meet below criteria 1-Vey safe area where a one can walk alone in night 2-have access to DC . Arlington and Alexandria by rail within 1 hour . 3-close to a community college 4- have mosque or islamic center 5- hair scarfed muslim woman would not afce troubles or harrasment Your contributions will be highly valued Thanks

[Caladium]

You can probably google all the various mosques in the area. One popular one I know of is on Rt. 7 in Reston. That would also be near the Dulles Tech Corridor, which has a lot of high tech jobs, and is a safe area (although I'm not sure I'd recommend walking alone late at night-- this is an urban area to that can be relatively dangerous no matter where you are). Nova Community College is about 6 miles from there. There aren't many aerospace companies out here, but you might find something in high tech.

As far as harassment goes, as far as I know that shouldn't be a problem anywhere in the metro area. You see a good number of people from all over the world wearing various things and nobody seems to give it a second glance.

By the way, get the job before moving here. That will determine where you want to live. I don't ever recommend moving here without a job, as it can take a long time to complete the hiring process even if you do happen to get lucky enough to find a job.

[vermonter16]

I wouldn't worry about harassment here. Job yes...harassment no . The DC area is like one big giant melting pot.

[Darkseid]

The Northern Virginia area has a LOT of Muslims all over the area. The main mosque in the area is the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center (there is probably not a bigger, more active mosque in the ENTIRE DC area) which is in the Seven Corners/Baileys Crossroads area. That is also near (about 2-3 miles) from the Alexandria campus of NoVa (Northern Virginia Community College)

The Skyline area which is near the Baileys area and close to Dar Al Hijrah has A LOT (and I mean A LOT) of Muslim families and is right next to NoVa.

I would recommend you look at the area. You may private message me for more information

[brooklynborndad]

I think I was the one who suggested NoVa to you on the other thread. I think you would probably feel most comfortable (and have the best job prospects) in the corridor from Tysons to Reston to Loudoun. That may not have quite as many good places to walk at night as Arlington or Alexandria, but while there are certainly mosques further in, my impression is that you would find a stronger community - not just of muslims, but of muslims who share your professional orientation - out in what we call the "Tech Corridor".


My wife and I like to walk, including at night, and there are two issues with that. One is crime problems such as are found in areas (not always urban) with concentrations of poverty and social problems - the other is the discomfort one may feel walking on a deserted sidewalk even in an affluent area, for a variety of reasons. The crime problems are not an issue in NoVa, with a few debatable exceptions, and most of those are not places that would work for you anyway, IMO. Without debating how much the desertedness issue matters (we don't all agree here, I think) or which neighborhoods its important in, I can't see it as being a strong enough reason to live in Arlington or Alex over the tech corridor, given your particular professional interests, and your desire for a strong muslim community (there ARE concentrations of muslims (including ones wearing hijabs) closer in, notably near Baileys Crossroads, but my impression is that a much smaller proportion of those are educated professional than out on the tech corridor)

edit: BTW, probably the best places to walk alone at night in the tech corridor are in Reston Town Center, and downtown Leesburg. I do not know if there is a traditional muslim community in Leesburg, and I'm not sure if its quite as safe at night as Reston Town Center. I think Reston, close to the town center, might be the best place to start looking. Caladium says there is a mosque there, so I would contact the Imam and try to get advice (I assume an Imam would give advice like that).


Good luck - salaam - shalom!

[Darkseid]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I can't see it as being a strong enough reason to live in Arlington or Alex over the tech corridor, given your particular professional interests, and your desire for a strong muslim community (there ARE concentrations of muslims (including ones wearing hijabs) closer in, notably near Baileys Crossroads, but my impression is that a much smaller proportion of those are educated professional than out on the tech corridor)

Good luck - salaam - shalom!

Let me add another dimension to the mix. The Muslims that live in the Baileys area are mostly of Arabic (Egyptian, Moroccan, Libyan) descent, while those in the Reston and going up to Loudoun tend to be Southeast Asian (Pakistani and Indian). That nuance is important to many Muslims as they are certainly not a monolith by any means. (i.e., Arabic language is important to Arab Muslims and Urdu is important to Pakistani Muslims) There are also many Muslim owned restaurants, dentists, doctors and other businesses in the Baileys area.

I lived in the Baileys area for 5 years before moving to Ashburn this year so I know the area very well. I see women in hijab walking around regularly (even at night) and there are many professionally educated Muslims in the Baileys area. The area really gets a bad rap in my opinion. The only reason I moved out to Ashburn is because I just got more house for my money.

I would recommend that you come to visit and look at each area before you move

[Caladium]

Here's a link to the ADAMS center in Reston. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but if not they can probably direct you. I don't know a lot about the place, except that it's a gorgeous building on a lovely campus, a few people I've met who go there seem very friendly, and they host a lot of community events. That's all I know--not much but it might be a start.

ADAMS

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Darkseid

Let me add another dimension to the mix. The Muslims that live in the Baileys area are mostly of Arabic (Egyptian, Moroccan, Libyan) descent, while those in the Reston and going up to Loudoun tend to be Southeast Asian (Pakistani and Indian). That nuance is important to many Muslims as they are certainly not a monolith by any means. (i.e., Arabic language is important to Arab Muslims and Urdu is important to Pakistani Muslims) There are also many Muslim owned restaurants, dentists, doctors and other businesses in the Baileys area.

Good points.

[cdmurphy]

Actually, the main center of ADAMS is in Sterling; there are branches for prayers in Reston, Fairfax, Leesburg, and Ashburn.

There are several aerospace-related companies near Dulles Airport - Orbital, Raytheon, Airbus, the airlines themselves, cargo, air support (cleaning, servicing, etc.), plus Boeing and FAA in Leesburg.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

Actually, the main center of ADAMS is in Sterling; there are branches for prayers in Reston, Fairfax, Leesburg, and Ashburn.

There are several aerospace-related companies near Dulles Airport - Orbital, Raytheon, Airbus, the airlines themselves, cargo, air support (cleaning, servicing, etc.), plus Boeing and FAA in Leesburg.

Is that big campus on Rt. 7 in Sterling? Aha! That would explain why I had a hard time googling a photo of it. Looks like they are raising money for a center in Chantilly, too.