Fredericksburg & Stafford

[EricD]

The FRED bus service for the VRE commuter trains only runs through Idlewild, and from commuter lots. It runs through the community Idlewild, because the developer helped pay for the service. If you live outside of Idlewild, you'll have to drive to a commuter lot, and then go from there. (Where-as in Idlewild you can walk to the stop) Although if you drive to a commuter lot, you have other options to go up north (like van pooling or normal car pooling)

And to 'Crazy_Daisy', Fredericksburg CITY is NOT in Stafford COUNTY. Stafford taxes are different from Fredericksburg, and Fredericksburg taxes are different from Spotsylvania. Heck, there is a whole river between Fredericksburg and Stafford. Anyways, as far as taxes go, I don't think it's much different between the three areas.

EDIT: You could use the FRED in other areas... but it doesn't run early enough to catch the commuter trains. They recently added new buses early in the morning for commuters.

[tarp]

To expand on this, there are areas of Stafford County along the Route 17 Corridor that have a Fredericksburg mailing address. Anything north of the Rappahannock River is in Stafford County. In Virginia, cities are politically independent of counties, so Fredericksburg is a separate entity from Spotsylvania or Stafford.

[Jessigirl]

Should a would-be renter be worried about all these county lines? Freddy vs. Stafford. Is one better than the other?

We are not very familiar with that area?

[EricD]

Originally Posted by Jessigirl

Should a would-be renter be worried about all these county lines? Freddy vs. Stafford. Is one better than the other?

We are not very familiar with that area?

Well, just think about it like this... Fredericksburg is the City. Like any city it has the train station, bus system, downtown, shopping, all that. Stafford is a County. There it is mostly all just houses and strip malls. More sub-urban life.

If you're going to look for a home to rent, Stafford or Spotsylvania would be where to look. (In my opinion) If you're looking to rent an apartment, I'd look in the city of Fredericksburg, just so that more is around you, and within walking distance.

[onevthoki]

Jessigirl - The main I would look in to are the schools in the event you have school-age children. That would be the deciding factor for me when I compare the available areas.

[E&MFlorida]

Hello again everyone. We were thinking of visiting the Fredericksburg area later this month to explore the area. Thanks again for your suggestions about the nicer developments in the area.From what we could see in exploring the web, there were such communities as Stratford Place, Stafford Lakes Village, Kingswood and Lee's Crossing. How do these communities rate in comparison to Lee's Parke, Lee's Hill and Idlewild. Thanks again for everyone's input.

[Optimistic]

I would love to hear about the High Schools. We are looking to relocate to the Fredericksburg/Stafford area. I have been reviewing all of the stats but would like to hear from those who are in the know. All advice is greatly appreciated.

[jenluvshomes]

E&M- While I know all of the communities you mentioned I can only speak towards the ones I know best.
Stafford Lakes-OK location but quite traffic congested when trying to access I-95. Higher taxes at .70 per $100.
Kingswood- Personally I would say no, it is right next to Harrison rd. which is in process of being widened which is under much debate, litigation etc. This was once a back road and is now being made into a heavily travled road.
Lee's Crossing- I have not been there but have heard relativly good things, one you probably should check
Lee's Hill-Nice area mostly re-sale, falling prices as most of these homes were built right before or during the "boom", , a lot of foreclosures from what I understand.
Idlewild-My least favorite and here's why. Schools, tax rate, HOA, 3 foreclosures as soon as you turn into the community, smack in the middle of low income housing, and a whole lot of investors bought in there which never is a good thing because they don't care who lives there so long as they make there rent.
Lee's Parke-Great school system, almost all brand new except the highschool which met AYP. Low taxes, great location, new community surronded by new communities. etc..YMCA down the street for cheap good child care! $150 a month for 3 days a week, and yes that is monthly not weekly phenomenal deal. The YMCA is close enough as well to both Lee's Hill, and Lee's Crossing to utilize.

It's definantly a personal choice, and I would encourage you to shop and buy in December as there are heavier incentives and more motivations for builders as they have to hit there year end numbers. Good Luck!

[E&MFlorida]

Originally Posted by jenluvshomes

E&M- While I know all of the communities you mentioned I can only speak towards the ones I know best.
Stafford Lakes-OK location but quite traffic congested when trying to access I-95. Higher taxes at .70 per $100.
Kingswood- Personally I would say no, it is right next to Harrison rd. which is in process of being widened which is under much debate, litigation etc. This was once a back road and is now being made into a heavily travled road.
Lee's Crossing- I have not been there but have heard relativly good things, one you probably should check
Lee's Hill-Nice area mostly re-sale, falling prices as most of these homes were built right before or during the "boom", , a lot of foreclosures from what I understand.
Idlewild-My least favorite and here's why. Schools, tax rate, HOA, 3 foreclosures as soon as you turn into the community, smack in the middle of low income housing, and a whole lot of investors bought in there which never is a good thing because they don't care who lives there so long as they make there rent.
Lee's Parke-Great school system, almost all brand new except the highschool which met AYP. Low taxes, great location, new community surronded by new communities. etc..YMCA down the street for cheap good child care! $150 a month for 3 days a week, and yes that is monthly not weekly phenomenal deal. The YMCA is close enough as well to both Lee's Hill, and Lee's Crossing to utilize.

It's definantly a personal choice, and I would encourage you to shop and buy in December as there are heavier incentives and more motivations for builders as they have to hit there year end numbers. Good Luck!

Jenluvshomes - Thanks for your feedback. It just goes to show you that nothing can replace an on-site visit to an area.

[tux]

Aquia Harbour & Stafford County in general have houses in the range your describe. Aquia Harbour has 2 community pools & is close to commuter bus & the VRE.

You may want to look there.