General Pointers If You are Moving To Northern Virginia (Amended with link to Photo Tours index) (Arlington: section 8, short sale)

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by happy2Baim

Well, that makes me feel better as I bet Atlanta rates up there with Philly or LA. Great input, thanks! Not to mention that was another 'transplant' town.

As a Philly-area native, I'd say it depends on where you're commuting around here. If you happen to live and work south or west of Alexandria, Arlington, or Fairfax County, traffic in NOVA may not be so bad. Otherwise, the Philly area makes up for its relative lack of highways by having relatively less commuters compared to NOVA. In particular, the traffic to and from Tysons Corner can be even more maddening than its equivalent in King of Prussia, PA.

FWIW, my theory is that since Atlanta's MARTA system barely reaches outside the city limits, that area's traffic is worse than Philly's - if not also NOVA/DC - due to lack of road relief.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by Tone509

As a Philly-area native, I'd say it depends on where you're commuting around here. If you happen to live and work south or west of Alexandria, Arlington, or Fairfax County, traffic in NOVA may not be so bad. Otherwise, the Philly area makes up for its relative lack of highways by having relatively less commuters compared to NOVA. In particular, the traffic to and from Tysons Corner can be even more maddening than its equivalent in King of Prussia, PA.

With that said, do you think if DC had those interstate highways build within the city, the Outer Beltway and the highways in Northern Virginia, do you think traffic would be not as bad, the same or worse?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

With that said, do you think if DC had those interstate highways build within the city, the Outer Beltway and the highways in Northern Virginia, do you think traffic would be not as bad, the same or worse?

The pattern here, and probably most other larger metros, seems to be that when a new stretch of highway opens up, things are smooth sailing until others discover the new route. If we're taking strictly road solutions, the only thing that would ultimately slow traffic here IMO would be additional toll routes or HOV restrictions.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by Tone509

The pattern here, and probably most other larger metros, seems to be that when a new stretch of highway opens up, things are smooth sailing until others discover the new route. If we're taking strictly road solutions, the only thing that would ultimately slow traffic here IMO would be additional toll routes or HOV restrictions.

"If you build it, they will come"

Haha!

[DeborahT]

Some more pointers regarding moving to Northern VA-

-The metro system is very extravagent. You can reach from Vienna, VA, all the way to Rockville, MD. The problem is that not much is right off of the metro stop, unless you are in DC and planning on walking places. The Orange Line on the metro station stretches from DC to Vienna, VA. There are about 8 stops, each stop being walking distance (about .5 miles) from apartment complexes, not walking distance from shopping centers or stores however.
-Houses and apartments get more expensive the closer you get to a metro station (obviously, since you are paying for the convenience of being able to take the metro)
-There is heavy roadwork on Route 66, pretty much all the time, since the metro is being expanded to include Tysons Corner Mall. This is scheduled to be completed in 2012, but until then, be prepared for traffic.
-From VA, the main highway entering DC is Route 66. This is HOV-2 only from 5:30am-9:30am. This means that if you are moving to VA, not in metro range, and planning on driving into DC, then it's best to find an alternate route.

Good luck!

[Natthapol]

Originally Posted by SmerkyGrl

Moderator's Note: Since this thread offers great pointers on the Northern Virginia area, I thought it would be beneficial to include a link to the master photo tours index thread that was kindly started by normie. Here's a link to the visual imagery that is NoVa. Enjoy!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...oto-tours.html
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________________________

-Unless you live right across the street from or in the city of where you work, there will be no commute less than 30 minutes on a normal day.

-A typical studio or 1-bedroom starts at $1000. The only way you can find lower prices is if it is a private owner.

-Housing to own starts around 275k-300k with relatively crappy condos. No, we do not have 3 bedroom single family homes under 400k that are in liveable conditions.

-Yes Dingler, we do have illegal immigrants. No Dingler, not everyone that has light brown-dark brown skin is an illegal immigrant.

-Northern Virginia weather can be described as relatively balanced: we do have snow, there is a fall and a spring, and not to mention a scorching hot summer.

- If you are looking for nightlife for young people, a couple of places to check out include Ballston and DC.

- If you are looking for a small town feel, research City of Falls Church and Old Town Alexandria

- If you like stripmalls, you can live anywhere.

- We have plenty of diversity here though it is not often condensed in pockets (except Asiandale/Annandale). If you don't like diversity, you might want to reconsider moving here. If you do like diversity, sit tight, you will find the culture you seek as you settle in.

-You will come across a lot of whiners about how horrible Northern Virginia is so here are a few positive points to consider:

• Northern Virginia is very nature-friendly. Even in the most condensed of metropolitan areas, you are able to see various trees, flowers, and shrubs.
• World-class monuments and museums are within an hour's drive from you. So is shopping, the potomac river, small towns, and the capital of the United States
• Most of the residents in Northern Virginia and DC are transplants. You will not feel like a sore thumb newbie sticking out in the crowd---we have all experienced what you experience at some point in time.
• There are plenty of jobs to go around, as long as you have a college education. The tech industry here is booming, as are consulting firms in Tyson's Corner. There are even plenty of blue-collar jobs if you look hard enough.
• No, our traffic really isn't that bad. If you disagree, I suggest you move to Philly or LA.

...NoVa-ers, feel free to add more.

4 years later, let's evaluate these statements again

-Unless you live right across the street from or in the city of where you work, there will be no commute less than 30 minutes on a normal day.

Kinda true and probably get worse. Average commute time is definitely more than 30 minutes

-A typical studio or 1-bedroom starts at $1000. The only way you can find lower prices is if it is a private owner.

Around Tysons Corner, you are lucky to find 1BR for $1,500..

-Housing to own starts around 275k-300k with relatively crappy condos. No, we do not have 3 bedroom single family homes under 400k that are in liveable conditions.

True.. for 500K you can get a relatively new 2,000 sq ft town home in Fair Oak / Fair Lake area. that same thing will cost as high as 700K in Vienna.

-Northern Virginia weather can be described as relatively balanced: we do have snow, there is a fall and a spring, and not to mention a scorching hot summer.

Yes, the weather here is really nice in spring and fall -- not bad for 6 months of great weather in a year. It doesn't snow much with the exception of two 30-inch snowstorm a few years ago. Summer has been quite tolerable in the past few years -- of course, there will a streak of super hot and humid days but it ain't Houston!

- If you are looking for nightlife for young people, a couple of places to check out include Ballston and DC.

Clarendon and Courthouse are much more happening than Ballston these days. In DC, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Height, U St, H St, Chinatown and Georgetown are the places to go.


- Northern Virginia is very nature-friendly. Even in the most condensed of metropolitan areas, you are able to see various trees, flowers, and shrubs.

Yes! Big plus to this one. Trees are everywhere.

- There are plenty of jobs to go around, as long as you have a college education. The tech industry here is booming, as are consulting firms in Tyson's Corner. There are even plenty of blue-collar jobs if you look hard enough.

Yes, job market is still very strong so is the housing market.

- No, our traffic really isn't that bad. If you disagree, I suggest you move to Philly or LA.

I think it is getting worse.. could be as worse as LA now.

[leighland]

When are you moving?
Where are you coming from?
Why are you moving?
Where will you be working?
Have you been here yet?

Will you buy or rent?
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? What size do you need? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment or a townhouse? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Do you prefer a certain public or private schools?
Do you have pets?
Do you want or need a yard?
Are you keeping a car?
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?

What do you want to be closest to?
Work ( we highly recommend work)
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Drive a car or subway stations?

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?

Coke or Pepsi?

Thanks to Tone/Philly forum for the list.

[oneasterisk]

I'd make your own thread with that information. You'll get a lot more traffic than it sitting in this thread IMO.

[DCasey17]

Vienna is a great town...farmers market, annual halloween parade, town green, historic Church St, W&OD bike path...

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by Natthapol

4 years later, let's evaluate these statements again

-Unless you live right across the street from or in the city of where you work, there will be no commute less than 30 minutes on a normal day.

Kinda true and probably get worse. Average commute time is definitely more than 30 minutes

-A typical studio or 1-bedroom starts at $1000. The only way you can find lower prices is if it is a private owner.

Around Tysons Corner, you are lucky to find 1BR for $1,500..

-Housing to own starts around 275k-300k with relatively crappy condos. No, we do not have 3 bedroom single family homes under 400k that are in liveable conditions.

True.. for 500K you can get a relatively new 2,000 sq ft town home in Fair Oak / Fair Lake area. that same thing will cost as high as 700K in Vienna.

-Northern Virginia weather can be described as relatively balanced: we do have snow, there is a fall and a spring, and not to mention a scorching hot summer.

Yes, the weather here is really nice in spring and fall -- not bad for 6 months of great weather in a year. It doesn't snow much with the exception of two 30-inch snowstorm a few years ago. Summer has been quite tolerable in the past few years -- of course, there will a streak of super hot and humid days but it ain't Houston!

- If you are looking for nightlife for young people, a couple of places to check out include Ballston and DC.

Clarendon and Courthouse are much more happening than Ballston these days. In DC, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Height, U St, H St, Chinatown and Georgetown are the places to go.


- Northern Virginia is very nature-friendly. Even in the most condensed of metropolitan areas, you are able to see various trees, flowers, and shrubs.

Yes! Big plus to this one. Trees are everywhere.

- There are plenty of jobs to go around, as long as you have a college education. The tech industry here is booming, as are consulting firms in Tyson's Corner. There are even plenty of blue-collar jobs if you look hard enough.

Yes, job market is still very strong so is the housing market.

- No, our traffic really isn't that bad. If you disagree, I suggest you move to Philly or LA.

I think it is getting worse.. could be as worse as LA now.

I really have to disagree with some of the stuff that is written here, first of all, my brother just closed on a 3bd townhouse in Centreville for around $230K, and it was built 16 years ago, you can certainly get much crappier housing if you wanted in FFX Co. Once again, if you want to live in McLean, Great Falls, Arlington near the Orange line, Falls Church or any place that nice and close to jobs and shopping you will pay top dollar. The rest of the people in the county don't have to pay that kind of money, a relatively new 2000sqft house in Fair Oak / Fair Lake area is very good, most housing in significantly older.

I think only LA and Chicago can compete with Washington for traffic now.