things that upset you about nova (vehicle registration, house, job market)

[BarqCider]

growing up, i remember how nice this area was. now its simply clogged with traffic. im amazed how friends in PA and in san diego complain about traffic. when i went there and saw their issues, i simply laughed and told them that was nothing.

traffic and the bad drivers are the things that i dislike about this area, though peoples attitude is also way up there.

how about you?

[CAVA1990]

People who complain and don't realize how nice it is here.

[cdmurphy]

Expanding on CAVA1990's post... People who move here from elsewhere and complain incessantly about how [blank] (fill in: pizza, bagels, Mexican food, weather, traffic, bookstores, vehicle registration) is so horrible and inferior to [blank] back home. Chain fast casual restaurants notwithstanding, many areas of the United States *are* culturally different (see: history of settlement, immigration patterns, proximity of other nations, states' rights, etc.) and to think that the DC Metro area is some sort of catch-all or blank slate just because it's the nation's capital region is naive and bound to disappoint. Especially since we do have so many things you couldn't get "back home" and, thanks to regionally-based stores like Wegmans and Harris Teeter, many people can find some of their favorite home items here (Cheerwine! Tomato pie! The Daily News! Irish bacon!) and you'd have a hard time finding them if you relocated somewhere else.

I moved here long ago from a small southern town where the produce manager at the local grocery store didn't know what an avocado was. Instead of complaining about how I can't get decent sweet tea here, I'd rather have a delicious Thai iced tea and make my own sweet tea at home. (Or shh, get it at McDonalds, just don't tell my mama.). Most of the things I care about are much better here than where I came from. That's why I'm still here after 21 years and I'll never ever move back.

[vermonter16]

I think NOVA has a lot of pros and cons just like every other place. I don't prefer it here, but I don't absolutely hate it. I think if I didn't have a crummy commute every day....it would make a difference. So, my gripe is too many people doing everything else in their cars except focusing on driving. It drives me bonkers! Stoplights and slow traffic is taken as an opportunity to text or do whatever it is people are doing on their phones in their cars. Traffic will always be congested because of lack of planning....but people could help a little with actually driving instead of looking at their phones.

[marie5v]

I just hate that we can't go anyplace without a million other people wanting to be there at the same time. It's not the traffic, it's the crowds everywhere that make everything less fun. I dread the day when my child will be in school and we won't be able to take advantage of the quiet times before school gets out.

[VRE332]

Ashburn upsets me the most. They have roads that are 4 lane, then suddenly 2 lane in disorderly way. There also seems to be roads that just suddenly die, some neighborhoods that were developed 10 years ago that look run down.

[The Dissenter]

Traffic and cost of housing. Otherwise it ain't a bad place to be.

[lqda4]

Bad driving habits make traffic a lot worse than it should be. Unfortunately nobody cares to do anything about it.

Bland cookie cutter style homes.

[Cardiff Kook]

traffic, weather, work hours, grade a douche bags

other than that its a nice place

[FCNova]

Mainly just traffic. Housing cost can be tough but I think it's fairly relative e.g. I'll make alot more money in this area in my career than elsewhere thanks to the great job market to offset it. And if I'm still here in 30 years with my house paid off I'll have a hell of alot more assets on my personal balance sheet than if I lived in a small town my whole life.