We are moving to VA. Yeah! (Reston, Chantilly: HOA, condo, crime)

[dallastxgirl]

What a beautiful state. I am actually scared to death. Trying to be positive though. My husband is from Ohio. Skiing, sledding, hockey. I am from the deep south. Need I say more? We have received a number of ideas for places to live. Thanks so much. I did not post in Northern VA, so I am hoping to get some more info. Work will be in Tysons Corner. Here are some cities that people have suggested.
Tysons Corner
Chantilly
Great Falls
Falls Church
Herndon
Reston
Ashburn
Leesburg
Gainesville
Haymarket
Bristow
And finally moving a little further out, Warrenton. I have heard about Manassas as well, but the people that live there said there would some bad sides, and crime was picking up. It was not very positive. I have been doing some research online, which is hard. Looking at houses and all that. Quite a few of his coworkers live in Ashburn, however looking at the internet the prices seem a bit outrageous there. The houses in Warrenton seemed to be the best, as far as price per square foot, style, and large lot sizes. I looked at there city web site, that was funny. It's a little hokey. Apparently they don't bother with the whole web master thing. I would love to hear from some people who live there. Schools, commute, any info would be great. Also, one place I have not heard a peep about is Sugarland Run. I saw it on the map. My husband golfs there, and he said there were some nice homes, a bit close together but nice. It's close to the Potomac. Anyone have any input about that? Thanks so much for all the help!

[Novamom06]

As for Sugarland Run, they are probably referring to the area of Sterling that is in the 20165 zip code - Potomac Falls. I would not recommend Sugarland Run proper (it is a HOA, not in that zip code), but definately recommend the areas around it - there has been a lot of discussion about the community, the HOA is called "Cascades".

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by dallastxgirl

What a beautiful state. I am actually scared to death. Trying to be positive though. My husband is from Ohio. Skiing, sledding, hockey. I am from the deep south. Need I say more? We have received a number of ideas for places to live. Thanks so much. I did not post in Northern VA, so I am hoping to get some more info. Work will be in Tysons Corner. Here are some cities that people have suggested.
Tysons Corner
Chantilly
Great Falls
Falls Church
Herndon
Reston
Ashburn
Leesburg
Gainesville
Haymarket
Bristow
And finally moving a little further out, Warrenton. I have heard about Manassas as well, but the people that live there said there would some bad sides, and crime was picking up. It was not very positive. I have been doing some research online, which is hard. Looking at houses and all that. Quite a few of his coworkers live in Ashburn, however looking at the internet the prices seem a bit outrageous there. The houses in Warrenton seemed to be the best, as far as price per square foot, style, and large lot sizes. I looked at there city web site, that was funny. It's a little hokey. Apparently they don't bother with the whole web master thing. I would love to hear from some people who live there. Schools, commute, any info would be great. Also, one place I have not heard a peep about is Sugarland Run. I saw it on the map. My husband golfs there, and he said there were some nice homes, a bit close together but nice. It's close to the Potomac. Anyone have any input about that? Thanks so much for all the help!

Most home for the price would be Warrenton. Nice town as well.

[claremarie]

Your housing budget will be the most important factor (other than the employment location) in figuring out where to live. Also, you need to decide on the maximum length of an acceptable commute.
The further out you move from DC, the less expensive the housing. There are no secret enclaves of affordable housing within a short distance of DC or Tyson's -- if you find a neighborhood or a home that is much less expensive than apparently comparable areas or homes, there is a reason for that. If you want newer construction, you will be looking at a longer commute (unless you have over $1 million to spend on an remodeled home inside the Beltway).
You mentioned schools -- in general, the "best" schools (measured by test scores and other objective criteria) will be found in the more expensive residential areas. All of the schools in Fairfax County will be good, and will offer most of the same programs, though schools serving the most affluent and educated families (with the most demanding parents) tend to offer the widest range of courses and activities. The primary difference among them is the demographics of the student body.

[ShannonMilligan]

We live in Ashburn (just moved here...maybe we should get together, lol!) and we love it. The prices have come down. Just a few minutes further out is Leesburg and you can get a lot of bang for your buck there. My husband works in Tysons as well and that is why we picked Ashburn...Leesburg would just be a little more of a commute. What I like about Ashburn is as a Stay at home mom (looking for employment now) it is great...lots of other moms around and shopping centers. Everything is clean and the schools are great. What are you looking to spend? Do you have a Realtor? We used someone out of the Ashburn area (if you need a referral, I can give you her name) and she and her business partner were great.
Anyway, don't be too scared. I have lived a lot of places and I like it here the best thus far! Good Luck!

[xshadowx]

The further you go the cheaper it will be. Gainesville and bristow are really nice areas. The Prince william co shcool system is one of the top school systems in the nation. Fairfax co is even higher on the list. Warrenton isn't much cheaper. Just depends on how far you want to drive to work. Bealeton isn't much further out than warrenton and the prices would be lower. Really if your income is high enough you should check out gainesville and bristow.
If you tell us how far your willing to drive,
A price range
do you like city life better or country living?

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by dallastxgirl

What a beautiful state. I am actually scared to death. Trying to be positive though. My husband is from Ohio. Skiing, sledding, hockey. I am from the deep south. Need I say more? We have received a number of ideas for places to live. Thanks so much. I did not post in Northern VA, so I am hoping to get some more info. Work will be in Tysons Corner. Here are some cities that people have suggested.
Tysons Corner
Chantilly
Great Falls
Falls Church
Herndon
Reston
Ashburn
Leesburg
Gainesville
Haymarket
Bristow
And finally moving a little further out, Warrenton. I have heard about Manassas as well, but the people that live there said there would some bad sides, and crime was picking up. It was not very positive. I have been doing some research online, which is hard. Looking at houses and all that. Quite a few of his coworkers live in Ashburn, however looking at the internet the prices seem a bit outrageous there. The houses in Warrenton seemed to be the best, as far as price per square foot, style, and large lot sizes. I looked at there city web site, that was funny. It's a little hokey. Apparently they don't bother with the whole web master thing. I would love to hear from some people who live there. Schools, commute, any info would be great. Also, one place I have not heard a peep about is Sugarland Run. I saw it on the map. My husband golfs there, and he said there were some nice homes, a bit close together but nice. It's close to the Potomac. Anyone have any input about that? Thanks so much for all the help!

Most important variables - what is your price range, and are you looking for a condo, townhome, or single family home? Those two questions should drive your search. Warrenton to Tysons in the morning as a single passenger auto driver is probably close to 2 hours.

Oh, and Manassas can be quite the lovely place - there are just some developments to avoid, that's all.

Welcome to Northern Virginia!

[saganista]

Just a note that commuting can kill you. The most frequent mistake that people make when moving into the DC area is underestimating the length of time it takes to get from one place to another in rush hour traffic. Once you get beyond ten miles from Tysons you are getting into increasingly risky territory.

Meanwhile the two towns that are closest to Tysons don't appear on your list...McLean and Vienna. Oakton and Fairfax lie just beyond Vienna to the west. They would offer much better commutes than some of the other areas...

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by xshadowx

The further you go the cheaper it will be. Gainesville and bristow are really nice areas. The Prince william co shcool system is one of the top school systems in the nation. Fairfax co is even higher on the list. Warrenton isn't much cheaper. Just depends on how far you want to drive to work. Bealeton isn't much further out than warrenton and the prices would be lower. Really if your income is high enough you should check out gainesville and bristow.
If you tell us how far your willing to drive,
A price range
do you like city life better or country living?

I'll give you Fairfax and Loudon schools, but Prince William?? Top in the country?? That's a strong statement that i doubt can be backed up by fact. As a product of the PWC school system i can attest it is not "top in the country"...

[xshadowx]

Perhaps 20 years ago. The PWC school system has grown and has gotten much better. I'm sure that there are some schools that aren't as good as others in the system. Take a look at Brentsville 15 years ago. They use to be a small school grades 6-12 now they only have 9-12 and have the cambridge program. Battlefield is also another good high school. The new Marsteller middle. I know Fairfax has always had a great reputation. Better than PWC. I didn't say they are the TOP school system, but they are well above average. Try checking out some other school systems In NC or MD. Fairfax and PWC have good schools.