Reason to consider relocating to FAIRFAX CNTY instead of HOWARD CNTY Maryland (Arlington: sales, apartment)

[PAFAMILIY]

Hi-
My husband recently started a job in DC. While WE live in Philadelphia suburbs...He has an apartment in Alexandria, Va and commutes home on weekends.

My son and I plan to join my husband by the start of school year 08-09 BUT WHERE TO LIVE IS THE BIG QUESTION

We are Jewish. Our son goes to Sunday school currently. I know there are synagogues in MD but what about VA? Is it true that VA schools are not off on some Jewish holiday...While we are Jewish we are not Jewish, Jewish...in other words, we are NOT ORTHODOX BY ANY MEANS. Bottom line, If it was just my husband and I , we don't care as much BUT because our son has already been exposed to some form of Jewish Ed , I don't want to move to a new state and drop everything that he was doing prior. Just belonging to a synagogue and having some connections with others like himself would be fine.

We want to find an affordable area..Is VA more affordable than MD...like Howard County, MD for instance? I know when I was at Trader Joes in Alexandria with my husband , the tax was 9 %..5% sales and 4% VA..is this right? Is it like this in MD? Can you money go farther in Fairfax COunty than Howard COunty?

I would like to find a place to rent initally in an excellent school district (son will be in 1st gr) and my husband needs to be able to have a reasonable commute to DOJ in DC. Any advice where we could look and SHOULD WE LOOK in Fairfax given what I mentioned. Any advise would help and is greatly appreciated...While I thought I narrowed my search to Howard County, MD, I keep hearing that the schools and people are great in Fairfax County

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I know nothing about Maryland but live in Fairfax in Fairfax County - not the city but the town - there is a very large Jewish Community Center and school here - looks very nice and modern - I know there is a Jewish Community here. It is very expenisve to live here - but the property taxes and auto insurance is very low compared to where I used to live in NJ.

[jpc088]

I was born and brought up in Howard County, MD and moved to Fairfax County after I graduated from college.

Back then, Howard County was relatively affordable, in my opinion. Schools are good, and the cost of living wasn't that expensive.

The houses are much more expensive in Fairfax County, but the population is more ethnically diverse, with more restaurants, shopping centers, etc.

I've got a friend who lives in Howard County, and it seems that housing prices have gone up a bit, especially in Columbia. Columbia is becoming over-priced, and is taking a similar path that Reston, VA did/is.

[novanative75]

Schools are much better in Fairfax County, one of the best school districts in the country. Education seems to be important to you, I would live in Fairfax County with no question. There is a great Jewish population in Fairfax County and while I am not Jewish, I have friends that are and was a part of their lives and they were very pleased with it.
Now, Fairfax County is more expensive but it is worth it for your boy!

[PAFAMILIY]

Thanks for the confirmation...I knew there just had to be some Jews somewhere in VA. I was told Maryland would be a better option for us so I just focused on that..I just don't have a clue about WHERE in Fairfax county...I have to consider the schools and my husband's commute. I will be there this weekend...I would like to drive around in some neighborhoods. Any suggestions? Any areas that are affordable ? I will be giving up my job here in Philly so we will be just on my husband's salary...low 100's. We figure we need to rent first before we committ to buying a house. You say VA is expensive..hopefully we CAN afford to by a house. What does a nice 3 bedroom in a nice safe area run these days down there. Are taxes as high in Md as they are in VA?

SOrry for the million questions ...my head is spinning and I want to make the right decision without pulling by son out of schools and moving every yr.
Thanks, everyone

[PAFAMILIY]

Fully
Accredited 12 Arlington Traditional public 10 Fully
Accredited 13 Spring Hill Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 16 Westbriar Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 15 Churchill Road Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 15 Arlington Science Focus School public 10 Fully
Accredited 12 Great Falls Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 15 Colvin Run Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 16 Haycock Elementary School public 10 Fully
Accredited 15 Willow Springs Elementary School public 9 Fully
Accredited 15 Key Center public 9 Fully
Accredited 4 Greenbriar West Elementary School public 9 Fully
Accredited 16 Wakefield Forest Elementary School public 9 Fully
Accredited 14 Olde Creek Elementary School public 9 Fully
Accredited 12 Mosby Woods Elementary School public 8 Fully
Accredited 12 Oak View Elementary School public 8 Fully
Accredited 17 Mantua Elementary School public 8 Fully
Accredited 14 Fairfax Villa Elementary School public 8 Fully
Accredited 10 Navy Elementary School

[PAFAMILIY]

Wups...I sent the list in ranking order of the best (according to GreatSchools.net)
Anyone have the best way to see which towns/cities feed these particular schools...Anyone have feedback on any of the schools.. I figure I should look at the schools and then see what areas feed them and THEN look at the housing to see if its affordable...anyone have opinions about my approach

[mastif2]

Hi. We are in the same exact boat. Moving to the area for my husband's job and can't figure out which area will be better - Howard or Fairfax. We have two toddlers and are looking for an area just like the Swarthmore/Media area here in PA. Are you familiar with these neighborhoods??

[luke9.54_56]

Originally Posted by PAFAMILIY

Wups...I sent the list in ranking order of the best (according to GreatSchools.net)
Anyone have the best way to see which towns/cities feed these particular schools...Anyone have feedback on any of the schools.. I figure I should look at the schools and then see what areas feed them and THEN look at the housing to see if its affordable...anyone have opinions about my approach

_____________________________________

I did substitute teaching. I used to think the schools in any wealthy neighborhood were good, just because people said they were. I thought schools in well-to-do areas ALL had to be good. After all, the parents are wealthier, and more likely to be concerned with whether or not their children went on to do well and eventually get into a college. WRONG.

What I learned is something that few people will ever tell you, because they do not dig deep enough. There are some good schools in some nice neighborhoods, but I saw plenty that were rotten too. The factor that made ALL the difference was not whether or not the school system or the neighborhood had money.....it was whether or not the PRINCIPAL believed in right and wrong. In most schools today, we have milk toast Principals, who crush every bit of what can be common sense, in lieu of a wishy-washy, please the parents attitude....Pleasing the parents is certainly right, unless the parents are going to intimidate the school into mayhem......most of the schools I saw were in a state of mayhem. And by 5th grade, if your kids are not being intimidated by the few gang members, hold on, by 7th grade, they surely will be.

I never once saw one single administrator willing to admit that a student could lie....or be wrong. When I grew up, it was the reverse. The adults were the examples to be followed, but now it is the students that the adults are rushing to pander to, to placate, and believe me, the students know this and use it to their advantage...the education they receive is questionable. It is just as likely schools in the suburbs are getting poor classroom management as it is the schools in the urban centers.......sad to say. The real question is how many will drop out before we realize that kids need discipline to learn?

We never studied because we were self-motivated...we studied and learned because we were forced to, and I thank God we were forced to.

Oh, my gosh, I can tell you some nightmares about well-to-do schools that are full of the nastiest meanest students because they all learned that the teachers are scared of them and exercise no discipline. They saw that the Principal is afraid of being sued by the wealthy lawyer-parents, so they do nothing, and the students hit each other, complain, and nothing is done about it. Or the students accuse the teacher of something that is impossible to verify. Or the lack of discipline means the students yell and scream and get little done in class.

My best advice to any parent is to find a way to visit the school during school hours. Many parents can get in simply by volunteering once in awhile to come in and read to the first or second graders, so that the teacher can work with one or two students one on one for a few minutes......here are ways to volunteer, and meanwhile, you can see a bit of what is going on in other classes.

Go by and peek in at the music class..if they are lying around on the floor, you will see they are not being disciplined to learn. Meanwhile, walk by the art class, and see if they are running wildly around. Check out what is called "art" nowadays, by simply poking your head in and acting interested...you may be shocked to see nakedness, and devil pictures and so forth. Some are cut from magazines and done as collages, and only The Lord knows in which magazines such possible cuts could come.

Go check out the gym, and listen in. See if students are throwing the ball at each other's heads as hard as they can. (Oh, yes, quite common.) Or, as you walk through the halls, yuo might find a teacher having a meltdown, screaming at YOUR child as he/she is cowered down on the floor outside the room, humiliated. This is also not discipline....but instead, a frantic, too-late overwhelming reaction to the student's inability to figure out where the boundaries are (there aren't any, by the way.)

Or drive by and watch the students out on the playground. If you see teachers watching carefully, wondering why a car pulled up by the fence and is not moving, you may be at a good school. But if the teachers are nowhere to be found, or are talking among themselves on a bench, and never care to find out why a car is stopped, you just may be at one of those schools where the Principal is afraid of his own shadow.

You will be either pleased or shocked, so take your meds with you.

[luke9.54_56]

I just saw your list above and can say with assurancemost of the schools on there are excellent...I do not know Haycock, Mantua, Key Center or Fairfax Villa, however, as I never subbed there. One I see that comes to mind that is NOT on this list, is London Towne Elementary.

Any of the schools in Centreville, Clifton, or Vienna are going to be good, from my experience, and talking with other subs, we all had the same conclusions.