Moving from California to NOVA (McLean, Fairfax: 2015, apartment, for rent)

[Pit2015]

Hello,

We are family of four with two kids, 8 and 5 yo.
We currently live in SF Bay Area, CA. We plan to move to Virginia, but are not clear which area to choose to settle in. We are planning to rent a house at first and buy one later. Our preferences are Falls Church (Falls Hills), then McLean, Vienna.
Our reasons for moving are housing and Fairfax County public schools.
We just spent a week in NOVA and liked the place a lot - weather ( we don't mind cooler climate), lots of trees, sense of community around neighborhoods.

I'd like to ask people on this forum a few general questions - about job market, schools, housing.

Of course my biggest concern is job market. I work in high-tech, Business Intelligence. Can some one give an idea about job situation in VA?
How is housing market? It seems to be on the rise, according to some sources median price has increased by $200K in last 3 years.
Are schools in Fairfax County really that good?

I have way more questions, but I just want to start the conversation and add questions as we go.

Thank you for your time!

Peter.

[Carlingtonian]

"Business intelligence"? Is that industrial espionage or consulting? Do you leverage synergies?

Sorry--couldn't resist. (But seriously, I have no idea what that phrase is supposed to mean.)

My advice--and I don't mean to sound unfriendly, but this is the truth: Don't move here without a job. It's too big a risk. You'll be paying probably $2500/month for rent for a 2BR apartment, at least. (That might actually be low.) You might get lucky, but unless your spouse already has a $200K/year job lined up, I would definitely find work first.

You might also post a thread asking about job opportunities in consulting here. There are a lot of consultants, and their income sounds generally good (over 100K), but the drawback is that they get cut when the contract ends.

[Badger21]

Hi OP,

With the way you phrased your question it seems like your aware of just how expensive it is to live out here. The job market here is plentiful for those in high tech as there are jobs up and down the Dulles corridor, arlington, tysons, and within DC itself especially if you have a security clearance/ are able to obtain one. That is something your employer does so if you have the resume to justify obtaining a clearance, they will hire you. The schools are some of the best in the country and with that comes the incredible median housing prices.

Carlingtonian is right on where you don't want to move here unless you have a job or an obnoxious amount of savings you care to part with. Business intelligence sounds like a very specific field so hopefully you can find something here where you can apply your skills.

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by Pit2015

Hello,

We are family of four with two kids, 8 and 5 yo.
We currently live in SF Bay Area, CA. We plan to move to Virginia, but are not clear which area to choose to settle in. We are planning to rent a house at first and buy one later. Our preferences are Falls Church (Falls Hills), then McLean, Vienna.
Our reasons for moving are housing and Fairfax County public schools.
We just spent a week in NOVA and liked the place a lot - weather ( we don't mind cooler climate), lots of trees, sense of community around neighborhoods.

I'd like to ask people on this forum a few general questions - about job market, schools, housing.

Of course my biggest concern is job market. I work in high-tech, Business Intelligence. Can some one give an idea about job situation in VA?
How is housing market? It seems to be on the rise, according to some sources median price has increased by $200K in last 3 years.
Are schools in Fairfax County really that good?

I have way more questions, but I just want to start the conversation and add questions as we go.

Thank you for your time!

Peter.

Welcome. I would be surprised if house median prices have increased by $200K in the last 3 years, but maybe that has happened in a few neighborhoods. I think prices in SF have recently increased more rapidly than those in the areas in which you are looking--and they started from a higher base.

[gomason]

There are a lot of high-tech businesses along the Dulles Toll Road. At least in the 90s, more than half of the world's internet traffic went through servers in Northern Virginia.

You might be able to deal with the cool weather, but more importantly can you deal with 45+ days of summer above 90 and about 7 days when it feels like 105 degrees? That will be quite a culture shock for you. I've lived in the mid atlantic all my life and I still hate summers with a passion.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by gomason

There are a lot of high-tech businesses along the Dulles Toll Road. At least in the 90s, more than half of the world's internet traffic went through servers in Northern Virginia.

You might be able to deal with the cool weather, but more importantly can you deal with 45+ days of summer above 90 and about 7 days when it feels like 105 degrees? That will be quite a culture shock for you. I've lived in the mid atlantic all my life and I still hate summers with a passion.

California gets hot weather as well, at least in the valleys & the south, the biggest different from NoVa is the humidity. Out there you have a low humidity so even at 105 degrees it is bearable. Here with a 90 degree but with 90% humidity is a very different feel.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

California gets hot weather as well, at least in the valleys & the south, the biggest different from NoVa is the humidity. Out there you have a low humidity so even at 105 degrees it is bearable. Here with a 90 degree but with 90% humidity is a very different feel.

The OP is from the bay area. The warmest time of the year, September, has an average high of 71: SAN FRANCISCO TEMPERATURE RECORD PAGE. That's about 20 degrees lower than here. And that's without even considering the sweltering humidity.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by gomason

The OP is from the bay area. The warmest time of the year, September, has an average high of 71: SAN FRANCISCO TEMPERATURE RECORD PAGE. That's about 20 degrees lower than here. And that's without even considering the sweltering humidity.

Like most Californians, I am sure the OP has been outside of the city and ventured into the valleys such as Napa, Sonoma, even San Jose and have experienced the "dry heat".

Besides, who was the famous writer who onced said "the coldest day in San Franscisco is in a summer day"?

[Julianpieohmy]

Originally Posted by gomason

The OP is from the bay area. The warmest time of the year, September, has an average high of 71: SAN FRANCISCO TEMPERATURE RECORD PAGE. That's about 20 degrees lower than here. And that's without even considering the sweltering humidity.

Californians are well aware of microclimates. 10 miles can literally mean 10 degress. It can be snowing in the mountains 1 hour away and 70 degrees at the beach.

SF weather is cold, but the bay area varies greatly. San Jose has average highs above 80 for three straight months. It also have average lows below 45 degrees for 3 straight months.

Pleasanton is also considered the (east) bay area and average June/July highs are 89.

San Francisco weather is uniquely San Francisco and parts of peninsula. Most place do not have that weather

[blindside]

Lived in Oakland/Berkeley for a few years. Never wore shorts once. Standard attire was jeans and a t-shirt and maybe a hoodie. VA summers are horrid and the winters are so so. i can see why people here enjoy fall and spring, when the other two seasons are so terrible, anything is better. Most people in the inner bay have fall like temperatures all year. If you want 90 degree temperatures, you can take a 30 minute BART ride to walnut creek or Pleasanton.

To the OP, there's a saying when you leave California, it's hard as hell to get back.