Possible move to Fairfax, VA from Dallas (Chantilly, Woodbridge: gated, utilities)

[leighland]

I'm thinking this dude is a poetryslam affectionado from Tacoma Park just trying to stirup the nova thread

Where in Northern Virginia is smu considered an elite school, and this tristate business just smells like a Sopranos episode. And who thinks a beemer is highend?

dude, move to Wichita. Housings cheap the girls are young and immature and you'll be like Trump in town!

[The_Man74]

Originally Posted by leighland

I'm thinking this dude is a poetryslam affectionado from Tacoma Park just trying to stirup the nova thread

Where in Northern Virginia is smu considered an elite school, and this tristate business just smells like a Sopranos episode. And who thinks a beemer is highend?

dude, move to Wichita. Housings cheap the girls are young and immature and you'll be like Trump in town!

Never said it was high end... reread the posts i've already admitted and said I had preferred UVA as an undergrad(didn't get in LOL). I actually have a coworker friend who went to UVA and i always joke with him about it. Also several from TJ, Georgetown and William & Mary... and I can admit that those are all better than my college pedigree (W&M is a wash though I think) I only mentioned it as it was some background info on me.

What BMW M series do you drive again? It was that or a Jaguar F Type... let's see some pics bud

I only made a question about the females as I'm young, good looking, single and straight... It was just for an objective opinion b/c there is no other way for me to know. I'm not going to make a biased/ignorant viewpoint about women from state to state, i'm not an arse like that. (I know people like to claim TX has the best but i'm not close minded enough to actually believe that)

Tristate, NOVA... these terms are honestly still fairly new to me. I only can surmise from coworkers that the area with VA, MD and Wash DC(not a state obviously but our nation's capital) is sometimes LOOSELY referred to as the "TriState".

Besides looking at a map, pics, and asking coworkers who tell me about it(and have invited me up lol) i don't know any other way to know about the area to be completely honest.

How else am I supposed to ask about this? lol

[Va83]

As a southerner I'm sure you know about good manners and formalities. They're just giving you a hard time because you're introduction rubbed them wrong in the formality department. I think there's a breakdown in communication here. Reach deep into your southern charm and try to take in what they're saying to you...minus the rude parts. They're saying you'll have to take a slight hit in lifestyle living in NOVA. Something else I think they maybe trying to convey is the difference in culture. As in the car you drive may have a few people scratching their heads like why drive an M. When you arrive you'll notice most cars around you are Hondas, Toyotas and Mazdas no matter how much money they have. People are more introverted and in general aren't checking out others if it has nothing to do with them. The area is referred to as the DMV. Whoever told you different doesn't know much about the area or was trying to make you look foolish. When you get here leave the running down your life history as an introduction in Texas so you can make some friends.

[The_Man74]

Originally Posted by Va83

As a southerner I'm sure you know about good manners and formalities. They're just giving you a hard time because you're introduction rubbed them wrong in the formality department. I think there's a breakdown in communication here. Reach deep into your southern charm and try to take in what they're saying to you...minus the rude parts. They're saying you'll have to take a slight hit in lifestyle living in NOVA. Something else I think they maybe trying to convey is the difference in culture. As in the car you drive may have a few people scratching their heads like why drive an M. When you arrive you'll notice most cars around you are Hondas, Toyotas and Mazdas no matter how much money they have. People are more introverted and in general aren't checking out others if it has nothing to do with them. The area is referred to as the DMV. Whoever told you different doesn't know much about the area or was trying to make you look foolish. When you get here leave the running down your life history as an introduction in Texas so you can make some friends.

lol didn't think that explaining my situation and background on an informational forum might rub people the wrong way... but I'll go ahead and file that away in my "Note to Future Self" book that I'm writing

I really actually don't go around showing off my M, although I got compliments for it all the time honestly. I just enjoy the control of the car more than anything honestly(I used to drive a Mazda 3 honestly and a Mercedes before that... also a Jeep Wrangler at one point) I am looking for a more cultured lifestyle.. I have mentioned before that being so close to other states and NY, PA and the New England area will be amazing for me because i've never experienced it lol.

I have many coworkers that tell me about VA and the DC area so I can only go off of what they tell me, and sometimes they may be biased because obviously they don't want me to leave lol.

So that's why I thought it would be in my best interest to post on an informational forum to get objective opinions from (hopefully) non biased strangers that can be honest with me.

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by The_Man74

Tristate, NOVA... these terms are honestly still fairly new to me. I only can surmise from coworkers that the area with VA, MD and Wash DC(not a state obviously but our nation's capital) is sometimes LOOSELY referred to as the "TriState".

No. It's not. Not ever. Not "loosely," a little, in passing, or otherwise. Anyone who calls the area the Tristate probably hasn't actually spent time here. I was born and raised in the area. I'm currently in the area. I promise you, it is NOT the Tristate. Please get that out of your head now.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by The_Man74

Never said it was high end... reread the posts i've already admitted and said I had preferred UVA as an undergrad(didn't get in LOL). I actually have a coworker friend who went to UVA and i always joke with him about it. Also several from TJ, Georgetown and William & Mary... and I can admit that those are all better than my college pedigree (W&M is a wash though I think) I only mentioned it as it was some background info on me.

No, College of William and Mary is not a "wash" with SMU. US News ranks it 34, SMU at 61.


But here is where I show my lack of knowledge - this is the 2nd time you've mentioned "TJ" as a top university. Never heard of it. Where is "TJ" located?

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Va83

The area is referred to as the DMV. Whoever told you different doesn't know much about the area or was trying to make you look foolish. When you get here leave the running down your life history as an introduction in Texas so you can make some friends.

I just gotta say...I'm internally fighting this DMV thing. I'm a native Washingtonian and the DC/MD/VA areas have ALWAYS been here. That name has popped up in the last, oh, 3 years. I can't stand it, don't know where it comes from, and I resent it. I know some "outsider" came up with and it just has to go. Everytime it comes up, I think someone is talking about going to the Department of Motor Vehicles...uuggghhh....why????

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I just gotta say...I'm internally fighting this DMV thing. I'm a native Washingtonian and the DC/MD/VA areas have ALWAYS been here. That name has popped up in the last, oh, 3 years. I can't stand it, don't know where it comes from, and I resent it. I know some "outsider" came up with and it just has to go. Everytime it comes up, I think someone is talking about going to the Department of Motor Vehicles...uuggghhh....why????

I agree with you, but, at least you've heard the phrase referring to the region. While new, and not your preference, it isn't this "TriState" nonsense. I think the most common is "DC Metro Area", or just "Metro Area".

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by Ffxdata

I think that the commenter was saying that 100k doesn't go as far here and that it may be difficult to get a single family home where he wants on that salary. Not impossible at all but harder. Especially what you can expec for your money in Texas vs here.

Yep, that's exactly what I was saying. When I worked in Fairfax, I knew people who were making well under $100K and they not only had a short commute but they were doing just fine.

I get that there isn't some prerequisite that in order to live in FFX you have to make $100K but from the prospective of someone moving from Texas, which is a MUCH cheaper area, and you have the choice of staying in said cheaper area or moving to one of the most expensive areas in the country only for a $10K raise, I wouldn't recommend it. And if the person is insistent on doing it, I'd recommend the more cheaper parts of NoVa first.

Also, OP... just from reading some of your posts in this thread, I think you're reading too much into the the NoVa stereotypes/generalizations people make. This is not Beverly Hills or The Hamptons 2.0. People here do have high paying jobs but most (or at least from my experience) aren't overly flashy about it. You could easily live next to a household that ranks in over $200K and you wouldn't know it because they drive average cars (or what you would consider average - Prius, etc) and aren't overly pretentious about everything. No one in this area actually walks around saying "I make over $100K a year, I drive a fancy new Benz and I live in a McMansion in the richest county in America!" Maybe they do that in Texas, I'm not sure but I would refrain from all the car and money talk here, since no one talks like that and it will likely only turn people off and make it harder for you to meet people.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I just gotta say...I'm internally fighting this DMV thing. I'm a native Washingtonian and the DC/MD/VA areas have ALWAYS been here. That name has popped up in the last, oh, 3 years. I can't stand it, don't know where it comes from, and I resent it. I know some "outsider" came up with and it just has to go. Everytime it comes up, I think someone is talking about going to the Department of Motor Vehicles...uuggghhh....why????

"Urban Dictionary" has posts dating back almost a decade that suggest the term "DMV" was urban slang first associated with DC go-go groups that played around the region. Maybe since there was an 80s group called "Run-D.M.C." the idea of referring to DC-Maryland-Virginia as "DMV" appealed to some folks (or at least those of us who don't associate "DMV" with long lines and indifferent customer service).

It's common to refer to NY-NJ-CT as the "Tri-State" region, but I've never heard that term used here - particularly since DC isn't a state!