Relocating from Florida to Virginia (Richmond, Centreville: apartments, rentals, movies)

[Heather119]

Hello! My husband and I, with our two children ages 10 and 15, are planning a move from Florida to Virginia in June and could really use insight into the area that would be the best fit for our family.

I will be working for a company that will require me to travel between Stafford, Richmond, and Centerville and am having a hard time deciding on the best location to choose to live.

Our ideal location will have good school choices (my 15 yr old is in advanced math and science classes), close to shopping, malls, dining, entertainment. We are in our 40's so bars are not top priority but we like movies and live music. The kids are active with dance and karate so those options are also important. We are looking to rent with a max budget of around $2000.

As far as socially, while we are working professionals, my husband and I grew up in the punk and heavy metal scenes and are hoping to not stick out like a couple of weirdos. . A tolerant, diverse area would be important.

Where would be the best location between Richmond and northern Virginia for us? Thank you for any advice!

[Bigfoot424]

Considering Centerville is a work location I'd consider Prince William Co in the Montclair area. Close to 95 and the commute will be going against traffic in the AM for Stafford and Richmond. Both Richmond will be a little bit of a drive with Stafford being the easy one. Centerville is the one that throws the wrench into the equation. Montclair is a large area with good schools and a good mix of all walks of life. There are numerous developments along the Dumfries Rd (234) corridor so Montclair is not the only option.

[djplourd]

Do you have any idea how often you'll need to be in each location? If its roughly equal then I'd suggest somewhere around Fredericksburg.

[Heather119]

I anticipate being in each location for 1-2 days each week. We have been looking at Fredericksburg a lot. I like the cute downtown area and the rent isn't extremely expensive. It seems like there are plenty of shopping options as well. We like that it isn't too far away from any one location or major cities for day trips.

Is the Fredericksburg community pretty tolerant and open to new people?

Thank you so much for your help!

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Heather119

I anticipate being in each location for 1-2 days each week. We have been looking at Fredericksburg a lot. I like the cute downtown area and the rent isn't extremely expensive. It seems like there are plenty of shopping options as well. We like that it isn't too far away from any one location or major cities for day trips.

Is the Fredericksburg community pretty tolerant and open to new people?

Thank you so much for your help!

While I think you'll find an area like Montclair more diverse I doubt you'll see issues in Fredericksburg. It's viewed as more "southern and even confederate " in some peoples minds but it has a decent mix so I don't think it will be an issue.

[Heather119]

Great, that really helps a lot to hear the point of view of someone who knows the area better than we do. Everywhere we have researched and visited "looks" like it would be nice to live but you never know until you spend more than a few days there. I'm glad to have your advice!

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by Heather119

Hello! My husband and I, with our two children ages 10 and 15, are planning a move from Florida to Virginia in June and could really use insight into the area that would be the best fit for our family.

I will be working for a company that will require me to travel between Stafford, Richmond, and Centerville and am having a hard time deciding on the best location to choose to live.

Our ideal location will have good school choices (my 15 yr old is in advanced math and science classes), close to shopping, malls, dining, entertainment. We are in our 40's so bars are not top priority but we like movies and live music. The kids are active with dance and karate so those options are also important. We are looking to rent with a max budget of around $2000.

As far as socially, while we are working professionals, my husband and I grew up in the punk and heavy metal scenes and are hoping to not stick out like a couple of weirdos. . A tolerant, diverse area would be important.

Where would be the best location between Richmond and northern Virginia for us? Thank you for any advice!

Given that you are spending 1-2 days in each location, my best recommendation is looking for something in Stafford County itself. You'll be close to your Stafford location, and the drive to Richmond -- while long (about 65 miles) -- won't usually feature significant traffic congestion. The drive to Centreville (about 40 miles) will be the only true slog.

In Stafford you will have suburban shopping and dining at your disposal. The area is growing both in terms of amenities and diversity. I cannot comment on Stafford County Schools; however, I know the area is popular with families, so I assume the schools are (at the very least) adequate.

And, as you noted earlier, you have Fredericksburg right nearby.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by jeff22152

Given that you are spending 1-2 days in each location, my best recommendation is looking for something in Stafford County itself. You'll be close to your Stafford location, and the drive to Richmond -- while long (about 65 miles) -- won't usually feature significant traffic congestion. The drive to Centreville (about 40 miles) will be the only true slog.

In Stafford you will have suburban shopping and dining at your disposal. The area is growing both in terms of amenities and diversity. I cannot comment on Stafford County Schools; however, I know the area is popular with families, so I assume the schools are (at the very least) adequate.

And, as you noted earlier, you have Fredericksburg right nearby.

I was going to recommend Stafford too. I know a lot of people who live there and like the more "rural" aspect of it, although that's changing. But I stopped short because I don't think it will satisfy the OP's need for close shopping, dining, entertainment. As my friends in Stafford say, it's in a odd place for stopping at Wegman's, hitting a mall, better dining, etc. I do think it would be the better commuting hub for the OP, but I wouldn't want to be there and be 20-30 minutes from what I think is decent shopping. If they want to run up to Fairfax or DC for some of the entertainment, Stafford is just a tad too far, IMO. It's one of those priority issues the OP is going to have to weigh.

[johnsonkk]

You don't say what type of housing you want; SFH or apartments. Not sure how many SFH rentals will be in Stafford.

No matter where you live, that drive a couple days a well to Centreville is going to get tiresome. A compensation is in order for someone traveling what appears to be 600-700 miles each week. That's over 35,000 a year on the high side if you live in Fredericksburg (or anywhere basically).

[BrassTacksGal]

Fredericksburg or Stafford.