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Old 04-21-2017, 07:12 PM
 
18 posts, read 16,934 times
Reputation: 16

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Hi all,
So my family is moving to NOVA this summer and are wondering about which area would be best for us. My husband works in Chantilly (and has an easy pass) and I will look for something once we move. We have 2 kids, one in elementary school and a toddler. We are looking for a single family home in the 400K price range. With this price range and reasonable distance from Chantilly we were thinking either the Round Hill/Purcelville area or the Gainesville/Haymarket area. I am hoping to get some insight on the following for these areas..
-Traffic
-School quality
-Safe family friendly areas and/or not so safe family friendly areas
-are these city or country feels?
-Daycare/Preschool prices
-General cost of living

Thanks!!!
Peachy7
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Old 04-21-2017, 10:54 PM
 
3,230 posts, read 2,298,722 times
Reputation: 7131
Purcellville/Round Hill, good schools and nice people. Also some good restaurants in Purcellville and Leesburg is just down the road. I don't think there are any bad sections in Purcellville or Round Hill. They're pretty rural.
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Old 04-22-2017, 06:04 AM
 
89 posts, read 83,196 times
Reputation: 302
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peachy7 View Post
Hi all,
So my family is moving to NOVA this summer and are wondering about which area would be best for us. My husband works in Chantilly (and has an easy pass) and I will look for something once we move. We have 2 kids, one in elementary school and a toddler. We are looking for a single family home in the 400K price range. With this price range and reasonable distance from Chantilly we were thinking either the Round Hill/Purcelville area or the Gainesville/Haymarket area. I am hoping to get some insight on the following for these areas..
-Traffic
-School quality
-Safe family friendly areas and/or not so safe family friendly areas
-are these city or country feels?
-Daycare/Preschool prices
-General cost of living

Thanks!!!
Peachy7
Even though I-66 sucks, much better commuter than Purcellville/Round Hill. You'll also save about $50 a week in Gainesville as opposed to Purcellville
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Old 04-22-2017, 07:21 AM
 
9,860 posts, read 13,979,789 times
Reputation: 21673
Quote:
Originally Posted by PGEMF View Post
Even though I-66 sucks, much better commuter than Purcellville/Round Hill. You'll also save about $50 a week in Gainesville as opposed to Purcellville
I don't think the commute will be "much better" from Gainesville, although it will be much less expensive.

If I had to describe both areas in a few words:

Gainesville - sprawl with chain retail and restaurants
Purcellville -small town charm with amenities
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:08 AM
 
Location: West Springfield, VA
153 posts, read 172,034 times
Reputation: 216
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peachy7 View Post
Hi all,
So my family is moving to NOVA this summer and are wondering about which area would be best for us. My husband works in Chantilly (and has an easy pass) and I will look for something once we move. We have 2 kids, one in elementary school and a toddler. We are looking for a single family home in the 400K price range. With this price range and reasonable distance from Chantilly we were thinking either the Round Hill/Purcelville area or the Gainesville/Haymarket area. I am hoping to get some insight on the following for these areas..
-Traffic
-School quality
-Safe family friendly areas and/or not so safe family friendly areas
-are these city or country feels?
-Daycare/Preschool prices
-General cost of living

Thanks!!!
Peachy7
Gainesville and Haymarket (in Prince William County) sit on the western edge of the vast NoVa urban and suburban sprawl. Subdivisions (mostly HOA-governed) and retail centers abound.

Purcellville and Round Hill (in Loudoun County) sit slightly outside of the sprawl; however, I would define them as exurban communities these days as opposed to rural.

Traffic to and from Chantilly would be bad from both areas, and the commute expense would be higher from Purcellville and Round Hill. I wouldn't necessarily make that a deciding factor, though.

Loudoun County schools are generally considered superior to Prince William County schools; however, both Gainesville and Haymarket are very popular with families, so I suspect you'll find good schools in each area.

Purcellville and Round Hill are fine. I haven't heard anything negative about certain areas of Gainesville or Haymarket either. You would encounter some problem spots further east in parts of Manassas.

Only the outskirts of Purcellville or Round Hill will have a somewhat country feel. Everything else is decidedly suburban and exurban. With that said, the centers of Haymarket, Purcellville, and Round Hill have some charm.

Cost of living is high in both areas. Your housing budget is doable, but a bit low. 450k would open a few more doors.

Visit both areas and choose what's best for you and your family.

Good Luck!
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Old 04-22-2017, 09:12 AM
 
18 posts, read 16,934 times
Reputation: 16
Great responses and information. Thank you everyone.
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Old 04-25-2017, 08:32 AM
 
1,784 posts, read 3,446,058 times
Reputation: 1295
"Chantilly" can span Route 50 from the Fairfax County Parkway out to Loudoun County Parkway (8+ miles) with about 80 stoplights in between, but I assume he'll be working off of 28 somewhere?
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Old 04-25-2017, 10:23 AM
 
Location: Spartanburg, SC
4,892 posts, read 7,380,838 times
Reputation: 3864
Western Loudoun's small towns are really nice places, especially for raising children. Purcellville is a slightly bigger Mayberry. Pleasant people, good schools, Fourth of July parades, Santa on a fire truck goes through all the neighborhoods at Christmas, a wonderful swim facility at a really nice park, Franklin Park (mid-way between Purcellville and Round Hill.

There are a lot of sport leagues available, churches, scouts, etc to get involved in. There are three grocery stores and several very nice restaurants (West End and Smokin Willy are my favorite, though polar opposites).

One of my most poignant memories (we were there about 17 years) is of a town lined 2 or 3 people deep when a fallen soldier returned to be buried. The entire route was lined from Route 287 to the funeral home. The whole town and surrounding area must have been there, hundreds of people of all ages, colors, religions. It still brings tears to my eyes.

Best of luck in your search.
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