Moving To Woodbridge (Dale City, Lake Ridge, Fairfax: cul-de-sac, crime, buying a house)

[carmenj01]

We are about to buy a home in the Woodbridge (22193) area. We will be located on one of the cul de sac streets off of of roundree, lindendale, etc. I have heard such horror stories about woodbridge, and I hear they are trying to crack down on the immigrant problem. My husband thinks we should wait on buying a house, but I am extremly in love with i and we got it at a great price (less than 250,000) and its not old and rusty (3 levels, cul de sac, huge driveway, built in 1989,deck, porch, etc).So for a home that was worth about 370,000 one year ago drop over 100,000 I guess its not that bad. So I guess this is a two part question: is it a good time to buy? and is this a good area to buy in?

Thanks!

[Fern435]

Woodbridge has many lovely areas; I don't understand the general bias against it either. If you love the home and the neighborhood, the work/commutes are doable, and the price fits your budget, it makes sense to buy it (as long as you plan to live there for 3-5 years). The price sounds great for a home that you will really enjoy.

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by carmenj01

We are about to buy a home in the Woodbridge (22193) area. We will be located on one of the cul de sac streets off of of roundree, lindendale, etc. I have heard such horror stories about woodbridge, and I hear they are trying to crack down on the immigrant problem. My husband thinks we should wait on buying a house, but I am extremly in love with i and we got it at a great price (less than 250,000) and its not old and rusty (3 levels, cul de sac, huge driveway, built in 1989,deck, porch, etc).So for a home that was worth about 370,000 one year ago drop over 100,000 I guess its not that bad. So I guess this is a two part question: is it a good time to buy? and is this a good area to buy in?

Thanks!

Hello, we live in Lake Ridge zip code 22192 and we horrified by the crime stories we heard. However, since we have been living here, we are out late in the evening, shop at the stores with millions of other people and have spoken to numerous neighbors and locals about the area. I think in any where in this major metropolitan area, there is crime. However, just be aware of your surroundings. Apparently, there are rebuilding that area, so it may be a good investment. Look for posts by "nitrovic".. He has given a lot of input on the woodbridge area..
Good luck! Definitely check out the crime stats at the local police/fire station before you close....

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by carmenj01

We are about to buy a home in the Woodbridge (22193) area. We will be located on one of the cul de sac streets off of of roundree, lindendale, etc. I have heard such horror stories about woodbridge, and I hear they are trying to crack down on the immigrant problem. My husband thinks we should wait on buying a house, but I am extremly in love with i and we got it at a great price (less than 250,000) and its not old and rusty (3 levels, cul de sac, huge driveway, built in 1989,deck, porch, etc).So for a home that was worth about 370,000 one year ago drop over 100,000 I guess its not that bad. So I guess this is a two part question: is it a good time to buy? and is this a good area to buy in?

Thanks!

Roundtree and Lindendale are pretty nice areas. A couple officers live right near that intersection actually. They had a problem with a little wannabe thug gang called "LDC" (Lindendale Crew) but the are mostly harmless. The gang unit pretty much sniffed them out. The problems in that area are mostly juvenile in nature. It is a good time to buy and that is one of the better parts of Dale City. The closer to Hoadly Road the better your investment will be and the better the crime will get. You'll make some good money from that house in years to come. They are really building up the Hoadly/PW Pkwy area with some nice restaurants and food stores.

[jaywallace]

I guess i spoke too soon, a guy got robbed there and beaten up last week. In fact, it was right near the corner I was talking about.

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

I guess i spoke too soon, a guy got robbed there and beaten up last week. In fact, it was right near the corner I was talking about.

Is Prince William Town Center a safe community?? A friend of ours is looking at property at that town center..

[FatherOf2]

Impressions of Woodbridge depend a lot on perspective.

Nitrovic is coming from inside the PD, if I'm not mistaken, so he's more of an expert on crime stats and individual occurrences. From the opinion of someone who's lived here several years and previously had a job that allowed me to travel the county and become something of an expert on it, I find Woodbridge/Dale City to be fine. Put it this way, I'm not from here and I could have picked anywhere to live in No. Va., and here I am.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Lindendale area, but the main point I'm trying to make about Woodbridge is that it compares favorably to other places in No. Va. where families with similar budgets would aim to live. I think some crime is a reality of a large metro area, but if I'm not mistaken there were 9 murders in PWC last year, a county fast approaching (if not past) 400,000 residents.

From the 'perception is reality' department, if you're someone that's going to be living here and working elsewhere, you'll find yourself far more directly affected by the traffic problem than the "immigrant problem." (I understand the theoretical argument against illegal immigration, but generally speaking, depending on your line of work, you might not cross paths with many immigrants, illegal or otherwise).

You did not mention children, so I'm assuming schools are not a major concern. Another big impression people get of PWC is that it's inferior to Fairfax County, which is probably true, especially schools-wise. But FFX is best-in-the-nation good in a lot of areas, so if you're willing to settle for well-above-average, it's probably an improvement from most places you move from.

Long story short, the best advice I've seen here about feeling safe in your prospective neighborhood is to go hang around there around dusk, and ask yourself if you feel safe. How you feel about where you live is largely going to affect your experience there.

Talk to your new neighbors and see how they feel. Are they planning to stay or looking to move as soon as they can. They'll probably give you the best perspective on your area.

Because of the way Woodbridge and Dale City are built, you can be pretty close to a "bad" area and still be tucked away in a peaceful, off-the-beaten path cul-de-sac. You might be on to a good buy here.

As far as Prince William Town Center, I believe that's brand new and I doubt there are many anecdotes or statistics on crime there.

Personally, the way they are building up the County Center and the Potomac Town Center areas, getting in now on the ground floor seems like a good move. The values will likely only go up over the course of several years, and if your friend plans to stay, it's going to be convenient to some of the better (newer) amenities the county will have.

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by FatherOf2

Impressions of Woodbridge depend a lot on perspective.

Nitrovic is coming from inside the PD, if I'm not mistaken, so he's more of an expert on crime stats and individual occurrences. From the opinion of someone who's lived here several years and previously had a job that allowed me to travel the county and become something of an expert on it, I find Woodbridge/Dale City to be fine. Put it this way, I'm not from here and I could have picked anywhere to live in No. Va., and here I am.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Lindendale area, but the main point I'm trying to make about Woodbridge is that it compares favorably to other places in No. Va. where families with similar budgets would aim to live. I think some crime is a reality of a large metro area, but if I'm not mistaken there were 9 murders in PWC last year, a county fast approaching (if not past) 400,000 residents.

From the 'perception is reality' department, if you're someone that's going to be living here and working elsewhere, you'll find yourself far more directly affected by the traffic problem than the "immigrant problem." (I understand the theoretical argument against illegal immigration, but generally speaking, depending on your line of work, you might not cross paths with many immigrants, illegal or otherwise).

You did not mention children, so I'm assuming schools are not a major concern. Another big impression people get of PWC is that it's inferior to Fairfax County, which is probably true, especially schools-wise. But FFX is best-in-the-nation good in a lot of areas, so if you're willing to settle for well-above-average, it's probably an improvement from most places you move from.

Long story short, the best advice I've seen here about feeling safe in your prospective neighborhood is to go hang around there around dusk, and ask yourself if you feel safe. How you feel about where you live is largely going to affect your experience there.

Talk to your new neighbors and see how they feel. Are they planning to stay or looking to move as soon as they can. They'll probably give you the best perspective on your area.

Because of the way Woodbridge and Dale City are built, you can be pretty close to a "bad" area and still be tucked away in a peaceful, off-the-beaten path cul-de-sac. You might be on to a good buy here.

As far as Prince William Town Center, I believe that's brand new and I doubt there are many anecdotes or statistics on crime there.

Personally, the way they are building up the County Center and the Potomac Town Center areas, getting in now on the ground floor seems like a good move. The values will likely only go up over the course of several years, and if your friend plans to stay, it's going to be convenient to some of the better (newer) amenities the county will have.

Thanks.. Is the Town Center considered "Lake Ridge"

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by MovefromFla

Thanks.. Is the Town Center considered "Lake Ridge"

It's actually "Dale City", the line to Lake Ridge cuts off at the Pkwy and Old Bridge. Still a nice area though. You can get a home there real cheap right now. There is a new Police Station that is supposed to be built across the street in the next 5 years as well (near the County Complex). That whole area is really coming up nicely.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by FatherOf2

Impressions of Woodbridge depend a lot on perspective.

Nitrovic is coming from inside the PD, if I'm not mistaken, so he's more of an expert on crime stats and individual occurrences. From the opinion of someone who's lived here several years and previously had a job that allowed me to travel the county and become something of an expert on it, I find Woodbridge/Dale City to be fine. Put it this way, I'm not from here and I could have picked anywhere to live in No. Va., and here I am.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Lindendale area, but the main point I'm trying to make about Woodbridge is that it compares favorably to other places in No. Va. where families with similar budgets would aim to live. I think some crime is a reality of a large metro area, but if I'm not mistaken there were 9 murders in PWC last year, a county fast approaching (if not past) 400,000 residents.

From the 'perception is reality' department, if you're someone that's going to be living here and working elsewhere, you'll find yourself far more directly affected by the traffic problem than the "immigrant problem." (I understand the theoretical argument against illegal immigration, but generally speaking, depending on your line of work, you might not cross paths with many immigrants, illegal or otherwise).

You did not mention children, so I'm assuming schools are not a major concern. Another big impression people get of PWC is that it's inferior to Fairfax County, which is probably true, especially schools-wise. But FFX is best-in-the-nation good in a lot of areas, so if you're willing to settle for well-above-average, it's probably an improvement from most places you move from.

Long story short, the best advice I've seen here about feeling safe in your prospective neighborhood is to go hang around there around dusk, and ask yourself if you feel safe. How you feel about where you live is largely going to affect your experience there.

Talk to your new neighbors and see how they feel. Are they planning to stay or looking to move as soon as they can. They'll probably give you the best perspective on your area.

Because of the way Woodbridge and Dale City are built, you can be pretty close to a "bad" area and still be tucked away in a peaceful, off-the-beaten path cul-de-sac. You might be on to a good buy here.

As far as Prince William Town Center, I believe that's brand new and I doubt there are many anecdotes or statistics on crime there.

Personally, the way they are building up the County Center and the Potomac Town Center areas, getting in now on the ground floor seems like a good move. The values will likely only go up over the course of several years, and if your friend plans to stay, it's going to be convenient to some of the better (newer) amenities the county will have.

All very good points. Also, when you look at the murder rate of any city/area you have to take into account what the situation was surrounding the murder. Most in this area are domestic related (don't tick off your spouse and if you do don't buy them a gun for their birthday and gang and/or drug related (don't be a crack-head and stiff a drug dealer and don't participate in a gang). That pretty much sums up the murders here. And even with that the murder rate is really low for our size.