Stafford Co. - Space and Yuppiness? (Alexandria, Charlottesville: appointed, homes, neighborhoods)

[Anonymousse]

I am tired of being crunched in No. VA, and of the grittiness (if you will) of it all. No matter how you slice it, D.C. is pretty third-world; even the so-called "elite" neighborhoods are littered with garbage, weeds growing up out of cracks, rusted signposts at dangerous angles jutting out from medians in a random sort of way, and, unless you are a literal millionire (lobbyist or senator?) and have a driver or such (*derisive snort*) to escort you around from high-end locale to high-end locale, living here can be a pretty depressing thing. I'm certainly no millionaire, and I come from the far West, where I can run wild and free. As much as I love Old Town Alexandria (and I do - it's one of the few places this metro area has gotten right, in addition to the Eastern Market area [also for its laudable abilitly to combine 'diverse' and 'upscale'] and a few other places right in the city; the suburbs - even the 'elite' shopping mecca of Chevy Chase - are a joke), I certainly can't run wild and free there.

Recently, I discovered Stafford Co., and I'm impressed by the acres and acres of forested Coastal Plain (a few of which I would dearly love to own!) and quiet, winding back roads. Also, I get a sense that the area may be at least kinda-sorta yuppie-ish - yes, this sounds a bit tacky, but I'm not ashamed to admit that that's what I'm looking for - galleries, coffee shops (at least one - which would be one more than my current neighborhood sports), funky little 'creative' sorts of places.. and I don't mind a bit of country hee-haw mixed in with it, mind you - after all, I'm from Nevada and am used to that. So - is Stafford Co. like this, or will I be disappointed? I'm also curious about the northern part of Fredericksburg - is it a bad area? (Since it's the closest urban zone of any size I'll likely be living near.) Yeah, yeah, I know I sould visit the area myself, but your input won't hurt.

[ChristineVA]

Well, I live in Prince William. Probably the last word I would use to describe Stafford is "yuppie-ish." Not at all. I have some other words I'd use, but I won't. You're going to find more space there, but not yuppie-dom.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I think Alexandria/Fairfax area is much more "yuppyish" than Stafford. I love Stafford too - we lived there for a short time before moving to Fairfax - if it was not such a big commute for my husband we would have stayed there.
Stafford is kinda rural - at least as rural as it can be - I met a lot of VA natives down there with accents - very homespun - more friendly and countrylike - not that yuppy - thank goodness.

[KeyserSoze]

If you want yuppieness, I think Fredericksburg would be your best bet. It's fairly small(college town), and you won't be that far from rural areas in Stafford or Spotsylvania.

[melfbad]

Stafford resident here, and Merriam Websters definition of yuppie is "a young college-educated adult employed in a well-paying profession and living and working in or near a large city." If you use that definition Stafford is definately yuppie. What I believe most people are confusing the word yuppie for, would be pretensious. Which Stafford is not. I believe Stafford has quaint qualities to it, in some areas. It definately has potential, and is set to see some substantial growth come 2011. There is a new "yuppie-ish" development under way called "Aquia Town Center" that is exactly the type of area you mention. Downtown Fredricksburg is not yuppie by the definition but very quaint. Plus it's close to all kinds of shopping, but the down side is all the hassles of said shopping. The only hope I have for Stafford is that it's growth doesn't turn it into an extension of (some what bland) Woodbridge for fear of attracting people like ChristineVA.

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by Anonymousse

I am tired of being crunched in No. VA, and of the grittiness (if you will) of it all. No matter how you slice it, D.C. is pretty third-world; even the so-called "elite" neighborhoods are littered with garbage, weeds growing up out of cracks, rusted signposts at dangerous angles jutting out from medians in a random sort of way, and, unless you are a literal millionire (lobbyist or senator?) and have a driver or such (*derisive snort*) to escort you around from high-end locale to high-end locale, living here can be a pretty depressing thing. I'm certainly no millionaire, and I come from the far West, where I can run wild and free. As much as I love Old Town Alexandria (and I do - it's one of the few places this metro area has gotten right, in addition to the Eastern Market area [also for its laudable abilitly to combine 'diverse' and 'upscale'] and a few other places right in the city; the suburbs - even the 'elite' shopping mecca of Chevy Chase - are a joke), I certainly can't run wild and free there.

Recently, I discovered Stafford Co., and I'm impressed by the acres and acres of forested Coastal Plain (a few of which I would dearly love to own!) and quiet, winding back roads. Also, I get a sense that the area may be at least kinda-sorta yuppie-ish - yes, this sounds a bit tacky, but I'm not ashamed to admit that that's what I'm looking for - galleries, coffee shops (at least one - which would be one more than my current neighborhood sports), funky little 'creative' sorts of places.. and I don't mind a bit of country hee-haw mixed in with it, mind you - after all, I'm from Nevada and am used to that. So - is Stafford Co. like this, or will I be disappointed? I'm also curious about the northern part of Fredericksburg - is it a bad area? (Since it's the closest urban zone of any size I'll likely be living near.) Yeah, yeah, I know I sould visit the area myself, but your input won't hurt.

You make Northern Virginia sound like a dump, and I really don't get the "third world" analogy. Have you even been to the third world? NoVa has 3 of the top 5 counties (median income) in the country. Yes, there are a few rough areas, but I get the impression that your experience in city/suburban living is limited. Having lived all over the country, I think NoVa is one of the nicest Urban/suburban metro areas in the nation. I'm really not sure what you're used to, but Stafford County probably won't fit your criteria. But hey, give it a shot. You can always move. Charlottesville might be more your speed.