Relocating to Fredericksburg area, trying to put budget together (Richmond: apartments, rent)

[ellen1159]

I'm thinking of moving from Connecticut to Virginia (mature female, last kid out of the house, apt. dweller). I have family in NoVa so I'm looking at Fredericksburg as a possibility. I can get a sense of apartment rents from Craigslist, but I'm also thinking about car insurance premiums, automobile property tax, electric utility rates, that kind of thing, so I can figure out what my living expenses might be. I still need to find a job, and that's a whole 'nother process.

Does anyone have advice on what to consider if you're thinking of moving to the area? Thanks in advance.

[adriftinthebay]

Since you need a job, head down another 50 miles to Richmond. You'll be glad you did. If not, you can rent a 4bd, 2ba house for $1700 in Fredericksburg. All of your other expenses will go down but you will have a car property tax.

[Old Dominionite]

Originally Posted by ellen1159

I'm thinking of moving from Connecticut to Virginia (mature female, last kid out of the house, apt. dweller). I have family in NoVa so I'm looking at Fredericksburg as a possibility. I can get a sense of apartment rents from Craigslist, but I'm also thinking about car insurance premiums, automobile property tax, electric utility rates, that kind of thing, so I can figure out what my living expenses might be. I still need to find a job, and that's a whole 'nother process.

Does anyone have advice on what to consider if you're thinking of moving to the area? Thanks in advance.

Well, I think you alluded to it already. The first thing to consider before moving is to secure a new job, especially since the cost of living expenses here are at least on par with the cost of living expenses in Connecticut.

Northern Virginia is a fairly large place that suffers from its share of bad traffic congestion, even on weekends. Do you want to visit your family here frequently? Are they in or near Fredericksburg? Fredericksburg is on the southern fringe of what constitutes as northern Virginia. I wouldn't recommend it if, for example, your family is in Fairfax or Loudoun County.

Compared to Connecticut, things like car insurance premiums, auto property tax, and utility rates will be equal or slightly less in Virginia. It depends upon where in Connecticut you are now.

Finally, I recommend visiting the area before moving. The overall feel and sense of place in Virginia is quite different than Connecticut.

I'm a native of Connecticut, but I've lived in Virginia for over 20 years now and I'm happy here.

[FlightAttendant]

I recently moved out of Fredericksburg. I agree with the previous poster who said keep heading down to Richmond. Fredericksburg has some nice features, but to me, it was primarily a bedroom community. I just didn't love it there. Just my opinion.

Keep in mind, the traffic on 95 going in and out of Fredericksburg is some of the worst in the entire nation.

[ellen1159]

The cost of living in Fairfield County, CT, where I live, is what is driving me south. Millenials who can't afford Manhattan or even Brooklyn are moving to Stamford, because it's just an hour by train to NY, and it's pushing apartment rents into the stratosphere. My brother and family live in Great Falls and I know the area well, enough to know that it's gotten crazy expensive over the past 20 years (on par with where I am now).

The other aspect of life in my part of CT is highway traffic. I commute 24 miles each way between home and work, primarily on I95. With no traffic, it's about a half an hour ride. During rush hour, it's at least an hour, can be as long as 90 minutes door to door. And getting worse by the year. I'm grateful for the info about the traffic in and around Fredericksburg. Sounds like I'd be trading one hot mess for another.

[ellen1159]

My niece attends VCU and loves Richmond. Her mom, my SIL, loves visiting the city and is encouraging me to look there so she has another excuse to visit. My brother, who travels all over the state for work, likes it too.

[erock139]

I lived in Westport for about a year while working at one of the larger hedge funds in the area. I understand where you're coming from, and used to hear the complaints from co-workers about traffic on 95, even if they were only using it for a few miles. At any rate, I made the move down to VA to live with my wife in Springfield. We wanted a SFH we could afford and moved to Stafford.


To your point, I've driven up and down 95 and there are pockets where things just stop. A few miles south of Stafford (exit 140) things slow down from Route 3 and 17 for no reason. They speed up again, only to slow down near Quantico, again no reason. Then another slowdown around Woodbridge. It can take me an hour to go from Stafford to the Springfield exit, even worse over the summer. This is traffic in both directions. It's just bad.



That said, you need to approach this logically, in steps. Find a job, a job that you'll like, then figure out where you can afford to live. Plenty of apartments for less than $2000/month, but you need to get the job first because your commute can be a large time sink if you're not careful. Maybe stay with your folks for a few weeks while you see how the commute will work.



IMHO F'burg is just too far south, especially if you'll want to visit family often. Lorton is also doable, around Ox Road with easy access to 95. Get the job first then figure it out. You would hate to find a spot, then find a job that you could love but won't work because the drive is too long/far/time consuming.