Haymarket/Gainesville - Give me the good bad and ugly

[Middlin]

I don't believe that this area is anymore cookie cutter than a lot of Loudoun County and large parts of Fairfax.


I have lived in Arlington, Alexandria and different parts of Fairfax and moved to Bristow in 2003 when my son was 2. The area was a lot different then and has been built up significantly. I work in the Fair Lakes area and husband works in this area. Traffic sucks - no equivocating on that front. Hot lane construction will last another two years with lane closures, etc which will add to the fun. Good news is that large commuter lots are already built and I think bus service will get very robust and likely a slug culture will develop like in the eastern part of the county. Bus service and the VRE do exist now.


Is the area so dull that you will find nothing to do compared to closer in? No, you just find other things to do and explore new things/places. Yes, you will find yourself less inclined to go into DC most likely, but keep in mind you have no children yet and that disrupts everyone's lifestyle.


One thing I do like better living here is that it doesn't take forever to just run a couple of errands. Virginia Gateway has a lot of conveniences. I honestly find the healthcare to be better here.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by RethinkTwiceForOnce

Thank you for replying and also for your service as a LEO. It's great to hear from someone who has lived in the vicinity for multi decades.

Currently I don't have to commute and I hope to keep the same job or find another remote job if it comes to that but simply playing devils advocate if in case remote job dries up. Preparing myself for the worst

I also believe companies will adopt this new normal if they can to cut cost so if remote work is possible they will allow it. Management by walking around has become management by zooming (video conference) around. lol.

I'm pretty sure crime is very low here. So it's a nice quite place but I think 10 - 20 years time this will turn into Chantilly/Centreville as the sprawl moves westward. They may even extend the metro line from Manassas who knows.

Very possible as NOVA is running out of space. Personally if I had to move back to NOVA I would go out to Warrenton. It's grown over the years but still lots of space and Fauquier Co has proven to better at controlling the sprawl when it comes to housing developments. Haymarket has been slow to develop along the Rt. 15 corridor and it's been slow in developing what was there. Just N of Haymarket is where Disney wanted to develop years back and the county said no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney%27s_America

[DAXhound]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

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Very possible as NOVA is running out of space. Personally if I had to move back to NOVA I would go out to Warrenton. It's grown over the years but still lots of space and Fauquier Co has proven to better at controlling the sprawl when it comes to housing developments. Haymarket has been slow to develop along the Rt. 15 corridor and it's been slow in developing what was there. Just N of Haymarket is where Disney wanted to develop years back and the county said no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney%27s_America

Maybe they decided a reenactment of the burning of Eve would have caused a controversy. The guy that told me Manassas was like Paris compared to Front Royal, also likes Warrenton, and likes that Toyota dealer quite a bit more than Manassas or Charlottesville.

[spleuchan]

I lived in Haymarket for 10 years before moving just across the county line into Fauquier. Haymarket is a good place to raise a family.

1) Traffic probably won't get back to pre-COVID levels for a long time. The HOT lanes will likely help once they are completed. Pre-COVID, I left at 5:30 and could make it to Alexandria in under an hour. Leaving at 3:00pm in the afternoon took about an hour, sometimes a little more.

2) Schools are good, but very overcrowded. Lots of trailers and kids in a class. There is a high amount of bullying for some students.

3) There is plenty of food around. You won't starve. Mostly chains, but also some good local ones. You will probably drive farther for special occasions, but there is plenty to choose from within 20 minute drive.

4) There is a hospital right in Haymarket, but if it were something serious, I would go to Fairfax. Plenty of good enough doctors for most things, but again if you have something serious, you might need to go to Fairfax.

5) Once you have kids, your time will be filled up with kids activities, which there are plenty of in Haymarket/Gainesville.

[Paulz69]

Originally Posted by spleuchan

The HOT lanes will likely help once they are completed.

An important point...if there is a quicker way to get to work it's going to cost $$$. Hot lanes/Toll roads are great, but the $$$ spent is staggering. If you drive you'd better hope your employer pays for parking.

After spending more than a car note in transportation every month, I moved to Ashburn and use a bus to metro for my commute downtown (which my employer pays for). Wherever you wind up, make sure there is public transportation that is tolerable.

[Annandale_Man]

Originally Posted by RethinkTwiceForOnce

Hey Folks,

After much thought and deliberation I'm heavily considering putting an offer in a house in Gainesville/Haymarket area.

I've lost several bidding wars in Ashburn/Chantilly/Centreville area where townhouses are getting bid up by up to 30k-40k from already high listing price. Anything that is coming to the market in the range of 400k - 500k are getting 15 offers with no contingencies. Sellers dreams are coming true. So I've visited Haymarket and Gainesville few times and the newer built area look nice but the 55 stretch feels a little off though (seems like houses zoned for primary residence got converted to commercial, what?!?)

I've been working remotely since March 2020 and it looks like I'll be allowed full remote work. I wouldn't even considering a commute to Mclean from Haymarket/Gainesville, if I would not be working remote.

So few questions -

1) If I were to lose my job and I find a traditional 9-5 that requires me to be in office, how feasible would be commute to Mclean or Arlington very early at 5.30 am or late morning at 10am then coming back around 2pm? I've done this commute both ways already on weekdays and its 38 minute tops just like google maps says. However, the traffic may be light due to pandemic. Does anyone currently do this commute? How was it pre-pandemic? I'd love to get some insight here.

1.1) Are there any other commuter options like bus or train from Manassas that I'm not aware of?

2) I checked the the school ratings in all the online websites and they seem above average. Parent's who send their kids to Ronald Wilson Regan/Bull Run Middle and Battlefield High School do you feel the ratings are fairly close to your experience? We're planning a family so this will be important in a few years.

3) For shopping and dining I see major retailers and fast food chains right off the Lee Highway and 66 intersection. Anything that's unique to Haymarket/Gainesville in case of amenities? I feel like we would be driving to either Manassas or Chantilly/Centreville. Is that what folks do?

4) For hospitals and primary care needs, are there good options here or do you frequent Fairfax/Arlington?

5) Seems like there isn't much to do here beside living in a nice sub division, raising family and playing golf. Anything else that I'm not aware of? I've lived in DC/Arlington mostly and used to being close to everything and many things to do so this would be a nice change.




Thanks a lot for your time.

Do you want to live in a bedroom community in the sticks or do you want to live and interact with people and be close to cultural attractions?

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Annandale_Man

Do you want to live in a bedroom community in the sticks or do you want to live and interact with people and be close to cultural attractions?

You can't live in the bedroom communities and still interact with people? What's your implication? I find that people are more friendly in these bedroom communities and there are many activities for the entire family. Is the drive into some of the cultural attractions a little longer? Of course. But when you have more house, yard and open space this is something many strive for. My days of living anywhere near the masses and these cultural attractions are long over. Of course where I am in the valley I have no neighbors and I would not trade this for anything. Of course after 43 years in NOVA even the bedroom community wasn't enough and there was zero chance I was retiring further into NOVA.

[Annandale_Man]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

You can't live in the bedroom communities and still interact with people? What's your implication? I find that people are more friendly in these bedroom communities and there are many activities for the entire family. Is the drive into some of the cultural attractions a little longer? Of course. But when you have more house, yard and open space this is something many strive for. My days of living anywhere near the masses and these cultural attractions are long over. Of course where I am in the valley I have no neighbors and I would not trade this for anything. Of course after 43 years in NOVA even the bedroom community wasn't enough and there was zero chance I was retiring further into NOVA.

I used to live in South Riding. Unless you have kids, we never saw anyone out and about in the neighborhood. That lifestyle is fine for families, but for retirees and those of us to choose not to have kids, its very boring. We sold our home and moved to Annandale.

[gutter2d]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

I know a lot of people say NoVa is bland, cookie cutter, generic, etc but I feel like Haymarket and Gainesville are peak cookie cutter NoVa. It's just rural patches of land mixed in with SFHs and THs... more rural patches of land mixed in with random strip malls mixed in with random one and two lane roads... and the cycle just repeats itself.

I think it's a good alternative if you can't afford to live in Fairfax or Loudoun County but I just find it very dull out there and it feels far from everything.

I agree with this. I used to commute from Courthouse in Arlington to Haymarket for work and completely despised the so-called “reverse commute”. That being said, having convenient access to NOVA’s only Sheetz was awesome for lunch (best fast food), and you can’t go wrong being so close to McDonalds. I used to walk to those places from my office and I recall Haymarket not even really having continuous sidewalks.

I grew up in a rural part of Fairfax County, near Fairfax Station and think Haymarket has a lot more to offer than that. Fri and Sat nights consisted of a 20 min drive each way to get to the closest restaurants in Burke, Woodbridge, or Springfield. At least in Haymarket you just swing down 55 and you pretty much have anything you need within a 10 min drive from a commercial perspective, even Wegmans.