Planning to move from Dallas, TX

[NOVAmtneer82]

Originally Posted by Nomad1320

Why? Not trying to be funny but why? Texas typically has the best job market year in and year out. It's significantly cheaper, especially if you don't have property taxes. NOVA lacks a lot of what DFW offers, food, clubs, bars, festivals, etc. It's an upscale bedroom community, fine if you're a family person with a lot of money but other than that it's bland compared to where you're coming from. Go down the list of DFW neighborhoods, Deep Elum, Uptown, etc. There are no places anywhere close to those vibes. Heck even the burbs in Frisco have more going on.

I'm sorry but is this a joke? You can't divorce Northern Virginia from the hub of the region Washington DC, which has more culture in a few blocks than Dallas can attempt to do city wide. Actually most places inside-the-Beltway in Virginia and Maryland have as much culture and diversity. Dallas is like Tysons spread over thousands of square miles. Deep Ellum has a few good spots but lets not pretend it is some huge mecca, Uptown is the same vibe you can get in Buckhead in Atlanta, SouthPark in Charlotte and locally parts of Arlington/ Alexandria or Bethesda. Frisco- I don't even know what you think is going on there other than generic mixed use suburbia which exists everywhere. Sure they might have better Mexican food but otherwise good luck finding more positive attributes compared to the DC area - other than cheaper housing and better winter weather.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by ersatz

NoVA is pretty cool and has a lot of jobs in IT and health care. I love all the cultural opportunities here and that it is equally distant between the mountains and the ocean beaches. But, based on what you said in your last post, I suggest that you look at opportunities around Roanoke Va in the New River Valley. That is now a big hub for healthcare jobs and has a lot cheaper Cost of Living than the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area.

The various universities/colleges in Blacksburg, Roanoke and Christiansburg attract a fairly cosmopolitan bunch, and all the restaurants, coffee shops and cultural opportunities that spin off of that. The area is collectively known as the New River Valley (NVR) and is usually significantly cheaper and waaaay less hot than the Washington D.C. metro, let alone (OMG) Texas.

One slight tweak…. Blacksburg/Christiansburg is New River Valley and Roanoke/Salem is Roanoke Valley (Roanoke River) or just “the valley.”

Reminds me that at one time Virginia tourism had Roanoke listed in the Shenandoah Valley section!

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by Nomad1320

Why? Not trying to be funny but why? Texas typically has the best job market year in and year out. It's significantly cheaper, especially if you don't have property taxes. NOVA lacks a lot of what DFW offers, food, clubs, bars, festivals, etc. It's an upscale bedroom community, fine if you're a family person with a lot of money but other than that it's bland compared to where you're coming from. Go down the list of DFW neighborhoods, Deep Elum, Uptown, etc. There are no places anywhere close to those vibes. Heck even the burbs in Frisco have more going on.

Dallas and NoVa should not even be in the same sentence. Nothing in Texas should be compared to Northern VA, honestly.

[ersatz]

Originally Posted by Watchful

One slight tweak…. Blacksburg/Christiansburg is New River Valley and Roanoke/Salem is Roanoke Valley (Roanoke River) or just “the valley.”
Reminds me that at one time Virginia tourism had Roanoke listed in the Shenandoah Valley section!

I know that. I know that. Why did I write that? Duh. New River Valley and Roanoke Valley are adjacent to each other and are similar from a cultural perspective, but they are extremely different from a geological perspective. Provided you are into earth sciences, of course, and I am.

The Roanoke River flows south and eventually ends up in Abemarle Sound in NC, which empties into the Atlantic. The Roanoke Valley is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The New River is one of those odd rivers that flows north. It eventually turns into the Kanawha River, which drains into the Ohio River, and that drains into the Mississippi River and out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Route 460 traces part of the Eastern Continental Divide that forms the boundary between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico watersheds. That is part of what makes Blacksburg so cool. On a rainy day, you can do whatever on the Virginia Tech campus (in addition to students and faculty, VT has many resources, events and programs open to the general public) and then head over to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant fifteen minutes away. The rainstorm that falls on the restaurant parking lot drains to the Atlantic Ocean but drains to the Gulf of Mexico on the VT campus. There is even a hiking trail just north of Blacksburg that lets you cross the continental divide several times on foot. https://dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/mountain-trail/MED/

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

Dallas and NoVa should not even be in the same sentence. Nothing in Texas should be compared to Northern VA, honestly.

That may be in the eye of the beholder, but Dallas and the New River Valley have something in common and geologists can prove it.

NoVa people:

I was in Roanoke and Floyd last week. They have had a lot more rain than we have seen in NoVA. The fall colors in the Roanoke and New River Valleys are spectacular this year. Some of the colors are so electric neon intense that I was tempted to put on sunglasses just to look at them. Once I drove north of Harrisonburg, the colors faded. In our area, the colors are more yellowish brown, orangish brown, reddish brown and brown. Sad, sad. The leaves are now a bit past peak but should still be beautiful if you want to visit the New River/Roanoke Valley area this week.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by ersatz

I know that. I know that. Route 460 traces part of the Eastern Continental Divide that forms the boundary between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico watersheds. That is part of what makes Blacksburg so cool. On a rainy day, you can do whatever on the Virginia Tech campus (in addition to students and faculty, VT has many resources, events and programs open to the general public) and then head over to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant fifteen minutes away. The rainstorm that falls on the restaurant parking lot drains to the Atlantic Ocean but drains to the Gulf of Mexico on the VT campus. There is even a hiking trail just north of Blacksburg that lets you cross the continental divide several times on foot. https://dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/mountain-trail/MED/

This is so very cool.

[FindingZen]

I'd start with Falls Church. It's a city but a small, laid-back one in comparison to Alexandria and urbanish Arlington County. It's also fairly central to DC or Tysons Corner (the "West Plano" of the DC metro) for likely future job sites. If you're younger than 35, the Clarendon and Ballston neighborhoods of Arlington might appeal for light nightlife. Old Town Alexandria, especially towards the waterfront, can be appealing if touristy if you're above 35.

You'll be replacing the "dry" heat in North Texas for more humidity but the seasons are more proportional.

With sprawl that might make you feel like you're in Collin County (albeit greener), you'll have to drive out a while to see a lot of nature. However, the W&OD (Washington & Old Dominon) Trail is a popular diversion.

At your current salary, you could rent a solid 2BR apartment "inside the Beltway" and maybe even a 3BR townhome elsewhere in Fairfax or Loudoun counties. If you're looking to buy, you'll either be looking at condos in convenient areas or a commute much longer than 20 minutes for something more.