Does anyone miss the Northern VA of the past? (Richmond: foreclosure, mortgage)

[total_genius]

As I drive around Northern VA I am sad what has happened to what was once one of the nicest areas to live in America. Corupt local government leaders, big business, greedy developers and people from outside the area have destroyed it.

Here are some of my beefs:

Huge tree loss. While I read other postings that say how nice and green the area is I can only partially agree. Yes, it is greener than Arizona but if you could only go back in time to the 1960s and 70s. Back then most of the county was forest and so very green. When they developed the area most of the areas of homes were clear cut and replaced by concrete. a progressive government would have required large areas be kept in its natural state before development would have been allowed.

Loss of the Southern Cuture Just go down to Richmond and you can see how much nicer the people are and an area can still grow and keep its southern culture. Now most of the people in NVA are from overseas or New York and the polite friendly neighborhoods of the past are gone.

Established neighborhoods that were so nice before have gone to pot

I remember when areas like Kings Park and North Springfield were nice but now local governement has abandoned them. What is left is 20 illegal aliens living in small homes and trash in the yard. Zoning enforcement was ignored due to political correctness.

Anger, road rage and competitive everyone one out for themselves culure seem worse in NVA than almost everyplace in America outside of maybe New York and Miami.

I miss the good old days in NVA!

[car54]

I miss the old days too, pal!

I was born in 1951 in the old Alexandria Hospital....because Fairfax Hospital would not open for another 10 years. My mama took me home to Annandale, which was the frontier back then! Fairfax County's population was less than 100,000 souls when I was born....what is it now...1.1 million?

The neighborhoods you mentioned...King's Park and North Springfield and many others were woodlands or meadowland then. Dulles Airport was proposed to be built in Burke. West of Fairfax City and Tyson's Corner was all farmland. (Tyson's consisted of a little country store at the corner of Rts 7 & 123). Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax had pens for livestock taken in trade for cars and trucks!

No Beltway, Braddock Rd and Columbia Pike were 2-lanes....I could go on, but I'll spare you....

Yeah, I miss the good ole days!

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by total_genius

As I drive around Northern VA I am sad what has happened to what was once one of the nicest areas to live in America. Corupt local government leaders, big business, greedy developers and people from outside the area have destroyed it.

Here are some of my beefs:

Huge tree loss. While I read other postings that say how nice and green the area is I can only partially agree. Yes, it is greener than Arizona but if you could only go back in time to the 1960s and 70s. Back then most of the county was forest and so very green. When they developed the area most of the areas of homes were clear cut and replaced by concrete. a progressive government would have required large areas be kept in its natural state before development would have been allowed.

Loss of the Southern Cuture Just go down to Richmond and you can see how much nicer the people are and an area can still grow and keep its southern culture. Now most of the people in NVA are from overseas or New York and the polite friendly neighborhoods of the past are gone.

Established neighborhoods that were so nice before have gone to pot

I remember when areas like Kings Park and North Springfield were nice but now local governement has abandoned them. What is left is 20 illegal aliens living in small homes and trash in the yard. Zoning enforcement was ignored due to political correctness.

Anger, road rage and competitive everyone one out for themselves culure seem worse in NVA than almost everyplace in America outside of maybe New York and Miami.

I miss the good old days in NVA!

Sounds like Northern VA was truly in Virginia back then.

One thing about today's Northern VA. It will be hard to actually miss.

[Tone509]

Although I am definitely not a native, I can sympathize with the feelings of loss by longtime residents. Already, the crowds, traffic and expense can grate on me at times. I definitely lament the loss of greenspace in any area; I believe that urban infill can address that issue (and it's happening across the river) but that's another topic.

However, I think the region would not be nearly as prosperous as it is now. The perennially hot job market (which I arrived to take advantage of) is fed by the federal concentration of government jobs, the contractors and hight-tech companies that want to be near them, as well as various corporate offshoots that serve those entities and each other. Of course, the cost of living is ridiculous. If the federal government could be encouraged to "share the wealth" of federal jobs and disperse them more throughout the country, I'm sure things would become much calmer.

There's something to be said for retaining local culture in the face of a growing region. While I'm a "darn Yankee" , much of my family is originally from the South and the civility that I experience when visiting relatives is a refreshing change from my Northeastern uprbringing. However, I feel that the different perspectives and experiences that a national/international community can bring is refreshing. When some newer residents disrespect or dismiss the local culture or point of view as being "inferior", that is not good.

To sum it up, there's always a price for prosperity. Hopefully those VA residents downstate will take a look at the NOVA experience and strike a different balance when economic opportunities are presented are created there.

Originally Posted by total_genius

As I drive around Northern VA I am sad what has happened to what was once one of the nicest areas to live in America. Corupt local government leaders, big business, greedy developers and people from outside the area have destroyed it.

Here are some of my beefs:

Huge tree loss. While I read other postings that say how nice and green the area is I can only partially agree. Yes, it is greener than Arizona but if you could only go back in time to the 1960s and 70s. Back then most of the county was forest and so very green. When they developed the area most of the areas of homes were clear cut and replaced by concrete. a progressive government would have required large areas be kept in its natural state before development would have been allowed.

Loss of the Southern Cuture Just go down to Richmond and you can see how much nicer the people are and an area can still grow and keep its southern culture. Now most of the people in NVA are from overseas or New York and the polite friendly neighborhoods of the past are gone.

Established neighborhoods that were so nice before have gone to pot

I remember when areas like Kings Park and North Springfield were nice but now local governement has abandoned them. What is left is 20 illegal aliens living in small homes and trash in the yard. Zoning enforcement was ignored due to political correctness.

Anger, road rage and competitive everyone one out for themselves culure seem worse in NVA than almost everyplace in America outside of maybe New York and Miami.

I miss the good old days in NVA!

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by total_genius

As I drive around Northern VA I am sad what has happened to what was once one of the nicest areas to live in America. Corupt local government leaders, big business, greedy developers and people from outside the area have destroyed it.

Here are some of my beefs:

Huge tree loss. While I read other postings that say how nice and green the area is I can only partially agree. Yes, it is greener than Arizona but if you could only go back in time to the 1960s and 70s. Back then most of the county was forest and so very green. When they developed the area most of the areas of homes were clear cut and replaced by concrete. a progressive government would have required large areas be kept in its natural state before development would have been allowed.

Loss of the Southern Cuture Just go down to Richmond and you can see how much nicer the people are and an area can still grow and keep its southern culture. Now most of the people in NVA are from overseas or New York and the polite friendly neighborhoods of the past are gone.

Established neighborhoods that were so nice before have gone to pot

I remember when areas like Kings Park and North Springfield were nice but now local governement has abandoned them. What is left is 20 illegal aliens living in small homes and trash in the yard. Zoning enforcement was ignored due to political correctness.

Anger, road rage and competitive everyone one out for themselves culure seem worse in NVA than almost everyplace in America outside of maybe New York and Miami.

I miss the good old days in NVA!

I remember when the Fairlakes/Fair Oaks area was just a pasture and Minnieville Road in Woodbridge was a dirt and gravel road. Back then, there were lots of trees and you didn't have to drive too far to be in the country. Most of the close in homes were newish and that was also nice. Back then, there was still undeveloped land.

Our area sure has grown. And, while it is true that zoning issues were largely ignored during the subprime/housing boom, things have tightened up a bit in our older Springfield neighborhoods, along with lending standards. Many of the "illegal aliens" you mention have had to move on due to foreclosure - they either defaulted on their own mortgage or their investor landlord has. Any trash strewn lawns have long since been cleaned up. Once again, the neighborhoods are diverse, but in the good way that all nice neighborhoods are in this area.

And when a neighbor does forget to mow a lawn, the county is pretty quick to remind them to do so with a bright green message taped to their front door!

[saganista]

In 1950, the US population was about 150 million, and now, it's gone past double that. All those people had to go somewhere, and being the area that it is, a lot of them came to DC in general and to NoVa in particular. Change of some sort was absolutely inevitable. It still is.

Anyway, I've pretty much been here since 1969, and I'd agree that some things have been lost. Some of the clear cuts of what were just majestic stands of mature forest have been particularly hard to swallow for me as well. On the other hand, the Fairfax County Park system has expanded dramatically over those years, now including more than 400 parks and better than 24,000 acres. No matter where you live, a park will be nearby. And the County has been at least somewhat effective in requiring drainage and tree planting improvements as part of most developments, and all the creeks and runs assure that there are still a good number of greenways for wildlife to travel along. All in all, it is still true that there are a lot of trees and natural areas here. Just not as many as there used to be.

Something that I don't miss at all on the other hand are the Blue Laws that made shopping on Sunday a pretty much impractical operation. That put everybody in the stores on Saturday, which wasn't such a good thing at all.

All in all, while there's things to regret, I wouldn't go back. We've traded what in my neck of the woods (Vienna/Oakton) was a lazy, dusty, not very sophisticated, almost backwater nature for a vibrant, upscale multiplex of new people, places, and things to do. That's a pretty fair deal in my book. Hope it lasts a while before whatever is next starts to move into the neighborhood...

[halibutt]

NOVA vs ROVA

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by halibutt

NOVA vs ROVA

I'm from "ROVA", not an accurate description at all.

[car54]

saganista reminded me of something with his reference to "blue laws"....liquor-by-the-drink!

I can't remember exactly when, but until the mid to late 60's, you could NOT buy a cocktail in Virginia. Beer and (I think) wine, yes...but no hard liquor. If you wanted a sip of whiskey in Va, you went to the ABC store and walked out with a brown bag...that was it.

I remember hearing "Vote YES to Liquor-by-the-drink!" on the radio and hearing my parents talking about it.

[5stones]

we moved "out" to the burbs in 1971...built a house in McLean.

Then in 1975 we WAY OUT to Chantilly had a buffalo ranch and cattle with 3 other families on 400 acres. Right off of rt 659 (now Gum springs rd)

My old farm, is now what is called South Riding. The land is now set for develpment.
We used to ride horses across RT50 to Pangles store. I went to Arcola elem school.
NOW..near the the corner of 50 and 659 is a development of TH row and row of them.

Remeber in the 1970's when the concord used to fly right over our farm...it was a huge deal back then!!

So, yes it makes me sad that so many old farm land are being turned into planned develpments etc... BUT...pour population si growing etc...
what makes me sadder.......... is that my Dad sold that land in 1979 FOR a LOSS. His partner held on to his until 2004...and made millions.


BUT, what still amazes me everytime I drive across the country is HOW much UNDEVELOPED land we have her in the US. UPSTATE NY where my inlaws live, it's still very rural etc... huge forests in NY and PA etc...

So while we a bulldzoing away near urban centers the US still has ALOT of farm land forests etc...