Moving to Fredericksburg, VA - help! (houses, purchase, best schools)

[Mrs.B]

Hello,

My family and I are moving from Los Angeles to Fredericksburg, Virginia in the fall of this year.

I'm currently looking for houses in the area but, being from out of state, have no idea where the best schools are (or are they all good?) or what all these subdivison names represent.

We want to live someplace nice and quiet with good schools but still be close to town. I'd be so grateful if anybody out there could give me some tips!

Thank you.

[angi]

what price range are you looking for? i can tell you that my favorite subdivision is Fox Point. The elementary and high schools are very close but the middle school is a little distant, but all great schools. my children are in all of them (i have 5) and there are no fights to talk about and their friends are really good kids. houses are about 350-450k and beautiful. most of them, if not all, have basements and average sq foot over 2500. ther is a pool, playground, etc. the yards are wonderfully landscaped. some of the new subdivisions' homes are very close together, but Fox Point has nice size lots. it's much different here from the west coast (i lived in arizona for a bit) and the summer humidity is a killer, but i live the four seasons. good luck with your move and if you would like any more info, just ask. i am very familiar with the area and can give you feedback on most areas/subdivisions. stay out of Stoneybrook.

[Mrs.B]

Dear Angi,

Thank you so much for the information. I really appreciate your help. We are visiting this summer to look at houses and Fox Point will definitley be at the top of our list!

[allaroundtheeast]

All of the schools in the Fredericksburg area are pretty much on the same level (Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg City). As a graduate of Spotsylvania County schools, I would have to say the main frustration is the lack of budget spending. I moved with my parents to Virginia as a teenager from an elite suburban school district outside of New York City. I found the quality of education to be the same, but there was not enough janitors to maintain the facility, there was one after-school bus at 5:30 PM when school let out at 2:20, school functions (such as proms, and sporting events) are pretty basic. Nonetheless, the schools are decent, but if you are used to elite schools in Los Angeles, I will warn you it may be a bit of a culture shock, but the schools are still good and safe. Fox Point is in the Spotsylvania school district. I am a recent graduate, so I feel I have a pretty fresh perspective. A low tax rate accounts for some budget issues in the schools. As far as the subdivision names, they are just names given by certain developments by the developer. They are really meaningless, except to distinguish areas or clusters or houses. Some are nicer than others. Some have sidewalks and streetlights, some don't, some include trash pick-up, some don't. Many have HOAs, which are homeowners' associations, and they put restrictions on what you may do to the outside of your property, in order to keep up appearances, and they often provide trash pick-up. There is a fee for these types of communities.

[Crazy_Daisy]

Quit your boohooing. The schools around here are great, and they are a heck of a lot better than many out of state schools.

[allaroundtheeast]

I said the schools weren't bad...but they do some things that make little sense. They installed brand-new flat screen TVs in each classroom, which are pretty useless because they are rarely used. It would be nice, but I'd much rather have restrooms with soap, sinks where more water than a small trickle comes out, toilet paper, and paper towels. Also, when I am in an Advanced Placement class, I don't appreciate having to share textbooks with other students for half of the school year because the money was "tied up" to purchase enough books. I also love how they have paper shortages, forcing teachers to have to shrink text so small you can't read it as to get 2-3 pages of material on one sheet of paper. It's sad...while things like this may sound trivial to an outsider, it's distracting. Oh, and dare I mention the mold stains on the carpets that make the rooms smell and cause huge black spots. But at least we have probably close to 100 brand new shiny new TVs! This is in reference to Spotsylvania County Schools. I know nothing of Fredericksburg City or Stafford County schools.

[Crazy_Daisy]

All the people with money are moving here, and one would think you would have enough material for you at school. Where is the tax money going?

[jenluvshomes]

You should add Lee's Parke to your list of subdivisions to check. Both middle and elementary schools are fairly new. I live here and my kids and I love it. We are so close to everything and if you have to commute to the D.C. area we have the VRE and I-95 within miles.

[onevthoki]

Mrs. B - You originally posted back in January. Have you made your summer visit and are you still looking for suggestions? Let us know...

[vak9girl]

Spotsy schools are great! They are all new or have been kept up well and have good teachers and the kids score high on the SOLs.