Fairfax, VA Pros and Cons

[claremarie]

Originally Posted by Caladium

You find that to some degree any place, and certainly in any metro area that has a lot of transitional people. "What do you do" is a standard conversation opener.

I always thought that was true, until I moved to a smaller midwestern community. But when I meet people here who aren't connected with the university where my DH works (and which is the largest single employer in the area), they don't usually mention what they do for a living, or ask me what I do. And, when I do ask, I'm always surprised that NONE of them is a lawyer, lobbyist, diplomat, or journalist.
But there are LOTS of doctors and people who work at companies that actually make things. Stunning. Who knew?

[Alicia Bradley]

Originally Posted by claremarie

I always thought that was true, until I moved to a smaller midwestern community. But when I meet people here who aren't connected with the university where my DH works (and which is the largest single employer in the area), they don't usually mention what they do for a living, or ask me what I do. And, when I do ask, I'm always surprised that NONE of them is a lawyer, lobbyist, diplomat, or journalist.
But there are LOTS of doctors and people who work at companies that actually make things. Stunning. Who knew?

But wouldn't that be true, more or less, in smaller communities throughout the US?

OP, are you inquiring about Fairfax City, Fairfax Co., or the unincorporated (yes, there are incorporated towns in Fairfax Co. - see Vienna) parts of the latter with a Fairfax mailing address?

Fairfax County is huge and diverse (not just in racial terms - in that sense, Fairfax City is diverse, too) and includes lots and lots of "census-designated areas" with kinda-sorta (and that's being very generous, mind you ) their own identies - McLean, Springfield, Annandale, Reston, Clifton, unincorporated Fairfax, Fort Hunt, etc. Fairfax City, on the other hand, is a cute (I and my family think so, anyway!) incorporated community that has way more to do with GMU, in many ways, than the non-GMU areas surrounding the 'city.' It's like there's a communication/awareness gap of sorts between the two.. mostly in the Fairfax County > City direction. That's not a complaint, actually.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

Fairfax City, on the other hand, is a cute (I and my family think so, anyway!) incorporated community that has way more to do with GMU, in many ways, than the non-GMU areas surrounding the 'city.'

I can't wait to see your photos of Fairfax City. You've gotten me intrigued about this little town.

[sonoronos]

First of all, working in Fairfax doesn't necessarily mean living in Fairfax.

If you do decide to live in Fairfax, then expect to pay higher than average rent, but not nearly as high as you'd find in McLean or north Arlington near courthouse/clarendon.

The advantage is that you have zero commute and therefore, traffic.

If you can afford it, I would recommend living in Fairfax, especially if you are working there. There are surrounding communities, Centerville, Reston, Herndon, and Oakton, but I wouldn't necessarily rate them better than Fairfax for any reason.

Other people tend to live elsewhere and commute into Fairfax. The cheaper places to live are Warrenton, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Woodbridge. Mind you, they are cheaper for a reason.

Oh, and Fairfax taxes are annoying. For example, the county will tax your vehicle as well as the state