Moving to Spotsylvania VA? (Fairfax, Fredericksburg: townhome, neighborhoods, good schools)

[sunshine74]

I was wondering if anyone could give me some info. on Spotsylvania, VA. I grew up in MD. Our family moved to North Carolina three years ago and we are heading back north. My husband is working in DC. I would love some inside info. on schools. We have a 9th grader and a 3rd grader. How is the commute to DC? All info is greatly appreciated. I did not do enough research when moving to NC and I am scared of making the same mistake. Thanks............

[Flamingo13]

Why would you choose to live that far from DC? The commute will/would be horrendous.

[cb at sea]

Flamingo is right--with NO traffic, it takes about 40 mins to drive to DC. BUT--and this is the thing---there's NEVER no traffic! Your drive (if you drive yourself--no carpooling) will be about 2 hours, and that's a normal day! God forbid a truck turns over (and they flip over all the time!) and I-95 is shut down for awhile....
Spotsylvania has some decent schools and shopping. The folks are nice.
The commute is going to be the horrendous part of a move here. Spotsy. isn't part of the commuter rail network (yet). There are some commuter parking lots, where folks take vans or buses into the city.
If you divide your salary in DC by the time you spend both at work AND driving, it hardly seems worth it! Now, if you can tele-commute....

[sunshine74]

I thought it was a little far. My husband likes the area. I was looking in St. Mary's county Md. He wants to go to Virginia. Where would be a good area w/ good schools and not a terrible commute?

[tgbwc]

It depends on what you define as terrible commutes, your wants in a neighborhood, type of house, etc. You mentioned the commute to DC and you want good schools. Tell a little more about what you are looking for and it can be narrowed down a bit more. Personally, I wouldn't want to go any further south than Prince William County.

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by sunshine74

I thought it was a little far. My husband likes the area. I was looking in St. Mary's county Md. He wants to go to Virginia. Where would be a good area w/ good schools and not a terrible commute?

It sounds like you want to live in a very rural area....unless he is willing to commute for endless hours or get a place in the city to live during the week - there isn't anything like that. I recommend reading many of the threads on here (and looking at a map) - you'll see that you really aren't being realistic.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by sunshine74

I was wondering if anyone could give me some info. on Spotsylvania, VA. I grew up in MD. Our family moved to North Carolina three years ago and we are heading back north. My husband is working in DC. I would love some inside info. on schools. We have a 9th grader and a 3rd grader. How is the commute to DC? All info is greatly appreciated. I did not do enough research when moving to NC and I am scared of making the same mistake. Thanks............

I LOVED Spotsy, we had to move to downsize homes so my wife could stay home with Jr, but we did like that area. The commute isn't the best, 95 stinks. Unless you use the VRE, get ready to sit in your car for about 1.5 at the least. My wife did that commute for a year and found the VRE in Fredericksburg the best option.

[Rick Lee]

That's a tough drive every single day of the week and at every hour of the day. I don't think the traffic is much more bearable even in the Spots. area. It used to be ok, but it has exploded with development and traffic is just horrible all the time. I used to ride my bike from Fairfax down to Morton's in F'burg. No matter when I went, it was horrendous. After I rode to VA Beach in June '07 and walked my bike in 1st gear a lot of the way, I made it a goal to never ever be on 95 south of F'burg again. I had to do it one more time when I moved, but that was it. It's just hell.

[sunshine74]

Thanks for all the input. How about Stafford county? Seems a little closer. Any advice on neighborhoods or schools there? I am planning to visit in a few weeks.

[Flamingo13]

You still aren't saying what you are looking for: don't just throw out areas. Do you want a large property, single-family, townhome, close to shopping, rural, etc.

Originally Posted by sunshine74

Thanks for all the input. How about Stafford county? Seems a little closer. Any advice on neighborhoods or schools there? I am planning to visit in a few weeks.