SO SICK of the DC metro area!!!! (Springfield: real estate market, houses)

[freshairoutthere]

Originally Posted by Dorothy1960

Ahhh like minded... I was enjoying this thread for a while... I agree with the above quote, WHOLEHEARTEDLY. Nothern VA is all about: BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER, MORE MORE MORE. We want it NOW. I lived in Europe for 4 years, I speak several languages, and I absolutuely dreaded returning here... Its all about how you look, what you wear & drive, and which swanky neighborhood you live in, etc etc., which ipod do you have, I could go on & on. Plus the traffic! ARGH !!! Makes a stau on the autobahn look like a walk in the park. We are hoping to get out of here sooner than later, still waiting to hear about a transfer to TX, and if that doesn't work, then we'll be stuck here for another 2 years. THEN we'll get out of here and head on down to TEXAS. Buy a house as big as the one we have now, for 1/2 the price. Not to mention how badly I want to get away from this politically driven area. I'm sick to DEATH of the liberal crap that a certain newspaper publishes as "news" -- totally one sided garbage. It would be so refreshing to just see the facts... so one can draw one's own conclusions and opinions.

I could say alot more on this & other issues about Northern VA, but as I was taught as a child, when you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all.

Mon Dieu! Je fais d'accord! Je voudrais habiter encore a France. I moved to Ashburn when I got a good job offer. When I looked at places, I knew this wasn't for me but it was too late. I am used to the "good neighbor" philosophy of life. I've always known my neighbors. Sorry, but I don't want to know the rude, ignorant, arrogant, obnoxious, materialistic bores I meet here. NoVa has the world's largest concentration of fantastically uninteresting people. Dorothy, you should thank God people aren't calling you! I'm so sick and tired of listening to idiots drone on and on and on and on about themselves. I get it at work, I get it everywhere. Can't they tell when my eyeballs glaze over it's a signal that I'm suffering from acute disinterest leading to possible brain damage?

Is Virginia's state motto, "You can fool some of the people all of the time!"? With all of the population explosion here, you'd think our government would also slow down the immigration numbers - it's insane. I shudder to think about this area when U.S. population hits 500 million.

I can't wait to get out of here!

[seldomseen]

Looks like your experience in NoVa has been pure ****! But I've got news for you. You will experience more of the same **** in just about every single, major Metropolitan area in the United States. Boston, NYC, Philly, Atlanta, LA, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, et cetera...people are pretty people, and most that live in a major metropolitan areas in a perpetual rat-race...money, and power (the "American Dream") are what most folks train to attain when the choose to live in the big city.

Where ever you utlimately decide to live....GOOD LUCK!!! :-)

[sibanez]

Hi Amazngrace,

My husband just accepted a job in DC and we are looking at a house in Stafford that we fell in love with and he will be commuting to DC. I am curious why you didn't ride the VRE to work?

[jb124]

Wow I take a three day break from the forums and I miss an 8-page NoVA-bashing thread. Dern! Well I'm a little late in the game now but I'll just restate what I've said in similar threads in the past. I love NoVA and am proud of the scholastic and social education I received here and am appreciative of the diverse environment it fosters. I've lived here for around 31 years and have seen it go through a lot of changes. Sure, it's congested, but show me any urban/suburban area that isn't. Yes, we have seemingly-out of control growth, but we have a rock-solid job market, excellent schools, relatively safe neighborhoods, and access to a full range of arts/sciences/sports/activities.

I'm not saying NoVA is paradise. I know we have problems. Some people just aren't built for suburbia and that's fine. Go ahead and move back to wherever, but there's no need to bash an entire region simply because you don't like it. There is no universal Utopia; it's all what you're used to compared to where you are now.

[laila_80]

You're all complaining about bad commutes and traffic, and I've got a few things to say...

1st - Grow Up... I live in NYC... and traffic is horrible, but you don't see people wasting their time complaining about it. It's this way everywhere else. To my husband's job, on mapquest, its 12.9 miles, that's a 1 hour commute by subway, 1 hour and 30 minutes by car during the daytime and forget about if there's an accident or construction. So stop complaining and accept the facts, there's traffic, and there's no way around it, unless if you plan to live a block away from your job.

2nd - Stop complaining about people not being nice. Would you rather them be fake nice and hate you behind your back? I'm better off knowing that they don't like me so I know what to be prepared for. It's a fact of life, some people are nice, some aren't. If you can't understand that, then move out to kansas and buy a farm and you'll never worry about a commute or rude people, except when your cow is blocking the road and you've gotta go pick some corn.

A third point - Cost of living? What does a house cost in NoVa? Go ahead, think of an expensive one, expensive neighborhood... now compare that with trying to get a mortgage for $255,000 for a parking spot in NY (and that's not even midtown)... So stop complaining and be happy with what you have.

What really pisses me off is people who live one place, work a million miles away and wonder why their commute is so long. If I worked in alaska, i would expect not to get there in under 30 minutes.

[seldomseen]

I never really understood the complaint about people from NoVa being so fake, rude, mean, materialistic etc!! lol I've lived in several major metropolitan areas in the United States, and find these accusations to be completley erroneous, and a complete overstatement. You will find these sort of behaviors/attitudes in every major metropolitan area in the U.S. I personally think the DC Metro area offers many more pros, than cons....but again, whether or not the DC Metro area is "good" or "bad" is all subjective anyhow. If person/family is so dissapointed with living in the DC Metro area, then they should exercise due diligence, and relocate to an area that's so much better--whats the point in punishing one self, and living in an area they loath so greatly??!!!

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by ibeg4sushi

SOrry folks, I have to vent, hopefully to dissuade anyone from moving to this place. Since this whole rain mess started, it's now taking me 2.5 hours to drive to school and back (each friggin way) and that's when there are no traffic accidents. I'm considering even leaving my college at this point and pursuing Massage Therapy simply because I can get to it easier. This is ridiculous!!!

And the road rage here seems non-ending. *sigh*

So, when you think of development, think of northern Virginina. When you think of really bad traffic jams, overpriced..everything, think of NOVA!

Think "McMansion" with zero lot line and being house poor and never getting to spend any time in it. Just stay away!

Sorry to sound so depressing, but that's really what it's like out here. It's hard enough to do the supermom thing (work, school, kids, cooking, etc) but this is just ridiculous. Avoid this area if you have the choice!

~ Angela

I am a Wash DC boy; born and raised in and around the city.

I left there in 1978 for California then 1989 brought me to Arizona.

Suffice to say that I will probably never return to the DC area------even for a visit.

So; yes, I fully understand your dislike for there.

DC for me at least was never 'home'---------my spiritual hometown would be Van Nuys, Calif which is in the San Fernando Valley section of the City of Los Angeles.

[roanoker 4]

I must disagree about living in the DC metro area. I live about 3 hours from DC in the Roanoke area where housing is half the price, no commuting times, excellent schools, urban amenities, etc. The problem in Virginia is that our legislators could care less about transportation issues. NoVa has always had
transportation problems. If no METRO was ever built I don't know what the situation would look like. I remember 20 years ago I could drive from Roanoke to DC in a day, park on The Mall, visit the museums and drive home. Today, that is impossible with the gridlock. I can understand your frustration with the high costs of living there but you can move to an easier place to live.
Whenever Va Tech spins off a new research corporation where does Virginia send the jobs? Northern Virginia. NoVa needs to spin off some of its wealth to other parts of the state, like SW VA where it can recruit people who want to live a less stressful lifestyle. Of course that will never happen until they decide to move Washington DC( a good idea).

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by summertime25

I agree with everyone on this topic. I am a single 24 year old female and have lived here for about 1 and a half years. At first I loved it, but then the cold winters, rainy summers, and horrible traffic started to set in. I am trying to move out west now to California. I know it is expersive out there and traffic is bad, but at least they have perfect weather. I can't stand the cold and snowy winters, the hot and humid summers, and the chilly and rainy springs. It just sucks!

Also, I feel like people here are not that friendly. Too many workaholics perhaps.

Problem is I can't find a job out there. I know once I moved out there, finding a job will not be a problem, however, I want to find a job before I move. Ug!!!

As screwed up as it is: Calif blows DC out of the water----------trust me: I did just that in 1978 when I was age 20.

And, I am a Wash DC native.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by laila_80

You're all complaining about bad commutes and traffic, and I've got a few things to say...

1st - Grow Up... I live in NYC... and traffic is horrible, but you don't see people wasting their time complaining about it. It's this way everywhere else. To my husband's job, on mapquest, its 12.9 miles, that's a 1 hour commute by subway, 1 hour and 30 minutes by car during the daytime and forget about if there's an accident or construction. So stop complaining and accept the facts, there's traffic, and there's no way around it, unless if you plan to live a block away from your job.

2nd - Stop complaining about people not being nice. Would you rather them be fake nice and hate you behind your back? I'm better off knowing that they don't like me so I know what to be prepared for. It's a fact of life, some people are nice, some aren't. If you can't understand that, then move out to kansas and buy a farm and you'll never worry about a commute or rude people, except when your cow is blocking the road and you've gotta go pick some corn.

A third point - Cost of living? What does a house cost in NoVa? Go ahead, think of an expensive one, expensive neighborhood... now compare that with trying to get a mortgage for $255,000 for a parking spot in NY (and that's not even midtown)... So stop complaining and be happy with what you have.

What really pisses me off is people who live one place, work a million miles away and wonder why their commute is so long. If I worked in alaska, i would expect not to get there in under 30 minutes.

With all respect, if you haven't lived in NoVa, don't bash the people who live here and complain about it, because you don't know what you're talking about. I don't care if anyone thinks it's no worse than [insert city here]. The fact is, it's bad. And there are major metros in this country where the people are a lot nicer, the traffic isn't as bad, and the cost of living isn't as oppressive. The latter two apply to Chicago, which is a much, much more pleasant major metro. As for friendliness, well, I've been to NYC, where everyone is supposedly so short-tempered and cantankerous, and I found the people friendlier *there* than they are here. This area is overrun by impatient, high-strung Type A ladder-climbers on power trips. It's really, really ugly.

I came out here after I got downsized out of my job back in Michigan. I had a choice of two jobs -- one in the suburban Detroit area, and one in D.C. The D.C. job sounded more exciting, plus I wanted to experience working in the nation's capital. And let me tell you, the bloom came off the rose very, very quickly. If you lived here, you'd understand. This area will suck out your soul, make you an angry person, and age you quickly. If I'd known about this forum before I moved, I would have taken the Detroit job.

My wife didn't really want to come out here, and I agreed with her that we'd eventually move and she could pick our next location. Now we're both eagerly counting down the months.