SO SICK of the DC metro area!!!! (Arlington, Alexandria: real estate, insurance)

[seldomseen]

The DC Metro area definately isn't the picture of perfection, and as a matter of fact, NO METROPOLITAION AREA IS! lol Aside from the all the traffic, and high-cost of living associated with living in the North East/Mid-Atlantic, and (the inflated real estate market). The DC Metro area is one dynamite place to live! Superior job market, safe/clean/new developments, and neighborhoods. Excellent shopping, excellent public school systems, and the area is a racial/ethinc/cultural Mosaic--which is my favorite aspect about the area. There are to many positive attributes about the DC Metro area to really list at the moment. But if a person is so disgusted by the area, why punish yourself! Just start looking for a place that better suits your needs/wants.

Good Luck!

[Dingler]

I think the DC area is pretty attractive in comparison to many metro areas in America. Lots of trees and nice residential areas. I find the zoning to be stricter than many areas down south with their miles and miles of fast food on every through street.

The area has gone down hill in the last 10 years with so many illegal aliens and traffic. It is also the most unfriendly metro area in the country. To many TYPE A people.

[MovefromFla]

Angela, since we are planning to move to the area, if you don't mind telling me.. I see that you live in Ashburn.. Do you commute to D.C.?

Thanks

Any help is appreciated as we are looking at different areas in the Nova and Maryland area

[MovefromFla]

Hi, John. Due to this forum and others regarding Nova traffic, my husband and I are starting looking at Silver Springs, MD, because it seems as if we can work and live in the same town
What are your thoughs on Maryland traffic vs. Nova traffic?

Thanks

[LLD]

There are some really nice areas in Silver Spring -- very leafy and green area. I have a colleague that has lived there for many years. You might do a search in the Maryland forums or ask over there.

Traffic around the DC metro area is bad in Maryland and NoVA.

[geometricdisaster]

This topic reminds me of why I left that area.

Primary reasons:
Housing market went insane
Traffic was awful
High Taxes and overbearing traffic laws
Careerism prevails

Reasons I'm probably moving back:
Insane or not, the houses and neighborhoods tend to be well built and maintained
Safe area to raise kids
Good schools
Good job market density and relatively stable economy
As bad as traffic is, it's worse in some other cities (like where I now live)
Although people can be opinionated and aggressive, they're at least outgoing
There's a lot to do in D.C. compared to many other cities
The area's actually pretty cool with ethnic diversity = good restaurants

[tenken627]

Some people will complain on just about anything.

Many of these people go and find their "utopia" somewhere else, others just move somewhere else and complain about that place too.

It's all a state of mind.

If you think things are bad, things will look bad to you no matter what because people will always believe what they want to believe.

I remember that when I was young, we had a little shoebox of a home for our family in this area, my parents were always working hard, but we were almost always happy. Now, my parents live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood and they're still happy.

I just think people expect too much out of things that they never end up being satisfied, and then eventually get depressed or upset and angry. You can either get busy living or get busy dying.

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by tenken627

Some people will complain on just about anything.

Many of these people go and find their "utopia" somewhere else, others just move somewhere else and complain about that place too.

It's all a state of mind.

If you think things are bad, things will look bad to you no matter what because people will always believe what they want to believe.

I remember that when I was young, we had a little shoebox of a home for our family in this area, my parents were always working hard, but we were almost always happy. Now, my parents live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood and they're still happy.

I just think people expect too much out of things that they never end up being satisfied, and then eventually get depressed or upset and angry. You can either get busy living or get busy dying.

It's true, some people are never happy. Well, I loved my home state of Michigan (and if you go to the MI forum, you'll see that I've posted glowing comments). I like Chicago, too. And Wisconsin. And the parts of New England that I've visited. And even NYC! I say this so people don't get the idea that I'm just a complainer. D.C. may indeed be great for people with the right temperament. But I get my hackles up when someone who's never lived here wags a finger at us "complainers" and tells us to "just grow up," when they don't have a clue what it's like here.

I've got a wonderful wife and a decent job, and my happiness is at home, away from the craziness in this area. That will be the same no matter where we live. I'm fortunate that I can probably take my job with me, and I know I can take my wife with me. I know I'm also very fortunate that we can choose to move anywhere we want the next time around. We're taking our time about it, so that we don't end up in another place where we simply do not fit in.

Which is the great thing about this forum ... like I said, if I'd known about this place before we moved to D.C., we never would have come here. By the same token, other people will read things here that will thrill them about D.C. More power to them. But I'm not about to sugarcoat my own experience here just because some people, who have never lived here, don't like to hear it.

[Fairfax Mom]

I just moved to NOVA 2 yrs ago ant there are things I dont like - but you guys are really going overboard.

My husband is an engineer and he goes to work in Springfield at 5:30 and is home by 4:00 - he makes great money but is not killing himself for it. We have a nice minivan but also drive a 10 yr old Taurus and no one judges us on it. Our neighbors all came over with cookies when we moved in -
Almost every night my husband walks our sons to the park to play. Kids are outside playing in nice weather.
All the materilistic stuff you are talking about has affected the entire county - not just NOVA. But I am raising my sons to be respectful - they say please and thank you and behave in restaurants - I even stay home and take care of them myself. I dont wear designer clothes or have the best of everything and no one puts me down for it.

Not all of NOVA is a bunch of money hungry yuppies. It is what you make it - yes - the traffic is horrible - but the traffic is horrible in most places where there are tons of jobs. If you lived through the early 90's you know what getting laid off is like - none of that here.

And there are still nice places here -the roads are a mess but there are so many beautiful parks here I dont have timen to visit them all. There are even tons of dogparks here.

There are great people out there but you have to make an effort. I could have ignored the people that moved in next door - but I didnt - I went over there and stuck out my hand and said "welcome to the neighborhood" - and felt good about it

[gnab gib]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

All this talk about cars and gas has reminded me that I have to get my car inspected for it's annual Virginia State Inspection within the next week or so (before the end of the month). I didn't realize until several years ago that not all states require such inspections. In fact, I'm not even sure that Maryland does. I know that Michigan and Ohio don't, and that New Jersey required it but only every two or three years or so. I suppose it's a good thing in it's goal to protect drivers on the road from unsafe cars, but I'm just in a bad mood and it's seeming like such an inconvenient hassle at the moment.

It's just another way to suck tax dollars out of people. No, Michigan does not have inspections. Most states don't. But then, most states don't make you pay a friggin' property tax on your car, either ...