Mid-west or NOVA? (Fairfax, Dayton: option to buy, maintenance, place to live) - Northern Virginia - Virginia - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

FindingZen · 05-12-2009, 12:21 PM

Are you the only member of your household? Do you plan on spending quality time in "The Big City"? If the answer is "no", then Dayton is perfect as its suburbs are pleasant. Dayton itself has some interesting attractions but perhaps not enough to compel a family to live in the city limits. (I'm no Dayton expert but I've been there a few times.)

I agree with a lot of clairemarie's points, particularly regarding the customer service which was a lot more earnest than my Mid-Atlantic experience. Many larger cities are within a day's drive if that becomes a desire. And, as most everyone else has said, your dollars, especially when it comes to housing, will go a lot farther in the Dayton area.

On the other hand, if the answer to the questions is "no", then I will suggest NOVA, the closer to Arlington/Alexandria/DC, the better. With all due respect to any Daytonians out there, it's a great place to live if one's home is one's castle but not so hot for a social life. I know there have been some attempts at a downtown renaissance but I'm not sure there's still anything more cohesive than the Oregon District, which itself is relatively small. The flipside is that as a presumably single person, you may not be able to afford to buy more than a condo if/when you get to that decision stage. But you'd be so busy enjoying the amenities of the area, that you may not miss the pleasures, such as they are, of outside home maintenance.

athousandlogins · 05-12-2009, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claremarie

Grew up in Pittsburgh. Hated it.
Moved to DC. Loved it and stayed 25 years.
Husband took great academic job in small midwestern city. Am learning to love it here. As a previous poster indicated, it's much EASIER to live in a smaller midwestern community. No traffic to speak of, very cheap housing, very friendly people who actually take pride in customer service. Having done the museums/Ethiopian food/Kennedy Center thing for the past two decades, it was easier to move on, and Chicago is nearby if we get desperate. But our kids are older now, we found great private schools for them (the public schools here are abysmal), the university community adds some culture and diversity to the community, and there is absolutely no chance that my husband will lose his job and have to look for another one in a very depressed economy. I would not have moved here with small children, or if we needed to find two fairly high-level non-medical professional positions.

I don't know anything specifically about Dayton. But I spent 2 years in a small midwestern city before we came to NOVA (also due to my husband's academic job) and I agree 100% with all of this. So it really just depends where your priorities lie.

We are happier here than we were in the midwest, but it wasn't a bad life out there, either. In some ways it was very good. If affordable nice housing and a slower pace were important to us, we wouldn't have moved for anything.

NOVAmtneer82 · 05-12-2009, 03:30 PM

Depends on the individual but I personally say Northern Virginia all the way. My younger brother and sister both live in Columbus which is about the only area in Ohio that is doing well economically and probably the only location I would recommend moving to. It still feels a lot slower there but that can either be a good or bad thing depending on perspective. I've been to Dayton once or twice but didn't get around town that much, and Cincinnati does absolutely nothing for me.

The DC area does have some drawbacks..the traffic is bad, cost of living is higher, it is of course crowded, etc. but this isn't Mayberry, it's a major metropolitan area. I view the negatives as the opportunity costs of being in such a thriving place. What do you specifically want out of a place to live? I always say there is more to life than cheap housing but then again it is far easier for me to say that because I am single with no children. Good luck with your decision!

ChristineVA · 05-12-2009, 04:14 PM

Are you positive your career advancement is going to go as well there? Just asking because we have a few employees from Columbus, Ohio that came here because they could only go so far there and they wanted "the next level up" in experience here.

For what it's worth, one co-worker of mine who has been here several years (moved from Dayton to Woodbridge--Port Potomac) LOVES it here and doesn't want to go back.

ACWhite · 05-12-2009, 05:31 PM

I also lived in Central OH for a long time. Great place to raise a family, salaries relative to cost of living are much better there than here, traffic is no problem. But we moved here because we wanted to live in this area; it's always been a favorite for reasons that many people have already articulated. There is so much to do here that is free (museums); the climate is much better (not just warmer, it's also much sunnier in the winter - Central OH can be gray for most of the winter and it gets depressing).

There is an added benefit I didn't expect; after living in a politically conservative area for such a long time, I didn't realize how much better I would like living around people who shared my views (economically conservative; socially liberal, etc.). It's nice to not feel like an outlier. The high education level of people here also is a benefit; it changes what people talk about and how they spend their time. That's not to say that people without advanced education can't be among the best people you know; it's just that for me, I find it to be a positive influence. However, if you find yourself more at home politically in the midwest or don't share the views re: education, these have either 0 or negative value for you.

Flamingo13 · 05-12-2009, 07:22 PM

It may be me (I'm tired and it's been a long day) but it appears the OP is all over the board moving-wise?

LMS7689 · 05-12-2009, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

It may be me (I'm tired and it's been a long day) but it appears the OP is all over the board moving-wise?

I'm not sure if OP is Original Poster or not, but if it is, than yes, you are correct. Originally, I was offered a position here in NOVA - I'm in NOVA temporarily now - and was looking at different areas in NOVA in which to live. Since then, I have received a competing offer in Dayton.

For what its worth to anyone's evaluation of the situation, I am married, and we have our first child on the way.

DC Oldtimer · 05-12-2009, 10:34 PM

Assume career progression in one place is just as good as the other.

I don't mean to sound flip, but it is lost on me how anyone can make this assumption.

As a general rule, it is NEVER a mistake to come to DC. This is where careers are made.

I am not sure there is any place in the country quite like it if you have an interest in government and any amount of ambition.

FindingZen · 05-13-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMS7689

I'm not sure if OP is Original Poster or not, but if it is, than yes, you are correct. Originally, I was offered a position here in NOVA - I'm in NOVA temporarily now - and was looking at different areas in NOVA in which to live. Since then, I have received a competing offer in Dayton.

For what its worth to anyone's evaluation of the situation, I am married, and we have our first child on the way.

OP does mean Original Poster.

I went back and found the other thread that you started for more info. It looks like you're interested in finding a house at a moderate price range (by NOVA standards) and that you are willing to "drive 'till you qualify". As suggested in that thread, there are communities in Prince William and Stafford Counties (and perhaps Loudoun too BTW) that would fit your preferences. However, as also mentioned, the daily commute to DC will be absolutely brutal, especially considering the impending arrival of the newborn. That could be mitigated a bit if you are able to obtain flex-time: e.g. arrive at 6am, leave at 3pm.

Given that, I'd strongly consider Dayton as even a daily commute from, say Middletown (which would put you in striking distance of Cincinnati for city outings) would be a breeze compared to NOVA thoroughfares on a Saturday afternoon.

LMS7689 · 05-13-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC Oldtimer

Assume career progression in one place is just as good as the other.

I don't mean to sound flip, but it is lost on me how anyone can make this assumption.

As a general rule, it is NEVER a mistake to come to DC. This is where careers are made.

I am not sure there is any place in the country quite like it if you have an interest in government and any amount of ambition.

Yes, I agree that DC provides lots of opportunity, however, for my field, so does Dayton. For the purposes of this post, I'm just looking for opinions on life in the two areas...