Highest Income Counties in U.S. Did Loudoun Overtake Fairfax? (Reston: buying a house, buying)

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by Stephen 81

For all that people denigrate Sterling Park, I think median incomes there are higher than Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and the Route 1 corridor.

I believe so. When I first moved to Loudoun Co about 20 years ago, Sterling Park was a different demographic (i.e., low income). Sometimes I wonder what happened to the folks who left. Anyway, it's obvious that Sterling Park has a different core group now, especially the way some of them have been renovating/upgrading the houses.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by normie

Recently we've had some claims that low income people are moving to the suburbs and wealthier people moving back into cities. At the same time, Loudoun overtook Fairfax this year as the county with the highest income in the U.S. This didn't quite add up to me, so I thought it'd make an interesting topic.

What I see happening is right now a lot of people with money are moving to the suburbs (especially right now, when you can find McMansions for under a $1 million). Don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, just what I happen to be observing. Especially people from California... which makes me wonder if Loudoun will develop a bit of the "California vibe" over the years. Or will the Californians develop the Nova vibe?

BTW, Fairfax may be #2 (right now) but there's plenty of big bucks there. If you're new to the area and wondering if this means Fairfax is going downhill the answer would be no. Fairfax has plenty of people moving there, too. IMO what this means is there's some serious money moving into Northern Virginia... and right now a higher percentage of them are moving into Loudoun. Maybe it's just because there's more new construction out there.

Anyway, this is just my interpretation. What do you guys think? Also, any thoughts on what all this means? Once you make #1 on the list, do things change in your community?

Highest-income counties in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In regards to the original question - it's both. Wealthier people are moving back into the cities and lower income people are moving into the suburbs. But wealthier people are also moving into suburbs.

Lower income people are being priced out of the cities, so they are moving to older, cheaper suburban regions. This is less pronounced in DC than it is somewhere like Atlanta, however, for a variety of reasons. Meanwhile, many extremely wealthy people keep moving out to the deeper suburbs because it's the only place they can build their massive, sprawling dream homes.

The big takeaway one should glean from the data on the Wikipedia page is that Washington, DC is becoming an extremely wealthy region. It really doesn't say much of anything about urban-suburban dynamics.

DC's median income is lower because the pockets of poverty still exist in the city.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

I believe so. When I first moved to Loudoun Co about 20 years ago, Sterling Park was a different demographic (i.e., low income). Sometimes I wonder what happened to the folks who left. Anyway, it's obvious that Sterling Park has a different core group now, especially the way some of them have been renovating/upgrading the houses.

I totally agree. In an odd way this recession's made my Herndon neighborhood go up in value. For one thing, my neighbors are no long travelling and instead they're spend a lot more money remodelling, fixing up the house, and landscaping.

And a few years ago the homes here were selling to people who really couldn't afford to live here. Those subprime loans lured a lot of lower income people, but now they're mostly gone. The new people moving in seem much more affluent. The young people buying homes right now are people making money. You can see the difference in the cars parked on the street.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by JakilaTheHun

Lower income people are being priced out of the cities, so they are moving to older, cheaper suburban regions.

I just don't know where those older cheaper areas would be, though. Front Royal, maybe, or West Virginia? Or maybe Prince William County, although homes there aren't that cheap either. Lower income people get my sympathy (even though lower income neighborhoods sometimes have problems).

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by normie

Especially people from California... which makes me wonder if Loudoun will develop a bit of the "California vibe" over the years. Or will the Californians develop the Nova vibe?

I see lots of Californians, too. It'll be interesting to see the election results and see if our newest residents are making an impact. I loved living there, but even so I don't want Loudoun to become "Californicated." (Please forgive the term, I'm not the one who made it up.)

My hope is that the people moving here are trying to escape the high taxes and over spending, and are not bringing those habits with them. They can bring Trader Joes and even the vibe if they want, just as long as they leave the high tax stuff behind.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I just don't know where those older cheaper areas would be, though. Front Royal, maybe, or West Virginia? Or maybe Prince William County, although homes there aren't that cheap either. Lower income people get my sympathy (even though lower income neighborhoods sometimes have problems).

Read the next sentence I wrote:

"This is less pronounced in DC than it is somewhere like Atlanta, however, for a variety of reasons."

One of the reasons it's less true in DC because the suburbs here have exorbitant prices, as well. Hence, if you want to escape the high rents in the region, you have to completely move out. All the same, it's still cheaper to live in Annandale, Springfield, Upper Marlboro, or Laurel than it is in Northwest DC. But the people living in those 'burbs tend to be middle income, rather than lower income, due to the (still relatively) high housing prices.

In a place like Atlanta, the trend is more pronounced. Lower income people are moving out of the inner core as property values have risen and have moved to older, much cheaper suburban areas in places like Norcross and Duluth.

[Newk]

When I moved to San Antonio from Springfield, I was surprised to see how developments are laid out. An area just northeast of downtown called Alamo Heights is close, and is full of rich people, and high prices, but generally prices get more expensive the further out you go from the city center. If you want to be close in to San Antonio, it costs less which is interesting, but if you want a nicer house with more land, it costs your more, and your commute is worse. Generally housing costs more the further out you are.

[Stephen 81]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I just don't know where those older cheaper areas would be, though. Front Royal, maybe, or West Virginia? Or maybe Prince William County, although homes there aren't that cheap either. Lower income people get my sympathy (even though lower income neighborhoods sometimes have problems).

Well in this area I think Prince George's County has been the jurisdiction most affected by displaced low-income Washingtonians. I remember reading an article in the Post about how a lot of middle-class African American Prince George's residents were moving to Charles County in Southern MD because they felt like the socioeconomic makeup of Prince George's had been changing.

Because of the racial dynamics in the MD/VA suburbs, I don't think many lower income people priced out of DC would move to VA. Perhaps Latinos in neighborhoods like Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights.

[EuroExpat]

Originally Posted by normie

Especially people from California... which makes me wonder if Loudoun will develop a bit of the "California vibe" over the years.

Ugh I hope not.. There is no place like CA but lets keep it out of VA.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by EuroExpat

Ugh I hope not.. There is no place like CA but lets keep it out of VA.

LOL, I totally agree.

On a somewhat related point, do you guys consider Loudoun suburban or exurban? Or half and half (that would be my vote).

I've always heard the difference was that suburbs have businesses and office buildings. You can live and work in the same suburb. (Herndon would be an example of this). Exurbs are strictly bedroom communities where everyone has to commute to another city.

But where's the dividing line? I tend to think the line right now is Leesburg. Anything east of Leesburg is suburb, anything west is exurb. OTOH I've also heard people talk about buying a house out in the exurbs and they're talking about Falls Church.

Any opinions?