Thinking of relocating...more detailed this time. (Fairfax: apartment, rent)

[sdenisew]

I posted about this subject once before and have to admit that I wasn't very detailed.

I currently reside in Cincinnati,OH and I'm dying to get out and make a fresh start. I'm divorced and am the mother of a 10 yr and an 8 yr old. I'd very much like to live in the NOVA area, but am unsure where to start looking for work or a place to stay. I have enough saved up to live off of for a year, but obviously I'd like to have a job lined up before or shortly after I get there.

I'm still a student about to obtain my undergrad in Social Work. I plan to immediately start grad school (hopefully in NOVA rather than Cincy) so I'd more than likely be taking a job working as an Admin Assist so that I can have some flexibility in my school schedule.

I'd like a place in an area with good schools, nice parks or safe places for my kids to explore during the warmer months since we are very active. I'm not oppose to living in an apartment, condo,home so that really doesn't matter as long as it's a 3 bedroom. My budget for that would in the 1600.00 a month range. If I really pull in the reigns I could add an additional 200.00 to that. Being in a diverse neighborhood would be awesome. I have biracial children and it's important for me to expose them to different cultures and different ethnic groups.

If someone could point me in the right direction as far as researching the neighborhoods, schools (both elementary and college) I'd greatly appreciate that. I'm planning to visit beginning in January and will hopefully be living there by August of 2010. Oh, and also the job market...how's that going? Here in Cincy it's every man/woman for himself. Companies don't really stay around here very long.

If I left anything out please don't let me know!

A decent nightlife wouldn't be so bad either. I have a boyfriend who would be visiting and it would be nice to go out in the evenings with him as well.

[Yankeesfan]

I would strongly advise not coming here unless you have a job already lined up. Which college(s) are you looking at for your Master's? That will make a big difference in where you should live and look for a job, and also help determine whether your budget is realistic based on what you'll be paying in tuition.

[sdenisew]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

I would strongly advise not coming here unless you have a job already lined up. Which college(s) are you looking at for your Master's? That will make a big difference in where you should live and look for a job, and also help determine whether your budget is realistic based on what you'll be paying in tuition.

I'm looking into George Mason University which is adjacent to Fairfax. I'm doing some research on Fairfax now...I'm hoping it's not terribly expensive.

[Caladium]

I'd live as close to school as possible.

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by sdenisew

I currently reside in Cincinnati,OH and I'm dying to get out and make a fresh start.

I moved here from Cincinnati in January. I went to grad school at UC, and had a job offer here that brought me out. My rent for a 1-bedroom apartment near UC was $510/mo. Here it's $1100.

I'm still a student about to obtain my undergrad in Social Work. I plan to immediately start grad school (hopefully in NOVA rather than Cincy) so I'd more than likely be taking a job working as an Admin Assist so that I can have some flexibility in my school schedule.

Well, if you go to GMU, you will be paying out-of-state rates for the first year. If you stayed in Cincy and went to UC, you'd at least pay in-state rates your whole time. You won't make a lot as an admit assistant, I don't think.

My budget for that would in the 1600.00 a month range. If I really pull in the reigns I could add an additional 200.00 to that. Being in a diverse neighborhood would be awesome. I have biracial children and it's important for me to expose them to different cultures and different ethnic groups.

Seeing as you have two kids to take care of, and are trying to work college in there as well, I'd suck it up for the length of your masters program and stay back in Cincinnati. That way, if I understand your finances correctly, you could stay back there with your kids and not worry about working. As much as Cincinnati wasn't for me, it didn't suck bad enough to take a lot of risks to leave.

If someone could point me in the right direction as far as researching the neighborhoods, schools (both elementary and college) I'd greatly appreciate that. I'm planning to visit beginning in January and will hopefully be living there by August of 2010. Oh, and also the job market...how's that going?

Well, as was suggested, live near school. And you'd have to be "lucky" enough to find a job there too. Job market's okay, but that's because this is a rather white-collar region (read: college education required) which almost always gets hit less in a recession.

Here in Cincy it's every man/woman for himself. Companies don't really stay around here very long.

Really? Kroger and P&G seem to hang around (as does 5/3 bank)...

[weezycom]

Working as an admin, I think you will be able to find a job if you have pretty good computer skills, but the salaries for the general admin jobs have dropped because there are a lot of fair-to-good people in the job market these days. Employers can get higher quality workers now for what they used to pay for a middling employee. Be sure your skills are polished up (Office 2007, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)