Gay neighborhoods in NoVA?? (Arlington, Alexandria: condos, crimes, house)

[FindingZen]

Let's not get distracted from the original topic of gay-friendly areas in Northern Virginia. General political discussion about NOVA can be started in another thread.

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by novajs

I don't think you can call yourself a liberal if you voted for McDonnell. You can say you are a democrat who doesn't care about social issues. Creed Deeds ran heavily on McDonnell's conservative records but it didn't stick. McDonnell is very conservative on social issues, and everyone knows it. Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Loudoun, and to the west) is relatively conservative on family values. There is no way gay marriage can be passed in Virginia.

True. Virginia already approved an amendment to their constitution that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, as did 37 other states. Every state that has put the marriage amendment on the ballot has passed it, easily. Virginia is hardly unique in that regard. A large majority of Americans support that rather simple concept, marriage is between one man and one woman.

Moderator Cut: Off-topic

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by BostonBen

I am a 45 year old gay, married man moving to NoVA from Boston sometime this summer. I will be working at GMU (Fairfax campus). I can't stand the idea of commuting very far (30 minutes tops). Any suggestions on where we could live and feel comfortable? Our housing budget is between 350-450K. Thanks in advance for your help!

I've lived in Northern Virginia for most of the last 30 years (with stints in DC and Md as well), and I'm gay. Arlington County and the city of Alexandria are probably the most gay-friendly. Both jurisdictions have gay elected officials and both are 70%-80% Democratic (mostly liberal), and both have legal protections for gay people. Fairfax County is about 60-40 Dem-Rep. The most gay-friendly areas of Arlington County are the neighborhoods along the Orange line (Metro)-----Clarendon, Ballston, Virginia Square, Courthouse, Rosslyn, and adjacent neighborhoods. All neighborhoods in Alexandria are gay-friendly. Despite the musings of some of our more strident cultural warriors on this thread, I find the area to be very diverse and inclusive. Northern Virginia is one of the most highly educated areas in the nation, and for the most part, anti-gay attitudes are considered crude and backward. Welcome to the area.

[BostonBen]

Thank you for the information. We are just looking for what many people desire - a comfortable place to live where people just accept others for who they are. You may not agree with gay marriage - whatever.... I am looking for an area that is no more than a 30 minute commute from GMU and I have a housing budget of 350-450K. Do any of the areas mentioned in previous posts meet those criteria? It seems to me as if DC, MD, and Alexandria, which were mentioned, may be further than 30 minutes from GMU. I am coming down to the area in May to look around but am unsure where to start looking. Suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

[RVA-Jsn20]

Arlington/Alexandria are probably good bets, though I'm not sure if you'd be able to get to GMU in less than 30 minutes door to door depending on where you live. The closer you are to GMU or the closer you are to DC, the better off you'll be - though you really shouldn't feel "uncomfortable" anywhere in nova just b/c you're gay. as a previous poster said, it's one of the most educated areas in the nation and homophobia is seen as backwards

[normie]

FWIW, I know two different gay couples who live right near the GMU campus. They seem to like living in the area, although I have no idea how they see it from the perspective of being "gay friendly."

[Stephen 81]

I'm also not sure if you'd like the housing you could get for 350-450k in Arlington or Alexandria.

Honestly, why not look very close to GMU, in the City of Fairfax, or some of the surrounding neighborhoods in Fairfax County (also with Fairfax mailing addresses...sorry, VA is a bit confusing)? I don't see much of a reason for you to have a 30 minute commute when you could have a ten minute commute, and the City of Fairfax has some attractive neighborhoods and more of a small town downtown feel than most of the burbs around here. For $450k, you could probably find something nice, assuming you don't need a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house on 1/3 of an acre.

[normie]

Originally Posted by novajs

I don't think you can call yourself a liberal if you voted for McDonnell.

We're all entitled to have an opinion. I have a different one and that's the opinion that matters to me. My agenda for a governor is focused on issues like balancing the budget, transportation, infrastructure, and zoning, not social matters. But thanks for sharing.

So.... getting back to the back to the OP's question, Fair Lakes or Reston would get my votes just because they have more stores and restaurants within walking distance. I guess you could call them the most "urban" in the area (although they're still definitely suburbs, LOL). But if the more residential neighborhoods seem appealling, those are fine, too. As another poster pointed out, I haven't heard of any incidents of people harrassing gays--it's just not considered "cool" here. I don't think you'll have a problem in any of the neighborhoods near GMU.

[normie]

Originally Posted by smithy77

Northern Virginia is one of the most highly educated areas in the nation, and for the most part, anti-gay attitudes are considered crude and backward. Welcome to the area.

Exactly. Well stated, and rep points for you.

[FindingZen]

BostonBen, given your housing and commute preferences, I would predict that you would be able to find: a) a really awesome 2BR condo; b) a pretty nice townhouse; or c) an okay smaller/older detached home. Doubling your commute time or adding up to $150K would dramatically increase your options. If you are indeed from Boston, you certainly won't be getting much of a price (or traffic) break here.