Looking for info on Woodbridge (Alexandria, Dale City: fit in, rent, crime)

[Jazzygrl]

My husband and I will be moving to VA from MD this January. We are in our late 20's, no kids (yet), two dogs. My husband will be working in Springfield. I have been researching different areas for a couple months now. It seems that Woodbridge isn't too far from where my husband will be working (not sure about traffic). Prices of homes are a bit less and I like the Potomac Club community. BUT I am sure there is a reason Woodbridge is a bit less. Please let me know what you think of the area. Is this an up and coming area? We will probably rent first but I would like to get into another home asap.

[dullnboring]

Woodbridge is not a bad place. It has plenty of nice communities, but it also has quite a few grungy and ugly areas. The schools are decent, but not fantastic. The commute coming up on 95 is brutal and you're 30 miles from DC. All of these factors combined are the reasons for the lower prices of housing in the area. On the plus side however, in my opinion, Woodbridge is only getting better. They're getting rid of a lot of the older commercial eyesores, and building nice new communities as well. If you're already in Maryland, I recommend coming down one day during a weekend and just driving around the area to see what you make of it.

I would say a Woodbridge-Springfield commute would run roughly 30-40 minutes on average, depending on where in each community where you live and work.

There have been a few threads recently regarding Woodbridge, many of people hesitant about it's low prices. Here is just one of them, but you can search for more if you'd like to get a better picture of the community as a whole:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/virgi...ds-advice.html

[ReadytoRetire]

Originally Posted by Jazzygrl

My husband and I will be moving to VA from MD this January. We are in our late 20's, no kids (yet), two dogs. My husband will be working in Springfield. I have been researching different areas for a couple months now. It seems that Woodbridge isn't too far from where my husband will be working (not sure about traffic). Prices of homes are a bit less and I like the Potomac Club community. BUT I am sure there is a reason Woodbridge is a bit less. Please let me know what you think of the area. Is this an up and coming area? We will probably rent first but I would like to get into another home asap.

Hi I lived in the WB, Dale City area for 20 years and recently moved down
towards Fredericksburg (about 28 miles south) The WB/DC area is not very good in my opinion, there is Gang/Drug Activity all over, the schools have been going downhill for years now..If you want to check out the newspaper(potmacnews.com) you CAN check out the crime section and see what I mean. The housing market has gone down recently and house price have dropped but the descent ones are not real cheap..WB has a lot of older houses, new developments are being built on the outer skirts of Dale City and are pretty expensive..If you have kids I would research the area before moving there..As said previously the commute is probably 30 -45 mins depending on when you leave..Hope this helps..

[5stones]

not my choice area in all of NoVa either. the west side is much better than the east. I'd look in Kingstowne near Springfield or west springfield.

[Andrewhutchinson2]

Hello, my wife and I are moving to Lake Ridge from South Florida. We would like to send mour 4 year old son to a private school in Alexandria where my wife's sister lives and her children attend. My wife and I are planning to both work in Alexandria.
How bad will our commute be every day to work if we travel on Route 1 to Alexandria. How long will it take us?
We fell in love with the Lake Ridge area because of the prices of homes and the seemingly suburban lifestyle which we are used to here in the community where we live in South Florida. Also, these forums provided very positive feedback about Lake Ridge.

How bad is the commute really?

Thanks for any input anyone can give us about the commute

[FatherOf2]

... The previous posts on this thread, esp. dullnboring, aren't that far off. For the record, I'm not from Woodbridge, or Virginia even, and have no axe to grind, but I do live here now, and now that I'm familiar with Northern Virginia as a whole, there are VERY few places in the D.C. area I'd rather be.

That said, when you're looking at Woodbridge, one thing you should understand is that it's not an incorporated area (there's no Woodbridge proper), so the term "Woodbridge" covers a lot of ground. Some folks in Lake Ridge might consider themselves Woodbridge, or the post office does, but in conversation they might go by their neighborhood name. So you really have to be careful about who you listen to and what you take as gospel when hearing about this area. Like most areas, there are places you want to be, places you'd rather not be, and a lot in between.

A second important thing to note, having lived in two other states (Mass. and N.J.), as well as elsewhere in Virginia, and having family in Washington, Arizona, Michigan and Florida to compare to, is that Fairfax County is one of the richest counties in the country. So occasionally people from very nice areas of No. Va. thumb their nose at Woodbridge or its schools ... but comparatively speaking, it's nicer than 90% of the rest of the country. So take into account where you're coming from when you ask about Woodbridge.

The prices are lower in Woodbridge because its part of Prince William County, not Fairfax County, which carries more prestige if you're into that, but also higher taxes because of more varied gov't needs (transportation, business development, more residents). Also, because parts of Fairfax are almost universally closer to D.C. and have better access to public transportation, it's a more desirable place to live for people moving here from elsewhere.

I think Woodbridge (Occoquan/Lake Ridge) and several outlying areas toward Dumfries and Manassas are great places to raise a family. If you're young and single, I'd look closer to the city. But Prince William County is very developed in terms of community infrastructure (parks, pools, little leagues, nearby shopping). One of the great things about living here is that you can easily partake of the culture and shopping, etc. in Washington D.C. and Fairfax ... I am in Woodbridge near I-95, Rt. 1 and Rt. 123, and I am 10-15 minutes to Springfield, 20-25 to Pentagon, 30 to D.C. and Tyson's Corner. The commutes do vary greatly around here based on availablity of HOV and during rush hours, so that 30 minutes to Tyson's can easily be 90 at peak rush hour.

The schools are VERY good here compared to the rest of the state and country. But they may not compare favorably to other areas in Northern Virginia like Fairfax and Loudoun. All three counties, however, have had unprecedented home and job growth in recent years, in some cases setting the pace nationally.

I don't want to ramble more than I already have, but I'd be happy to answer any questions people have about this area via PM. I mentioned the other places I've lived and can compare this area to, and I also have worked for a newspaper in the D.C. area covering local government and schools, so I have some extra insight both good and bad, and I also live here so I have personal experience.

A couple other things to add. I think Woodbridge more than most areas in Northern Va. offers the opportunity to get the most house/yard for your buck without being insanely far from D.C. or wherever you work. There is crime, but it's mostly in concentrated areas. For the most part, Woodbridge is a residential bedroom community with safe neighborhoods and good schools and lots of nearby working-class shopping (not Nordstrom's). I'd call it soccer mom paradise in many ways. There's no main street area or downtown or really any sense of history here, so if that means something to you, I'd try Vienna or Mount Vernon or Old Town Manassas. On the flipside though, even the "old" houses here were built in the 80s. You really aren't going to run the risk of buying an aging "money pit." (maybe a cheaply-made, slapped-together one though)

This is a VERY diverse area, and I don't mean just black/white ... hispanic, asian, indian, middle eastern, religions and "social class" other things too ... if you're like me, you consider that a good thing and something you want your kids to grow up with an appreciation for, but some closet racists may use a lot of synonyms for high-crime area to get that across to you. You make your own choices on what you think of the diversity; certainly there are homogenous areas you could move to instead. But Woodbridge is a place whose high schools have rowing and international baccalaureate as well as troubled kids and such, so take that all for what it's worth. As far as it being a "high-crime area" in general, there are just too many layered subdivision communities for that to be true. Most places you're looking to move or buy are families and professionals a lot like yourself, who came here from somewhere else by military transfer or because of the bustling job market. They'll be minding their own business, mowing their lawns, not breaking into your car. If I had any complaint about here, it would be that it lacks that small-town atmosphere where everyone knows their neighbors.

Overall, I'd say perception can be reality as far as whether an area is in a period of healthy growth or "it ain't what it used to be." But I live here now with two toddlers and do not plan to move before they begin school, if that says anything to you.

Again, I'd be open to give more succint answers (my opinion, of course) to direct questions.

[FatherOf2]

Originally Posted by Andrewhutchinson2

Hello, my wife and I are moving to Lake Ridge from South Florida. We would like to send mour 4 year old son to a private school in Alexandria where my wife's sister lives and her children attend. My wife and I are planning to both work in Alexandria.
How bad will our commute be every day to work if we travel on Route 1 to Alexandria. How long will it take us?
We fell in love with the Lake Ridge area because of the prices of homes and the seemingly suburban lifestyle which we are used to here in the community where we live in South Florida. Also, these forums provided very positive feedback about Lake Ridge.

How bad is the commute really?

Thanks for any input anyone can give us about the commute

Andrew,
Lake Ridge is great, but I don't like the sound of your commute. Assuming you're traveling at peak rush hour periods, Rt. 1 can be very inconvenient getting from Woodbridge to Alexandria even though it looks like the most direct route on the map. Just a lot of lights and light cycles to wait through, it's probably going to take you 45 minutes, but the upshot is that it probably won't be a lot of bumper-to-bumper traffic as it would be on I-95.

That's an educated guess though. Someone who takes that route more often than I could probably speak more reliably about it.

[Andrewhutchinson2]

Originally Posted by FatherOf2

... The previous posts on this thread, esp. dullnboring, aren't that far off. For the record, I'm not from Woodbridge, or Virginia even, and have no axe to grind, but I do live here now, and now that I'm familiar with Northern Virginia as a whole, there are VERY few places in the D.C. area I'd rather be.

That said, when you're looking at Woodbridge, one thing you should understand is that it's not an incorporated area (there's no Woodbridge proper), so the term "Woodbridge" covers a lot of ground. Some folks in Lake Ridge might consider themselves Woodbridge, or the post office does, but in conversation they might go by their neighborhood name. So you really have to be careful about who you listen to and what you take as gospel when hearing about this area. Like most areas, there are places you want to be, places you'd rather not be, and a lot in between.

A second important thing to note, having lived in two other states (Mass. and N.J.), as well as elsewhere in Virginia, and having family in Washington, Arizona, Michigan and Florida to compare to, is that Fairfax County is one of the richest counties in the country. So occasionally people from very nice areas of No. Va. thumb their nose at Woodbridge or its schools ... but comparatively speaking, it's nicer than 90% of the rest of the country. So take into account where you're coming from when you ask about Woodbridge.

The prices are lower in Woodbridge because its part of Prince William County, not Fairfax County, which carries more prestige if you're into that, but also higher taxes because of more varied gov't needs (transportation, business development, more residents). Also, because parts of Fairfax are almost universally closer to D.C. and have better access to public transportation, it's a more desirable place to live for people moving here from elsewhere.

I think Woodbridge (Occoquan/Lake Ridge) and several outlying areas toward Dumfries and Manassas are great places to raise a family. If you're young and single, I'd look closer to the city. But Prince William County is very developed in terms of community infrastructure (parks, pools, little leagues, nearby shopping). One of the great things about living here is that you can easily partake of the culture and shopping, etc. in Washington D.C. and Fairfax ... I am in Woodbridge near I-95, Rt. 1 and Rt. 123, and I am 10-15 minutes to Springfield, 20-25 to Pentagon, 30 to D.C. and Tyson's Corner. The commutes do vary greatly around here based on availablity of HOV and during rush hours, so that 30 minutes to Tyson's can easily be 90 at peak rush hour.

The schools are VERY good here compared to the rest of the state and country. But they may not compare favorably to other areas in Northern Virginia like Fairfax and Loudoun. All three counties, however, have had unprecedented home and job growth in recent years, in some cases setting the pace nationally.

I don't want to ramble more than I already have, but I'd be happy to answer any questions people have about this area via PM. I mentioned the other places I've lived and can compare this area to, and I also have worked for a newspaper in the D.C. area covering local government and schools, so I have some extra insight both good and bad, and I also live here so I have personal experience.

A couple other things to add. I think Woodbridge more than most areas in Northern Va. offers the opportunity to get the most house/yard for your buck without being insanely far from D.C. or wherever you work. There is crime, but it's mostly in concentrated areas. For the most part, Woodbridge is a residential bedroom community with safe neighborhoods and good schools and lots of nearby working-class shopping (not Nordstrom's). I'd call it soccer mom paradise in many ways. There's no main street area or downtown or really any sense of history here, so if that means something to you, I'd try Vienna or Mount Vernon or Old Town Manassas. On the flipside though, even the "old" houses here were built in the 80s. You really aren't going to run the risk of buying an aging "money pit." (maybe a cheaply-made, slapped-together one though)

This is a VERY diverse area, and I don't mean just black/white ... hispanic, asian, indian, middle eastern, religions and "social class" other things too ... if you're like me, you consider that a good thing and something you want your kids to grow up with an appreciation for, but some closet racists may use a lot of synonyms for high-crime area to get that across to you. You make your own choices on what you think of the diversity; certainly there are homogenous areas you could move to instead. But Woodbridge is a place whose high schools have rowing and international baccalaureate as well as troubled kids and such, so take that all for what it's worth. As far as it being a "high-crime area" in general, there are just too many layered subdivision communities for that to be true. Most places you're looking to move or buy are families and professionals a lot like yourself, who came here from somewhere else by military transfer or because of the bustling job market. They'll be minding their own business, mowing their lawns, not breaking into your car. If I had any complaint about here, it would be that it lacks that small-town atmosphere where everyone knows their neighbors.

Overall, I'd say perception can be reality as far as whether an area is in a period of healthy growth or "it ain't what it used to be." But I live here now with two toddlers and do not plan to move before they begin school, if that says anything to you.

Again, I'd be open to give more succint answers (my opinion, of course) to direct questions.

Father of 2, thank you so much for your input. This is Andrew's wife writing. Your information sold us. We are two professionals also originally from Massachusetts (we had moved to Florida to sample warm weather) and I think we would fit in well with Nova. As far as not having Main Street or downtown in Woodbridge, I am fine with that because as your email indicated, there is history nearby.

We do have family in Alexandria and Lorton but they purchased their homes many years ago and paid a much more reasonable price than today's market price.

Although it may be a bit of a drive to visit them, we love the suburban lifestyle that Woodbridge seems to offer.
You have sold us on Lake Ridge/Woodbridge. Thanks for your detailed input.

By the way, are there any particular areas we should avoid in Woodbridge/Lake Ridge area?

[Andrewhutchinson2]

Originally Posted by FatherOf2

Andrew,
Lake Ridge is great, but I don't like the sound of your commute. Assuming you're traveling at peak rush hour periods, Rt. 1 can be very inconvenient getting from Woodbridge to Alexandria even though it looks like the most direct route on the map. Just a lot of lights and light cycles to wait through, it's probably going to take you 45 minutes, but the upshot is that it probably won't be a lot of bumper-to-bumper traffic as it would be on I-95.

That's an educated guess though. Someone who takes that route more often than I could probably speak more reliably about it.

I know. I am worried about the commute as well, however, I just don't see anywhere around it. We are looking for a modern house with community amenities and a fairly large backyard and we don't want to pay more than $500K. That seems financially impossible in the Alexandria/Lorton area.
so, I guess the price of commute will be Route 1 on a daily basis. I rather a lot of lights and stop and go, then bumper to bumber traffic on I-95

Thanks for your input. Anyone taking the daily grind on Route 1 to Alexandria and Lorton, please let us know your input

Thanks

-Maryland

[Perry Putnam]

If you plan on living in NoVa for any period of time forget Woodbridge and check out places in Fauquier county. It's beautiful and has a lot to offer. The commute to Springfield isn't all that bad when you consider what you get in return.