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Well, in an entirely unexpected development, it looks like I'm going to be moving to Rhode Island for work reasons in a few months.
I grew up in South County, but I left 15 years ago and thought I'd never come back. Funny what life throws at us sometimes.
I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this. Every time I visit RI, it just looks so....run down and beaten up. That said, most of my family still lives there and they love it. So it's obviously got a few things going for it! And I have felt sad every summer about not living near the beach anymore. This will fix that problem for sure. I'm trying to have a good attitude and make the best of it.
Thanks!
Most people really like South County. Certain urban areas in the entire state may be run down and beaten up but most don't describe South County overall that way. South county has changed in the past 10-15 years only in having become more developed, so whatever it was you didn't like then about south county then has probably not changed much.
My experience in DC was the opposite (although I do appreciate the city and enjoy visiting). But the last time I came back up from a year long stay in the DC area I breathed a sigh of relief at the RI border. Goodbye to the heat and the crowds and hello to the smell of the ocean!
My experience in DC was the opposite (although I do appreciate the city and enjoy visiting). But the last time I came back up from a year long stay in the DC area I breathed a sigh of relief at the RI border. Goodbye to the heat and the crowds and hello to the smell of the ocean!
I grew up in the District -- not the suburbs, the real inner-city thing (Dupont Circle) -- and can attest to how hideous a place it is. Summer is unbearable, and the people are social climbing parasites. When I left at age 19 to attend Columbia, a whole new world opened for me -- I was free of the provincialism of that fetid swamp. While I wonder if the OP's heart is set on Rhode Island (though I hope it is), I think Providence offers so much more than Brutalist architecture and regimented lifestyle of federal workers. PVD is a place to chill, to breathe the breath of sanity and non-posturing; people with "airs" need not apply. In DC, the first thing people ask is "What do you do for a living?" In Providence, the first question people ask is "How you doing?"
I've never lived or even worked in the District proper, and have no particular desire to debate its merits. But I love my Northern Virginia suburb and I'm going to miss it a lot. The quality of life I've had here has been wonderful overall, and I don't mind the summers. They bothered me ten years ago, but I'm long since used to them.
I'm sorry for anyone who only found "parasitic" and "regimented" folks in the area. You missed out. I've met a number of fantastic, warm, sane, and non-posturing people here (including, but not limited to, federal workers), and I'll genuinely miss them, too. There's not something in the water that creates "airs"; they're all just people, who worry about their kids and look forward to the weekend and like a glass of wine sometimes, like people anywhere.
My heart is not set on Rhode Island - a move there was neither something I expected nor something I sought out. But it's where life is bringing me right now, and I'm going, so I'm endeavoring to enjoy it as best I can. No sense in going into it with a gloomy attitude, and who knows, I might love RI this time around. It isn't a zero-sum game and there's not only room for One City to Rule Them All in my heart. I can have enjoyed living in NoVA and enjoy living in RI, too, even though they are quite different places.
My heart is not set on Rhode Island - a move there was neither something I expected nor something I sought out. But it's where life is bringing me right now, and I'm going, so I'm endeavoring to enjoy it as best I can. No sense in going into it with a gloomy attitude, and who knows, I might love RI this time around. It isn't a zero-sum game and there's not only room for One City to Rule Them All in my heart. I can have enjoyed living in NoVA and enjoy living in RI, too, even though they are quite different places.
Well, we definitely do not share the same affections for the Metro area.
I wish you the best. It's tough moving from where you're happy, and I hope Rhode Island works out for you.
I've never lived or even worked in the District proper, and have no particular desire to debate its merits. But I love my Northern Virginia suburb and I'm going to miss it a lot. The quality of life I've had here has been wonderful overall, and I don't mind the summers. They bothered me ten years ago, but I'm long since used to them.
I'm sorry for anyone who only found "parasitic" and "regimented" folks in the area. You missed out. I've met a number of fantastic, warm, sane, and non-posturing people here (including, but not limited to, federal workers), and I'll genuinely miss them, too. There's not something in the water that creates "airs"; they're all just people, who worry about their kids and look forward to the weekend and like a glass of wine sometimes, like people anywhere.
My heart is not set on Rhode Island - a move there was neither something I expected nor something I sought out. But it's where life is bringing me right now, and I'm going, so I'm endeavoring to enjoy it as best I can. No sense in going into it with a gloomy attitude, and who knows, I might love RI this time around. It isn't a zero-sum game and there's not only room for One City to Rule Them All in my heart. I can have enjoyed living in NoVA and enjoy living in RI, too, even though they are quite different places.
Your general attitude is excellent. If you bring it with you to RI, I suspect you'll do just fine. And you're right, zero-sum gamesmanship not necessary. From what I've been told NoVA is terrific, the best part of Virginia.
That all said, for real - I won't miss the housing prices. Eff the housing prices.
You might be able to do a little better here money wise for a house than say, Falls Church. Prices there are (around) 50-100k higher than for a comparable suburban neighborhood in EG. The x factor here is always the amount of renovation needed and most do need renovations since the stock is generally old. Of course it all comes down to personal standards and expectations. If you're looking for a move in condition 4 bed 3 bath home on a large lot it won't be cheap. Prices may be holding more firmly in EG than in Barrington because of flood insurance issues but don't quote me on that.
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