Harrisonburg, VA instead of Arlington - advantages, disadvantages etc (Richmond: apartment, how much)

[lancelsu]

I'm currently living in the deep south and the wife and I are considering a move to this part of the country. I've been looking several months in the metro DC and haven't been able to find a job thus far.

We would prefer to be in the metro dc/arlington area as this is where our friends are. It's would make it a much easier move/transition etc etc. However, I've been presented with a possible opportunity in the Harrisonburg area. Obviously this isn't our first choice, but it might be a great opportunity that's too good to pass up should it work itself out.

I'm assuming that there are several tradeoff's of course both good and bad of choosing somewhere like Harrisonburg over Arlington. I'm assuming that housing is much cheaper in Harrisonburg as compared to Arlington which is good, but there isn't going to be a whole foods and other glamour shops on every corner. I'm assuming that the schools are just as good etc etc. There might not be as much to do in Harrisonburg, but it seems like the quality of life could be just a little bit better?? But would it be boring?

How difficult (and how long) is it to get to the Vienna area? We have friends in this area and although living in this area wouldn't be a possibility with working in Harrisonburg, I would likely spend a lot of weekends there as that is where our friends are. Is this a pretty easy drive? I'm assuming that there isn't any type of rail service etc to get there?

Thanks for any thoughts, suggestions etc etc.

[Nebat]

Hi there! I live in Staunton, about 20 mins south of Harrisonburg. Housing in Harrisonburg will definitely be cheaper than Arlington, and you would most likely have more yard. I don't know what kind of shopping you're used to, but compared with Northern VA, Harrisonburg is a joke. Mainly big box stuff like,-Home Depot, Lowes, Kohls, Wal-Mart, Ross, Old Navy, Target, Costco, etc. No Best Buy though there use to be a nice Circuit City before they all shut down. Charlottesville, an hour away has a Whole Foods and more upscale and less chain oriented shopping, in addition to all the big boxes. Harrisonburg is a nice area, but of course it's not going to be as exciting as DC. It's not even fair to compare the two. DC by itself, not including Baltimore, has a metro of a little over 5 million. Harrisonburg serves an area of about 120,000. To get to Vienna you would simply get on I-81N for about 55 miles then take I-66E for about 60 miles. All in all around a 2 hour trip one way. No mass transit in this part of the state. Harrisonburg does have a local bus system though. I routinely drive up to DC from Staunton and it's a pretty easy drive. 81 has a lot of big rig traffic which can get old after a while. But unless there is a wreck no problem.

[lancelsu]

What kind of commute would it be from Charlottesville (outskirts maybe) to Harrisonburg? I see it's about 60 miles, but what kind of commute would that equate into?

[Nebat]

Originally Posted by lancelsu

What kind of commute would it be from Charlottesville (outskirts maybe) to Harrisonburg? I see it's about 60 miles, but what kind of commute would that equate into?

You have two options, the first and quickest is to get on I-81S to Staunton and merge onto I-64E.

The second option is to take US-33E over the mountains to Ruckersville in Greene county, then take a right on US-29S to Charlottesville. This is a extremely curvy stretch crossing the mountain, some curves you can barely go 25 mph and it's like that for about 15 miles or so. On the flip side, as curvy as it is, it's also quite scenic. The first option over 64 is also very scenic. Both cross either the Skyline Drive(US-33) or the Blue Ridge Parkway(I-64/US-250) The Skyline Drive also begins here going north.

Both will take about an hour.

[whynot?]

I agree with the other posts here, but I've lived in both Charlottesville and Arlington (Clarendon). I think the commute from Charlottesville to Harrisonburg would be brutal because of the terrain. It's not like commuting from DC to Fredericksburg, 60 miles down I-95. You have to drive around Afton Mountain one way or another, and it would be tedious in good weather and scary in bad weather.

It sounds like even though you'd consider Harrisonburg, your heart is really in a more urban/urbane kind of place. Harrisonburg is a pretty typical small city/college town in a rural area. Charlottesville is a very different kind of college town because the school is so much older and the teaching hospital and business and law schools are fairly prominent. Arlington, of course, is not a city at all, but an urban county made up of lots of neighborhoods with distinct personalities. These are like apples and oranges to me.

Best of luck.

[Nebat]

Originally Posted by whynot?

I agree with the other posts here, but I've lived in both Charlottesville and Arlington (Clarendon). I think the commute from Charlottesville to Harrisonburg would be brutal because of the terrain. It's not like commuting from DC to Fredericksburg, 60 miles down I-95. You have to drive around Afton Mountain one way or another, and it would be tedious in good weather and scary in bad weather.

It sounds like even though you'd consider Harrisonburg, your heart is really in a more urban/urbane kind of place. Harrisonburg is a pretty typical small city/college town in a rural area. Charlottesville is a very different kind of college town because the school is so much older and the teaching hospital and business and law schools are fairly prominent. Arlington, of course, is not a city at all, but an urban county made up of lots of neighborhoods with distinct personalities. These are like apples and oranges to me.

Why not commute from the far-west NoVa suburbs along I-66 to Harrisonburg? Gainesville? Bristow? Haymarket?

Best of luck.

Agreed here except for the Afton mountain crossing. I work in Charlottesville and drive over I-64 everyday and it's not bad at all. A little windy yes but you can still do interstate speeds if not more in those curves. Fog can be an issue sometimes. The commute from F-burg to DC can be brutal because of traffic too. What should take less than an hour can easily take 2 or more if you're lucky. But honestly you should go where you really want to go, because otherwise you will feel unhappy always pondering what if?

[lancelsu]

Originally Posted by whynot?

It sounds like even though you'd consider Harrisonburg, your heart is really in a more urban/urbane kind of place. Harrisonburg is a pretty typical small city/college town in a rural area. Charlottesville is a very different kind of college town because the school is so much older and the teaching hospital and business and law schools are fairly prominent. Arlington, of course, is not a city at all, but an urban county made up of lots of neighborhoods with distinct personalities. These are like apples and oranges to me.

Best of luck.

I appreciate the comments and that is something we would have to have a heart to heart on should things progress in Harrisonburg. We have briefly discussed it, but I honestly think Arlington would be more exciting in the short run, but after about a year or so the traffic, 600 sq ft apartment and everything else that it's going to get really old, at least IMO, maybe not the wifes! The problem is that one of my wife's good friends is in the Arlington area already so it would be an easy move as far as transition. However, you still have to ask yourself after a long days work, how much are you going to be doing with friends during the week anyway. With Arlington being a quick hour/hour half ride in, we could easily head up on the weekend and hang out. That way we would be able to enjoy the sites and sounds of the big city during the weekend, but live more comfortably in a place like Harrisonburg.

We are pretty laid back people that do not enjoy the bar/club scene at all, don't have kids yet, and are really into just working out during the week and taking it easy. Just some potential tough decisions to make.

[whynot?]

Originally Posted by Nebat

Agreed here except for the Afton mountain crossing. I work in Charlottesville and drive over I-64 everyday and it's not bad at all. A little windy yes but you can still do interstate speeds if not more in those curves. Fog can be an issue sometimes. The commute from F-burg to DC can be brutal because of traffic too. What should take less than an hour can easily take 2 or more if you're lucky. But honestly you should go where you really want to go, because otherwise you will feel unhappy always pondering what if?

I would never recommend a commute from Fburg to DC. I went between DC (and later Arlington) and Richmond for years, but my schedule was somewhat flexible and I didn't have to drive every day. I simply meant that there's multi-lane, mostly flat interstate between the two v. real terrain and varying weather conditions between C'ville and the Valley. Afton is a beautiful drive -- I just wouldn't want to see (or not see it in fog) every day.

You are right about the timing on I-95. It's insane.

[whynot?]

Originally Posted by lancelsu

I appreciate the comments and that is something we would have to have a heart to heart on should things progress in Harrisonburg. We have briefly discussed it, but I honestly think Arlington would be more exciting in the short run, but after about a year or so the traffic, 600 sq ft apartment and everything else that it's going to get really old, at least IMO, maybe not the wifes! The problem is that one of my wife's good friends is in the Arlington area already so it would be an easy move as far as transition. However, you still have to ask yourself after a long days work, how much are you going to be doing with friends during the week anyway. With Arlington being a quick hour/hour half ride in, we could easily head up on the weekend and hang out. That way we would be able to enjoy the sites and sounds of the big city during the weekend, but live more comfortably in a place like Harrisonburg.

We are pretty laid back people that do not enjoy the bar/club scene at all, don't have kids yet, and are really into just working out during the week and taking it easy. Just some potential tough decisions to make.

Yeah. How you spend your time, how much room you need to be comfortable, and the kinds of things you like to be surrounded by are lifestyle preferences that only you two know. The DC area is very hard-working in general, but I loved having so many options and having everything so close that I didn't have to drive. It made getting together -- and getting away from work -- easy.

I live in a very different kind of place now and like that, too. It's all part of the fun. Enjoy!

[sissy910]

How would the commute from Harrisonburg to Arlington be on a daily basis???