For all you transplants from VA/DC

[Seguinite]

Originally Posted by austindoxie1972

.... I've kept my mouth shut, even when the nice little video exclaimed the average temperature is 68 degrees. This stat is actually correct -- if you average the temps beginning in 1890. Start in the 1990s, and 68 degrees is nowhere near the average temp.

If you factor in the daily low temps (and you know they do), 68 is probably very close. The average high daily temp is something around 80 according to weather.com.

[the_dimwit]

Just thought I'd weigh in on this since I moved from Ashburn VA (DC suburb/exurb) almost two years ago.

I'm still trying to get used to the way things work around here, particularly traffic. There are days when all is well in the universe, and then others when it's "slow-poke" or "forgot-my-signal-is-on" days. Other than that, most people are willing to share the road as much as they can.

As one CA transplant remarked, this is a city "that repeats itself every few miles." Meaning, you can find a Walmart, Target, or HEB just about every few miles or so--normally located on a busy street. As I've stated in previous posts, this is a pet peeve of mine. Locating smaller versions of the mega-centers in neighborhoods could help drastically reduce traffic on major roads. But I digress...

I used to commute daily from Ashburn (near Dulles International Airport) to Pentagon City. For two years, I parked at a park-and-ride, took a bus to a Metro station (West Falls Church), changed trains at Rosslyn, and got to the Pentagon City Metro Station. The trip took almost an hour. I started driving for the last ten months of my time there and shaved almost 30 minutes in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. Of course, I had to feed the meter to the tune of about four bucks each day, but it was worth it (to me) not to depend on the often-delayed Blue and Orange lines on Metro.

Here, my biggest concern is rain--people treat it much like snow in the DC area. We are so dry for so long that a downpour reduces otherwise good drivers to near total breakdown in logic. Other than that, drive times from Alamo Ranch (past Sea World on 1604/Culebra) to Downtown (Institute of Texan Cultures) is anywhere from 25-30 minutes at 0630. Earlier departures cut that time down by at least 10 minutes.

The people around here are (for the most part) friendly and willing to help. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked if I needed help carrying something to my car (I'm a guy) when checking out at Lowe's or Home Depot. I always decline (I'm a guy), but the sentiment is appreciated.

Whether new construction or existing homes, you'll find that the prices are far cheaper than even the (now) depressed prices in NOVA or MD. Of course, I had a really low mortgage in Ashburn (bought my townhouse just before the housing boom hit), so for my family our monthly payment actually went up as opposed to down. Your mileage may vary.

The biggest change, I must say, is the road system. You should have no problem getting from one side of town to the other--there are big roads everywhere, most with 65+ speed limits. Of course, during heavy travel times, speeds will be lower. (Add in the aforementioned rain and you'll find a drastic drop in speed in some areas.)

One last note: This appears to be the "Land of the Truck." If you don't have one, you'll notice right away that there are some BIG trucks (not commercial) almost everywhere. Some are stock (no changes from date of purchase), but a lot of them have huge tail pipes and some even have the big-rig-style "up pipes." They're loud, but normally harmless. Unless they are one of the folks participating in "slow poke day." In which case, no amount of cajoling or tailgating will get you anywhere.

Hope all of this (and other excellent points in this thread) help anyone considering a move here. We like it (overall) and can see this city as a great place to settle down with a family!

--Dim

[adivera]

I am a registered Nurse that moved here from Hawaii. I worked at Army medical center and Worked at the Va Hospital before. I am currently finishing my BSN online, I am having a very hard time getting into the Va as a Nurse. Any suggestions? I love taking care of the Veterans and would love to work at the Va here in San Antonio. Thank you..

[FMLYof4]

Hi all
I was curious as to how people found their rentals? I've searched craigslist but it seems that a lot of realtors use it as an avenue. As opposed to the DC metro where you will find a ton of listings directly from the owners.

Also, how expensive was it to relocate to SA? We are a family of 4 and we have 2 cars. We are thinking of selling our SUV and keeping our sedan. The SUV is horrible on gas and I can't imagine driving it all the way to SA. I'm sure we would eventually need 2 cars again at some point so I'm not really sure what to do. I heard car insurance is more expensive in SA?