Live outside Northern VA, what do you think of it? (Richmond: school, to live)

[Deluusions]

This washington post article doesn't include all the counties in these metro areas, but NoVa sends the most kids to UVA and William & Mary. Even with the difficult application progress because it's harder for NoVa kids to get into UVA and William & Mary.

[spencer114]

UVA just started broadcasting their radio station in Richmond Feb 1st. The reason was the high number of graduates here, second only to....the DC metro

Your stats seem to show that. It is amazing that Nova sends so many kids there. I assumed that it would send more based on the size of the metro but the numbers exceed the population difference. My mother and two of three sisters went to W&M. I'm surprised that Tidewater doesn't send more. I guess they are all Hookies?

NoVa is a juggernaut no doubt. I'm happy to have it in our commonwealth.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by spencer114

UVA just started broadcasting their radio station in Richmond Feb 1st. The reason was the high number of graduates here, second only to....the DC metro

Your stats seem to show that. It is amazing that Nova sends so many kids there. I assumed that it would send more based on the size of the metro but the numbers exceed the population difference. My mother and two of three sisters went to W&M. I'm surprised that Tidewater doesn't send more. I guess they are all Hookies?

NoVa is a juggernaut no doubt. I'm happy to have it in our commonwealth.

Congrats! The Richmond area also has terrific schools such as Deep Run, etc. I don't know if UVA broadcast there radio station up here in Northern VA. Also, most Virginia beach students seem to attend CNU, JMU, and Tech. Actually the admission process for UVA and William & Mary is harder for NoVa students. Apparently there is some type of quota. The Washington Post article posted talks all about it

[Poquoson7]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

I see what you're trying to say but uh... Richmond, Hampton Roads and NoVA are honestly completely different worlds and a few new grocery stores don't really change that.

This is so TIRING....The 3 largest metro areas in Virginia ARE NOT completely different worlds and Nova IS NOT the emerald city leading the rest of the state out of bucolic stupor, get over it and take a couple road trips
across the urban crescent, oh, and get off the freeway instead of just cruising past the exits.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by Poquoson7

This is so TIRING....The 3 largest metro areas in Virginia ARE NOT completely different worlds and Nova IS NOT the emerald city leading the rest of the state out of bucolic stupor, get over it and take a couple road trips
across the urban crescent, oh, and get off the freeway instead of just cruising past the exits.

Um... I never said NoVA is the "emerald city" leading the rest of the state... you said it, not me. Also, my family is originally from the Hampton Roads area so I've definitely done more than "cruised past the exits"

I don't know why you're so upset? It's just MY opinion they're completely different worlds, to me they are. Maybe to you they are more similar than different, who cares at the end of the day you're entitled to your opinion, it's no reason to get bent out of shape over.

[Poquoson7]

Apologies for being overzealous. I have lived in this state for 8 years and love it. The diversity, charm and economic promise are inspiring, I have explored the whole state and particularly the big three metros. They are not different worlds, where does that come from, I have heard it prior on these posts and elsewhere and after awhile it becomes so tiring and ridiculous. The parts equal the sum and to suggest the three metros are "different worlds" sounds kind of sophomoric quite frankly. Why not celebrate this beautiful state by coming together instead of dividing it into different worlds?
What are these "different worlds" please? What are the qualities of the three metros that make them so starkly different from one another?
I just don't see it.

[NOVA_guy]

I think because Northern Virginia is so close to DC the culture is more DC-oriented than it is Virginia. Whereas the Richmond metro and Hampton Roads definitely feels more Virginia-oriented... if that makes sense? it's honestly not a good or bad thing, to me they're just very different from a culture, economic, political even job perspective. There are lots of jobs here that you can only get here or in DC so that also creates an interesting and different dynamic.

But I don't think NoVA is the emerald city of Virginia. I think both Richmond and Hampton Roads are great metro areas with lots to offer depending on what someone is looking for.

[RVAbornandbred]

I agree NOVA_guy. I think all 3 are great areas and have different highs and lows. I was just trying to make the point that life isn't anywhere near as different in Henrico or VaBeach or Albemarle as NoVa like it was 15 or 20 years ago. Is it still different? Sure. But 15 or 20 years ago, it was not uncommon to hear jokes about "driving 2 and a half hours south to Richmond and set your watch back 50 years"....that was a fairly common joke in NoVa at the time. I also recall that when my daughter went to William and Mary and my son went to U.Va. there was a joke that U.Va. was a "finishing school" for T.J. kids. I think if you went to U.Va. or W&M today, you'd find that a lot of non-NoVa kids are just as prepared as the kids coming out of Farifax or Loudoun (I don't think that was true 15 or 20 years ago).

Is anyone arguing that NoVa doesn't have a great workforce and some amazing amenities? No. But I think some on this board (including myself) feel like Richmond and Hampton Roads (and Charlottesville, even though it's not in the Urban Crescent) offer much more as areas than 15 or 20 years ago and that the gap isn't anywhere near as large as it was back then.

[TRICITIESTITAN]

I grew up in the Tri-Cities area (Bristol, VA and a few years in Kingsport, TN). I'm not really a fan of Northern Virginia. It has a ton of great ammenities but it's just not for me. I'm a bit jaded in what I call "Northern" Virginia though. For me, Northern Virginia culture extends well beyond the bounds of what would normally be considered NOVA. I basically break Virginia down into two areas...Rural VA and Urban VA. Rural VA to include essentially all of Southern VA, Southwestern VA, Eastern VA aside from the HR area, and central with exception to RVA and Charlottesville. The Urban/Rural divide is very strong in Virginia in my opinion and it is unique to other states in that it isn't isolated to one metro. States like Illinois and Indiana have strong urban/rural divides but they are pretty much isolated to one major city per state. Virginia's urban/rural divide is very pronounced in several cities throughout the state. As a kid, I used to classify urban Virginia as everywhere that people didn't sound like me. Growing up in the thickets of South-Central Appalachia...I had/have a thick accent.

I can remember as a kid at Virginia High (Bristol) when we'd do really well in baseball...we'd travel throughout the state. I can remember a few times going to some of the Roanoke city schools and being made fun of for sounding like a hick. However, I can also remember going to Lexington, VA to play and a lot of the kids had thicker accents despite it being more geographically north than Roanoke. Same goes for playing near Charlottesville...urban sounding accents to me, but Louisa county had more southern sounding people with more docile personalities.

I've not lived in VA since my last year of college in Hooville in 2009, but that is my recollection growing up. NOVA and basically all urban areas felt extrordinarily different to the rural areas that I am accustomed to. I wouldn't say that I dislike the urban areas by any stretch...they just weren't for me. The people in the urban areas that I know and have met throughout the years were all friendly on an individual level, but when grouped together they all had this herd mentality focused on getting to the next destination as quickly as possible just to turn around and race to the next destination without pause. I don't know...to me that just seems like a miserable existence. Life's too fast anyway to spend it with your hair on fire.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by RVAbornandbred

I agree NOVA_guy. I think all 3 are great areas and have different highs and lows. I was just trying to make the point that life isn't anywhere near as different in Henrico or VaBeach or Albemarle as NoVa like it was 15 or 20 years ago. Is it still different? Sure. But 15 or 20 years ago, it was not uncommon to hear jokes about "driving 2 and a half hours south to Richmond and set your watch back 50 years"....that was a fairly common joke in NoVa at the time. I also recall that when my daughter went to William and Mary and my son went to U.Va. there was a joke that U.Va. was a "finishing school" for T.J. kids. I think if you went to U.Va. or W&M today, you'd find that a lot of non-NoVa kids are just as prepared as the kids coming out of Farifax or Loudoun (I don't think that was true 15 or 20 years ago).

Is anyone arguing that NoVa doesn't have a great workforce and some amazing amenities? No. But I think some on this board (including myself) feel like Richmond and Hampton Roads (and Charlottesville, even though it's not in the Urban Crescent) offer much more as areas than 15 or 20 years ago and that the gap isn't anywhere near as large as it was back then.

Ok. This is not what you said in your original post though, which was very wrong. Although this post is worded a lot better, I can see what you're saying.