Virginia Beach vs Prince William County (Dale City, Manassas: 2011, crime, homes)

[goblue1231]

Hello to all,

My family and I are lookingat moving to either Virginia Beach or Prince William County in Aug. I do not know alot about these areas only what I can read online. I was wondering which place is the better place to live.. I am looking at saftey, schools, price of living and things to do. I have 5 children which three are in school. The will be coming from a very good school district and a city that has next to no crime.
I feel that the statistics on city data can not tell the whole story and unfortunatley we will not be able to check out both areas with much time so I am turning to you guys who have a much better idea then the computer.
Thanks for the advice

[vmj]

Hi. I live in Prince William County and therefore can address that. It is very expensive to live in Northern Virginia. 'Everything' is expensive and the traffic is terrible. I have lived here for 30 years and it has change immensely in that time. Schools here are good. We do have our share of crime and most summers are very humid. Air quality is not good. Winters, most of the time, are not too bad and are not too long. With Washington D.C. about 40 miles away there is plenty to do and see. The mountains are beautiful and about 50 miles away.

If it were me, I would choose Virginia Beach. I have never lived there but it does have the ocean and that's a plus. Hope this help.

[goblue1231]

Thank you for your info. I have a phone interview Friday for a teaching position in the county. If I get an offer we will have to move out there site un seen, do you have any opinions on what areas are the best to live in (safety, schools) I dont mind a commute I just want my children to go to a good school in a safe community. I also would'nt mind living in a county that is close to Prince Williams if that means better schools and a safer community, any thoughts on that.

Thanks again

[rtandc]

I was going to tell you all about Va Bch but I guess I will wait until after Friday

[ReadytoRetire]

Originally Posted by goblue1231

Thank you for your info. I have a phone interview Friday for a teaching position in the county. If I get an offer we will have to move out there site un seen, do you have any opinions on what areas are the best to live in (safety, schools) I dont mind a commute I just want my children to go to a good school in a safe community. I also would'nt mind living in a county that is close to Prince Williams if that means better schools and a safer community, any thoughts on that.

Thanks again

Hi,
I lived in PWC for about 20 years and has said before it has changed a lot..
I moved out in 2001 and am glad I did.
There is more of a gang influence than people want to admit..If it were me
I would stay away from Woodbridge,Dale City, Dumfries and parts of Manassas.
The Lake Ridge area is not too bad.
IMO the better schools are in Fairfax County but the commute might be a problem. Depending on where in PW your teaching position is..
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
RTR

[rtandc]

Not going to write a long reply for once LOL...and I dont know where you live now and what cost of living you are used to but you are looking at the two places in VA (PWC and Va Bch) that have some of the highest housing cost and cost of living in the state, so as long as you are aware of those two issues all of the other problems the areas might have are secondary.........

Just make sure you do your homework because many people come from out of state because they find a job that pays more money than what they were making originally so they think they will do better in VA but once they get here they find out how high the cost of living is and that extra money they thought they would have is soon gone and many end up living below the living standards they were used to before they moved..

[johnsterr1144]

well are you looking to find a place to relax or
a place to have a job and such

well if its a place to have a job and such choose PWC
just like the other guy said dont choose manassas and
woodbridge area.
and from the other person down there
saying it has change, well now its 2009
and there are better places to live here in PWC especially
Bristow, Gainesville and Haymarket(most of the homes here are mostly new).
traffic is getting a lot better here, and schools are getting much better.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by johnsterr1144

just like the other guy said dont choose manassas and
woodbridge area.
.

I always think that this is a statement that is just way to broad to make. We lived in Woodbridge zip 22192 (just off of Old Bridge Rd) from 1994-2001, and then in the Manassas zip 20112 (the develpment of Ashland) from 2001 until this past April. We liked both areas, especially our home in Manassas.