Winchester (Arlington, Fairfax: crime, hotel, houses)

[rupz28]

Hi,

What are anybody's thoughts on the Winchester area? I'm seriously considering a job transfer to the city.

I'm seeing all these horror stories about D.C. traffic and cost of living? Is Winchester far enough west to be exempt from much of this?

I have family down around Smith Mt. Lake, so I love the state, but am not too familiar with this Northern part of Virginia.

Thanks

[htlong]

i have only driven through the area (rt 17/50) and it seems like a nice place to live, they have a nice historic district and a nice mall where i have stopped to eat .
its the home town of patsy kline, and the city changed hands 7 time during the civil war. i wouldnt hesitate moving there from what ive seen.

[cubmom]

Hi..you are in luck. I spent a majority of my life in Winchester and have seen so many changes. I enjoy the town. Winchester is a awesome place to raise children. They have safe, clean, well maintained city parks...one offers both an indoor and outdoor pool. The schools are well staffed and modern. Many shopping centers and retail outlets. Every spring the apple blossum festival is held, which I would describe as being Mardi Gras in nature.

Winchester medical center was built I believe around 12 years ago ? around then. Modern, up to date, latest in medical advances. Centrally located.

Down side to Winchester is the home prices are very high. I don't believe you can touch a nice family sized house anymore for under $300K. The nearest airport is Dulles, which if I remember, is about a 45 min drive. In the winter , certain years, the snow is horrendous...I remember once , in 1982 or 83..the snow covered my car and I was stuck at work for 3 days !! This is not a yearly event, but I would say in the 15 years I lived there, the snow was notable 4 seperate years.

Winchester used to be home to a large transient population , mainly because of a SRO hotel on a main drag thru town. During the day you may notice all sorts of unsavory types walking around the town. I believe they closed the hotel in the mid 90's.. I do not know if the "street people" are still wandering around old town, drinking, panhandling, loitering, etc.

crime is low for the most part, certain areas you will need to keep away from.

many residents commute to DC..I think it takes getting used to , especially the mountain in the winter time..but you soon get the hang of it.

hope I was able to give you some insight..

[Mike from back east]

CubMom gave excellent info. I lived in the region for 56 years and for 31 years lived 50 miles east of Winchester in Fairfax County. We were in & around Winchester often on my way to see in-laws living 20 miles north of there.

Housing prices may be starting to reflect the effect of DC and the horrendous housing prices of the close-in counties (Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax). The same $300k house in Winchester is probably $500k in Loudoun, $650K in Fairfax and $750k in Arlington County. I cannot recommend the close-in counties due to housing prices and traffic, but up in the Winchester region you should do fine.

There are lovely rural areas, especially south & west of town if you want to get back in the sticks. I'd look west of Winchester for houses.

My strong suggestion is to get 2+ miles away from the I-81 corridor to avoid the highway noise and growth that always jams packs around I-system exits. Traffic to/from the DC region will travel on I-66, thus home prices where I-66 meets I-81 may be higher. I-81 is only 2 lanes each way, very heavily traveled, a huge truck route, and the flow is constant. The further north of Winchester you go, the worse it gets, especially up around Martinsburg, WV and further north where I-81 junctions with I-70 at Hagerstown.

It's a lovely area, has all 4 seasons, is a good ten degrees cooler than DC at any time of year and does not get any extreme weather. If you have a job waiting for you, don't hesitate a bit about going there.

s/Mike