Winters in Va - Suffer from SAD (Richmond: house, live)

[fabforever]

Wonderful, I can't stand the grey and gloomy weather over here. . So far it seems like VA will be a perfect choice for us. My husband can easily get transferred there, I have friends who live in the area and they would help me get used to a new city. We have checked housing in several areas and although the prices are quite high, my husband will also be making more, so it is all somewhat relative. Not to mention we were told housing has come down in price and it is more of a buyers market over there right now. We will be close to major cities and yet not in one, there seems to be diversity and plenty of entertainment! Just what we are craving! The weather is nice and I can plant all kinds of flowers. I think my kids will have more opportunities and they will be exposed to more culture once we move. Thank you and let me know if there is anything super negative about Virginia I should know... it seems so perfect for us...
Fab

[5stones]

biggest negative (in the NOVA area) is the traffic and the high cost of living.

Great schools, great kids activites,great communties,tons of History all over the state, fantastic musuems, concerts in wolf trap and the kennedy center. etc....(we just took the kids into DC on Fri night to see a US Marine sunset parade with the silent drill and the drum and bugle corp!)

Most neighborhoods have community pools.....a godsend in the summer!!

If it weren't for the high cost of living...we would probably try to stay here. (and the fact we miss Colorado!)

[fabforever]

Originally Posted by 5stones

biggest negative (in the NOVA area) is the traffic and the high cost of living.

Great schools, great kids activites,great communties,tons of History all over the state, fantastic musuems, concerts in wolf trap and the kennedy center. etc....(we just took the kids into DC on Fri night to see a US Marine sunset parade with the silent drill and the drum and bugle corp!)

Most neighborhoods have community pools.....a godsend in the summer!!

If it weren't for the high cost of living...we would probably try to stay here. (and the fact we miss Colorado!)

Thank you for your reply. We are seriously considering relocating, I checked some comparison charts on the cost of living there and it doesn't seem that bad (except for housing) compared to where we are. However I cannot find more data. How bad is the cost of living in VA? I mean, how much are you guys paying for gas? Is food really expensive? Give me some more information, some hard facts so I can decide wheter or not we should take the job offer. Thank you, Fab

[Gypsy-Moth]

I disagree with the previously posted perceptions of VA weather. Here's what I wrote on another thread (Calling All California Transplants):

Originally Posted by Gypsy-Moth

I lived in California until my mid-40s. Have been in Northern Virginia for the last 9 years. ...I've noticed is that there are a lot of overcast days year round. I recently compared sunshine statistics of Virginia and California. From my hazy recollection, California gets about 70% sunshine per year while Virginia gets about 40%. If you or any family members suffer from SAD, you'll need to figure out a strategy.

Here's another response from that same thread from someone in Roanoke:

Originally Posted by seanpecor

Down here in Roanoke, according to the NCDC's mean statistics for the past 30 odd years, there are 102 clear days, 112 partly cloudy days and 151 cloudy days each year. Even the dreariest month (February) in Roanoke you'll enjoy partly cloudy to clear days over half of the time. That's much less sun than you'll see in California, but it's a better balance at least for me, since we enjoy 44" of precipitation and if you garden at all it's just sinful down here. Norfolk has almost the same data.

If you're going to be living near Manassas, you'll be in Northern VA, not too far from Alexandria, where I am. It doesn't rain here like the Pacific Northwest, but nevertheless, it's overcast and gray quite a lot of the time, even in summer. If you've been diagnosed with SAD, as I have, this climate may affect you, as it does me. If it does, then you could try light therapy.

Good luck to you.

[jb124]

Gas is around 2.99 - 3.05 for name-brand regular unleaded in Arlington (NoVA). I can't comment accurately on groceries since I don't really pay attention (I'm a single guy so my grocery bills tend to be cheap).

The one thing about SAD that may still affect you here are the shorter days in the winter. The others are right in that we get a decent amount of sun in Winter (check the charts here on city-data.com), but both going to work and coming home when it's dark out can get to you after a while.

I've been to Portland and think I know what you're talking about with people gardening in their front yards and from what I saw there, people don't do anything like that here. People do basic landscaping for the most part in their front yards here, with real gardening being done in the back yards. Homeowner associations will restrict the type of plantings you can have in the front yards in some neighbohoods.

[seanpecor]

I really think it depends on the town you're living in. I'm guessing, and I may be wrong, but in Northern Virginia you've got a sort of lifestyle that for the most part allows for less family and homebody time. Long commutes to and from work, and jobs that in general demand more daylight hours than in other regions of Virginia. Or perhaps it's more that they seek enjoyment in more urban/metro distractions like dining, movies, and so on? I'm not sure but I certainly witness the very same thing in NoVA beginning in Winchester to some extent and just getting more barren as you get closer to D.C.

I guarantee that if you drive through the suburban and semi-rural roads of Franklin County, and Roanoke County, you will encounter LOTS of homes with flower, herb and cottage gardens on many sides of the house. Landscaping and gardening is taken very seriously here; we've got a very substantial Master Gardener's program in the Franklin County area and the Virginia Tech horticultural department has alot of outreach programs.

Here is some shots of my Boones Mill home:

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D07_2D13_20Green_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D04_2D10_20Spring_204_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D09_2D07_20Landscape1_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D09_2D20_20Scarlet_20Firethorn_thumb. jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D09_2D28_20Monarchs_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D06_2D27_20Cahas_20Flowers_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D06_2D21_20Fence_thumb.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D06_2D21_20Trumpet_20Trellis_thumb.jp g (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D06_2D01_20Mound_20After.jpg (broken link)

http://www.pecorfamily.com/Blog_202006_2D06_2D01_20West_20Side_20After.jpg (broken link)

Okay so maybe most folks don't get quite as "into" their flora as we do But there are many fine gardens and flowers everywhere in Franklin County. Right about now virtually every roadside is a garden, with endless masses of honeysuckles and vines in full bloom, it's a little like living in Rivendell at the moment.

Sean

[5stones]

i want seans house...the land and the view...OUTSTANDING!!!

[Jmier7]

Seanpecor- great photos of the house and gardens.
I guess what I was referring to was gardens in the city. Like was suggested before, guess I'll have to start a trend. I love 'walking' neighborhoods, and part of that is enjoying what you see when you walk. I think most Portlanders spend as much time on their front yards as their backs, just to enjoy a good walk around the neighborhood.
Well, I need to find a realtor that can focus on the museum district. The office I'll be out of is large, should find someone with a connection there.
Jamier

[seanpecor]

Yes, change the culture! I think people get inspired when they see something magical like a garden in a front yard. Do the garden and have a glass case with a flyer that describes how to get started with your own garden and some starter plant recommendations. I bet it would be a hit. You'd get some airtime on the local news stations and it would be fun to see what would play out.

Sean

[richmondpics]

Were you still looking to rent first?