Thinking of moving to Alexandria from LA area, NEED ADVICE PLEASE (Richmond: apartment, crime)

[AAA86]

I am a 23 year old single woman who is considering moving to Alexandria. I have narrowed it down to Alexandria and two other cities. I am curious about the lifestyle in Alexandria but statistics can only tell you so much. I won't be moving for about a year because I am in grad school to become a school counselor. I want to know more about the following things

-the different areas in Alexandria. I need to know especially about the schools, I want to be a counselor at a school (haven't decided if I want to be in elementary, middle school or HS yet) so I would like to know more about the schools.
-where is a good place to live, Im single and in my 20s I want to be around other young people who don't party 24/7 but still like to have fun and go out
-I also want to make sure its safe where Im looking to live
-advice on how to adapt to the weather. I do realize its going to be a huge change for me, but I REALLY want to live somwhere with more than the one and a half seasons I have now, I mean yes its winter in Southern CA, but I have worn a tank top and shorts outside in the past month, I want to know what to expect and any tips on how to prepare

Any other tips on living in Alexandria in general would be AMAZING!

Thanks in advance!

[bluevelo]

Don't move. But that's me! If you're tired of LA, or if you have a for-sure job awaiting you in Alexandria, here's my two bits...

I lived in Fairfax County, Fredericksburg, and the Richmond VA areas (about 50 miles to the south of DC) from 1991-99.

SoCal has a lot of issues, a massive underclass, terrible traffic, and a high cost of living, including taxes. However, SoCal has the beach, real mountains (the Blue Ridges are pretty but its definitely not the same), and California has a statewide smoking ban everywhere.

NoVA has a lot of issues, a massive underclass in Prince William County (but Alexandria is nowhere near that) terrible traffic, and a high cost of living, including taxes. A few inches of snow will completely paralyze the DC area. The Blue Ridges are about 1 1/2 hours west IF traffic isn't bad from the DC core. You are nowhere near the ocean and the mid-Atlantic beaches north of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, well, suck. You can get to the MD shore in 3 1/2 hours on a *good* day.

I am a vehement anti-smoker and Virginia still has no restrictions on smoking - anywhere. Philip Morris in Richmond has a huge amount of influence in the state legislature and Virginia will be one of the last places to ban smoking (more likely it will come down from the federal level when health care is eventually reformed). If you enjoy reeking when you get home from eating at a restaurant or going to a club, more power to you.

Alexandria, OTOH, is very walkable and DC has tons of singles. I will warn you, tho, that young single women far outnumber guys. Now, if you're lesbian, that's not an issue, there's a really big GLBT community in DC. But if you're a hetero woman in the your 20s, the competition - especially if you're not pretty - for the available guys is going to be intense.

I'm guessing since a lot of LA people are from elsewhere that the issue of making lasting friendships isn't something that would be new to you, as DC has the same issues. Everyone is from somewhere else and they tend to not stick around.

Career opportunities, even in this mini-depression, are going to be far more abundant in DC than LA.

You also won't necessarily need a car day-to-day in Alexandria. Transit in the DC area is pretty decent, but again, focused on the core.

The DC area has tons of stuff to do, its close together, and access is fairly easy.

The summers are a b*tch compared to SoCal. Its hot and incredibly humid. If you're out and about, plan on changing your clothes - if you want to stay minty fresh for the clubs at night - at least 2x a day.

Good luck on your decision. I'm a fed out here in Cali and I could make about 10K more a year if I applied for a recent promotion to GS-13 in the outer suburbs, but taxes and the much higher COL than Sacramento would eat that up.

[g3org3]

Originally Posted by bluevelo

I am a vehement anti-smoker and Virginia still has no restrictions on smoking - anywhere.

Actually Va. has gotten its nanny-state mojo going and put some restrictions in place:
Ten things to know about Virginia's smoking ban in restaurants

The rest of the previous poster's observations about Northern Va. are pretty much spot-on, however. People abandon their cars at the sight of the first flurry. Summers are humid. Lots of traffic (although, coming from LA, it shouldn't seem terrible). High cost of living.

Alexandria's schools don't have the best reputation, but I suppose that means plenty of job opportunities for you! Old Town (22314) and Del Ray (22301) are two Alexandria neighborhoods that are "safe" and have some nightlife.

In addition to being close to DC, Alexandria is also near National Airport and the Beltway, which makes it easy to get out of town when you're ready to head for the mountains or the beach.

[bluevelo]

Originally Posted by g3org3

Actually Va. has gotten its nanny-state mojo going and put some restrictions in place:
Ten things to know about Virginia's smoking ban in restaurants

The rest of the previous poster's observations about Northern Va. are pretty much spot-on, however. People abandon their cars at the sight of the first flurry. Summers are humid. Lots of traffic (although, coming from LA, it shouldn't seem terrible). High cost of living.

Alexandria's schools don't have the best reputation, but I suppose that means plenty of job opportunities for you! Old Town (22314) and Del Ray (22301) are two Alexandria neighborhoods that are "safe" and have some nightlife.

In addition to being close to DC, Alexandria is also near National Airport and the Beltway, which makes it easy to get out of town when you're ready to head for the mountains or the beach.

Wikipedia hadn't updated its smoking ban page yet. Thanks for the link.

I'm in the transportation planning business and DC has the lowest ratio of per capita freeway miles in the US. Which means that traffic is bad, and going to get worse. Right now, ATL is actually the most congested place in the country, but I doubt if she's going to see much difference between LA and DC if she drives a lot.

You forgot to mention that Alexandria is right under the takeoff and landing patterns for National Airport. It can be kind of NOISY.

Metrorail goes from Alexandria to National. VERY convenient!

[robbobobbo]

I live in the city of Alexandria. When you are researching, note that the city is a distinct entity from some parts of Fairfax County that have an Alexandria mailing address, but are in not part of the city.

Northern Virginia schools are reputed to be among the best in the country, and although the schools of ACPS (Alexandria City Public Schools) have not been up there with the best of Fairfax County's or North Arlington's, they are good schools. However, living in Alexandria (if you chose to do so) doesn't mean you'd be limited to educational jobs in ACPS - you probably would have more job opportunities in school systems outside of Alexandria. For instance, there is only one high school in ACPS.

Popular parts of Alexandria include Del Ray and Old Town. When people think of Alexandria they most likely think of Old Town, the colonial-era original city.

Housing is expensive! Maybe less than LA, I don't know.

Not all parts of Alexandria are affected by aircraft noise, not even all parts of Old Town. On the other hand, if you lived near the rail tracks you'd have noise from the Metrorail and freight trains.

Old Town has pretty good night life, but many 20-somethings consider it un-hip and prefer either DC or Arlington, VA. King Street is the "main drag" of shops and restaurants. Del Ray is more popular with couples and families.

Alexandria is pretty safe. One's perception of safety can be relative, I don't know what yours is. The city's web site has crime stats.

We definitely get four seasons. Sometimes it feels like we rush through Spring straight into Summer, though (maybe that's just my feeling). Winters: snow a few times each season. Summer: incredibly humid, often a stretch of several days above 90. The "just walked out my door and I'm already soaking wet" kind of humidity.

If you lived in Alexandria and worked for ACPS, traffic wouldn't be a daily concern for you. I myself work 4 miles from home, and traffic is the least of my annoyances. The people most affected by Northern Virginia's horrible traffic are the ones who are driving from (or to) Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties. Then again, if you want to go to the beach or mountains on a beautiful day, be prepared for miles and miles of traffic jams.

If you have specific questions, let me know.

Some links:

Del Ray Citizens Association, Inc. A residential community in Alexandria, Virginia
ACPS: Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria, Virginia
City of Alexandria, Virginia

(This might get more responses by moving it to Northern Virginia forum)

[CaliTerp07]

Aww, I can relate to this! I grew up in Santa Barbara, and have lived the past couple years in Arlington and Alexandria.

-the different areas in Alexandria. I need to know especially about the schools
The first thing to realize is that the cities and counties all run together here. You can live in Alexandria City, and work in Fairfax, Arlington, and even DC or Loudoun. Don't feel like you have to be in one place for living and working.

The schools in the area are good across the board. Some are amazing (notably fairfax county), but honestly, they're all above average that I've seen.

-where is a good place to live, Im single and in my 20s I want to be around other young people who don't party 24/7 but still like to have fun and go out

I'm a big fan of Arlington, along the orange line corridor for 20's. It's super convenient for commuting (reverse commute to just about anywhere), metro access is great, and it's full of young 20-somethings. I like Alexandria better, because I like open spaces more, and I find that there's more of that out here since it's a little further from the city, but most of Alexandria isn't on a metro line.

-I also want to make sure its safe where Im looking to live
Most of Arlington/Alexandria is pretty safe. Just remember that in general, you get what you pay for. If you find a 1 br apartment for $1000, you're probably looking at bugs or a shady area.

-advice on how to adapt to the weather
You won't. Seriously. Sorry! I've been in the DC metro area for over 5 years now, and I still cry every winter. I moved out here and I didn't even own a winter coat. Now I own at least 10. When I walk my dog in the morning, I wear long underwear, under armor, long sleeved shirt, hoodie, winter coat, flannel lined jeans, mittens, scarf, and hat--and some days I'm still cold! Not all mornings are that bad, but when the wind comes, it's BRUTAL. Prepare to spend some money on some really good winter clothing if you come out. It's worth it.

I enjoy being here--it's a great city for 20-somethings--but be careful. The cost of living is as much here as it was in Santa Barbara, my commute is 1000x worse, and the weather is horrible in comparison. I enjoy it for 70% of the year, but I wish I were retired and could move to Florida in the winters!