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In response to JEB77, Montgomery County is more concerned about quality of life issues for the tax-paying residents while Fairfax County is more focused on business attraction and job growth. MontCo has solid communities where people LIVE as opposed to NoVA where local officials give preferences to corporate investors over the needs of local residents. I read about many horror stories related to overcrowded schools, gridlocked roads and infrastructure failing to keep up the population growth in NoVA.
This is why you have people commuting from MD to NoVA on the Beltway every day. If someone works in the Dulles-Reston area and he lives in Silver Spring, why doesn't he move his family to NoVA? Real estate cost is one factor since most housing properties are on average more affordable in many suburban MD neighborhoods. But the BIGGEST factor is the quality of residential life in terms of public schools, parks, public transportation, bike lanes, community activities, libraries etc. I would say that Montgomery County is even with Fairfax County when it comes to public schools but it's NO contest when it comes to other amenities. Staying in Montgomery County is worth the crappy Beltway commute.
The added bonus of living in Montgomery County is that you don't have a bunch of right-wing Tea Party lunatics running things from the state capital. In some ways, Virginia is still stuck in the 19th century when it comes to social issues and politics.
I think we can all agree that Reston and Silver Spring are not really comparable suburbs. Reston's MoCo equivalent would probably be Germantown or Gaithersburg, given their relative distance from DC, age of the housing stock, etc.
Why anyone thinks that Montgomery and Fairfax Counties are radically different is beyond me, though. Sure, there are differences, but more of them come from state government policies than anything else. MoCo has Seneca Creek, Ffx has Huntley Meadows and Mason Neck. Both counties have top schools, bad commutes, high costs of living (Ffx has higher property taxes and home values, but MoCo has higher sales and local income taxes), etc. Traffic is terrible heading both ways on the American Legion Bridge, so clearly there are many people who think that the quality of life on their side of the Potomac justifies a commute from hell.
As a liberal, I will say that I wish I had your current governor and state legislature. Funny, though, that from 2002 to 2006 we had a Democrat in charge and you had a Republican (who actually has a decent chance at winning in November).
In response to JEB77, Montgomery County is more concerned about quality of life issues for the tax-paying residents while Fairfax County is more focused on business attraction and job growth. MontCo has solid communities where people LIVE as opposed to NoVA where local officials give preferences to corporate investors over the needs of local residents. I read about many horror stories related to overcrowded schools, gridlocked roads and infrastructure failing to keep up the population growth in NoVA.
This is why you have people commuting from MD to NoVA on the Beltway every day. If someone works in the Dulles-Reston area and he lives in Silver Spring, why doesn't he move his family to NoVA? Real estate cost is one factor since most housing properties are on average more affordable in many suburban MD neighborhoods. But the BIGGEST factor is the quality of residential life in terms of public schools, parks, public transportation, bike lanes, community activities, libraries etc. I would say that Montgomery County is even with Fairfax County when it comes to public schools but it's NO contest when it comes to other amenities. Staying in Montgomery County is worth the crappy Beltway commute.
The added bonus of living in Montgomery County is that you don't have a bunch of right-wing Tea Party lunatics running things from the state capital. In some ways, Virginia is still stuck in the 19th century when it comes to social issues and politics.
I'm a native Marylander who now resides in Virginia, and I don't intend to respond to each of your points. It sounds like you are happy in Silver Spring, and that's great.
It is, however, a bit naive to think that a populous county with almost a million residents can treat economic growth and job creation as a secondary or tertiary priority, and then expect that its residents will continue to enjoy the same quality-of-life. It just doesn't work that way, because you'll end up with lots of residents who don't bother to work, or who do work but have crappy commutes. And those who have long commutes have less time, not more, to devote to their families and community activities.
As a result, while undoubtedly congested, NoVa is more dynamic today than Montgomery County, which is sharply divided between its up-scale areas like Bethesda and Potomac and its older sections like Wheaton. NoVa has areas similar to Wheaton, but there are also more places in NoVa (including Reston) where middle and upper-middle class residents who don't make a gazillion dollars feel comfortable putting down roots. High schools in Germantown and Gaithersburg would love to have test scores comparable to those at South Lakes HS in Reston (which, ironically, is often bad-mouthed by some NoVa residents because the scores aren't as high there as at schools in McLean, Vienna or Fairfax). Silver Spring has many charms, but it has unfortunately been fighting a perception that it is an area in decline for decades. This has not been lost on your county's leadership, which is presumably why it recently decided to spend time and money on a study comparing Montgomery and Fairfax. I've read the study and the underlying tone is decidedly not "how do we maintain our advantage" over Fairfax.
As for your comments about our politicians, Ken Cucinnelli is surely fair game (go ahead, pile on), but some of us are old enough to remember Spiro Agnew, Marvin Mandel and other Maryland pols who weren't exactly poster children for good government.
In any event, it's not just my opinion. It was Montgomery County that recently commissioned a special study to assess how it could compete with Fairfax, not the other way around. Maybe things will even out over time, and it will improve the overall quality-of-life in the region (less congestion in NoVa, and more jobs in eastern Montgomery County).
Traitor, that explains it, I'd rather leave the region than to move from Maryland to Virginia.
I'm in no way defending the "leadership" in Montgomery County they have failed the County and state "leaders" have failed the state from business/economy to illegal immigration (I will give partial exception to Prince George's which has really been pro development and has been outspoken of jobs and office space over housing and residential) .
Everything you see great about Montgomery County today is due to generations and leaders of the past(80's, 70's and back) not the current generation of so called leaders going back to the early 90's. From Neal Potter who basically told GD to go away, Duncan and his day labor centers and Leggett and his tax and fee hikes and little else to show for his term. Councilmembers like Marc Elrich who chased NPR away and George Leventhal who's clueless about crime in the county.
Despite that if you really think about it Northern Virginia is doing the chasing. There are two dominant industries in the region Biotech and Defense. Life sciences and death sciences. Despite Northern Va advantage with the Pentagon and airport, Maryland still has a heavy hand in the defense industry with companies like BAE systems and Lockheed Martin, which the latter is the most valued company in the region.
On the other hand Biotech in the DC area is pretty much all Montgomery County and is growing far more rapidly north on I-95 in Baltimore City and its region than any where in Nova despite janelia Farm which is owned by Maryland based Howard Hughes anyways. While Maryland has biotechs valued in Billions of dollars Nova doesn't have any. The only biotech that seems to get publicity in nova is cel-sci which is barely valued over $100 mill. United Therapeutics in Silver Spring was the highest value biotech in the region for about 5 years and is very profitable. Medimmune was sold for over $15 billion and luckily is expanding across from the Kentlands as we speak. Prince William County tried to launch a biopark with George Mason but that has failed miserably and what sits are half finished buildings.
Unlike Maryland, Northern Virginia is very dependent on contracted defense spending and has the bias and blessing of the Federal Government, perhaps because the pentagon is there. They'll even give majority of contracts for Andrews Air Force base to Virginia firms.
Yes, Virginia (no pun) has lower business taxes (except property) and Maryland is acting stupid on that part but there's no denying the ginormous defense budget which dwarfs whats put into Biotechs and the Health industry. Unlike IT/Defense firms, Biotechs are 90%+ non-dependent on the Federal Government.
Northern Virginia sucks heavily from the federal tit.
Last edited by TheJetSet; 08-26-2010 at 07:46 PM..
There's something unstable about Virginia, yes they have lower income taxes than Maryland and Maryland is run by idiots lawyers who don't know anything about business. But despite the "business friendly" Virginia, companies still leave at a high rate.
It's just really weird IMO, when Virginia gets one company another soon leaves after. When Volkswagons US headquarters left Michigan for Nova soon after Sprint/Nextel left and that was a heavy blow that they haven't recovered from till this day, despite all the companies that have moved there no one reaches their market cap.
AOL/MCI etc etc
Soon after PRA international left and Eli lilly left Prince Williams struggling and fledgling biopark with George Mason U high and dry.
Circuity City is dead
Now Northrup shows up and now Salie Mae is gone.
Freddie Mac had a market cap of over $35 billion now its only $200 mill.
I don't know perhaps the business environment is too lax or businesses feel there's no sense of place.
Last edited by TheJetSet; 08-26-2010 at 07:45 PM..
There's something unstable about Virginia, yes they have lower income taxes than Maryland and Maryland is run by idiots lawyers who don't know anything about business. But despite the "business friendly" Virginia, companies still leave at a high rate.
It's just really weird IMO, when Virginia gets one company another soon leaves after. When Volkswagons US headquarters left Michigan for Nova soon after Sprint/Nextel left and that was a heavy blow that they haven't recovered from till this day, despite all the companies that have moved there no one reaches their market cap.
AOL/MCI etc etc
Soon after PRA international left and Eli lilly left Prince Williams struggling and fledgling biopark with George Mason U high and dry.
Circuity City is dead
Now Northrup shows up and now Salie Mae is gone.
Freddie Mac had a market cap of over $35 billion now its only $200 mill.
I don't know perhaps the business environment is too lax or businesses feel there's no sense of place.
In 2010, NoVa had more than twice as many Fortune 500 companies (9) than the Maryland suburbs of DC (4); not all were defense-related (Gannett and AES, for example); two of NoVa's Fortune 500 companies are based in Reston; and none of Maryland's Fortune 500 companies is based in Silver Spring. This doesn't even include Northrop (not Northrup).
If you attract more business, as NoVa does, you'll also attract more businesses that fail or decide to relocate. It's the nature of the beast. On a net basis, the area continues to grow.
In any event, at the end of the day, all this may make Silver Spring more affordable for the OP than Reston, but it also explains, at least partially, why that's the case.
DO NOT LIVE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY MD. Those running the county are a bunch of crooks and do not care of the REAL taxpayers here. There are more services for those that are here illegally than there are for the REAL Taxpayers. Leventhal, Berliner, Flooreen, Tracen bury (or however you spell it and all the rest on the county council should be fired...That also included Ike Leggett who also does not care about the taxpayers...screw the diversity thing, who the heck cares about that, it is a left wing term. The main thing is, how do you hold on to more of your money???? Stay out of Maryland...I can't wait to say I am from MD. I have 5 more yrs here
You have got to be kidding me. What is wrong with a state that is business friendly (unlike MD who hates businesses, especially the small business) and job creation...that is the most moronic statement on here...It is because of people like you, this county is going down the tubes. What about all the tax increases and cell phone increases pushed through by this poor excuse of a county council under the radar...also, the $400 ambulance fee if you need a ride to the emergency room...we are already paying for those services...oh wait, that money is allocated to those who are here illegally, not for the actual taxpayers of this county...by looking at your comment, you must be a government worker who produces nothing, instead of being part of the solution (the free enterprise system and making a profit for their company and shareholders and creating jobs etc), you and those like you are the problem.
Fire all the county council and exec and put people in there who care about the taxpayers and not a sanctuary county for those here illegally and soak up our resources and our tax dollars. Pretty soon in MD therem are going to be a bunch of gvmt workers and people soaking up taxpayers dollars, no businesses, not job creation, no income...but wait, thats utopia to you people on the left.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coldbliss
in response to jeb77, montgomery county is more concerned about quality of life issues for the tax-paying residents while fairfax county is more focused on business attraction and job growth. Montco has solid communities where people live as opposed to nova where local officials give preferences to corporate investors over the needs of local residents. I read about many horror stories related to overcrowded schools, gridlocked roads and infrastructure failing to keep up the population growth in nova.
This is why you have people commuting from md to nova on the beltway every day. If someone works in the dulles-reston area and he lives in silver spring, why doesn't he move his family to nova? Real estate cost is one factor since most housing properties are on average more affordable in many suburban md neighborhoods. But the biggest factor is the quality of residential life in terms of public schools, parks, public transportation, bike lanes, community activities, libraries etc. I would say that montgomery county is even with fairfax county when it comes to public schools but it's no contest when it comes to other amenities. Staying in montgomery county is worth the crappy beltway commute.
The added bonus of living in montgomery county is that you don't have a bunch of right-wing tea party lunatics running things from the state capital. In some ways, virginia is still stuck in the 19th century when it comes to social issues and politics.
In 2010, NoVa had more than twice as many Fortune 500 companies (9) than the Maryland suburbs of DC (4); not all were defense-related (Gannett and AES, for example); two of NoVa's Fortune 500 companies are based in Reston; and none of Maryland's Fortune 500 companies is based in Silver Spring. This doesn't even include Northrop (not Northrup).
If you attract more business, as NoVa does, you'll also attract more businesses that fail or decide to relocate. It's the nature of the beast. On a net basis, the area continues to grow.
In any event, at the end of the day, all this may make Silver Spring more affordable for the OP than Reston, but it also explains, at least partially, why that's the case.
In response to JEB77, Montgomery County is more concerned about quality of life issues for the tax-paying residents while Fairfax County is more focused on business attraction and job growth. MontCo has solid communities where people LIVE as opposed to NoVA where local officials give preferences to corporate investors over the needs of local residents. I read about many horror stories related to overcrowded schools, gridlocked roads and infrastructure failing to keep up the population growth in NoVA.
And yet, if you read the northern Virginia forum there seem to be many more people on that forum than on this forum who rate their quality of life as high.
As for my opinion, it's hard to compare Silver Spring and Reston since they're different kinds of communities. One is an older, inner ring suburb, the other an outer ring 'burb built much more recently. Both have a lot of nice qualities that appeal to different groups. Someone in their young 20s would probably prefer Silver Spring. Personally, I love Reston. I think it's a beautiful area, but that's just my particular taste.
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NOVA vs Montgomery County
