If you moved to DC from elsewhere, are you happy that you did so? (apartment, homes)

[itsajourney]

For the oodles of folks who moved to DC from somewhere else, are you generally happy with your decision to do so?

Or, do you want out of there ASAP?

And why?

[CaliTerp07]

Both?

I'm happy I moved because I have a good job that I could not have gotten had I stayed in my home town.

I want out of here ASAP though because the traffic, the hustle and bustle, and the weather is wearing me down rapidly. Now that I have several years of relevant work experience on my resume, I will have a better chance of getting positions in the areas I want to go to.

[TheseGoTo11]

moved here from Boston 13 years ago, very happy with the decision

would like it even better if we had a climate more like Atlanta's with even less snow

[The Heartbreak Kid]

I am happy I moved.

[BigCityDreamer]

I'm a long-time resident of the DC area. I've thought about moving elsewhere from time to time just for a different experience. But I'm kind of glad I didn't, because nowhere else in the country seems to have as much long-term job stability as the DC area. I get the feeling I would head right back here in a few years if I left.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm both happy and homesick.

I moved here right after college to accept a promising career opportunity and because being a minority and growing up in a very conservative part of PA my opportunities to spread my wings were somewhat limited. Now I'm living here but am wishing the exorbitant cost-of-living wasn't relegating me to the far-out suburbs when I'd much prefer to live IN the District. Yeah, Reston (and most of NoVA for that matter) is indeed "Stepford on Steroids" with people wearing stelletos to Whole Foods before packing up their Lexus SUVs, but I don't have kids, so I don't give a flyin' hoot about the "awesome schools" that make many parts of the area here nearly as expensive as the city proper.

What do I really hate about this area?
-Traffic congestion (and the tea party hypocrites who will complain about it but who will also oppose tax increases to fund more mass transit options and better infrastructure, including people in Reston who write newspaper editorials calling the Silver Line a "boondoggle").
-Cost-of-living (why am I paying well over $1,000/month, plus utilities, for a 1970s-era rodent-infested apartment in the far-flung suburbs?) This isn't NYC or L.A., nor will it ever be.
-"Cold" people (not "rude", but very seldom do people ever acknowledge me or return my polite greetings on elevators, while running past them on the sidewalks, etc. because they're all too self-important).
-Hideous architecture (DC itself is golden, along with Old Town Alexandria, Winchester, Fredericksburg, and a few other select areas. The rest of the area looks like a drunk toddler designed it with all of the strip malls, parking lots, big-box stores, and vinyl-sided beige McMansions that people on the NoVA forum think are "super rad awesome"). Don't even get me started on those "fake" town center areas popping up all over meant to replicate the traditional downtowns we should have had 20-30 years ago (i.e. Reston Town Center, National Harbor, Dulles Town Center, Kingstowne, etc.). From an urban planning perspective it will take billions upon billions of tax dollars to fix this area's urban planning issues (Google "Transforming Tysons" for one such example of how the Baby Boomers screwed this area up).

What does this area offer that I can't find back "home"?
-Incredible diversity. I can bump into people from all walks of life---black or white, Asian or Latino, gay or straight, rich or poor, etc. all in the same day.
-Intellect. The Bachelor's Degree is this area's version of the high school diploma in that nearly everyone has one. Many have Master's or Doctoral degrees. Education is very strong here.
-Jobs. Back in Scranton, PA I'd be driving a forklift for $9/hr. with my MBA. This area is incredibly recession-resistant while many other areas are really suffering from this recession that will never end.
-Culture. I still find something new going on each and every day, and there are always different venues to explore. This place is a cultural gold mine from the State Theater to the Kennedy Center to the Torpedo Factory to Wolf Trap and everything in between.

I'm ambivalent now towards this area. It's better in some respects than my hometown, but it's worse in others. Unfortunately the "negatives" I harp on about aren't seen as negatives by many others, which means I'll have to eventually relocate to ever find a place more commensurate with what I seek.

[DomRep]

Can't imagine me moving from the area. I went to Albany, NY a few weeks back for a couple of days and I was going crazy. Just a huge difference between that town and DC, nightlife, culture, etc. The people were super nice and friendly which is hard to find in DC, but I'm just so use to the hustle and bustle of DC, the "always on the go" attitude. I'm a city boy through and through.

[klm144]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Yeah, Reston (and most of NoVA for that matter) is indeed "Stepford on Steroids" with people wearing stelletos to Whole Foods before packing up their Lexus SUVs, but I don't have kids, so I don't give a flyin' hoot about the "awesome schools" that make many parts of the area here nearly as expensive as the city proper.

What do I really hate about this area?
-Traffic congestion (and the tea party hypocrites who will complain about it but who will also oppose tax increases to fund more mass transit options and better infrastructure, including people in Reston who write newspaper editorials calling the Silver Line a "boondoggle").
-Cost-of-living (why am I paying well over $1,000/month, plus utilities, for a 1970s-era rodent-infested apartment in the far-flung suburbs?) This isn't NYC or L.A., nor will it ever be.
-"Cold" people (not "rude", but very seldom do people ever acknowledge me or return my polite greetings on elevators, while running past them on the sidewalks, etc. because they're all too self-important).
-Hideous architecture (DC itself is golden, along with Old Town Alexandria, Winchester, Fredericksburg, and a few other select areas. The rest of the area looks like a drunk toddler designed it with all of the strip malls, parking lots, big-box stores, and vinyl-sided beige McMansions that people on the NoVA forum think are "super rad awesome"). Don't even get me started on those "fake" town center areas popping up all over meant to replicate the traditional downtowns we should have had 20-30 years ago (i.e. Reston Town Center, National Harbor, Dulles Town Center, Kingstowne, etc.). From an urban planning perspective it will take billions upon billions of tax dollars to fix this area's urban planning issues (Google "Transforming Tysons" for one such example of how the Baby Boomers screwed this area up).

Some great observations there and most definitely true.

Considering the money people earn in the area, NoVA is probably one of the worst (most boring) places I have lived in or been to, with downtown DC not that far behind. To add insult to injury, the cost of living versus what there is to actually do is a joke.

I'm a conservative and have to say that the Tea-party and their views are foolish. I am so sick and tired of being stuck in traffic, in an area of a few million tops. For an area that is apparently so ‘highly educated’, you would think that people would understand the notion of lost productivity. The right does not want taxes; the left does not want roads; welcome to NoVA 2010. To make matters worse, there is no coordinated planning whatsoever; therefore, every city or county does their own thing, which is why the place is such a huge mess.

I think any intelligent will find that a large reason for NoVA and DC's problem are all tied to anti-anything people that plague the area. Now throw in a chronic case of hubris and you have 2010 NoVA/DC.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by klm144

I think you will find that a large reasons for NoVA and DC's problem are all tied to anti-anything people, that plague the area. Now throw in a chronic case of hubris and you have 2010 NoVA.

NIMBY = NoVA's favorite acronym.

[itsajourney]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

NIMBY = NoVA's favorite acronym.

My mind is blank--what is NIMBY?