Moving to Leesburg this weekend (living in, night clubs, design)

[fp1978]

I will be starting a new job in Winchester, VA next week. I am late 20's and figured that Winchester is just way too far from DC for my taste so I decided to move to Leesburg (will be moving this weekend). I picked Leesburg because it is pretty much right in the middle of DC and Winchester, yet still considered a part of the DC metro area. My question is will living in Leesburg allow me to be close enough to experience what DC has to offer without having to go too far out of my way?

Either way, Leesburg is the place I am going to be living in. I would just like to get an idea of what I can expect.

[goldenmom7500]

People drive from Leesburg to DC without even blinking, you know what I mean? It may be a bit of a drive, but people do it all the time. You can get into DC as often as you want. You also might find social activities around Leesburg that you enjoy or in Arlington, or Tysons, or any number of places. If you're looking for a specific type of thing - whether it is night clubs or events at the Kennedy Center, it's all there and you, being in Leesburg, are a part of it. In just a few days you will, in a manner of speaking "live in DC".

[yankee.peddler]

I don't completely disagree with the above poster, but you should know that Leesburg is a former farming town that has exploded as an exurb on the western edges of the D.C. metropolitan area. It's about forty miles west of the District and (roughly) almost an hour's drive away during non-rush hour periods.

Yes. You can drive into D.C. from Leesburg and experience all of the cultural amenities the city has to offer. Many people do it every day. However, I think its a stretch to say that by living in Leesburg you'll "live in DC".

Nevertheless, Leesburg is a pleasant town. It makes sense to live there if you're working in Winchester and want to be closer to D.C. I agree with the above poster's recommendation to look for social activities in places like Tyson's and Arlington, which are relatively closer to you.

[goldenmom7500]

LOL, OK, point taken, but if you ever move to a different part of the country (as I have recently) you'll find yourself saying you moved from 'the DC area' even from Leesburg or Manassas.

[yankee.peddler]

Originally Posted by goldenmom7500

LOL, OK, point taken, but if you ever move to a different part of the country (as I have recently) you'll find yourself saying you moved from 'the DC area' even from Leesburg or Manassas.

That I agree with!

[kevinm]

Leesburg, VA is not part of DC. Loudoun County does not want to even be considered as part of the garbage called "DC". Northern Virginia is the correct designation and we are proud of it.

[goldenmom7500]

Originally Posted by kevinm

Leesburg, VA is not part of DC. Loudoun County does not want to even be considered as part of the garbage called "DC". Northern Virginia is the correct designation and we are proud of it.

LOL - OK, OK everyone, I'm being raked over the coals here

I guess the point is that if you are a *gorgeous* place like Leesburg (trust me, that is my true opinion) you have access to the best parts of DC, but then you can leave them behind and be back in the beauty of Loudoun County. That said, I do think you can be as much a part of the DC scene as you want to be. And I think there are wonderful, dynamic, definitely world-class parts of DC and the DC scene.

Just as an aside, about 10 years ago, I was making reservations to go to Maui and the travel person in Maui said he dreamed of living down Route 7. I said "What?!!??! - everyone here dreams of being in Maui". But I do understand his point - it's a gorgeous part of the world. It's just the gorgeous part of the world that we are more used to.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by fp1978

I will be starting a new job in Winchester, VA next week. I am late 20's and figured that Winchester is just way too far from DC for my taste so I decided to move to Leesburg (will be moving this weekend). I picked Leesburg because it is pretty much right in the middle of DC and Winchester, yet still considered a part of the DC metro area. My question is will living in Leesburg allow me to be close enough to experience what DC has to offer without having to go too far out of my way? Either way, Leesburg is the place I am going to be living in. I would just like to get an idea of what I can expect.

Leesburg. Very nice downtown. Kind of charming. Lots of nearby modern housing and amenities, too. Pretty pleasant place, all in all, but really far from DC. You will have to 'schedule' anything downtown. No just pick up and go. I would venture that the vast majority of Leesburg residents has not been in DC within the past 30 days. Might be 60 days, actually. You've also got pretty much a 35-mile drive to and from Winchester to do each day. The idea of doing that (and more) again just to get into the District and back might not be so appealing after a while. My guess is that you'll end up being content with the idea that you could drive into DC if you really wanted to, but that you won't really want to all that often. Then again, I used to know a couple of retired airline pilots who commuted every day from Charles Town to downtown DC and though nothing of it, so maybe it's all just what you set your mind to...

[yankee.peddler]

Originally Posted by goldenmom7500

LOL - OK, OK everyone, I'm being raked over the coals here

Just as an aside, about 10 years ago, I was making reservations to go to Maui and the travel person in Maui said he dreamed of living down Route 7. I said "What?!!??! - everyone here dreams of being in Maui". But I do understand his point - it's a gorgeous part of the world. It's just the gorgeous part of the world that we are more used to.

I was in Maui last June and met a Native Hawaiian woman who just returned to the islands with her husband after living in northern Virginia for many years. She wanted to move back to Fairfax!

[jnestorr]

Leesburg is waaay too far from DC. And it's pretty much considered West VA. Just go ahead and live close to work b/c living in Leesburg still puts you miles away from DC (40+). Unless you wanna just roam around DC in the day time for some walk by the park, you are just too far for anything like 'night life' in DC