new job (Washington: apartments, crime, townhomes)

[yukimika]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/gra...rank_brief.php
Engineering:
UMD: 15
VT: 30
UVA: 38

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/gra...remium/mat.php
Math:
UMD: 20
UVA: 40
VT: 62 <------ WOW

LOL

Oh and I have a premium subscription so what do you want to check and we can discuss the rankings. I checked so many and UMD pwnts uva and vt. Name any field you want.

but yeah, whatever.... I'll give you the PG county point. Not like you *have* to go there if you live in MD.

"And UMD's football team is a total joke--watching Virginia Tech humiliate Maryland 55-6 in football was one of the greatest days of my life"
Typical VT response. gg!

[VT Hokie 2007]

yuk, LOL! So you pick out a random major--math--to prove UMD is better? Look at UVa's national rank--#2 public university. You stated matter-of-factly that UMD is better than UVa and VT "combined"!

UVa national ranking (public and private): #23
UMD-College park: #55

Clearly, UMD is NOT better than UVa and VT "combined," as you say, if UMD isn't even as good as UVa. And VT and UVa are $5,000 LESS per year than UMD for in-state students! Not to mention the fact that College Park is a total dump and probably one of the ugliest campuses on the east coast.

Honestly, I don't like talking about US News rankings--I think it's totally childish in a way--but to say that UMD is better than UVa AND VT combined is simply ridiculous--by objective measures, UVa is considered one of the top universities in the United States. Say what you will about Virginia Tech, which is a fantastic school in its own right, but it's simply a lie to say UMD is superior to UVa.

[VT Hokie 2007]

LOL! I just realized you showed me GRADUATE school rankings! You showed me the MATHEMATICS PhD! Ok, your highness, if someone is looking to get a PhD in MATH, then yes, UMD is the superior university.

BTW, Maryland's UNDERGRADUATE engineering ranks 22 overall, and VT's ranks 14th. Just for your knowledge.

http://www.ece.umd.edu/about/rankings.html

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?r...006&itemno=300

[yukimika]

undergrad rankings are BS anyway. It really doesn't indicate the strength of the program and professors like the grad rankings do. Besides, I said "they are all good schools".

but really, this whole conversation is pretty dumb. You took some shots at MD and I took some back at VA and we are both exaggerating.

"Traffic is worse on the Maryland side, the economy is weaker, there is higher crime, and MUCH higher taxes--higher gas tax, sales tax, and income tax. "

BS!

/thread

[RamblinMan]

Sheesh, get a room YUKI and VT HOKIE!

Kikia: Can't help you with the school issues, but I would strongly advise that if you have the opportunity, spend enough time in the area to do "test" commutes from wherever you are contemplating living to where you will be working.

With all due respect to a previous poster, I found the traffic in the entire DC area to be an absolute nightmare and my primary consideration in choosing a place to live would be the commute to work. Also, the Metro is a great system, but really really packed on certain lines at rush hour. I lived in DC and commuted to Bethesda Maryland, which was an excellent commute, as it was the reverse of the typical commute.

I know you didn't ask, but I must add that the DC area was the most unfriendly place I've ever lived (I lived there 7 years -- previously in San Francisco and central New Jersey). I left a year ago for Portland Oregon.

Best of luck.

[acatinthe]

Originally Posted by kikiamitchell

I have a new job offer in the DC area, and I will be relocating from Texas. I know absolutely nothing about this area, except from what I've learned from the internet and television. I'm looking for a safe,safe, affordable, diverse, and friendly community. School districts are very important, and I'd like to move to an area that has a really good middle schools and high schools. Please, any help you can give me would be really appreciated.

nbdinz is 100% correct.
Friendliness is not here anymore. It's all the transits that move to this area that have changed it. Being a native and orginally from S. Arlington. I am looking to move; I cannot take the traffic, the 2nd worst in the country, people fight you over parking spaces, a lot of road rage, etc. It is not the area I grew up in that I once loved. I am going south. They should put a cap on the amount of transits that are allowed in the DC area. That would solve a lot of economic problems.

Good Luck

[bvibe]

Originally Posted by VT Hokie 2007

I'm from D.C. (well, actually, Tyson's Corner, which is about 6-8 miles outside of D.C. in Virginia). The cost of living in suburban Northern Virginia is on par with most other large suburban areas--gas, food, cars, clothes, etc. are all reasonably priced. Home prices and rent are what truly make Northern Virginia's cost of living high. But something outsiders don't realize is that people are paid so well in this area that it more than makes up for the higher cost of housing, which leaves A LOT of discretionary income left over. People pay high rents, but most college-educated professionals also have expensive cars, nice clothes and big TVs and can afford oppulent vacations and private school tuition.

I'm sorry, but I'd have to disagree. Yes, the salaries are A LOT higher here, but a lot of discretionary income left over? I don't think so. Unless, I'm doing something terribly wrong (which I don't believe I am). But most people that I know and run into say this place is NOT reasonably priced and although employers try to offset the "sticker shock" with higher salaries, people who have moved here from parts of the South or points west STILL say their lower salary went further dollar-for-dollar when they lived in places in the South or points West (such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, St Louis, Texas, etc).

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by bvibe

I'm sorry, but I'd have to disagree. Yes, the salaries are A LOT higher here, but a lot of discretionary income left over? I don't think so. Unless, I'm doing something terribly wrong (which I don't believe I am). But most people that I know and run into say this place is NOT reasonably priced and although employers try to offset the "sticker shock" with higher salaries, people who have moved here from parts of the South or points west STILL say their lower salary went further dollar-for-dollar when they lived in places in the South or points West (such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, St Louis, Texas, etc).

I agree with you. It always seems so odd to me when Fairfax, Loudoun and Montgomery counties routinely come out on top on those national rankings of the wealthiest counties in whatever form that may take (i.e. highest average median income, highest househhold income, etc.). I mean, it's nice, but it certainly doesn't feel to me to be THAT wealthy. People I knew growing up didn't vacation in Thailand or Greece or France. They went to Rehoboth Beach or Ocean City or maybe down to Florida. People bought clothes at the same generic Marshalls/Gap/Kmart they do elsewhere in this country. Everyone I know sent their kids to public schools, and everyone struggled to try to pay for their kids' college education. People make a lot of money here, no doubt, but it seems like once the necessities are taken care of, there really isn't a whole lot of money over. The area to me has always felt very middle and upper middle class, but not particularly rich. It never seemed to me like it was very opulent, a sort of place where money just isn't an issue for people.

[trayanh]

You must be kidding me. There are tons of good public universities, much better than UVA series, like UMich, UIUC, Purdue and etc, far better, LOL. And UC series also have other good ones, like UCLA, UCSD.

Originally Posted by VT Hokie 2007

yuk, I'd do YOUR own research--UVa is considered the first or 2nd best public university in the nation (behind only UC-Berkeley) and Virginia Tech's engineering IS ranked higher than UMD's, in addition to VT's architecture dept., which is nationally renowned (I'd link you to US News, but it is premium information, so a link won't help). The University of Maryland-College Park is a great school, no doubt, but no person in the country would say UMD is better than UVa--that's totally ridiculous--and the fact that you would say UMD-College park is BETTER than UVa calls into question your credibility. Not to mention the fact that in-state tuition at UMD is about 70% higher than Virginia public universities. And UMD's football team is a total joke--watching Virginia Tech humiliate Maryland 55-6 in football was one of the greatest days of my life.

Also, UMD-College park is the only reputable state university in Maryland (Johns Hopkins is private). Hardly a reason worth selecting the state of Maryland to live in.

I'd also like to point out that you conveniently brushed over Prince George's County, MD, and other surrounding Maryland counties that are regional jokes. The Maryland suburbs is comprised of more than Montgomery County. I'll happily point anyone to not only Fairfax County, Va, but also Arlington County, Loudon County, Falls Church City, Fairfax City, and Prince William County, Virginia. I'd put these Virginia provinces in the Washington, D.C. suburbs up against ANY that Maryland has. All you've got is Montgomery County? Ha!

[pkoons]

I won't be ridiculous and say that NoVA is not nice, it just has no personality.

In every category except for dining options and crime, MD reigns supreme. Let's compare a bunch of select, well known, easily comparable MD/VA cities. (Obviously, my rankings are subjective, but please tell me if you have a dispute and reason...)

The BIG Cities: Baltimore v. Richmond - Baltimore (MD)
The yuppie urban locales: Bethesda v. Arlington - Arlington (VA)
Urban/suburban blends: Silver Spring v. Alexandria - Alexandria (VA)
County govt. big burbs: Rockville v. Fairfax - Rockville (MD)
Planned communities: Columbia v. Reston - Columbia (MD)
Vacation hotspots: Ocean City v. Virginia Beach - Ocean City (MD)
Wealthy elite mansion towns: Potomac v. Great Falls - Great Falls (VA)
The state university college towns: College Park v. Charlottesville - Charlottesville (VA)
Horse country: Hunt Valley v. Middleburg - Hunt Valley (MD)
Exurban expansion: Frederick v. Ashburn - Frederick (MD)
Up & coming towns with prisons: Jessup v. Lorton - Jessup (MD)
Military bases: Ft. Meade (Odenton/Laurel) v. Norfolk - Ft. Meade (MD)
College towns far removed from DC: Westminster v. Roanoke - Westminster (MD)

The score? 9-4, MD. I can keep going... And that's without even listing ONE of a KIND cities like Annapolis, Easton, and Takoma Park that have a heck of a lot more identity, culture, etc. than Warrenton, Manassas, and Annandale.

Tell you what, give me three VA cities that COMBINED provide what Annapolis provides, and I'll give you the win