new job

[bvibe]

Originally Posted by 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

Well that may or may not be, but whether it's MD or VA. They BOTH add up to TOO **** EXPENSIVE to me and a whole lotta other people! :-)

[iheartnj]

....according to a recent Money Magazine. Please see excerpt below from money.cnn.com:

#4. Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland
Population: 159,200
Typical single-family home: $350,000/$550,000
Est. property taxes: $5,900/$5,500
Pros: Convenience of planned community; charm of old town
Cons: Commutes to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore can get ugly

Ellicott City has grand homes and a charming downtown. Columbia has park space totaling more than a third of the community's 14,000 acres, a wide selection of townhomes and apartments, and a mall that's got everything. Kids are schooled in Maryland's top-performing district, where they continually score up to 50% above average on state tests. There's a major music venue, the Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, and the county runs a 30,000-square foot arts center.

[hairmetal4ever]

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).

A-men bro! (or sis if you're female...)

I live in Ohio and just doing the math and talking to residents without living out there personally, I think I'm better off here economically, and that's even with Ohio's economy not being the best. My girlfriend lives in Alexandria and I'm more and more leaning towards the hope that I can convince her to move here rather than vice versa and 90% of my reasoning, is the insane cost of housing out there in DC. I can buy twice the house at half the cost here that I could there.

[skimoore55]

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.

The job market in the Washington, D.C. suburbs is INSANELY good. Northern Virginia has a 1.7% unemployment rate--that's TOTALLY unheard of! For all intents and purposes, there is full employment.

To conclude, I would note that living close in to D.C. in places like Arlington, VA will get you small, expensive homes/rentals. The further one gets out (to places like Springfield and Leesburg), the more affordable rents and homes become. The primary advantage to living right in around the beltway is proximity to D.C. and the incredibly convenient D.C. Metro rail. If one does not work in D.C. nor has much interest in being close to Washington, then I'd recommend living further out--more home for the dollar.

I'd also strongly urge newcomers to avoid living in suburban Maryland if the decision is between Maryland and Virginia. 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. There is really no advantage to living in suburban Maryland and the commonwealth of Virginia has better and more public universities (such as UVa, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, VMI, George Mason, Washington and Lee, Mary Washington, etc.) and in-state Virginia tuition to these universities is simply ridiculous--talking $10,000 for 1 year of tuition, room and board for in-state students. Can't be beat.

FYI-Washington & Lee is NOT public. It's a very prestiguous private university about 2 hours south of DC.

[nbdinz]

Woot!

Oh Jesus a pissing match between Virginia and Maryland--how classic. Back in the day Marylanders would shoot Virginians for fishing in their Potomac River. To date, Maryland still has the rights to the Potomac... Virginia just pollutes it.

And to the person that said traffic is worse on the Maryland side... ha! I suppose this fool has never taken a trip on I-66 in ANY direction at ANY time of day. I-270 in Montgomery County flows quite nicely most of the times of day considering the volume. Oh, and has the fool ever taken a trip down I-95 from DC to Fredericksburg? Yeah, how long does that take again at 3PM?

Crime is worse on the Maryland side? Yes, in Prince Georges County near the NE & SE DC line. But crime in Howard, Frederick, Montgomery, and Washington Counties is very low... usually just a bunch of nuisance crimes.

Oh face it, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland are almost the same. Nothern Virginia is just a bunch of unorganized farm roads that turned urban suddenly. Suburban Maryland is better planned, but they're mostly farm roads that went urban.

I'd rather live in Suburban Maryland if I had to live outside of DC.

[knit22]

I agree that UVA is better than UMD... but MD basketball seriously trumps Virginia.