Alexandria, virginia???? (condo, crime rate, how much)

[elsycoo]

ALEXANDRIA???

My kids are going to college at GW for spring 09 . I am thinking to move with my 84 years old mom to the DC area to be close to them. My mom is very sad because her only grandchildren will be away from her for years. She is afraid that something can happen and she won't see them again. I don't have a husband or any family here. My kids and mom are everything I have, that's why I don't want to be so far away from them.
Is that a good idea? I am in California, and I Know DC is very cold. The houses in Alexandria look soooo pretty. I can afford a house between $400 and 500K Is there any area in Alexandria with that price in Alexandria that would be considered a "safe area"? I live in in L.A. , in an area where I can walk at anytime, and go to the grocery store or pharmacy at 2: or 3 AM without any concern.
I am worried about the crime rate in D.C. Is the crime rate that bad?
Please tell me any good area where you think is a good idea. I am 48 years old, and my mom is 80+
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[chrisherbert]

Alexandria is safe, I wouldn't worry about crime. Your price range may not be realistic, since I assume you're thinking about the Old Town area.

[LARicky]

Elsycoo,

Don't worry about the move. My wife and I moved to Los Angeles from Alexandria last year and plan on moving back as soon as we find jobs. We think LA is a beautiful and interesting place but CA is a train wreck waiting to happen. One of our big lessons learned was that family and friends are hugely important, you can adjust to weather and it's nowhere near as cold as you think. To me the summers are the season to worry about, LA weather is just about perfect, so humid summers will be tough, but you'll like all of the trees and you'll come to really appreciate the changing seasons with time, we miss that part of DC and the east coast immensely. And DC's economy is usually always better than most cities. While there's no comparison with physical beauty, LA has the mountains and the beach, DC is a much more liveable city than LA and crime is not a problem in Alexandria. You won't be able to find townhouse or single in Old Town for that price but could find something outside of Old Town or maybe a condo in Old Town. Good luck, and you can take the blue line from Alexandria right to the GW campus!

PS: Don't forget that there's no worries about earthquakes!

[Bluefly]

DC isn't that cold. Hot, muggy summers and mild winters with two or three decent snow storms.

I think you should think about this decision. You're clearly going through a period of withdrawal and making a rash decision to quell the pain.

Your children are adults now. College is a time to grow independently. Ask yourself how much time you think they're really going to be spending with you once they get immersed in a culture of studying, partying, road trips, etc... Unless they share your sense of codependence, normal college students make a pretty solid break.

You might uproot your entire life and find yourself just as lonely in DC. My Mom realized that whether her kids went to school an hour away or twelve hours away, they came home about the same amount.

I'm not trying to be a downer, but you're talking about a huge life change and hundreds of thousands of dollars based on pure emotional attachment to grown adults who need to transition to independence.

[claremarie]

This is not a good idea.
1. Your kids will be in college for four years. Are you going to pick up and move your 88 year old mother again if your kids leave the DC area for jobs or grad school elsewhere?
2. Your kids will be busy with classes and friends, as they should be. They will most likely not have much free time to spend traveling across town to visit with you and their grandmother.
3. DC is an expensive area, and you should not underestimate the problems your mother may have adjusting to the colder winters and extremely humid summers.
4. It will cost you tens of thousands of dollars in transactions costs to move. Why not stay where you are, and use some of the money you would save to make a few trips to DC each school year to visit with your kids?

[firefightermom]

I completely understand why you would want to move, and your mother's feelings regarding your kids, but I don't think moving to DC would be in your children's best interests or your own.

This is a time for your kids to become independent and be able to live the college experience without being pressured to be with you constantly. They need to learn how to survive on their own.

The health concerns for you mother regarding the DC climate are true: high humidity and colder winters could have adverse affects on current health issues or even cause some she doesn't suffer from currently.

We all want to be near our kids, but realistically, are you willing to move every time they do? Will they even want you to? I know it's hard to hear, and I dread hearing it from my own kids in the future, but parents shouldn't live for only their kids. Perhaps you can welcome the upcoming separation as a new opportunity for you and your mother to take up old interests that kids didn't leave time for, or even to find some new ones!

Get a webcam for the kids and one for you and you can see each other anytime!

[irisheyes13]

Originally Posted by firefightermom

Get a webcam for the kids and one for you and you can see each other anytime!

I completely agree with the advice to stay where you are and the webcam is an excellent suggestion. We use one to chat with our daughter who is away at school and really enjoy it.

I do understand how you are feeling and how hard it is to see them go so far away but, it is part of the growing/maturing process for many kids. You and your mom can come visit and I am sure they will head home when they can but, I would guess that school will keep them VERY busy.. We have always felt that you raise your children to go out on their own and lead happy successful lives.. Sounds like your girls are doing that!