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Fair enough, I'm sure you did the research before you moved so I'm not gonna argue with you. I wouldn't go as far as saying median prices don't mean much... but I take your point that a median home in different places are not always apples to apples. The houses up there are definitely larger an newer in general from my experience so that will skew the median price upward.
PS, if you don't mind me asking... what's good about living in Loudoun county aside from the pay? I realize it's a big county but when I go up there to visit my friend in Sterling it just seems like a bunch of strip malls and subdivisions. It takes over an hour to get to DC with the traffic and even going to Tysons corner is a hassle since 7 is usually a mess. I am genuinely interested, not being sarcastic or anything.
If you think Loudoun is a bunch of strip malls and subdivisions then you're wrong. Loudoun county is also horse country of Virginia, there are many wineries and you can also see the mountains in western Loudoun. You must be referring to eastern Loudoun, but Loudoun doesn't have many strip malls. It's very scenic and historical, go to Middleburg. It's old money type of people who love to fox hunt etc but it's honestly a great place. What you're referring to is a very small portion of Loudoun county that is more near Fairfax county. Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, etc.
Also the schools are amazing, almost comparable to Fairfax.
If you think Loudoun is a bunch of strip malls and subdivisions then you're wrong. Loudoun county is also horse country of Virginia, there are many wineries and you can also see the mountains in western Loudoun. You must be referring to eastern Loudoun, but Loudoun doesn't have many strip malls. It's very scenic and historical, go to Middleburg. It's old money type of people who love to fox hunt etc but it's honestly a great place. What you're referring to is a very small portion of Loudoun county that is more near Fairfax county. Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, etc.
Also the schools are amazing, almost comparable to Fairfax.
I just said that is what I see when I am there in the heavily populated parts. You could say the same thing about VB with Pungo and Sandbridge which are much more rural and peaceful but that's not where most of the people live. Where most people live in VB is strip malls and subdivisions. LOL. Loudoun is a big county, larger than the city of VB which is also geographically very big.
Admittedly, I don't live there. I just have friends there in eastern Loudoun near where the jobs are. The only time I go to the western part is on my way to Summit Point, and yes it is very pretty, but that is not where most of the population is. But sure, being near horse country, farms, and the mountains is definitely an amenity... I'll give you that.
As far as the schools go, I'm sure it is like anywhere else. There are some great ones and some not so great ones according to "great schools". Ashburn and Broadlands look pretty solid, Sterling really doesn't.
But I suspect that just tracks with demographics just like it does everywhere else. Lots of educated, married, parents with 2 incomes and you magically get good schools.
Where would you see yourself moving if family wasn't a factor?
Ha, I have no idea! Family is my biggest concern after having 2 babies and suddenly losing my father all in less than 2 years. I didn't research any other areas. I grew up in New England, so that's more my comfort zone, but my husband grew up in Maryland. As it is now, even though I'll be working remotely mostly, I'll still be making frequent trips to my office in NOVA, so we needed to stay within reasonable driving distance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UHgrad
PS, if you don't mind me asking... what's good about living in Loudoun county aside from the pay? I realize it's a big county but when I go up there to visit my friend in Sterling it just seems like a bunch of strip malls and subdivisions. It takes over an hour to get to DC with the traffic and even going to Tysons corner is a hassle since 7 is usually a mess. I am genuinely interested, not being sarcastic or anything.
Well, I was fortunate enough that, for the past 2 years, I've been working for a company in Sterling, so I was living in Sterling and working in Sterling, which, by NOVA standards, was about as good as it gets other than telecommuting. So the trek to Tysons or DC was irrelevant since I almost never did it. I'd much rather go shopping in Leesburg (outlets, Super Target, Wegmans, etc.) and dine in Ashburn or Reston, all close by.
When I first moved to NOVA, I lived in Manassas, then Alexandria, then Woodbridge, then Sterling. I worked in Chantilly, Centreville, Tysons, Fairfax, Herndon, Merrifield, and Sterling. Sterling was my favorite location since I'm not a city girl. We had a good sized back yard, trees, great neighbors, a good community, well-rated elementary school (though my kids are not in school yet, but it was a consideration when we moved there since we didn't really plan to move again so soon)...it just turned out that, for us, raising small kids with no local family is quite challenging. In VB, we'll have 4+ trusted babysitters within an 8-mile radius Living near DC and museums and historical sites and great shopping and dining and whatnot is pretty meaningless if you can never get out of the house without an infant and/or toddler! I was only in NOVA to begin with because that's where I found a job after I met said Maryland boy back in 2004...
wtf does that mean?
I'll say it again, worth is relative, it crosses all lines...process it and think about it if that's doable for you, can you process information or do you just have knee jerk reactions...take your toys and go home unless you can contribute something meaningful to this conversation.....
UH Grad was on point, in other words these discussions eventually boil down to someone's feelings getting hurt, so sophomoric and anti intellectual.....
Last edited by Poquoson7; 11-21-2014 at 05:45 PM..
Well, I was fortunate enough that, for the past 2 years, I've been working for a company in Sterling, so I was living in Sterling and working in Sterling, which, by NOVA standards, was about as good as it gets other than telecommuting. So the trek to Tysons or DC was irrelevant since I almost never did it. I'd much rather go shopping in Leesburg (outlets, Super Target, Wegmans, etc.) and dine in Ashburn or Reston, all close by.
When I first moved to NOVA, I lived in Manassas, then Alexandria, then Woodbridge, then Sterling. I worked in Chantilly, Centreville, Tysons, Fairfax, Herndon, Merrifield, and Sterling. Sterling was my favorite location since I'm not a city girl. We had a good sized back yard, trees, great neighbors, a good community, well-rated elementary school (though my kids are not in school yet, but it was a consideration when we moved there since we didn't really plan to move again so soon)...it just turned out that, for us, raising small kids with no local family is quite challenging. In VB, we'll have 4+ trusted babysitters within an 8-mile radius Living near DC and museums and historical sites and great shopping and dining and whatnot is pretty meaningless if you can never get out of the house without an infant and/or toddler! I was only in NOVA to begin with because that's where I found a job after I met said Maryland boy back in 2004...
Gotcha, my buddy is in Sterling too... unfortunately his commute is not to Sterling it is to Falls Church because houses by his office are double what they are in Sterling. He is in the same boat as you with kids but no family to help... but he can't leave to come back here because the paycut is too great and his job isn't telecommute friendly.
I'm not knocking Loudoun County in any way, it seems like a perfectly fine place to live. I'm just pointing out that it isn't Arlington or something with all of the urban amenities and easy metro access to DC. It is a sprawling suburb on the edge of more rural areas just like you find down here where people typically drive everywhere, shop/eat at strip malls, and have crappy commutes to work so that they can live in a place with good schools and low crime. The pay being MUCH better is definitely a plus up there, don't get me wrong... but the rest is more about lifestyle preference IMO than anything.
The pay being MUCH better is definitely a plus up there, don't get me wrong... but the rest is more about lifestyle preference IMO than anything.
I think not just the pay, but also the job market in general. Depending on your field, of course, but I never had trouble finding a job in Northern VA (and I do mean VA, not DC - Tyson's, Fairfax, and the "Dulles Corridor" of Chantilly/Herndon/Sterling/Ashburn, etc., are all pretty major non-Government job centers). When I search for similar jobs in HR, I find very, very few (I work for a government contractor, and I incorrectly assumed there'd be plenty of DoD contractors looking for people in my field). I cannot overstate how thankful I am to be keeping my NOVA job, even if it does mean regular trips back and forth.
More to the topic at hand, while being on the coast clearly supports the HR area's military and tourism sectors, I think it works a bit to its detriment in other commercial areas. Anyone travelling north/south is generally stuck on 95, and we're quite a bit off that path. If you're going for eastern US hubs, I think Richmond is the logical step from Boston, NY, Philly, Baltimore, DC...I don't believe HR is geographically situated to be a booming metropolis. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - we can't all be NYs and DCs.
I don't believe HR is geographically situated to be a booming metropolis. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - we can't all be NYs and DCs.
Good quality slow to moderate growth is the way to go. Totally agree we don't have the topography/geography to spread in all directions which will probably continue to contribute to the high cost of housing.
I think not just the pay, but also the job market in general. Depending on your field, of course, but I never had trouble finding a job in Northern VA (and I do mean VA, not DC - Tyson's, Fairfax, and the "Dulles Corridor" of Chantilly/Herndon/Sterling/Ashburn, etc., are all pretty major non-Government job centers). When I search for similar jobs in HR, I find very, very few (I work for a government contractor, and I incorrectly assumed there'd be plenty of DoD contractors looking for people in my field). I cannot overstate how thankful I am to be keeping my NOVA job, even if it does mean regular trips back and forth.
Without a doubt, the job market in general is better. I'd say about 1/3 of my high school friends are up there for that reason. There is more money floating around and that supports all kinds of other things besides just the govt contractors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jillybean720
More to the topic at hand, while being on the coast clearly supports the HR area's military and tourism sectors, I think it works a bit to its detriment in other commercial areas. Anyone travelling north/south is generally stuck on 95, and we're quite a bit off that path. If you're going for eastern US hubs, I think Richmond is the logical step from Boston, NY, Philly, Baltimore, DC...I don't believe HR is geographically situated to be a booming metropolis. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing - we can't all be NYs and DCs.
Yeah, I've certainly heard the cul-de-sac argument before. There is definitely something to it, and some of our infrastructure deficiencies make it worse. I've heard that was a big decider in Stone brewing choosing Richmond over Norfolk (although I cant verify that). If high speed rail makes it here that will be a huge help in connecting us to the Atlanta to Boston corridor, widening of 64 between Richmond and Newport News will help people get here, and the third crossing should help improve traffic downtown and at the HRBT as well. But we are always going to be a bit off that main I95 corridor which has its advantages and disadvantages.
Overall, I would be more than happy to see this area develop more density in that Downtown Norfolk to Greenbrier to VB Town Center area. And this seems to be happening... It's actually a pretty exciting time in my opinion...
- It looks like rail is going to happen in VB and in Norfolk past ODU and to the base. I have no illusions about this reducing traffic, but I love the potential it has to steer future development and provide alternative transportation options.
- There is talk of a mixed use path along the rail right of way in VB which would be awesome, you hardly ever find a city these days that owns a dedicated right of way that goes straight through the heart of the city like this. It opens all sorts of possibilites.
- Dollar Tree is planning on building a huge mixed-use development int the Greenbrier area over the next few decades.
- It looks like the arena is going to happen in VB and the private company is gonna assume all of the risk aside from infrastructure improvements by the city. This will also lead to redevelopment of that whole 19th street mid-beach area.
- Established companies continue moving to VB town center and phase 5 is almost done.
- ODU is becoming a leader in climate change and sea level rise mitigation and adaptation expertise (somewhat out of necessity haha).
There is stuff going on in the Peninsula too, I just tend to be more Southside centric because I grew up down here and live here. Overall, I am optimistic about the future of the region... there will be challenges and changes but I am happy to call this home.
Good quality slow to moderate growth is the way to go. Totally agree we don't have the topography/geography to spread in all directions which will probably continue to contribute to the high cost of housing.
I don't see how that contributes to high cost of living. If anything it should lower it.
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Living near DC and museums and historical sites and great shopping and dining and whatnot is pretty meaningless if you can never get out of the house without an infant and/or toddler! I was only in NOVA to begin with because that's where I found a job after I met said Maryland boy back in 2004...
