Northern Virginia - The good, the bad, and the ugly! (An opinion thread)

[ny2dc]

Hey Reston your thread hit on alot of points I can comment on.
Today my wife and I took a walk for the 1st around our condo in the Tysons area and everyone we walked passed said hello/hi or smiled. In NYC that rarely happens not because we are rude just the result of living in a fast paced city. I can't say people here are rude maybe a little standoffish for various reasons.
Number 2, Fairfax is cheaper than NY. You get more for your dollar here. When it comes to traffic all major cities I visited have traffic woes. At least the tolls here are cheap, in NY the GW Bridge is $8 the Verranzanno is $11. Your threads do invoke thought I commend that

[normie]

Originally Posted by JEB77

In my book, it's sad that there are so many people here now who really are only here now for jobs, and spend a lot of time obsessing over how they could have a better life somewhere else and assuming they could earn a similar or only slightly lower salary in the other location. .

Amen! I'm looking forward to the time when jobs can be found all over the country again and Nova's no longer the "flavor of the month." It'll be nice when things get back to normal, and when people move here because they want to be here.

Originally Posted by JEB77

I don't think I would have been very happy living in Fairfax in my early 20s (and it was a lot less crowded then than it is today). So I didn't - I lived in other states and cities instead and only returned to the burbs when Mrs. Jeb got fed up with city living (as only those who survived the Marion Barry era in DC can fully appreciate).

In my book, it's sad that there are so many people here now who really are only here now for jobs, and spend a lot of time obsessing over how they could have a better life somewhere else and assuming they could earn a similar or only slightly lower salary in the other location. Unfortunately, Fairfax happens to be the place where some have to come to terms with the fact that those ideal job/residence combinations don't always exist these days. Reality does bite sometimes, but you should try and make the best of it.

Nicely said, and very true. I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations and it's easy to feel gipped when reality hits--even more so these days as the tough economy is forcing us all to make more compromises than ever. But, that's just my opinion.

Nova isn't for everyone, and in particular it isn't the sort of place that appeals to a lot of 20 somethings. (Some like it, and there are plenty of them here--but it seems like a lot of people under 25 aren't happy here.)

I know a lot of young people come here for a job, and I appreciate that it seems impossible to find work in other cities right now. But I'm an optimist! I really believe that if you want to live somewhere else you can find a job. So if you're fresh out of school, I suggest trying someplace more hip, cheap, and artsy like Austin or Seattle. Don't get me wrong, I love living here. But I lived a lot of other places first before settling down here. Nova appeals more to people in their 30s and older.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your opinions RR. I do hope it isn't too long before you can find that dream job in Pittsburgh.