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If that's the case, then what I recommend is getting a place as close to your job as possible so you can spend time with the wife and kids. Being close to the job is really what you want, anyway. Tell us where your job is, and then we might be able to help you find a place you'll like.
If you don't have a job and thus can live anywhere, I recommend Maryland.
I'm in Japan. Thanks for the concern though.
Actually I am just trying to get a sense of the entire DC area through the internet, as I can't physically be there to do so. When I go back to the States, DC is up there as a place to consider relocating to.
Actually, more than anything, I am just 'gathering information' through this thread and whatever else on city-data. Obviously being an expat abroad, you get the entire spectrum of density and safety and convenience all packaged together quite easily - I've lived in about six countries, and been to close to 40. So, just slowly accepting the fact that in DC and many American cities it's an 'either/or' choice, and they don't come together...I mean, it's a given if a person is just in the States all the time...but not an easy concept when the US is really the exception that runs against the grain of most of the rest of world with the 'inconvenient/safety' vs. 'convenient/dangerous' mutually exclusive bubbles of living.
I'm just trying to find a place somewhere in the DC area that those mutually exclusive enclaves somehow overlap or come to close to overlapping that allow for 'convenient/safe' that isn't in a solid 'high dollar tag' circle around it.
Obviously 'urban living' isn't the reason for considering DC. It's for JOBS and quite a few other factors.
Sorry, if this thread title appears to be a 'diss' on NOVA thread. I'm actually attracted to NOVA the most throughout DC...high asian population (I've been in Asia for years), safety (great for kid/wife), and convenient to DC jobs as well as whatever other jobs that seem to be in the NOVA or MoCo areas. That's actually the reason I keep posting over here
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OKAY...back to ARLINGTON...I really am interested in NOVA.
Calidium, thanks for the great photos you are sharing - Fairfax City, etc. as well!
Many of the Vietnamese businesses were, in fact, priced out of Clarendon due to higher rents that came with the redevelopment of Arlington. The good news for the region is that a large number relocated to Eden Center in Falls Church, which is basically a giant strip mall that contains the largest concentration of Vietnamese businesses on the East Coast and is a really interesting place to visit.
In terms of housing, many Vietnamese in the area now live in small SFHs that were built immediately after WWII in Fairfax County (many with Falls Church and Springfield addresses). The heaviest concentration is in the Falls Church HS area, followed by the Baileys Crossroads, North Springfield and Chantilly areas. If you check the student directories for Falls Church or Stuart HS, you'll find many more Nguyens than Smiths.
You might find this map interesting - it gives you a feel for where the Vietnamese are concentrated in Fairfax County and the migration patterns.
In the past 10-15 years, it seems to me that Arlington has gotten increasingly Caucasian, at least when measured by the percentage, if not absolute numbers, of residents. We have some folks on here who know the Arlington demographics very well and might weigh in. The main data point I know is that the percentage of Asian students in the Fairfax schools (19%) is substantially higher now than the percentage in the Arlington schools (11%).
Tiger Beer - I don't know if your wife is Japanese, but you aren't going to find a particularly high concentration of Japanese (as opposed to Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese) anywhere in NoVa.
"If you don't have a job and thus can live anywhere, I recommend Maryland."
are we talking classic N Arlington vs bethesda dilemma? Cause I dont think theres anywhere else in MD (I have NOT been to Silver Spring lately) that compares.
Not really, since I don't know much about Maryland. I'm just passing the buck to another state, because I'm fed up with helping people move to Virginia when, from the very beginning, they're making it clear that what we are is not their cup of tea.
Moderator cut: Off-topic
BTW, this is not a comment on the OP, who seems like a nice person. It's simply that I have no intention of encouraging anyone to move here who longs to live in an urban area. If you want to live in an urban neighborhood, that's cool. But we're not urban. We never will be urban. We don't wish to be urban.
Last edited by bmwguydc; 09-18-2010 at 04:06 PM..
Reason: Let's stay on the topic of this thread and this poster, please. Thanks.
for japanese RE prices, I think its quite possible to get walkability and safetyin the USA, including in DC Though in those parts of DC (west of Rock Creek Park) most families with children use private schools.
for japanese RE prices, I think its quite possible to get walkability and safetyin the USA, including in DC Though in those parts of DC (west of Rock Creek Park) most families with children use private schools.
As as the crime map I posted in another thread shows, even those parts of DC are less safe than most of Arlington.
"So, even though you seem like a nice person, I have no intention of encouraging anyone to move here who longs to live in an urban area. We're not urban. We never will be urban."
Alexandria has been urban for 200 hundred years. Lots of folks move here for jobs, or for the schools. I dont like kvetching either. But there are already areas are where there is a high degree of what many people want out of density - areas like Old Town Alexandria and North Arlington. There are other areas that will soon have many of those desirable qualities - many parts of South Arlington (columbia pike, shirlington, etc) Old Town fairfax, certain areas near the Vienna Metro, and of course Tysons. There are also other areas with high density, but lacking in walkability, that would be much more livable if they were better laid out, like the Landmark area of Alexandria.
As as the crime map I posted in another thread shows, even those parts of DC are less safe than most of Arlington.
Upper NorthWest may have more burglaries per capita than North Arlington. The OP was saying that he feels he cant get safety and convenience together in the USA. He wasnt necessarily saying he needs a near zero burglary rate, AFAICT.
Actually I am just trying to get a sense of the entire DC area through the internet, as I can't physically be there to do so. When I go back to the States, DC is up there as a place to consider relocating to.
Actually, more than anything, I am just 'gathering information' through this thread and whatever else on city-data. Obviously being an expat abroad, you get the entire spectrum of density and safety and convenience all packaged together quite easily - I've lived in about six countries, and been to close to 40. So, just slowly accepting the fact that in DC and many American cities it's an 'either/or' choice, and they don't come together...I mean, it's a given if a person is just in the States all the time...but not an easy concept when the US is really the exception that runs against the grain of most of the rest of world with the 'inconvenient/safety' vs. 'convenient/dangerous' mutually exclusive bubbles of living.
I'm just trying to find a place somewhere in the DC area that those mutually exclusive enclaves somehow overlap or come to close to overlapping that allow for 'convenient/safe' that isn't in a solid 'high dollar tag' circle around it.
Obviously 'urban living' isn't the reason for considering DC. It's for JOBS and quite a few other factors.
Sorry, if this thread title appears to be a 'diss' on NOVA thread. I'm actually attracted to NOVA the most throughout DC...high asian population (I've been in Asia for years), safety (great for kid/wife), and convenient to DC jobs as well as whatever other jobs that seem to be in the NOVA or MoCo areas. That's actually the reason I keep posting over here
---
OKAY...back to ARLINGTON...I really am interested in NOVA.
Calidium, thanks for the great photos you are sharing - Fairfax City, etc. as well!
I haven't traveled as extensively as you have, but have traveled a bit, and think it should be factored in that the wealthy live close-in in many major cities (e.g., Tokyo, Paris, London), and the prices of homes are extremely high. So if you could afford that option, you have many, many choices in the US.
In DC and some other major US cities, there is more of a mix of housing prices close-in and further out. Not to oversimplify, but I think this is partly due to high gasoline prices and good, government-subsidized public transit in Europe and Japan, vs. the US. Some cities like London also impose a fee for driving in the mid-town areas. So, for example, it is much more costly there (@ $6+ per gallon of gas) than it is here to consider moving to a larger house in the suburbs if you have to drive into the city. And, you have a lot of options throughout the city (e.g., in Paris) because the metro goes so many places. In DC, the metro is limited, so people bid up the housing prices near the metro since so many of them use it to commute to jobs. One effect then is that more people find living in the city more desirable in some other capitals and major world cities. And, many even moderately upper middle class families in Europe maintain a smaller apartment in the city for use during the week, and move to their "country homes" on the weekends (for example, in parts of Norway, one in four families have a second home). This means they may settle for less space and no yard in the city, whereas in the US, families tend to have one home, so they want it to meet all their needs.
I'm saying this because I think you may want to ponder why DC and possibly other US cities may be different from what you've seen elsewhere and what the implications would be for your family.
Going back to your question about Arlington--I think the point some of us are trying to make is that you have choices in Arl. If you want to live in a moderately high rise near a metro, you can find that, for a somewhat lower price than a comparable place in DC, and there will be a lower crime rate and better public schools, and more responsive public services, near your apt. in Arl. If you want a single family home with a yard, you can find that in Arl. also.
DC is unique relative to many other cities in its restrictions on the heights of buildings. This makes DC and close-in living relatively expensive, because it limits the supply to meet the demand. An upside is that it is a much lighter and brighter and possibly greener city than many others of comparable size (your sun isn't blocked by the skyscraper next door).
One other factor is that, as an Arlington resident, I am often struck by how many DC and MD license plates are in the parking garages of grocery stores, retail stores, etc., in Arl. This suggests to me that the District neighborhoods still aren't fully fleshed out and self-sustaining, because people have to drive or metro to do even routine shopping. My sense is that this is a big difference with NY, for example.
This may seems like a strange source but you might go to YouTube and check out Remy's poking fun at the areas of Arlington where younger professionals tend to live and play (Clarendon, Ballston--also Pentagon City but I don't think he includes it in his video).
Another good source is the Arlington County website. It explains the philosophy behind the planning that city officials have done and what is intended in the future.
If you want to be near DC, you could do much worse than Arlington. If you can find a place in Rosslyn, for example, you would literally be a short walk across Key Bridge into Georgetown. There's even a shuttle bus that runs between the Rosslyn Metro and DuPont Circle Metro stops, so you can get to destinations in DC along its route quite easily.
There are plans for increased density in Arlington, too. I know that between Courthouse and Rosslyn, the last stretches along Clarendon Boulevard are planned for new development. Currently, there's a large open parcel on the south side of Clarendon, and a smaller one just to the north that will be developed.
The other thing to consider is what city experience you are trying to replicate. If you're looking to replicate New York, for example, even DC falls short, IMO, but then I'm a little biased in favor of New York...
The Vietnamese did move to Falls Church, which is where the Eden Center was established. It's the extreme western end of Wilson Boulevard, so they moved a couple of miles. When they came in the 1970s, the rents were inexpensive on Wilson due to a few factors, not the least of which was Metro construction of the Orange Line. When the line was finished, and the density began to increase, the rents followed suit, so many of the businesses moved west.
Since you have a child, there are some areas in North Arlington that might work better than others. I know people with children who live near Clarendon, specifically because it's a more family-friendly neighborhood. Most people I know in Arlington with children, however, tend to live off the main Metro line corridors. Areas off Washington Boulevard, for example, near Virginia Hospital Center, or North Arlington closer to McLean (Chain Bridge Forest, Country Club Hills, Williamsburg) are where the majority of people I know with children live, but they want single-family housing, and don't want to be around the post-college/young professional scene in the denser parts of Arlington.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
"If you don't have a job and thus can live anywhere, I recommend Maryland."
are we talking classic N Arlington vs bethesda dilemma? Cause I dont think theres anywhere else in MD (I have NOT been to Silver Spring lately) that compares.
I've been researching MD quite a bit....frankly VA just seems MUCH more attractive.
Bethesda is too expensive...and Rockville and up seem too far away. The rest of Maryland seems like an extension of DC...the negatives of DC without any of the proximity positives.
VA is closer to the best of DC as well.
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Though in those parts of DC (west of Rock Creek Park) most families with children use private schools.
