Starting over...after a disappointing relocation from FL to elsewhere in VA. (Richmond: low income, apartment complexes)

[imgrateful]

Last year I relocated to Charlottesville and now realize the move wasn't a good one. Mainly, there are not a lot of single in Charlottesville and I've become bored and unhappy with my decision to move here. Due to long hours and demanding work schedule, trips to Richmond (1 hour away) are not very practical so seldom happen.

I've noticed how generous people have been in responding on this forum and now wish I had asked for help prior to my last relocation. Any suggestions/comments will be much appreciated as I have the next few months for planning.

I am single with adult children living in VA. It appears my time at work will be divided between Falls Church and Fairfax and I'd like to avoid spending much time in traffic. I own a vehicle but would like to take advantage of any public transportation available. I plan to rent for a couple of years to be sure I'm comfortable with the relocation and have a budget of around $1300. As a single woman, living in a safe area is paramount.

After all that's said, my main reason for relocation is quality of life, which for me must include being around other singles. I value diversity and have a progressive outlook.

Thank you for sharing whatever information you think will help me to have a better outcome this time around.

Imgrateful

[DCadvocate]

Originally Posted by imgrateful

Last year I relocated to Charlottesville and now realize the move wasn't a good one. Mainly, there are not a lot of single in Charlottesville and I've become bored and unhappy with my decision to move here. Due to long hours and demanding work schedule, trips to Richmond (1 hour away) are not very practical so seldom happen.

I've noticed how generous people have been in responding on this forum and now wish I had asked for help prior to my last relocation. Any suggestions/comments will be much appreciated as I have the next few months for planning.

I am single with adult children living in VA. It appears my time at work will be divided between Falls Church and Fairfax and I'd like to avoid spending much time in traffic. I own a vehicle but would like to take advantage of any public transportation available. I plan to rent for a couple of years to be sure I'm comfortable with the relocation and have a budget of around $1300. As a single woman, living in a safe area is paramount.

After all that's said, my main reason for relocation is quality of life, which for me must include being around other singles. I value diversity and have a progressive outlook.

Thank you for sharing whatever information you think will help me to have a better outcome this time around.

Imgrateful

Hello,

First off, if you are moving to Northern VA I do not recommend getting rid of your car and relying on public transportation. Although the metro system runs throughout the NOVA area, it still doesn't cover a many locations because everything is so spread out. Also, you may have to transfer to buses to get to where you need to go and sometimes the buses do not run like clock work. The weather conditions in this area can be harsh (scorching hot in the summer and frigid in the winter) this can be quite a torture waiting on a late bus in these types of conditions. With regards to neighborhoods for a single woman, I think you will find Falls Church and Fairfax to be filled with mostly families with children and some singles. These areas are very diverse and pretty safe. If you want a more active singles scene then I would consider the Arlington area (Calrendon, Ballston, Rosslyn) though here there are also a lot of young adults in their 20s taking part in the scene. There is also Alexandria, which I think would be your best bet. Your budget is a little low for Old Town, which I think would be ideal for you. However, you could probably find a nice studio or basement apartment just outside Old Town which would still give you access to Old Town. Look in areas along or just off Duke Street (going west into Alexandria and away from Old Town). You may also consider Del Ray which also has it's share of singles and still close enough to Old Town Alexandria. I hope this helps, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Good luck!

[CaliTerp07]

Alexandria is a great area, but an unnecessarily nasty commute to Falls Church/Fairfax in my opinion. I would suggest looking in one of those two areas, as traffic is a BEAR here. Any day you can minimize your commute is a good one. I worry that if you live in Alexandria and work long hours, you'll be back to not wanting to go out after work and a long drive home. (The previous poster is right that $1300 won't go far in Alexandria anyway)

$1300 is a little low for the safer parts of Falls Church (though with some searching you can probably find a place), but you should be able to find a 1 br apartment for that price in Fairfax. There is no metro there, though it's a short drive to the end of the orange line if you want to go out in DC on the weekends.

[imgrateful]

DCadvocate and CaliTerp07, thank you both very much for taking time to reply. Your insights are invaluable to me. My feeling is that Falls Church would be my choice over Fairfax, based on needing to maintain a moderate cost of living budget. I do plan to keep my vehicle and don't mind at relying on it to go between my 2 primary job sites. Taking the orange line to DC for weekends and events is also okay with me.

Do you have any suggestions for areas of Falls Church that are more desirable/un-desirable? This would be good to know. Again, thank you.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by imgrateful

DCadvocate and CaliTerp07, thank you both very much for taking time to reply. Your insights are invaluable to me. My feeling is that Falls Church would be my choice over Fairfax, based on needing to maintain a moderate cost of living budget. I do plan to keep my vehicle and don't mind at relying on it to go between my 2 primary job sites. Taking the orange line to DC for weekends and events is also okay with me.

Do you have any suggestions for areas of Falls Church that are more desirable/un-desirable? This would be good to know. Again, thank you.

The City of Falls Church is the highly coveted part. It has the (small, semi-) walkable downtown, farmers markets, city parks, etc.

There is a large portion of Fairfax County with a Falls Church mailing address that isn't actually in FC City. This area is pretty hit or miss, with a lot of low income housing, a high immigrant population, and areas with crime issues. Some of it's totally fine, other parts can feel sketchy (depending on your tolerance levels of such things).

[Gekkota]

How is the area around New Providence Drive? The street has a lot of pretty nice looking condos and is next to a lake. It is between Lee Hwy and Arlington Blvd., right inside the beltway. I am considering buying in that area, and would like to know whether it is a safe area. I appreciate any feedback.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

The City of Falls Church is the highly coveted part. It has the (small, semi-) walkable downtown, farmers markets, city parks, etc.

There is a large portion of Fairfax County with a Falls Church mailing address that isn't actually in FC City. This area is pretty hit or miss, with a lot of low income housing, a high immigrant population, and areas with crime issues. Some of it's totally fine, other parts can feel sketchy (depending on your tolerance levels of such things).

I think the City of Falls Church is probably the best part of Falls Church for a middle-aged single person looking for a rental and some degree of walkability, although there aren't a lot of apartments in the city.

As to whether it is the "highly coveted part" of Falls Church, that is in the eye of the beholder. The areas of Falls Church outside the city in Fairfax County vary, but there are many neighborhoods of single-family housing to both the northwest of the City of Falls Church (in the 22043 zip code) as well as to the south of the City of the Falls Church (in the 22041 and 22044 zip codes) where the residents generally have higher incomes and live in larger homes than is the case within the City of Falls Church. Many of the 22043 neighborhoods have a similar feel to McLean and North Arlington, whereas the 22041/22044 neighborhoods include the Sleepy Hollow/Lake Barcroft areas, where many of the houses sell for more than a typical home in the City of Falls Church.

The main difference is that some of the county residents who live in these upscale neighborhoods are bold enough to send their kids to school with children who live in less affluent parts of Falls Church, such as the Culmore/Baileys Crossroads area and some of the neighborhoods near Lee Highway east of Merrifield. In comparison, the City of Falls Church is a sea of middle-and upper-middle class homes, with relatively few lower-income properties, and the test scores at the City's schools reflect this.

[imgrateful]

Thank you JEB77 for taking time to comment. I appreciate the detail and it is exactly what I've asked; unfortunately, I'm a little confused based on the fact that I don't know where these neighborhoods are. Also, I will be a renter so I'm also confused as to whether you are agreeing that Falls Church is truly a wise choice, or not? Would you or would anyone else kindly comment? Many thanks.

[JD984]

I think Falls Church would be a good choice. I also agree that pretty much anywhere in the City of Falls Church is fine, and that you'd need to exercise more caution when it comes to neighborhoods in Fairfax County with Falls Church addresses.

In my prior post, I was only taking issue with the suggestion that the City of Falls Church is "the coveted part," when there are some neighborhoods of single-family homes in the county with Falls Church addresses that are very nice and that some folks might actually prefer over the City of Falls Church for various reasons (for example, the lots are often larger, there are neighborhoods of contemporary homes built in the 1950s in the county that can't be found in the City of Falls Church, and some people prefer the Fairfax County schools to the much smaller Falls Church City school system).

If it helps, I think that everything in the City of Falls Church is in the 22046 zip code. The zip codes for areas in the county with Falls Church addresses are in the 22041, 22042, 22043 and 22044 zip codes.

If you end up thinking about specific apartment complexes in Falls Church, I'm sure people would offer feedback on them as well.

[imgrateful]

JEB77, Again, thank you. This helps and I'm sure others will benefit as well.