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I would give my right arm to move back to the Midwest.
The diversity everyone talks about here just means that the people are balkanized and have little in common. It is dog eat dog here with tons of TYPE A types who work 12 to 14 hours a day. Wealth and Power are more important in the DC area. than family or friends. Most people are more interested in their career than anything else. Lots of snobs.
The only thing better here is all the neat places to visit for day or long weekend trips.
this is exactly why i'm looking to leave the area. after nearly 26 years, i'm fed up with it here.
its all about the $$$ and power. if you don't have it, you're a nobody here
people here live to work. most other places, people work to live
this is exactly why i'm looking to leave the area. after nearly 26 years, i'm fed up with it here.
its all about the $$$ and power. if you don't have it, you're a nobody here
people here live to work. most other places, people work to live
I know I won't convince anyone who holds these views (and won't try), but to the OP, who hasn't had a chance to have first hand experience, I want to offer a different view.
Yes, there are climbers here. There are a lot of them. But there are a lot of people here, and huge diversity of lifestyles. There are a lot of people who are happy or want to be in their lives, including work, in their hobbies, with their families and friends, etc. If you aren't a person who is overly concerned with $$$ and power, and aren't in fact someone who wants to be "top dog" etc., then you will not care that others do, except to the extent that you may have chosen a work place where it's hard to avoid those people or you may have to suck up to them at some stage of your career just to keep your job. In that case, you'll find ways of dealing with the bad along with the good, or maybe you will look for a different workplace.
In your personal life, you will find many like-minded people here, if you look for them.
Well ...I think we're kidding ourselves if we don't think there are proportionately a lot of Type A personalities here. There are more Type As per capita here than just about anywhere except the NYC metro area (and NYC blows us away in that regard!).
jsump, I think your overwhelming impressions of the area will be that it is more trafficky and probably less upscale-looking than you expected, given the high average incomes here. But I also suspect you will find it a nice place to live and to raise kids. I suspect you will be impressed by the public schools, which are very good beyond the excellent test scores. Generally the teachers and administrators are impressive, parents are committed and involved, and the extracurricular activities and special education services are very high quality.
Your budget is fine and there are several areas that will meet your needs for family friendly, safe, and good schools. If you live close in, being right near Metro is less of a concern. I'd recommend taking a look at housing availability and then asking again about specific neighborhoods once you've narrowed your choices a bit.
Last edited by FindingZen; 02-02-2012 at 08:02 AM..
Reason: report a post or DM a moderator with your concerns
I know I won't convince anyone who holds these views (and won't try), but to the OP, who hasn't had a chance to have first hand experience, I want to offer a different view.
Yes, there are climbers here. There are a lot of them. But there are a lot of people here, and huge diversity of lifestyles. There are a lot of people who are happy or want to be in their lives, including work, in their hobbies, with their families and friends, etc. If you aren't a person who is overly concerned with $$$ and power, and aren't in fact someone who wants to be "top dog" etc., then you will not care that others do, except to the extent that you may have chosen a work place where it's hard to avoid those people or you may have to suck up to them at some stage of your career just to keep your job. In that case, you'll find ways of dealing with the bad along with the good, or maybe you will look for a different workplace.
In your personal life, you will find many like-minded people here, if you look for them.
I wish I could rate you again.
This is a busy and expensive area but it hasn't stopped me from doing the things that I want to do. Those here who are complaining about people with $$$ and power have nothing better to do with their time and are probably asking for that themselves. People these days are way too sensitive and insecure about themselves and others. There will always be those kinds of people wherever you go. There are loads of people who don't need that and would prefer to go their own ways.
And to add, I live in Bethesda which is an area I very much like and live and I can walk/bike/metro to many places, but unlike most of the people here our whole family doesn't make 6 figures but we can still manage to make it (we might move to Rockville as our rent will go up). Sure their might be a number of snobs here but which place doesn't? It hasn't bothered me and I don't care much about how they live.
This is a busy and expensive area but it hasn't stopped me from doing the things that I want to do. Those here who are complaining about people with $$$ and power have nothing better to do with their time and are probably asking for that themselves. People these days are way too sensitive and insecure about themselves and others. There will always be those kinds of people wherever you go. There are loads of people who don't need that and would prefer to go their own ways.
And to add, I live in Bethesda which is an area I very much like and live and I can walk/bike/metro to many places, but unlike most of the people here our whole family doesn't make 6 figures but we can still manage to make it (we might move to Rockville as our rent will go up). Sure their might be a number of snobs here but which place doesn't? It hasn't bothered me and I don't care much about how they live.
Agree. There is a lot of silliness on these boards that I don't feel really reflect my experience in this area. I moved here last year from St. Louis. You might think in a lot of ways it is way different than here but not really. There are plenty of nice, down to Earth people here. Even those evil type-A ladder climbers can be quite nice. Most people are respectful and pleasant enough.
I don't want to be mean but a lot of the whiners really sound like grown up children to me. "Wahhh people here are so mean! why aren't they more NICE TO ME!" Really, you don't need anyones validation or attention. You made the decision to move here or stay here. If you need a slow-paced lifestyle where you know everyones name and business, then there are many options for you in this great country of ours. But don't expect to move to the capital city of the most influential and powerful country in the world and expect it to be Mayberry. That is just delusional.
I don't want to be mean but a lot of the whiners really sound like grown up children to me. "Wahhh people here are so mean! why aren't they more NICE TO ME!" Really, you don't need anyones validation or attention. You made the decision to move here or stay here. If you need a slow-paced lifestyle where you know everyones name and business, then there are many options for you in this great country of ours. But don't expect to move to the capital city of the most influential and powerful country in the world and expect it to be Mayberry. That is just delusional.
Classic. Whenever a person says something like "I don't mean to offend, but..." it is nearly guaranteed that in fact they do want to offend, or be mean with the comment they are about to say.
Oversimplifying the nature of situations for people who have had the audacity to be unhappy in DC/NoVA and calling people delusional is not attractive or insightful. It merely illustrates the peculiar brand of arrogance that is at home in DC.
You can be unhappy here, and you can be unhappy anywhere. I'd be miserable if I moved to Alaska because I hate cold weather. But I wouldn't move there and then post incessantly about how I hate it because it's cold. What did I expect, I moved to Alaska!
other than a good economy and job market, this area doesn't provide a whole lot in return.
no one is whining about people not being nice to them. i don't see any posts that say that. no one is looking for attention, just breaking down how little this area has to offer unless you want to climb the ladder and deal with type As.
however, its a fact that a lot of people have superiority complex in this area big time. its all about who you know and what you do.
i have a good career and make good money, but will gladly take a pay cut when I move. life here isn't that enjoyable after nearly 3 decades and witnessing the transition this area has undergone. leesburg really was a laid back country town not long ago. not any more to say the least.
the grass really is greener elsewhere regardless of how many people defend this area. make a list of pros and cons of the area and you might be surprised. the OP will be in for some culture shock and a rude awaking when they move here
Thank you all for addressing my wife's questions/concerns. I especially appreciate expression of pros and cons from a local perspective.
I chose to relocate my family to the area; primarily because of abundance of career opportunities. Those of you who have experienced cutbacks and layoffs, while becoming what's considered "protected class" in this economy can understand. Equally, I want to provide more opportunities for my children to explore their gifts. My son seems to be taking an interest in science; drama/acting/modeling for my daughter.
While I personally, am somewhat driven, our personal/professional experiences have made us a very routed and grounded family. No concern with being drawn in to "keeping up with the Joneses!!!" Our primary focus is ensuring the best of opportunities be available to our children.
That being said, if someone can offer guidance regarding science and arts opportunities for children, it will be greatly appreciated.
other than a good economy and job market, this area doesn't provide a whole lot in return.
no one is whining about people not being nice to them. i don't see any posts that say that. no one is looking for attention, just breaking down how little this area has to offer unless you want to climb the ladder and deal with type As.
however, its a fact that a lot of people have superiority complex in this area big time. its all about who you know and what you do.
i have a good career and make good money, but will gladly take a pay cut when I move. life here isn't that enjoyable after nearly 3 decades and witnessing the transition this area has undergone. leesburg really was a laid back country town not long ago. not any more to say the least.
the grass really is greener elsewhere regardless of how many people defend this area. make a list of pros and cons of the area and you might be surprised. the OP will be in for some culture shock and a rude awaking when they move here
Probably the only other places in the US that I would like to live is in the Mid-Atlantic region and somewhere near the coast of California. To say this area doesn't have a whole lot in return is an understatement. There will be people who are still gonna want to climb that ladder regardless of where you go as well as type As too. I'm not sure about this whole superiority complex thing because I see that as a national thing, where people all around the US will still call this the best country in the world, when it really isn't since there are many things going wrong in the US when it comes to its government, relations with other countries and how values, morals and etc have gone down the hill and a slew of other things. I can't speak for Leesburg since I don't go there very often but I do know it is a nice place.
All of us are going to deal with people and things we don't like, whether its type A's, snobs, workaholics, gov, w/e. Do your own thing and worry about what matters to you the most.
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