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I have a more generic comment about this question (and I am NOT trying to be snarky or critical): if Park Slope is very appealing, why not stay there? I understand there are other issues like jobs and family, but if one is really wedded to the idea of a place like Park Slope, would it not be better to stay put? One of the lessons my family and I recently learned is that it is very difficult to replicate one's preferences of an area exatly or even nearly exactly in another area. It's always going to come off second best when one tries to do that and unhappiness results.
I think most parts of NoVA will be a drastic change from Park Slope. I personally think that, for a young family, the benefits of moving to this area FAR outweighs the negatives. But that's just me.
Of course, many times one just cannot tell until one relocates and experiences the new area first hand. The OP might fall in love with some of the benefits of this area and never look back. Or she might regret and rue the move everyday until she moves back.
Finally, I completely agree that living as near to the job as possible is a very good idea here.
Wow, thanks so much for all the helpful info — and so quickly!
First, for the most part, we’ve outgrown what Park Slope (and Brooklyn, more generally… heck, even the whole of New York City) has to offer. Yes, we love our many coffee shops and ridonk bakeries, the beautiful brownstones and Prospect Park. But we do not love the confines of our small (albeit wonderful otherwise) apartment, or that we could never afford the kind of space we know our little one deserves. And we really don’t like being so far away from our loved ones.
My husband grew up in the D.C. area, and we spend a lot of time down there (as well as a lot of time trudging along the New Jersey Turnpike to do so), so this move would not be made as blindly as my original posting may have implied. Some family lives in Arlington, which I think we both find achingly suburban; other family lives in Great Falls, a wonderful place to get away. Neither half is too familiar with the area in which we’ve focused.
What’s important to us is being able to walk to stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, even if that means only one nice store, one great coffee shop, or one so-so restaurant. We have a preference for smaller businesses over large chains (and, yes, we’ve seen the monster box stores just outside Leesburg — how could you miss ’em?). A community that accepts diversity of all kinds is an important issue for us, as well as good to great public schools. As for housing, I just don’t want to bleed our savings dry, nor live in a house that’s too big for us. But we won’t be comparing wherever we end up to where we are now. We’re ready for the change.
Of the areas that are realistic given my husband’s job in Reston, Leesburg seems to meet more of our requirements than other areas. I’m absolutely game for other suggestions, and I really appreciate the thoughtful replies. Thanks again!
Wow, thanks so much for all the helpful info — and so quickly!
First, for the most part, we’ve outgrown what Park Slope (and Brooklyn, more generally… heck, even the whole of New York City) has to offer. Yes, we love our many coffee shops and ridonk bakeries, the beautiful brownstones and Prospect Park. But we do not love the confines of our small (albeit wonderful otherwise) apartment, or that we could never afford the kind of space we know our little one deserves. And we really don’t like being so far away from our loved ones.
My husband grew up in the D.C. area, and we spend a lot of time down there (as well as a lot of time trudging along the New Jersey Turnpike to do so), so this move would not be made as blindly as my original posting may have implied. Some family lives in Arlington, which I think we both find achingly suburban; other family lives in Great Falls, a wonderful place to get away. Neither half is too familiar with the area in which we’ve focused.
What’s important to us is being able to walk to stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, even if that means only one nice store, one great coffee shop, or one so-so restaurant. We have a preference for smaller businesses over large chains (and, yes, we’ve seen the monster box stores just outside Leesburg — how could you miss ’em?). A community that accepts diversity of all kinds is an important issue for us, as well as good to great public schools. As for housing, I just don’t want to bleed our savings dry, nor live in a house that’s too big for us. But we won’t be comparing wherever we end up to where we are now. We’re ready for the change.
Of the areas that are realistic given my husband’s job in Reston, Leesburg seems to meet more of our requirements than other areas. I’m absolutely game for other suggestions, and I really appreciate the thoughtful replies. Thanks again!
RE: Arlington: what we colloquially call "Orange Line Arlington" (for the Metro line that runs through it) is as high density as any urban downtown city. Due south from there as well as much of Alexandria is, to me at least, essentially an urban extension of DC.
NOVA may rival NYC in looking like the "United Nations" so no worries there. Fairfax County Public Schools are considered the "best" as a whole although Loudoun and Arlington Counties more than hold their own. Some Alexandria City schools are better than others although the one high school (TC Williams) receives the full socioeconomic spectrum of the city which some parents embrace and others opt out of.
$350K will be low; it may get you a decent older TH/rambler in some parts of Fairfax County as you seem to be prepared for. A SFH would need a fair amount of TLC.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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If you find Arlington "achingly suburban" then Leesburg would be downright Mayberry to you. NoVA is very suburban except for some spots - mainly Arlington, Alexandria, and possibly Falls Church City. There are a few suburban areas that have a "downtown" such as Herndon, Leesburg, Fairfax City, and Vienna - nothing that remotely resembles Brooklyn but you could live in walking distance to a coffeeshop, stores, and restaurant.
I think if you are working in Reston, I would definitely consider looking in Town of Herndon. It's the next town over from Reston and has a small downtown core. I have friends who live there and find many places to walk to. I would definitely rent first, since your child is only 1, you do not yet have to worry about schools or him having to move schools if you move. Leesburg is a good choice, too, although a bit farther from Reston. Vienna and Fairfax are probably too expensive.
The "downtown core" of Reston revolves around a contrived town center. Most of the rest of NoVA is very car-centric.
Some family lives in Arlington, which I think we both find achingly suburban; other family lives in Great Falls, a wonderful place to get away. Neither half is too familiar with the area in which we’ve focused.
What’s important to us is being able to walk to stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, even if that means only one nice store, one great coffee shop, or one so-so restaurant. We have a preference for smaller businesses over large chains (and, yes, we’ve seen the monster box stores just outside Leesburg — how could you miss ’em?). A community that accepts diversity of all kinds is an important issue for us, as well as good to great public schools. As for housing, I just don’t want to bleed our savings dry, nor live in a house that’s too big for us. But we won’t be comparing wherever we end up to where we are now. We’re ready for the change.
Of the areas that are realistic given my husband’s job in Reston, Leesburg seems to meet more of our requirements than other areas. I’m absolutely game for other suggestions, and I really appreciate the thoughtful replies. Thanks again!
The Arlington of the 80s and 90s with Sears, the Hecht Co., Penny's, strip malls, mini golf and bowling alleys has pretty much disappeared. The old art deco architecture in the Clarendon neighborhood has been restored, and the neighborhood has a thriving bar, cafe, and shopping scene. The single family neighborhoods in Arlington are still suburban although ridiculously expensive.
I think you will like Leesburg. Also look at Warrenton, another beautiful Piedmont town. I can't imagine what the commute to Reston would be like though. Old Town Manassas might be worth a look. I don't know much about the schools in any of these towns. In the more rural areas I think the high schools still have agriculture departments.
NOTHING anywhere in NOVA is like Brooklyn. Eat all the bagels, pizza and pasteries you can before you leave because food here will come nothing close to what you are used to. Traffic is horrible and you must plan your entire life around it. Most people here are very staight laced and not demonstrative at all - I miss the friendliness of NJ/NY people so much - people here are boring with no pizazz - no fun. Bland - not a terrible place to live - just plain bland - even in the city.
I know I sound very negative - you will have to see for yourself when you get here.
NOTHING anywhere in NOVA is like Brooklyn. Eat all the bagels, pizza and pasteries you can before you leave because food here will come nothing close to what you are used to. Traffic is horrible and you must plan your entire life around it. Most people here are very staight laced and not demonstrative at all - I miss the friendliness of NJ/NY people so much - people here are boring with no pizazz - no fun. Bland - not a terrible place to live - just plain bland - even in the city.
I know I sound very negative - you will have to see for yourself when you get here.
Dunno. NoVa has the diversity of Queens and, according to you, the social warmth of Locust Valley (a famously snooty suburb of NYC that gave rise to the expression "Locust Valley lockjaw"). Surely that takes a special talent.
Former NYer here as well (most recently Windsor Terrace)...I can't add much more than others but I know there are tons of people like us. Yes, there are draw backs (traffic) but a lot of positives (schools, jobs) outweigh them. Good luck.
Wow, thanks so much for all the helpful info — and so quickly!
First, for the most part, we’ve outgrown what Park Slope (and Brooklyn, more generally… heck, even the whole of New York City) has to offer. Yes, we love our many coffee shops and ridonk bakeries, the beautiful brownstones and Prospect Park. But we do not love the confines of our small (albeit wonderful otherwise) apartment, or that we could never afford the kind of space we know our little one deserves. And we really don’t like being so far away from our loved ones. [snip]
What’s important to us is being able to walk to stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, even if that means only one nice store, one great coffee shop, or one so-so restaurant. We have a preference for smaller businesses over large chains (and, yes, we’ve seen the monster box stores just outside Leesburg — how could you miss ’em?). A community that accepts diversity of all kinds is an important issue for us, as well as good to great public schools. As for housing, I just don’t want to bleed our savings dry, nor live in a house that’s too big for us. But we won’t be comparing wherever we end up to where we are now. We’re ready for the change.
Of the areas that are realistic given my husband’s job in Reston, Leesburg seems to meet more of our requirements than other areas. I’m absolutely game for other suggestions, and I really appreciate the thoughtful replies. Thanks again!
Now that I made my warning earlier, I am going to switch tunes and put the NoVA booster hat back on and say that, given what you wrote earlier, you may love the combination of suburban space and safety with the urban diversity that is NoVA. I echo others and suggest somewhere near Reston Town Center. Based on your description above, I also recommend looking into Brambleton, which was built to be more walkable than many other new areas of NoVA. It is also not too far form Reston. And it has a pretty diverse mix of people -- it is, however, a very family- and children-centric area, but I think that might be a positive for you.
At $350K, a SFH is probably going to be very tough, but you can swing a TH with a small yard, which will be MUCH bigger than anything at that price point in Park Slope. There are also nice playgrounds and community areas in Brambleton.
One thing you should keep in mind is that you CAN find NY-style amenities in NoVA contrary to what some say, but since the area is very decentralized with multiple core areas, you might have to drive to find some of the amenities you are used to in NY. But they are there (or here). You just have to look for them... or ask here on the forum.
NOTHING anywhere in NOVA is like Brooklyn. Eat all the bagels, pizza and pasteries you can before you leave because food here will come nothing close to what you are used to. Traffic is horrible and you must plan your entire life around it. Most people here are very staight laced and not demonstrative at all - I miss the friendliness of NJ/NY people so much - people here are boring with no pizazz - no fun. Bland - not a terrible place to live - just plain bland - even in the city.
I know I sound very negative - you will have to see for yourself when you get here.
Yes, because there is no traffic at all in NY/NJ and everyone is so friendly there.
As many of us debate endlessly on this forum, the food scene here is much better than it was earlier and getting better everyday. Name me a type of cuisine and you will be able to find it here. Heck, you can even find somewhat esoteric cuisines in the suburban areas of NoVA that you might not in Forest Hills or Bayside, not to mention Westchester. I find that combination much more convenient (how often do foodie snobs in Manhattan travel to Flushing to find new, undiscovered -- and much more authentic -- gems anyway?).
As for "boring" people with "no pizazz," that's rather subjective. I meet people from all over the world here (for example recently I met a Hindu -- yes, a Hindu -- guy from Kabul who gave me a fascinating conversation about the history of Hindu merchants in Afghanistan and how they survived the Taliban and I was actually visiting his English neighbor -- the friendly chap just started a conversation while I was waiting for his neighbor to arrive). And on the other side, I met plenty of very insular people in NYC who never left the city let alone the state and had that whole "I don't have to see the world, the world comes to me in NYC" attitude.
You make it sound like NoVA is Des Moines or something.
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