Comparing Northern Virginia to Southern California (Fairfax, Orange: appointed, home, neighborhood)

[vabound2012]

ChristineVA and CaliTerp07,
Thank you.
That is what I was looking for!
I can handle busy and traffic madness. I am okay with that and pretty busy, myself!

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

Unfortunately, I have never lived in So Cal and don't live in Fairfax or PW, so I can't address OP's question. However, I did want to chime to say that this small part of CaliTerp07's characterization fits some neighborhoods but definitely does not fit mine (in Arl. Co.). While people are busy (esp. with kids) many of us know each other, have been in each other's homes for parties and dinners, help when there are emergencies and health issues, etc. Some families have gone camping together. We aren't all BFFs (or at least no one has invited me to be) but it definitely is more than waving. One major reason may be that our houses are very close together, so we need to get along, and another is that most people have been in the neighborhood for 10 years--it's not very transient. So my advice would be if you are seeking a friendly neighborhood, or if you would rather that people keep a respectful distance, ask people when you are looking for a house or apt. It really varies.

I echo this (including I have never lived in So Cal -- but I do live in Fairfax County). All the folks on our street (cul-de-sac) know each other and help one another. Just this week a dog was hit by a car on a major nearby road and an eyewitness saw the dog run off to one of the side streets. The neighbors told one another and we had 20+ people walking through the neighborhood trying to locate the dog. (Yes, we did find the dog and got the vet.) I knocked on my neighbors' doors asking for help and there were no "who in the world are you?" comments, even at 8:30 p.m.

[CAVA1990]

Maybe it has to do with age. My neighbors are pretty much all over 40 and are well established in their careers, retired, or contemplating retirement. You'd have to work to be unsocial here as our HOA even has a social committee that puts on events just about every month.

[ChristineVA]

I live in one of those neighborhoods (PWC) that no one really *knows* each other. We've all been here about 18 years, we wave, but that's it. About twice a year my husband will have a conversation with one of the other men regarding the lawn or something. But people just stick to themselves. I would say people are unfriendly but just not social. I attribute to there never being a lot of kids in the neighborhood. When I moved it, I was one of the youngest people, with kids. Everyone one else was either retired or had much older kids. Not a lot of little kids, no one out on the street playing. Nothing. You just don't know what you're going to find when you move into a neighborhood. My neighborhood was relatively new so there was really no one to ask.

[irvine]

I personally don't care much for Prince William County, except for maybe Old Town Manassas and the Occoquan River where the high schools hold rowing regattas. I'd pick most of LA/Orange Counties and even parts of the Inland Empire/Riverside in a heartbeat over Prince William. In terms of geography, Northern Virginia doesn't compare. I could drive for hours on a Southern California freeway with the mountains and hills as a backdrop, but the roads along the east coast are dull and sleep-inducing.

The hundreds of small towns that make up Orange/LA/Riverside/San Bernardino Counties are far more attractive than your typical Northern Virginia subdivision. There are very few actual towns in Northern Virginia and the DC area in general, except for the old historic towns like Alexandria and Manassas. Some older neighborhoods in Arlington, Vienna, DC, and suburban Maryland do have that "small town feel" however. Don't expect to see downtown Orange, Fullerton, Pasadena, Redlands, San Clemente, or other typical, picturesque LA-area towns in Northern Virginia. It's all sprawl, and vastly inferior to your typical Laguna Niguel, Irvine, or Valencia subdivision.

DC itself is a vibrant, bustling, attractive city and Northern Virginia's economy is booming. Fairfax County is redeveloping around its Metro stations, following the lead of Arlington et al. So it's an exciting place to be, and the DC area is the envy of most US cities.

In terms of pubic transit, Southern California has much better commuter rail with Metrolink, Coaster, and the Amtrak Surfliner. VRE and MARC, the two DC commuter rail lines, don't operate on weekends and VRE has no midday service. DC's rapid transit Metro system doesn't go as far as Prince William County.

[Candicem]

I moved here a year and a half ago from south OC. It's a HUGE culture shock to me and I'm still adjusting. Summer has been miserable for me. Way too hot and humid. Lots of mosquitos and bugs everywhere. There are also wasps everywhere here and I don't remember seeing them very much in CA. I haven't seen any big swarms of bee's here though like they are in CA. Spring, fall and winter though are beautiful!
People are very busy here. I don't get that laid back, go with the flow, spur of the moment feeling with people here. Everyone is very formal and not very friendly. I have met a few nice people (not everyone is rude), but I'd say a lot of people are. They might not mean to be but that's just my opinion on that. I was a stay at home mom up until now (my youngest is starting K this year so I am working part time during school hours now), but I was always looked down upon for not working a full time schedule. I am also a part time professional photographer and people here just do not see that as a job. People here are very much into making money and going to work and they just don't have time to be friends with other people.
Traffic is also terrible! What should take 5 minutes to drive somewhere that is only 5 miles down the street can take up to 30-40 minutes.
But as much as I don't like it here, my husband kids love it. So, I am doing my best to not give up and still try to make friends and be happy. I am on the PTO of my kids school, if I'm invited to do something I will do my best to make sure I can go. I have set goals that I would like to meet in the next year and I am working on making those goals happen. I'm trying to make friends and keep myself busy so I can keep my mind off the bad things here.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by irvine

The hundreds of small towns that make up Orange/LA/Riverside/San Bernardino Counties are far more attractive than your typical Northern Virginia subdivision. There are very few actual towns in Northern Virginia and the DC area in general, except for the old historic towns like Alexandria and Manassas. Some older neighborhoods in Arlington, Vienna, DC, and suburban Maryland do have that "small town feel" however. Don't expect to see downtown Orange, Fullerton, Pasadena, Redlands, San Clemente, or other typical, picturesque LA-area towns in Northern Virginia. It's all sprawl, and vastly inferior to your typical Laguna Niguel, Irvine, or Valencia subdivision. .

Wow, I feel completely the opposite. Nowhere in NoVA is as hideous as the IE. So Cal is loaded with subdivisions of ticky tack stucco houses on postage stamp size lots. Almost all the trees there are planted as it's naturally a desert. I'll also take humidity over smog. If there were a river like the Potomac there, it would be overrun with recreational boaters. Here I can go out canoeing and it's pleasantly quiet and uncrowded. Southern California is only good along about a 20 mile wide coastal strip. The rest is a pit.

[irvine]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Wow, I feel completely the opposite. Nowhere in NoVA is as hideous as the IE. So Cal is loaded with subdivisions of ticky tack stucco houses on postage stamp size lots. Almost all the trees there are planted as it's naturally a desert. I'll also take humidity over smog. If there were a river like the Potomac there, it would be overrun with recreational boaters. Here I can go out canoeing and it's pleasantly quiet and uncrowded. Southern California is only good along about a 20 mile wide coastal strip. The rest is a pit.

I completely and vigorously disagree. First of all, the IE is not "naturally a desert." It is grassland / "coastal prarie." Some of the most beautiful towns and suburbs anywhere are in the Inland Empire and Inland Empire-adjacent LA County, in addition to your arbitrary 20 mile wide coastal strip. Claremont, which is framed by the San Gabriel Mountains and Mt. Baldy, has a beautiful downtown and large neighborhoods of Victorian, Craftsman and Mid-Century Modern homes. Also, Claremont and the nearby towns Upland, Glendora, and LaVerne have some of the highest concentrations of PHDs anywhere courtesy of the Claremont Colleges. The cities of Redlands and Riverside deep in the IE are beautiful places to live, and close to numerous outdoor recreational opportunities courtesy of the mountains and hills. One of my favorite workouts is a run up and over Mt. Roubiduax in the middle of Riverside. The views are spectacular at the top.

On the flip-side, I will admit that San Berdoo (the city) is a steaming pit with no redeeming qualities, but much of the surrounding IE is still agricultural--you can still smell the orange groves in Riverside. Like you, I am not too fond of the "stucco" home subdivisions scattered throughout parts of the IE, and Hemet... let's not even talk about that town. But the snow covered mountains in the winter, the grassy hills, covered in poppies in the spring, and beautiful towns like Riverside more than make up for the IE's deficiencies... The Christmas lights, animated figures, and the Christmas Market in Riverside centered around the historic Mission Inn remind me of similar celebrations in small European towns like Innsbruk.

And courtesy of Metrolink, most of the IE towns are connected by rail transit to downtown LA and Orange County on weekdays, weekends, and late nights.
______
I am a DC native and live here currently, so I am partial to DC in many respects, but I have family in LA (West LA), and have lived in Santa Monica and LA proper (Hollywood, Brentwood, and the emerging downtown/loft district).

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by irvine

I completely and vigorously disagree. First of all, the IE is not "naturally a desert." It is grassland / "coastal prarie." Some of the most beautiful towns and suburbs anywhere are in the Inland Empire and Inland Empire-adjacent LA County, in addition to your arbitrary 20 mile wide coastal strip. Claremont, which is framed by the San Gabriel Mountains and Mt. Baldy, has a beautiful downtown and large neighborhoods of Victorian, Craftsman and Mid-Century Modern homes. Also, Claremont and the nearby towns Upland, Glendora, and LaVerne have some of the highest concentrations of PHDs anywhere courtesy of the Claremont Colleges. The cities of Redlands and Riverside deep in the IE are beautiful places to live, and close to numerous outdoor recreational opportunities courtesy of the mountains and hills. One of my favorite workouts is a run up and over Mt. Roubiduax in the middle of Riverside. The views are spectacular at the top.

Grassland/Coastal prarie? Oh please. Unless it's changed since I grew up there, the only "grassland" is peoples' lawns and it's usually brown. I'll take Old Town ALX over Claremont or any of those IE burgs any day. One thing I'll give you is the food's better in So Cal.

[irvine]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Grassland/Coastal prarie? Oh please. Unless it's changed since I grew up there, the only "grassland" is peoples' lawns and it's usually brown. I'll take Old Town ALX over Claremont or any of those IE burgs any day. One thing I'll give you is the food's better in So Cal.

If it was desert there would be no wildfires. The desert really begins just before Palm Springs / Palm Desert. You can see the transition from grasses and scrub oak to desert on the 10 east of Redlands.

... and LA's got Farrell's, Shakey's and Bobs Big Boy. There are few things better than the hot fudge cake at Bobs.