Manassas Job Interview...Could you live in Manassas on 100k?

[bmwguydc]

If you want a somewhat similar feel to Orange, though larger, and closer to the city, I would look at Warrenton. Warrenton is within reasonable commute distance of Manassas, especially if you are working non-standard hours and can avoid rush hour through Gainesville. Haymarket, Gainesville, and Catharpin are other areas that are close to Manassas where you may find a good place to live. On the Fairfax County side, you can always look at Centreville as well, which is not far from Manassas.

I can say that I am very thankful for those who know how to decipher the complicated systems that comprise the modern automobile, and many people in this area are the same. As long as you keep your house tidy, and other neighborly things, most people would not care where you went to school, what you studied, or what is your occupation, save that when they hear you are a BMW mechanic, you may get solicitations for "rough estimates" to fix whatever could be wrong with their car, increasing proportionally out-of-warranty, when some have trepidations as to how many figures the repair bill will be with a German car.

[Chitownbound711]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

Tough one to answer without knowing what the circumstances are.

Well I am relocating from the Chicagoland for my job, I have a choice between Herndon, and Manassas, I am 32 yr old African American male, I am married with 3 children, two brand new twin boys, and a 11 year old. My budget would be between 1100-1800 a month. I really wanna know the best city to live with my family thank you.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Chitownbound711

Well I am relocating from the Chicagoland for my job, I have a choice between Herndon, and Manassas, I am 32 yr old African American male, I am married with 3 children, two brand new twin boys, and a 11 year old. My budget would be between 1100-1800 a month. I really wanna know the best city to live with my family thank you.

$1800 would definitely go much further in Manassas - or Prince William County in general - than Herndon and Fairfax County overall.

As someone recommended for the OP(Original Poster), the Bristow/Haymarket/Gainesville region is said to be a family-friendly area with notable schools and great housing values in comparison. If you're looking to rent a SFH, you may still be looking towards the top end of your preferred budget. Renting in a TH community might be easier and is actually a popular option for families in this area as there are often common community playgrounds and the like. As a comparison, $1800 in Fairfax County would often merit a nicer 1BR apt or a decent 2BR apt. FYI, Northern Virginia is like the United Nations; no AA clusters like you might find over in Prince Georges County MD but the only division one might find here is over economic class...and it's fairly mild at that.

All of that said, I don't recall you saying to where the commute(s) would be? That makes a big difference as commutes can be a bear here, even (I would imagine) by Chicagoland standards.

[Chitownbound711]

Thanks for the advice, The jobs are directly in each city Herndon or Manassas in which I would only have to commute locally

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Chitownbound711

Well I am relocating from the Chicagoland for my job, I have a choice between Herndon, and Manassas, I am 32 yr old African American male, I am married with 3 children, two brand new twin boys, and a 11 year old. My budget would be between 1100-1800 a month. I really wanna know the best city to live with my family thank you.

I guess I more meant where is your job located and how well do you tolerate tough commutes. I know traffic is rough around Chicago so it won't be a shock here. I like Manassas as it's closer to the mountains and the outlying areas I love to visit. Herndon, like Manassas, has had a huge issue with illegal immigration but things seemed to have settled pretty well and you don't hear as much about it anymore. Again, knowing where your job will be located would make a difference on where you might live.

Whoops, guess I should have read one more post.

"Thanks for the advice, The jobs are directly in each city Herndon or Manassas in which I would only have to commute locally"

I guess it now depends on your budget. I see someone has already said the 1800 will go farther in Manassas and this is definitely true.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Chitownbound711

Thanks for the advice, The jobs are directly in each city Herndon or Manassas in which I would only have to commute locally

That's good to know. Assuming you went with Bristow etc., you would be joining the crush other I-66 commuters who head further in - unless others are aware of alternate routes - but at least, you'd be getting off relatively soon. A commute to Herndon wouldn't be too bad, either.

[FindingZen]

My take on the original question is, if I'm correct in understanding that you're a single person with minimal debt, you can definitely live comfortably in Manassas. While I haven't really been, Old Town Manassas is said to be one of the more lively areas in PWC if not "the" liveliest. If you're looking to buy in Manassas proper or possibly Manassas Park, a condo or TH should be no problem; on the other hand, if you're seeing homes, especially SFHs, that are priced less than comparables further out, that may be a sign that the perception or reality of the neighborhood is not so positive.

[steven r.]

I guess one last thing I should add is I'm the type of guy who just wants a happy peaceful life. I would be more prone to buying a country cottage home over a mini mansion, heck I wouldn't want to have to clean one of them things..lol.

I would also like making new friends and getting together for football or whatever. I don't drink, but don't care if others do. I like real people, not the phony type you would see on the Jersey Housewives or something. I'm open minded and would hang out with a Phd just as easily as I would hangout with the plumber. I don't really judge people.

Thursday is the interview, I'm sure commuting from Orange to Manassas Park is feasible until I decide on what part I may like to reside in. Again I do appreciate the feedback and found it to be very informative. Thanks again for all your replies.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by steven r.

I guess one last thing I should add is I'm the type of guy who just wants a happy peaceful life. I would be more prone to buying a country cottage home over a mini mansion, heck I wouldn't want to have to clean one of them things..lol.

I would also like making new friends and getting together for football or whatever. I don't drink, but don't care if others do. I like real people, not the phony type you would see on the Jersey Housewives or something. I'm open minded and would hang out with a Phd just as easily as I would hangout with the plumber. I don't really judge people.

Thursday is the interview, I'm sure commuting from Orange to Manassas Park is feasible until I decide on what part I may like to reside in. Again I do appreciate the feedback and found it to be very informative. Thanks again for all your replies.

I think that you will find that Prince William County residents, at least after returning from their generally long commutes, tend to be more laid-back than areas due north. (That's not to say that there aren't friendly people in Fairfax/Arlington/Alexandria.)