General Pointers If You are Moving To Northern Virginia (Amended with link to Photo Tours index) (Arlington: transplants, condos)

[SmerkyGrl]

Moderator's Note: Since this thread offers great pointers on the Northern Virginia area, I thought it would be beneficial to include a link to the master photo tours index thread that was kindly started by normie. Here's a link to the visual imagery that is NoVa. Enjoy!

//www.city-data.com/forum/north...oto-tours.html
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________________________

-Unless you live right across the street from or in the city of where you work, there will be no commute less than 30 minutes on a normal day.

-A typical studio or 1-bedroom starts at $1000. The only way you can find lower prices is if it is a private owner.

-Housing to own starts around 275k-300k with relatively crappy condos. No, we do not have 3 bedroom single family homes under 400k that are in liveable conditions.

-Yes Dingler, we do have illegal immigrants. No Dingler, not everyone that has light brown-dark brown skin is an illegal immigrant.

-Northern Virginia weather can be described as relatively balanced: we do have snow, there is a fall and a spring, and not to mention a scorching hot summer.

- If you are looking for nightlife for young people, a couple of places to check out include Ballston and DC.

- If you are looking for a small town feel, research City of Falls Church and Old Town Alexandria

- If you like stripmalls, you can live anywhere.

- We have plenty of diversity here though it is not often condensed in pockets (except Asiandale/Annandale). If you don't like diversity, you might want to reconsider moving here. If you do like diversity, sit tight, you will find the culture you seek as you settle in.

-You will come across a lot of whiners about how horrible Northern Virginia is so here are a few positive points to consider:

• Northern Virginia is very nature-friendly. Even in the most condensed of metropolitan areas, you are able to see various trees, flowers, and shrubs.
• World-class monuments and museums are within an hour's drive from you. So is shopping, the potomac river, small towns, and the capital of the United States
• Most of the residents in Northern Virginia and DC are transplants. You will not feel like a sore thumb newbie sticking out in the crowd---we have all experienced what you experience at some point in time.
• There are plenty of jobs to go around, as long as you have a college education. The tech industry here is booming, as are consulting firms in Tyson's Corner. There are even plenty of blue-collar jobs if you look hard enough.
• No, our traffic really isn't that bad. If you disagree, I suggest you move to Philly or LA.

...NoVa-ers, feel free to add more.

[cordaal]

Thanks for posting this!! My husband starts a job in Arlington on Nov 1 and our kids and I are moving right after Christmas, we appreciate posts like this!

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Another positive is the fact that NOVA has tons of beautiful parks - not all parts of the country have so many parks and where I am from (NJ) recreation centers do not even exist.

[lqda4]

When picking a place to live, closer is not always necessarily better. If you drive to work, you might be better off farther away but against rush hour traffic. If you work in DC, besides metro, also look into van/car pool or slugging.

...slug??!
Slug-Lines.com - Slugging and Slug Lines Information For Washington DC
Slug Lines (http://www.commuterpage.com/slug.htm - broken link)

[lchoro]

If you're not much into the Redskins, the best time to go to the health club or to the mall is when the Redskins are on TV. If they're not playing well, then this rule goes out the window after about six weeks into the season.

[dullnboring]

I have long held that there are no true ghettoes in Northern Virginia in the sense of an inner city neighborhood where you have to worry about wearing the wrong colors or being caught in a drive-by (and there aren't), but rather a handful of communities where petty crime is a bigger nuisance than others (vandalism, car break-ins, graffiti, loud music late at night, menacing looking thugs and wannabes loitering around, etc.) and should be avoided if possible but where you're still generally safe. These "rough" areas generally tend to still be low crime (on a national scale) and full of hardworking people. It's not really a drug-dealing welfare land. What some locals refer to as "ghetto" would qualify as middle class or working class in much of the rest of the country.

In a similar vein, I would like to say that while it gets a ridiculous amount of press coverage, apparently on a nationwide scale based on questions I've seen on this forum, there is very little gang violence or gang culture in the area, and the threat of MS-13 to the average person is miniscule and no more likely than in any other generic suburban area across the U.S.

[5stones]

If you are moving from an area where the avg 3000 sqft house cost $300k and it's less than 10 years old, YOU WILL NOT FIND COMPARABLE housing here. sorry that's just the facts.

YOU have to give up something. smaller older house close to work. Or the new sububria planned community with at least 60-90 from work. TH instead of SFH. condo instead of TH etc... small yard instead of 1/2 acre etc... think 500k instead of 300k

The avg commute for anyone living OUTSIDE the 495 loop is going to be at 60min. A good rule of thumb is to double your mileage...if you live 30miles from work it will be a minium of 60min on a good day.

If you are working in DC.... a 30 minute commute can only be found in your close in metro areas (Arlington etc...) or right in DC itself. Even if you live at the Ballston corridor 30min door to desk is hard... it will be more like 45min.

THE commute will be a hardship.... if this is a temp move ie govt etc... and you know it's only two years then a 90min isn't that bad. You know it's not forever. If you are here for the long haul 90+ will wear you down. For the stay at home mom with little ones... you will be a single parent 90% of the time. MY husband leaves at 6am and gets home at 7-7:30pm.

90% of the schools are good. 80% of the schools are EXCELLENT.

80% of the areas have low crime. 15% have moderate crime and 5% have heavy crime.

Housing is EXPENSIVE...affordable is a realitive term here...affordable by NOVA standards is not "affordable" in 75% of the country. If you want a non fix-up house for $400k look in Loudoun and Prince William counties. The are more affordable because they are futher away.

There is NO hidden gem in Fairfax county where sfh houses are 300k (and newer)and schools are excellent and crime is low. sorry.

I95 is a nightmare. rt50 is bad and rt66 is bad. rt 66 is HOV only inside 495 during rush hours.

Road improvements etc...take time and make bad traffic worse in the mean time.

Yes, someday if all the stars align the metro will service Loudoun county and we will all rejoice!

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

I have long held that there are no true ghettoes in Northern Virginia in the sense of an inner city neighborhood where you have to worry about wearing the wrong colors or being caught in a drive-by (and there aren't), but rather a handful of communities where petty crime is a bigger nuisance than others (vandalism, car break-ins, graffiti, loud music late at night, menacing looking thugs and wannabes loitering around, etc.) and should be avoided if possible but where you're still generally safe. These "rough" areas generally tend to still be low crime (on a national scale) and full of hardworking people. It's not really a drug-dealing welfare land. What some locals refer to as "ghetto" would qualify as middle class or working class in much of the rest of the country.

In a similar vein, I would like to say that while it gets a ridiculous amount of press coverage, apparently on a nationwide scale based on questions I've seen on this forum, there is very little gang violence or gang culture in the area, and the threat of MS-13 to the average person is miniscule and no more likely than in any other generic suburban area across the U.S.

I would agree with everything except for the drug part. No, the drug dealers aren't on the street corners anymore (they used to be in the late 80's in areas like Georgetown South in Manassas and Georgetown Village in Dumfries). However, drugs are rampant, they just arent done as obvious as they used to. Most people do drug deals in parking lots of strip malls and at bars like TGI Fridays. You would be surprised how much is really going on. You also have to realize you are looking at it from the eyes of an adult (im assuming you are an adult). The schools have gotten A LOT worse than they have been in a long time. Some kids are terrified to go to school for fear of getting jumped by various gangs in the area. A lot of illegal immigrants children and bullied into joing gangs like MS13, SUR13 and SSL. If they don't join they get beat up and tormented. It really is ashame and has ruined the lives of a lot of good kids.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I agree about the crime and gangs - I lived in the Princeton NJ area in an upscale neighborhood and Trenton was right down the road and there was a gang SHOOTING almost EVERY night. Nothing in Fairfax County even comes close

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by SmerkyGrl

-Unless you live right across the street from or in the city of where you work, there will be no commute less than 30 minutes on a normal day.

-A typical studio or 1-bedroom starts at $1000. The only way you can find lower prices is if it is a private owner.

-Housing to own starts around 275k-300k with relatively crappy condos. No, we do not have 3 bedroom single family homes under 400k that are in liveable conditions.

-Yes Dingler, we do have illegal immigrants. No Dingler, not everyone that has light brown-dark brown skin is an illegal immigrant.

-Northern Virginia weather can be described as relatively balanced: we do have snow, there is a fall and a spring, and not to mention a scorching hot summer.

- If you are looking for nightlife for young people, a couple of places to check out include Ballston and DC.

- If you are looking for a small town feel, research City of Falls Church and Old Town Alexandria

- If you like stripmalls, you can live anywhere.

- We have plenty of diversity here though it is not often condensed in pockets (except Asiandale/Annandale). If you don't like diversity, you might want to reconsider moving here. If you do like diversity, sit tight, you will find the culture you seek as you settle in.

-You will come across a lot of whiners about how horrible Northern Virginia is so here are a few positive points to consider:

• Northern Virginia is very nature-friendly. Even in the most condensed of metropolitan areas, you are able to see various trees, flowers, and shrubs.
• World-class monuments and museums are within an hour's drive from you. So is shopping, the potomac river, small towns, and the capital of the United States
• Most of the residents in Northern Virginia and DC are transplants. You will not feel like a sore thumb newbie sticking out in the crowd---we have all experienced what you experience at some point in time.
• There are plenty of jobs to go around, as long as you have a college education. The tech industry here is booming, as are consulting firms in Tyson's Corner. There are even plenty of blue-collar jobs if you look hard enough.
• No, our traffic really isn't that bad. If you disagree, I suggest you move to Philly or LA.

...NoVa-ers, feel free to add more.

You make a lot of good and helpful points. I disagree with the illegal immigrant part though. They have affected many areas in Northern Va.