Who is NOVA? (Fairfax: lawyers, neighborhoods, contractor)

[novaplanter]

My wife and I are planning to move down from Philadelphia next summer, and discovered this site just a few days ago. It has been an INCREDIBLY valuable and informative resource for us! Naturally we wanted to ask folks about housing, neighborhoods, costs, etc only to find that all our questions and concerns were already addressed in previous posts. This our first post, but you all should know there are probably countless others who anonymously benefit from your inputs here - so thanks!!

One question we still have is more social ... what are the people like in the area? What words would you use to describe the personality of the region? What are y'all like?

Probably too broad a question... but just trying to get a pulse on who our future neighbors will be

[gomason]

It's definitely more white collar than Philly. Lots of type-A people who are stuck up and unfriendly.

[PK12]

The NoVa of today has an eclectic mix of folks from all over the country, and all around the globe.

You will find all kinds of people here with all kinds of personalities and interests.



Why dont you tell us more abt yourself, in terms of social interests etc?

[someyoungguy]

Lots of people from lots of places with lots of cultures and lots of personalities.

[Middlin]

I grew up here, but I would have to say 90% of my neighbors and friends are from somewhere else. If I had to use one word to sum up people around here, I would say "busy". SOme people interpret this as unfriendly, but this is an area where people move for their careers and commutes are long. Where will you be working and looking to live?

[Fundman]

Northern Virginia is probably the highest educated, highest household income area in the country. Fairfax and Loudoun Counties top the list every year. More lawyers, people with Master's degrees than anywhere else. Lots of immigrants and racial diversity as well. Most people have a family member who works for the federal govt., is a government contractor, is a retired govt employee, or former military. While the area leans Democratic largely because of the federal govt influence, it is rather conservative on some social issues like gun ownership.

[NovaOne]

Northern Virginia is more culturally diverse than Philly, IMO. The pace here is faster, cost of living is higher, it's the ideal place for people who wants to advance their careers. You can also live an average life here - you can do that anywhere, but there are probably places better suited to that than northern Virginia.

People are polite for the most part. But keep in mind in any major city, as is the same with Philly, people don't stop or slow down to acknowledge strangers because there's just too much people around.

There is also a huge span of income levels and social classes, so people tend to only socialize within their own circles. Moving up through the social classes through the years, I've made new friends while lost some old friends. But this again is the same with any major city.

The one thing I would say about Northern Virginia is that the area is very practical. There is not a lot of flash or glitz. In fact it can be down right boring for some. People pretty much goes about their day getting stuff done and that's it. You'll have to dig a little to find what the area has to offer to you. But the good news is that as with any large city, there's a lot of variety in the area.

[mcleanexec]

NoVa feels like a northern city. Very educated and international. There are upscale neighborhoods in NOVA where English is not the primary language.

Where are you from? I never heard anyone in Philly say ya'll?

Also what will my neighbors be like? You do realize that NoVa is large, spanning several counties right?

[novaplanter]

Great feedback guys, my wife and I are poring over them now... Appreciate all your viewpoints. The words I keep reading are "educated" and "diverse."

Yes not from Philly... but not from the South either so I'm not sure where "y'all" came from...

"Also what will my neighbors be like? You do realize that NoVa is large, spanning several counties right?" Sarcasm highlighting my stupidity... a sampling of what to expect from the educated elite down there?

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by novaplanter

"Also what will my neighbors be like? You do realize that NoVa is large, spanning several counties right?" Sarcasm highlighting my stupidity... a sampling of what to expect from the educated elite down there?

Nah, that's just message boards in general.

Do you have any ideas yet of what county you will start your housing search?