Can Fairfax Afford to be an Immigrant Sanctuary County? (Arlington: home, neighborhoods)

[PetaltoMetal]

Originally Posted by Tone509

With Tysons, Dulles among other major job centers across the county, the odds of households packing up for Loudoun (whose eastern half is the only relatively affordable section) or Prince William (which some may feel has a perception issue regarding its Hispanic residents) seems pretty low from my perspective.

Loudoun grew by 83 percent in a decade (2000-2010) 312,000 people total. Loudoun is also the most affluent county in the country. This seems like a lot of people moving to me, and people who can afford to live where they want.

[I'm Retired Now]

Montgomery County MD Schools have gone way down hill, why not Fairfax? The same demographic change is impacting both places.

[PetaltoMetal]

Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now

Montgomery County MD Schools have gone way down hill, why not Fairfax? The same demographic change is impacting both places.

I agree. However, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and many posters seem to think that we're the goose with the golden egg. So here's an interesting pattern to show the flight that is going on.

Percent white/median family income, east to west. Prince George's County (MD) 15 percent white/median household income $70,000; Montgomery County 49 percent white/$92,000; Fairfax County 55 percent white/$104,000; Loudoun County 62 percent white/$112,000.

I'm not saying anything negative or positive about whites. It's just that this pattern has been happening all over the country, from Los Angeles County to New York state. The BOS should wake up and realize that they may want to keep people with money and not encourage the world's poor to move here.

[Darkseid]

Originally Posted by PetaltoMetal

Percent white/median family income, east to west. Prince George's County (MD) 15 percent white/median household income $70,000; Montgomery County 49 percent white/$92,000; Fairfax County 55 percent white/$104,000; Loudoun County 62 percent white/$112,000.

Prince William County is 65% white (higher than any of the above) and its median income is $95,531 (lower than Fairfax and Loudoun)

The BOS should wake up and realize that they may want to keep people with money and not encourage the world's poor to move here

Not sure what you want to see policy-wise, but as I stated, the affluent are still congregating in McLean and Great Falls in Fairfax; in Bethesda and Potomac in Mongomery Co; and Mitchellville in PG County.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by Tone509

Having recalled some of your other posts, am I correct to assume that you are being tongue-in-cheek?

I see the worst case scenario being perhaps (upper) class flight of a variety of ethnicities...but even that seems unlikely to me.

Yes, I was being tongue-in-cheek with that comment. This whole topic has everything to do with race (immigrants). If enough people start thinking like the OP, white-flight will happen. Maybe it's already happening. I moved to Ashburn, and almost everywhere looks new. How many of these people fled Fairfax County because of the growing population of immigrants?

[PetaltoMetal]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Yes, I was being tongue-in-cheek with that comment. This whole topic has everything to do with race (immigrants). If enough people start thinking like the OP, white-flight will happen. Maybe it's already happening. I moved to Ashburn, and almost everywhere looks new. How many of these people fled Fairfax County because of the growing population of immigrants?

To respond to both previous posts, the fact that people, and affluent ones, are leaping Fairfax County should be a concern to the Fairfax County supervisors. They should be trying to retain these people instead of making the county ever more attractive to the world's poor.

I don't know if you saw the thread about the ordinance that they are considering a zoning amendment that would allow the the BOS to place recovering drug addicts, illegal immigrants and others into every neighborhood. The strained school budget, which illegal immigration, poverty, and non-native English speakers play a large role in, affects even the affluent ares.

Policy? Stop being an illegal immigrant sanctuary. Don't (special exception) zone single-room (no bedroom) subsidized apartments into low-density neighborhoods. Change your priorities to retain the diminishing middle-class and the affluent. Stop trying to accommodate an endless stream of the world's poor.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by PetaltoMetal

Loudoun grew by 83 percent in a decade (2000-2010) 312,000 people total. Loudoun is also the most affluent county in the country. This seems like a lot of people moving to me, and people who can afford to live where they want.

I don't necessarily attribute that to class-based "flight". Many of the same people who are moving from outside of NOVA to Fairfax/Arlington/Alexandria are finding better housing values - and often more convenience to Tysons and Dulles commutes Homes are better value - than they would further in...at least relative to eastern Loudoun. Minimum lot requirements in western Loudoun and the resulting higher home prices would require higher income which could affect Loudoun's household income ranking.

I'm not saying that there isn't any current or potential future correlation between the increase in Loudoun County's overall population increase and the anecdotal increase in undocumented immigrants in Fairfax County. I just think that there are a lot of other factors at play. Your concern is duly noted.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by Tone509

I'm not sure if the rising student population in FCPS is directly related to an increase in undocumented immigrants who are non-native English speakers.

Fairfax County attracts people from far and wide due to its relatively stable economy and, yes, the schools. While I don't have statistics at hand, I would wager that the majority of those 15K students arriving annually are at least middle-class and are as likely to be from across America as they are to be from any other country.

That too may be a stretch. The Washington Post article that was posted in the other thread said something different that is contrary to this point:

During the past five years, the schools have seen a surge in student enrollment as the county continues to attract immigrants and families seeking a top public education. Enrollment has increased by 15,000 students since 2008, outpacing school funding from the county, schools administrators said. At the same time, populations of students taking classes for English as a second language and those who qualify for free and reduced-price meals — a measure of poverty — have climbed dramatically.

I don't think that should be understated. There is clearly a population that is moving to Fairfax that is not middle-class. I draw parallels with Montgomery County in Maryland, which is having a very similar issue.

The ‘great’ Montgomery County schools? They were once. Maybe they can be again. - The Washington Post

In the past 20 years, MCPS has gone from being a predominantly white, middle-class system to one that’s majority-minority and much more disadvantaged. Today, there are more Montgomery students who receive free or reduced-price lunches than there are students in the D.C. Public Schools.

Hispanics outnumber others in Montgomery early grades - The Washington Post

The new county numbers, released Tuesday, show that a school system widely known for its affluence and high-achieving high schools is home to a diminishing share of white students and a rapidly growing group of Hispanic students. The latest figures, from September enrollment, show that Hispanic kindergartners and first-graders represent 30.7 percent of students in those grades, outnumbering the next-largest group, non-Hispanic white students, who account for 30 percent.

Montgomery has about 620 Hispanic teachers, or 5.3 percent of the total, officials said. That number is up from 523 three years earlier. Officials said they have made an effort to focus on such hiring. They did not have data on how many bilingual teachers work in the school system.

In addition to the becoming more diverse, Montgomery has experienced a significant rise in poverty within its student population. Nearly 50,000 students — one-third of Montgomery’s enrollment — come from low-income families that qualify for free or subsidized school meals.

Is it really a coincidence that two of the wealthiest counties with the some of the traditionally highest performing schools in the nation are suddenly struggling with a influx of lower income students? Both places politically are very similar and are very accepting of illegal immigration. Look I'm not anti-diversity. Diversity should be organic, it shouldn't be a huge influx of people who need specialized services. If it did come, then it should be planned (as in producing housing/services for an expected population rather than being blindsided) and expected. The fact that these schools system seem unprepared for this issue, shows that both jurisdictions are ignoring a serious issue. It's very clear what the problem is, but the question is, how long are people going to continue to make excuses for what's happening?

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Tone509

I don't necessarily attribute that to class-based "flight". Many of the same people who are moving from outside of NOVA to Fairfax/Arlington/Alexandria are finding better housing values - and often more convenience to Tysons and Dulles commutes Homes are better value - than they would further in...at least relative to eastern Loudoun. Minimum lot requirements in western Loudoun and the resulting higher home prices would require higher income which could affect Loudoun's household income ranking.

I'm not saying that there isn't any current or potential future correlation between the increase in Loudoun County's overall population increase and the anecdotal increase in undocumented immigrants in Fairfax County. I just think that there are a lot of other factors at play. Your concern is duly noted.

You seem to be implying that western Loudoun is super expensive compared to Fairfax, Arlington or Alexandria. For the most part, it isn't. While there are some big estates in places like Middleburg, most housing in places like Leesburg and Purcellville is less expensive than housing in the first three jurisdictions, not more. Not because these are bad places, but because of their distance from the major job centers in DC and along the Tysons-Dulles corredor.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by PetaltoMetal

The cat is out of the bag now about Fairfax County schools. They are going downhill, and the real concern is that the county is heading into a period of decline. The schools take in 15,000 new students each year.

This is incorrect. FCPS increases enrollment by about 3,000 students per year or about 15,000 students in a 5-year period.

My FCPS - Community