NOVA 10 reasons to move, 10 reasons not to move (Alexandria, Tysons Corner: homes, job market)

[AustintoVA]

Hi,
Thank you for the input on my last post. I started reading posts on City-Data and found an interesting question (posted for another state)...Can you tell me 10 reasons to move to NOVA and 10 reasons not to move to NOVA? I'm very interested in what locals say. Thank you.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by AustintoVA

Hi,
Thank you for the input on my last post. I started reading posts on City-Data and found an interesting question (posted for another state)...Can you tell me 10 reasons to move to NOVA and 10 reasons not to move to NOVA? I'm very interested in what locals say. Thank you.

Let me forewarn you first that i hate NoVA but i'll attempt to be objective.

10 reasons to move to NoVA:
1. Great job market
2. Higher avg income than a lot of the US
3. Great public schools
4. A lot of diversity
5. Great shopping at Tysons
6. Attractions of DC close-by
7. Most areas of NoVA are safe
8. Expansive public transit system
9. Good (but expensive) colleges
10. Not boring

Boy, that was hard!!

10 reasons NOT to move to NoVA
1. Rude, self-centered, stuck-up people (nearly 70% of the people here)
2. Illegal immigrants are hugged espically inside the beltway and in MD
3. Some sections have become ESL only
4. Prohibitively expensive housing
5. Traffic is horrible in nearly every street
6. MS-13 is falling more in love with NoVA
7. 85% of drivers here drive either too fast of too slow
8. Non-democrats or non-liberals are not well thought of (i'm independent and moderate btw)
9. Anyone making under $40,000 here will likely have substandard living conditions.
10. Egos run wild here (the fairfax co. parents who bash Alexandria City Public Schools comes to mind)

[Zack]

As someone who does like living here, I'll do the best I can. I grew up in the Midwest so my views are based somewhat on that. These are in no particular order

Good
1. Near to a very nice big city
2. Good job market
3. Good public transit system
4. Meet a lot of interesting people here
5. Fairly tolerant area, particularly for minorities and foreigners
6. Ease of getting to other large cities (i.e. big airports, I-95, etc.)
7. Great outlet malls and pretty much any somewhat national store has a location somewhere in the DC area
8. Most any type of food you can imagine. Groceries for specialty, natural, and organic foods are cheaper than in low cost areas of the midwest
9. Good park system and very nice and extensive recreational bike trails
10. Great educational and cultural institutions (schools, universities, libraries, museums)

Bad
1. Housing is expensive
2. Ugly suburban sprawl development through much of the area outside the beltway
3. Traffic outside the beltway is awful due to not having a grid street pattern
4. Way out development means it takes a long time to get to an area in the country where there isn't a subdivision
5. State is unwilling to improve development zoning and traffic issues in the area
6. Great architecture in DC and part of Alexandria, but most of NoVa is nothing to write home about
7. Tough living for those without at least a Bachelors degree
8. Too much of NoVa looks the same, i.e. same style homes, exact same chain stores, same style office and apt buildings
9. Tysons Corner
10. State's Dillon Rule doesn't give the cities and counties a lot of room to make decisions for their region.

[roanoker 4]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

Let me forewarn you first that i hate NoVA but i'll attempt to be objective.

10 reasons to move to NoVA:
1. Great job market
2. Higher avg income than a lot of the US
3. Great public schools
4. A lot of diversity
5. Great shopping at Tysons
6. Attractions of DC close-by
7. Most areas of NoVA are safe
8. Expansive public transit system
9. Good (but expensive) colleges
10. Not boring

Boy, that was hard!!

10 reasons NOT to move to NoVA
1. Rude, self-centered, stuck-up people (nearly 70% of the people here)
2. Illegal immigrants are hugged espically inside the beltway and in MD
3. Some sections have become ESL only
4. Prohibitively expensive housing
5. Traffic is horrible in nearly every street
6. MS-13 is falling more in love with NoVA
7. 85% of drivers here drive either too fast of too slow
8. Non-democrats or non-liberals are not well thought of (i'm independent and moderate btw)
9. Anyone making under $40,000 here will likely have substandard living conditions.
10. Egos run wild here (the fairfax co. parents who bash Alexandria City Public Schools comes to mind)

Very good analysis of the region!! I would highlight #1 ...Rude, self-centered, stuck up people. I have encountered them on these threads when someone like myself from "downstate VA" tries to participate in the "Northern VA" forum. Too Bad!!

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

Very good analysis of the region!! I would highlight #1 ...Rude, self-centered, stuck up people. I have encountered them on these threads when someone like myself from "downstate VA" tries to participate in the "Northern VA" forum. Too Bad!!

There are a lot of great people in NoVa. I think this is a very unfair generalization. It is a large area, surely not everyone is rude and self-centered. There are rude people everywhere.

[goldenmom7500]

I like the lists above; I can't really add tooo much, so I'll just do my top reasons:

Reasons to move to Northern Virginia
o jobs, income, educated people, good schools

Reasons not to move to Northern Virginia
o there could be a better life elsewhere, if you don't want a really fast-paced life.

So really, it depends on your stage in life and what sort of lifestyle you want. If you want a great career and a "go-go" lifestyle, it's a great place. If you want a more sedate family life without the traffic jams, politics, and "keeping up with the Joneses", there might be other places. I loved it in my 20s, but now I'm just onto other things. But I still think it's a great place.

[WC44]

10 reasons NOT to move to NoVA
1. Rude, self-centered, stuck-up people (nearly 70% of the people here)
2. Illegal immigrants are hugged espically inside the beltway and in MD
3. Some sections have become ESL only
4. Prohibitively expensive housing
5. Traffic is horrible in nearly every street
6. MS-13 is falling more in love with NoVA
7. 85% of drivers here drive either too fast of too slow
8. Non-democrats or non-liberals are not well thought of (i'm independent and moderate btw)
9. Anyone making under $40,000 here will likely have substandard living conditions.
10. Egos run wild here (the fairfax co. parents who bash Alexandria City Public Schools comes to mind)

WOW! Sounds EXACTLY like Los Angeles! Maybe I won't be so homesick after all! Ha ha

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

Let me forewarn you first that i hate NoVA but i'll attempt to be objective.

10 reasons to move to NoVA:
1. Great job market
2. Higher avg income than a lot of the US
3. Great public schools
4. A lot of diversity
5. Great shopping at Tysons
6. Attractions of DC close-by
7. Most areas of NoVA are safe
8. Expansive public transit system
9. Good (but expensive) colleges
10. Not boring

Boy, that was hard!!

10 reasons NOT to move to NoVA
1. Rude, self-centered, stuck-up people (nearly 70% of the people here)
2. Illegal immigrants are hugged espically inside the beltway and in MD
3. Some sections have become ESL only
4. Prohibitively expensive housing
5. Traffic is horrible in nearly every street
6. MS-13 is falling more in love with NoVA
7. 85% of drivers here drive either too fast of too slow
8. Non-democrats or non-liberals are not well thought of (i'm independent and moderate btw)
9. Anyone making under $40,000 here will likely have substandard living conditions.
10. Egos run wild here (the fairfax co. parents who bash Alexandria City Public Schools comes to mind)

You do realize that most of NOVA is democrat right???

[ahqanaut]

Originally Posted by novanative75

There are a lot of great people in NoVa. I think this is a very unfair generalization. It is a large area, surely not everyone is rude and self-centered. There are rude people everywhere.

As a transplant from a part of the state where people aren't quite so self-impressed I'd have to say that that took some getting use to...though there are certainly pockets of niceness...having material objects certainly helps grease the skids a bit! Seriously, taking a job with a great corporate culture and seemingly friendly/happy employees would be key to transplanting to the area. Or, uh, lots of money

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

You do realize that most of NOVA is democrat right???

yes, what do you think #8 on reasons not to move was about?