Please help me appreciate NOVA (Alexandria, Manassas: home, middle schools, college)

[NOVAnite]

Honestly it just seems like you pay a lot to live in the middle of nowhere. Actual towns are really few and far between here. Manassas, leesburg, that's about it. Maybe its just hard to find a sense of community when you can't even really name the town you live in?

I dont know.

[Old Town FFX]

Originally Posted by NOVAnite

Honestly it just seems like you pay a lot to live in the middle of nowhere. Actual towns are really few and far between here. Manassas, leesburg, that's about it. Maybe its just hard to find a sense of community when you can't even really name the town you live in?

I dont know.

Are you trolling?

[rvabread22]

Originally Posted by NOVAnite

POINTLESS RANT:

I've lived in NoVa for about a year and am completely frustrated with the area. Even the cheapest studio apartment is well out of reach for most working people. You work your 50 hour week and sit in traffic for two hours a each day and what the heck do you get for your effort?

- A rented room in another person's house
- no personal life because the culture here is work work work
- The tiny amount of money you're able to save despite NoVa's best efforts to take it from you

And if you really grind it out and try to make a life here you get what?

- A 450k townhouse
- Friendly Neighbors who will smile to your face.... and report you to the HOA if you paint your door the wrong color

END POINTLESS RANT

what am I missing here? I'm sure this area has fantastic things about it. I just probably have not seen them because of all the moping and complaining

Have you tried west- Loudoun/Faquier? or a bit further South- Stafford, Fredericksburg?

[MedvedActual]

I have not read through every single reply to the OP but here are my two cents. Having lived in other countries and US states I appreciate NoVA. I understand what it offers me, e.g., a good job, social/cultural opportunities as well as in my particular case easy access to the outdoors while still having restaurants, etc. close by. I have lived further south before (Fredericksburg) and honestly couldn't wait to move further north. Different people value different things, be it peace and quiet, acreage, house square footage, etc. Find what you deem most valuable and go after it. If you are not happy in NoVA, look what other parts of the state, country or world would fit you better. Work at moving up job wise and ultimately you will find that happy place. We all have to embrace the suck at times, to include longer periods of crappy work, etc. however it is all about the long haul and having clearly defined goals. I suggest not focusing on being miserable in the moment but rather exploring what you can do now (work, school, etc.) in order to be in a better place in a few years.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by NOVAnite

Honestly it just seems like you pay a lot to live in the middle of nowhere. Actual towns are really few and far between here. Manassas, leesburg, that's about it. Maybe its just hard to find a sense of community when you can't even really name the town you live in?

I dont know.

I get that. This seems to be a common thread from people who come from areas where there were historically small (or larger) towns that centered around some sort of industry. Places like Pittsburgh, Asheville, etc. come to mind.

In NoVA, and the DC area in general, that not how it's going to be. DC and it's business and politics have driven the Maryland and VA areas so our "town" is really DC. Everything that was built was based on DC being the epicenter. So suburbs were built to house all the people going into DC. These suburbs didn't have their own "town" feel because they were strictly planned as places to house people. They aren't independent of the DC work center. Now, as time has marched on, we've had other work centers develop outside of DC, namely the Dulles Tech corridor, but it just doesn't seem to create "towns" that people are looking for that come from that sort of thing.

I am a DC native so I have never missed this town feeling that some are really longing for. The closest I ever get to it is being in a college town or the time I spent living on military bases and, yes, there are definitely some real community vibes going on there that we don't have here.

My daughter, who is also native to this area, has spent the last few years in places like Morgantown, Pittsburgh, some suburbs outside Philly, and she really likes those "town" aspects; however, she's never had to do it permanently so I'm not sure how she'd feel about it long term after spending most of her life here in such a large, diverse area.

[KnownUnknown]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Do you see the irony in your statement? You complain about "rural sticks full of backwoods and closed minded people". But you are being every bit as closed minded because you're judging everyone based on where they live.

All of Virginia has all kinds of people.

Generally speaking, Rova votes republican. I look at the policies they want to advance, and I don't see anything good. That's where the judgement comes from. The policies that they support. To that end I don't see anything ironic. Maybe a bit hyperbolic, but I stand by it.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by KnownUnknown

Generally speaking, Rova votes republican. I look at the policies they want to advance, and I don't see anything good. That's where the judgement comes from. The policies that they support. To that end I don't see anything ironic. Maybe a bit hyperbolic, but I stand by it.

Just because you don't see any good to the policies it doesn't mean that those who support are "backwoods and close minded". Just because someone chooses to believe something other than you it doesn't mean they didn't fully educate themselves on all points. I know a ton of people who I do not agree with politically, but I would never call them close minded.

[RusUs]

NOVAnite,

Sorry about your feelings… I LOVE NOVA :-) Although first, when I came here from Europe, many years ago, as I wrote in my earlier posts, first I did not like it here. For me after busy and active life in a large city/capital, NOVA was and sometimes still is "country", and I hated it. But I learned to adopt, to find good in my new life and appreciate it. I have been to many US states by now, and I know now that I want to continue to live in NOVA. It is my home. I love being close to DC and its culture, museums, theaters, yet being close to many parks and nature. I like this multi-cultural area, and plenty of jobs and opportunities.

This post though also reminded me complaints from my fellow European immigrants who compare US vs Europe. And I always tell them – if you do not like it here (US, NOVA or any other place), just leave. Why to live where you do not want to be? Find a place which you think you may like and make it happen. It is up to you. So… good luck!

[KnownUnknown]

No. No I have to disagree. It's a myth that there are two sides to every story. That every opinion is worth consideration. Some policies are just designed to hurt others. Out and out. Trying to deny rights, take away voting rights, bodily autonomy, a voice in the economy in the form of unions, it's just bad. And all from the party of small government.

The fact that Donald Trump is doing so well says all I need to hear, and honestly it's scary. It's scary that we're going back to a time when you can denigrate people by the millions and people agree. Because when people see that on tv, they are going to think it's okay to say it in their lives, and then people are going to act on it. When you think X group is below you and unworthy of equal treatment, that is going to leak out into how you interact with the world to varying degrees, all harmful.

[RusUs]

Originally Posted by NOVAnite

POINTLESS RANT:

I've lived in NoVa for about a year and am completely frustrated with the area. Even the cheapest studio apartment is well out of reach for most working people. You work your 50 hour week and sit in traffic for two hours a each day and what the heck do you get for your effort?

- A rented room in another person's house
- no personal life because the culture here is work work work
- The tiny amount of money you're able to save despite NoVa's best efforts to take it from you

And if you really grind it out and try to make a life here you get what?

- A 450k townhouse
- Friendly Neighbors who will smile to your face.... and report you to the HOA if you paint your door the wrong color

END POINTLESS RANT

what am I missing here? I'm sure this area has fantastic things about it. I just probably have not seen them because of all the moping and complaining

NOVAnite,

Another point I would like to make about "expensive Nova" is that you cannot come to Neiman Marcus and expect Wal-Mart prices, right? You may want to drive Mersedes but again you cannot expect to pay Honda price. Are you frustrated with it? My friend just moved to SC and her brand new 3500 sq.f. house (mansion, in my opinion) costs about twice less than my townhouse in Nova. Should I get upset? Of course, not.

I do get it - Nova is not cheap. And we all want different things which we may never be able to afford, so it is life. But if you are so frustrated with Nova - its prices, traffic, people, etc, then move to a cheaper and quiter place, smaller town, with appropriate cost of living. No problem. Again, good luck!