Do you see a drop in people moving into VA

[frostopsy]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

Northern Virginia used to be a jobs machine. I remember in 2000 reading a story about concerns that Dulles could hit its operating capacity of 55 million pax by 2025. Now it barely has as many passengers as it did in 2000.

Dulles is a loser airport. Let's forget how inconvenient it is to get in and out of it... It costs more, at least for domestic air carriers to fly out of there. Domestic and international airfare is higher than just about every other alternative airport. The are losing flights departing from there. I think traffic is down by about a 1/3 as of just 3-4 years ago. The catch is, the less passengers that they have, the more the airlines have to charge to recoup the airport fees.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if United dehubbed it. They have dehubbed other airports.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by Rollingon

I was waiting for other to chime in.

But before I answer, here is some background as to why I started this thread. For the past year or so I have been trying to decide on moving from our current location in NJ to either one of the locations from 1. Northern VA, 2. Charlotte NC and 3. Dallas TX.

For me the advantage that northern VA had over NJ was how much house you get for the same amount of money. Newer houses, better school districts, a vibrant job market including defense contractors, and relatively lower taxes. Again all these factors were favorable in my case and not a general statement about VA.
In the last 3/4 years it has reached a point where between NJ and VA its a wash when I compare the advantages vs cost of advantage.

Charlotte NC - Having lived there for 3 years I thought why not go back. Real estate prices, taxes are lower. Good schools can be found. Its easier to build a professional network in my area of work since most of the players are kind of zoned in. Weather is much better than NJ and VA combined. But the lack of options (for my tastes and requirements) are either on a smaller scale, less in number or non existent. Also salaries have fallen big times following the 2008/09 recession.

Dallas TX - I visited it only once but have long time friends settled in there for a while now. The real estate prices have started to reach tipping point but there is still breathing room at my price point. With the looming recession prices might soften. Other costs like tax, schools and COL are similar to NJ/VA. But housing stock in new and a big plus is weather (again meets my personal preference but I know its not for everyone). Most important are the options for activities that I enjoy. Else cost wise its only marginally trailing northern VA

So still trying to study and analyse what I might be missing, considering and reconsidering the cost of relocation. One this is for sure relocate we will

I don't think Dallas COL is similar to NJ/VA. I'd guess closer to Charlotte.

[Gaylord_Focker]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

Some of us came to the DC area not specifically for work, but for other reasons (in my case, college, where I met my husband). I was interested in world affairs and this was the place to be. I started down a different career path (IT) at a time when there was tremendous growth and opportunities for entry-level workers in Northern Virginia. I have stayed for other reasons: I love my house, my neighborhood, my kids' schools, my friends, my church. I love having museums, parks, historic sites, etc. for free or nearly-free (went to NYC over spring break, and oy, had forgotten how much things cost there). I love the natural beauty of the area and I wouldn't want to live anywhere hotter in summer or colder in winter. I want my kids to really know, not just in a superficial way, people who aren't like us - white, Christian, native English speakers. My husband grew up in Rockland County and has no desire to live in the NYC metro area again; we have both lived in lots of places in the U.S. (and for short periods in other countries), so we have some basis for comparison. My husband's employer is not government-dependent and is based in California, so we could possibly take the same salary and move somewhere else and live like kings, but we'd rather stay here -- going on 24 years now, over half my life. It isn't perfect, but nowhere is.

I've been here a year. I love it. It's very vibrant. I can't believe someone is comparing Pittsburgh to it.