Why do people hate NoVa? Unfriendliness? (Middleburg: horse, farm, backyard)

[Southerngirl1989]

because its too metropolitan its not even considered the south anymore I live in NOVA and I HATE IT I want to move far from it.

[dylanfurr246]

Originally Posted by NW2NOVA

I don't see why people hate the area so much, I love it and can't wait to leave Seattle. DC is so exciting and is close to other major cities (ie Phila, NYC) My main impressions are:

- People are generally friendly
- The countryside is gorgeous
- Washington has so much to explore compared to other US Cities
- METRO is a huge plus
- Much more diverse that the Pacific NW, lots of foreigners
- NoVA has much more character than most major US cities, especially the older neighborhoods.

Can someone enlighten me why its so bad?

You'll find traffic and jerks everywhere, if thats the only issues sign me up!

The reason it's bad is because there's just too many people living in this area. And this area's not that big to begin with.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by NW2NOVA

I don't see why people hate the area so much, I love it and can't wait to leave Seattle. DC is so exciting and is close to other major cities (ie Phila, NYC) My main impressions are:

- People are generally friendly
- The countryside is gorgeous
- Washington has so much to explore compared to other US Cities
- METRO is a huge plus
- Much more diverse that the Pacific NW, lots of foreigners
- NoVA has much more character than most major US cities, especially the older neighborhoods.

Can someone enlighten me why its so bad?

You'll find traffic and jerks everywhere, if thats the only issues sign me up!

Strange...I love Seattle and the Pacific NW, but don't like NoVa or DC.

First, I don't find the countryside all that gorgeous - in any case, I live in the suburbs, so I never see it. NoVa looks monotonous and boring to me. But Mt. Rainier? Now that's gorgeous.

People do not seem friendly here. Just the opposite. In Seattle I used to make friends with random people I met on the street. Everyone was so open and relaxed. It was a while back, so maybe the city has changed. It used to be kind of hippie-ish. People in NoVa are so closed off; they never seem to be being themselves.

I don't care about metro. I live in the suburbs and commute to the suburbs. I don't even know how it's a plus, since living near one is unaffordable.

I don't think NoVa has any character at all, and I've never seen an "older" neighborhood that had any either, with the exception of Old Town. Character is like the opposite of most neighborhoods in NoVa. Have you actually lived here?

So I don't hate NoVa, but I don't love it either. Maybe you're just romanticizing it.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

Strange...I love Seattle and the Pacific NW, but don't like NoVa or DC.

First, I don't find the countryside all that gorgeous - in any case, I live in the suburbs, so I never see it. NoVa looks monotonous and boring to me. But Mt. Rainier? Now that's gorgeous.

People do not seem friendly here. Just the opposite. In Seattle I used to make friends with random people I met on the street. Everyone was so open and relaxed. It was a while back, so maybe the city has changed. It used to be kind of hippie-ish. People in NoVa are so closed off; they never seem to be being themselves.

I don't care about metro. I live in the suburbs and commute to the suburbs. I don't even know how it's a plus, since living near one is unaffordable.

I don't think NoVa has any character at all, and I've never seen an "older" neighborhood that had any either, with the exception of Old Town. Character is like the opposite of most neighborhoods in NoVa. Have you actually lived here?

So I don't hate NoVa, but I don't love it either. Maybe you're just romanticizing it.

No you're highly inaccurate. I love how you said NoVa's country side isn't all that gorgeous, but you've never seen it? What the..... The inner suburbs maybe sterilize and boring but please take a trip to the countryside. It's home to Virginia's horse country but I bet you didn't know that.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by Deluusions

No you're highly inaccurate. I love how you said NoVa's country side isn't all that gorgeous, but you've never seen it? What the..... The inner suburbs maybe sterilize and boring but please take a trip to the countryside. It's home to Virginia's horse country but I bet you didn't know that.

I didn't say I've never seen it. I said I never SEE it. Simple present tense. It is used for things that are usual, typical, frequent, etc. I don't usually see it, because why would I go there? I drive through it a few times a year on my way to something, and it's pretty enough. But I don't live there and unless you own a horse farm or want to spend 500/night on a bed and breakfast, there isn't any reason to stop there. So it isn't really a benefit of living in NoVa.

[FCNova]

You can drive out to one of the hundred wineries out there with a picnic and relax with a bottle of wine while you enjoy the country. Wont cost you $500, more like $30-40 for wine & food. This is a huge benefit of Nova to me. If this is the first you've heard of such a thing clearly you haven't explored the area very much.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

But I don't live there and unless you own a horse farm or want to spend 500/night on a bed and breakfast, there isn't any reason to stop there. So it isn't really a benefit of living in NoVa.

Well, I stop there because I live there. And I don't own a horse farm or have ever visited one of the lovely B&Bs out here. I enjoy the countryside every single day.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by FCNova

You can drive out to one of the hundred wineries out there with a picnic and relax with a bottle of wine while you enjoy the country. Wont cost you $500, more like $30-40 for wine & food. This is a huge benefit of Nova to me. If this is the first you've heard of such a thing clearly you haven't explored the area very much.

I can drive an hour or two to have a picnic, and this is your idea of living in the countryside? Plus, most wineries are not public parks - you go to the tasting or the restaurant, not just to hang out on the grounds. If you have kids, this makes the venture iffy at best. Especially since Virginia's picnic weather is short-lived (too humid and buggy for much of summer, short fall and spring). I grew up in the real countryside - we did not have to drive to enjoy it. We saw it every time we stepped out of the house. The backyard was the countryside. I used to hike up one of the mountains in my backyard a few times a week, just because. There was a pond and a river within walking distance, and pretty much everyone owned a kayak, canoe, or at least a rowboat. Most people owned some farm animals, too - owning a horse was not that uncommon (nor just for the rich). In winter we skated and played hockey on frozen ponds, and cross-county skied pretty much anywhere. We didn't even have to drive to do any of it. Our backyard was several acres and had its own trails, and we considered it small compared to most in the area and we were not rich. THAT is enjoying the countryside. NoVa does not offer that kind of enjoying the countryside. It's what I miss most about living here, so please don't try to tell everyone that living here offers the countryside as a benefit. I'm not saying NoVa doesn't have other benefits - like, say, jobs, which is why I'm here - but beautiful countryside is not a benefit to living here, because we don't live in the countryside unless we want to spend hours commuting to work every day.

And stop saying I don't know NoVa - I know it plenty well. I've been here for over 20 years. You either just like to argue or you are the one who hasn't experienced something - like maybe, living in a place that is actually prettier and more natural than NoVa. Like, say, the pacific northwest.

[tgbwc]

Countryside does not necessarily equal friendliness. My wife is from NW PA. I find that immediate area to be very unfriendly, especially to people who are not local. I would even use the words "grumpy" and "rude". I find the neighborhood I'm in to be very welcoming and friendly in comparison. The people I work with are pleasant and social.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

Plus, most wineries are not public parks - you go to the tasting or the restaurant, not just to hang out on the grounds. If you have kids, this makes the venture iffy at best. Especially since Virginia's picnic weather is short-lived (too humid and buggy for much of summer, short fall and spring).

And stop saying I don't know NoVa - I know it plenty well. I've been here for over 20 years. You either just like to argue or you are the one who hasn't experienced something - like maybe, living in a place that is actually prettier and more natural than NoVa. Like, say, the pacific northwest.

This is hilarious. You've been here 20 years and don't realize most VA wineries are family friendly? This isn't California. Yes they actually encourage people to hang out on the grounds. I was at La Grange last weekend taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, with my kids and a bunch of other people's kids. That destroys a bunch of your preconceived notions right there.