Considering move to NOVA from SF Bay Area--please advise

[Gottasay]

Originally Posted by Olivia3boys

Thanks so much for your quick response. As far as politics--funny you should bring it up!--actually my husband and I are both very politically conservative. That's another reason we are thinking of leaving the SF Bay Area; the ubiquitous liberalism is finally getting to us a bit.

But to be honest, we don't mind living around lots of Democrats--they tend to be very educated and well, honestly, just seem to choose to congregate in desirable locations (like suburbs that had some planning go into them (LOL), with good ethnic restaurants, good schools, places near the coasts, etc. We are flexible. We would have no problem having neighbors who are from the far Right or the far Left.

I'm actually not sure we'd actually need to go into the $700K range for houses; I've seen some in Oakton for $500K that seem amazing too. My husband wants land, though (by CA standards that means 1/2 acre plus) so maybe we'd go up to $700K to get an acre. I just don't want to get too far out.

My next question: to be honest, the excellent NoVa schools are a little intimidating to me. My boys (ages 12, 10, 6) all do very well in school, and test very well on nat'l tests, etc., but they are nevertheless laid-back Californians (dare I say a bit lazy?). They go to a small Christian school, very nurturing, and reading about these NoVa schools and their focus on materialism, Ivy League colleges, etc. is a little different than what they've experienced so far in CA.

In California employers literally don't care where you go to college. Even for a first job. They only care about what you've accomplished in the workplace.

I'm also worried about my boys and the weather. I've taken them to DC in the summer for vacations and when it is the tiniest bit humid they walk around looking bewildered by it, like they are dying. They don't know about thunderstorms and shoveling snow.

But they are excited because I told them they can finally get a dog if we can finally get a "real" yard.

Anyway--what do you think--is NoVa as "cut-throat" as it seems? The SF Bay Area is not cut-throat at all, although obviously a lot of smart and driven people work here.

Yes, it is cut throat. You might be better off keeping them in a private school b/c they might have a better chance of getting into the top public universities in Virginia -- if that's your intention. UVa and Tech have gotten ridiculously selective towards NoVa public schools of late (unless your kid is lucky enough to go to Thomas Jefferson Institute of Science and Technology). If you do go the public school route, then save every nickel you can to send them to a decent out of state school -- unless you're fine sending them to ODU, Radford, Longwood, etc. (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I wouldn't worry about the community you're in as far as politics go as neighbors tend to keep to themselves and you probably will make more friends through your church and your kids' activities. The criteria you mention sounds like Oakton, Fairfax Station, Vienna or Great Falls (good luck finding something nice in your price range in GF, though) -- all are politically conservative areas as well. Vienna and Great Falls are close to some decent private Christian schools.

[popalnet]

Originally Posted by popalnet

I'm originally from the east bay (Fremont to be exact) and I moved to the DC area several years ago. Looks like you live in Livermore. I used to pass by it on my to Tracy. So I know your neck of the woods pretty well.

I think there are two things that you will miss about the bay area - the mild winters or the lack thereof, and the natural scenery with the moutains and ocean.

If you can get by those two parts I think you will find the DC area a much better place once you get comfortable. Especially when it comes to the cost of living.

The schools in Nova are one of the best in the country. I wouldn't worry about the student competition to IV leage schools while your kids are in high school. Most kids at that age are just kids, even if they're getting ready to graduate.

Livermore gets pretty hot durring the summer so if you can adjust to the humidity in DC during the summer it shouldn't be that bad. The humidity can be kind of choking when first introduced, but you get used to it pretty quick. Plus it's good for the skin.

From what I remember of Livermore, Nova is going to be much more modern and more upscale. In terms of a comparison between SF proper and DC proper, I think DC is slightly more urban than SF. DC lacks the skyscrapers of SF, but makes up for it in its downtown size. DC's downtan is the third largest downtown - after NYC and Chicago. In fact, if one was to count the government buildings in downtown DC, then it would be the second biggest downtown after NYC - in terms of commercial office space.

You also have many urban amenities in the Maryland DC suburbs - and of course Baltimore.

Best part of DC is its close proximity to so many different places. If you're seeking an urban fix, NYC is only 4 hours away. I've made it to NYC and back to the DC area in a day - all while spending at least 8 hours in NYC. Yeah it makes a long day, but it's easily done. And even if you combine all of California's urban areas into one, it will never compare to NYC. Also you have so many other places so close by:

Baltimore - 40 minutes
Philly - 2 hours
Atlantic City - 2.5 hours
VA Beach - 2.5 hours
Williamsburg - 2 hours
and so on and so forth

Like I said, as long as you get by the mild weather part and natural scenery part, you will like it. You do have natural scenery in the DC area - but the mountains are on a smaller scale, and the ocean is a 2 hour drive. You can compensate for it by driving to the chesapeake - 30 mintues - but it's not the ocean. Or you can drive to the Shenendoah in Virginia - 1 hour - but it's slightly on a smaller scale.

Overall, since you're coming from Livermore, I think it will be a very easy adjustment for the better.

An addendum to my last message:

Look into the fair oaks and falir lakes area of fairfax county. Both are around 8 to 10 miles from vienna metro, but bus service is provided every 15 minutes to the doorstep at Vienna Metro Station. Then you can metro into DC and you husband will be 15 minutes away from the tech corridor. They have free parking available where the bus picks you up and drops you off at Vienna Metro. Best part is you get a little more bang for your buck, and you will be at a much more newer and prettier area.

Also, the diversity in the area is more diverse than the bay area. In the bay area it's mainly asian, and middle easter on parts of east bay. In Nova people will be from all over the world, and no race really dominates the area like the way the asians do in the bay area.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by popalnet

An addendum to my last message:

Look into the fair oaks and falir lakes area of fairfax county. Both are around 8 to 10 miles from vienna metro, but bus service is provided every 15 minutes to the doorstep at Vienna Metro Station. Then you can metro into DC and you husband will be 15 minutes away from the tech corridor. They have free parking available where the bus picks you up and drops you off at Vienna Metro. Best part is you get a little more bang for your buck, and you will be at a much more newer and prettier area.

Also, the diversity in the area is more diverse than the bay area. In the bay area it's mainly asian, and middle easter on parts of east bay. In Nova people will be from all over the world, and no race really dominates the area like the way the asians do in the bay area.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Newer - for the most part. Much of the Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes area is pretty densely settled now with both SFH and townhouses, however, so some might disagree with the assertion that it is "prettier" than more established parts of the county, such as Oakton, Vienna, Great Falls and Fairfax Station.

To be sure, however, the OP will have plenty of choices if she and her family decide to move to the area. The Fair Oaks/Fair Lakes area is yet another option.

[claremarie]

"If you go with NOVA, you won't need two cars."

Not really. It's the rare suburban family with three boys that can get buy with just one car, no matter where in suburbia they live. Unless you live within walking distance to Metro (and even then, on bad weather days), you'll want the option of driving to the Metro, especially if there is no convenient bus option. And weekends with errands, birthday parties, and sports activities will be very hard to manage without two cars.

[claremarie]

"You might be better off keeping them in a private school b/c they might have a better chance of getting into the top public universities in Virginia -- if that's your intention. UVa and Tech have gotten ridiculously selective towards NoVa public schools of late (unless your kid is lucky enough to go to Thomas Jefferson Institute of Science and Technology)."

The issue with state university admissions isn't really private vs. public, but rather an interest in maintaining space at these schools for students from all parts of Virginia. Attending a private school will not pull your kids out of the "northern Virginia" geographic designation.

[Skatergirl]

I do it and was relaying that it can be done. My post DID specify that if one lives walking distance to the metro--it's no big deal. My family does it. Driving to the metro even if you live in walking distance is silly. The streets are always crowded with people braving it to the metro No big deal.

Originally Posted by claremarie

"If you go with NOVA, you won't need two cars."

Not really. It's the rare suburban family with three boys that can get buy with just one car, no matter where in suburbia they live. Unless you live within walking distance to Metro (and even then, on bad weather days), you'll want the option of driving to the Metro, especially if there is no convenient bus option. And weekends with errands, birthday parties, and sports activities will be very hard to manage without two cars.