Moving to Manassas...

[novahousehunter]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea77

Thanks! So, if you were asked to describe Manassas in a few sentences, what would you say?

So, if you search "Manassas" on this forum you will get all the negative stereotypes (namely that it is low income, many illegals, less sanitzed than other parts of NoVA).

To me, what differentiates it from other towns is that it is not just a suburb of DC but more of a satellite city. Other NoVA burbs (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax even) are mostly about looking toward DC, commuting to DC, getting DC-type amenities (high end restaurants and shops) brought back to the burbs. Manassas has a lot of people who live their lives there without much DC influence, making it a different demographic.

Whether this is good or bad depends on where you're from and what you're looking for, probably.

[oneasterisk]

Also realize that Manassas is a pretty large area. There are going to be nice parts and not so nice parts, just like any city. I live in Woodbridge/Lakeridge but work in Manassas. I prefer Woodbridge more, but maybe that's because I've lived there for so long. I find the commuting options are better in eastern PWC, 'cause 66 is usually a mess.

[Sweetpea77]

Don't know if any of you know it, but I live near Youngstown, OH which has a pretty high crime rate.... So I'm wondering what kind of crimes your talking about? The police blotter isn't giving me much information.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea77

Don't know if any of you know it, but I live near Youngstown, OH which has a pretty high crime rate.... So I'm wondering what kind of crimes your talking about? The police blotter isn't giving me much information.

Everyone will have different experiences. Manassas and Prince William County has its problems but for the most part the worse issue you'll face is the traffic and taxes. The apt complexes you've brought up are all about the same.

[oneasterisk]

Most of the crime in this area are petty thefts, DUIs, drug possession etc. Here is a link that gives you a broad break down. I read recently that crime was actually down in Manassas versus the previous year.

//www.city-data.com/city/Manassas-Virginia.html
//www.city-data.com/city/Manass...-Virginia.html

[Trapalon]

This is a nice mapper provided by Prince William county:
PWC-GIS CountyMapper

Sometimes just looking at a neighborhood and it's proximity to things like police stations and jails can be telling.

[porterjw]

I live in Rosemary Ridge. I once left my car running to go back into my apartment for a few seconds a few months ago. When I returned, a PW police was parked behind my car and asked "Is this your car sir?", and I replied "Yes, it is", and he said "Well I wouldn't recommend you leaving your car on with Coverstone around the corner!". Prior to the officers statement I had no clue Coverstone was such a bad area. I'm not involved in the Manassas community. My daily outtings include going to Costco, Walmart, and etc. The VRE station is 5 miles away and there is a commuter bus to the Pentagon/Washington D.C. across the street.

I've never had anyone throw up a gang sign or attack me while walking my dog day or night. The only thing I've noticed are the large amount of hispanic males sitting out in the mornings waiting for work, and large population of blue collar Caucasian and African-Americans in the immediate area. Once in awhile I even see people riding horses down Ashton rd.

If the area was once riddled with crime, I'm sure the police have done a good job of cracking down, because I've heard no gun shots, or heard of anything out of the ordinary.

My biggest complaint is with the apartment complex itself. Verizon Fios and comcast fiber internet are unavailable. When I moved into the apartment, it was 2 years old. I was told internet was not available in my apartment, which was hard to believe considering this is 2009. I moved into my apartment in September 2008 and did not get internet until the end of October 2009. The only internet service available is a slow "Verizon Highspeed" DSL 3 Mbps / Upload up to 768 Kbps. I don't download music or programs but its rare that the service performs up to par.

The complex also has a deal with MDU communications (MDU Communications Inc.), and the only TV service available is Directv. I did not want direct tv, or to sign a 1 year commitment which is required for their service. I was not happy with the fact that I did not have a choice in my service provider.

I won't be renewing my least, because of the service inconveniences and I'm in the market to purchase a home. The apartment is in a convenient location, and the lives of my wife, child and I were never in danger because of coverstone. The prices are decent, and if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing you'll be good.