Moving to Virginia need advice Fredericksburg possibly? (Richmond: HOA, car insurance)

[NHRABill]

Hello all, I need some advice...

My wife and I decided to move to Virginia from New Jersey where we lived all of our lives.. It is a transition time for us looking for a better place to raise our family. We are in our late 30's with a 2 year old.

I like the location of Fredericksburg it appears to be a busier area. I am from a VERY crowded state and it looks very mild to us from what we see.

What we are looing for is a SAFE area 4 or 5 bedroom home more than a half acre but not too much.. I am in the middle of changing careers and will be a High school teacher my wife is in marketing and most likely be working remote from home.

We are looking for our dream house and will be taking the biggest risk of our lives moving where we know no one but it is time we need to look out for the best interest of our daughter

The home can be anywhere from $300,000 -400,00 with property taxes close to 4,000 a year. I am not fond of HOA or gated communities but if the home is a fit then whatever.

We want to be clear of airports and military vehicles any advice or direction is appreciated..

Thank you in advance

[ddmhughes]

Originally Posted by NHRABill

Hello all, I need some advice...

My wife and I decided to move to Virginia from New Jersey where we lived all of our lives.. It is a transition time for us looking for a better place to raise our family. We are in our late 30's with a 2 year old.

I like the location of Fredericksburg it appears to be a busier area. I am from a VERY crowded state and it looks very mild to us from what we see.

What we are looing for is a SAFE area 4 or 5 bedroom home more than a half acre but not too much.. I am in the middle of changing careers and will be a High school teacher my wife is in marketing and most likely be working remote from home.

We are looking for our dream house and will be taking the biggest risk of our lives moving where we know no one but it is time we need to look out for the best interest of our daughter

The home can be anywhere from $300,000 -400,00 with property taxes close to 4,000 a year. I am not fond of HOA or gated communities but if the home is a fit then whatever.

We want to be clear of airports and military vehicles any advice or direction is appreciated..

Thank you in advance

I lived in Fredericksburg and really hated it. But since you are from a busy and expensive area you may not mind it. A lot of people from NOVA loved it there. It is really weird because some people are sooo nice there but there seemed liked there were way more jerks then anywhere else I ever lived.

Just realize that you probably won't be able to really take advantage of your proximity to DC or most of Northern Virginia. You will be shocked at the amount of congestion on 95 on route 1. It is by far the worst comute I have ever seen.

[onevthoki]

Do some searches here for posts by myself and EricD. We have both posted quite a bit about the Fredericksburg area and I think you will find it helpful. After going through that let us know if you have any more specific questions.

[NHRABill]

ddmhughes thank you for the feedback on the commute I was looking for the central location between Richmond and DC just in case my wife had to make a few trips in for work...

onevthoki I will do as you suggested and research the older posts later tonight with the wife to learn more I appreciate the help nothing beats a local perspective..

Where I live compared to homes I researched thus far multiply your home prices by 250 % your property taxes by 500% and car insurance by 300% and you have New Jersey so to me Virginia is a bargin where I can take a pay cut slow donw from a 60+ hr work week and enjoy raising a family instead of burning the candle on both ends. Thank you again.

[FXBGMelrose]

I am from Fredericksburg, born and raised and I LOVE it! If you are coming from a highly congested area, then NOVA and DC would just be moving from one busy, overwhelming city to another. Fredericksburg goes from a beautiful, historical downtown area to places like Central Park, and South Point that have lots of restaurants and shopping within just a few miles. Then there are neighborhoods (Both HOA and non HOA) surrounding all of these central locations! If you read reviews of the public schools I think you will be very pleased. Literally you could have lunch at La Petit (a french bistro) in downtown for lunch, and only a few minutes away be in Central Park going to happy hour at a Sport's Bar, or meeting your family at Olive Garden for dinner. It has grown immensly over the past 10 -12 years and there is a lot to do. It is also a great place for families. Just recently there were tons of easter egg hunts for the kids. There is a huge Parks and Rec presence if you want to get your child into sports at some point, as well as an indoor field house for year round sports. Sports aren't your thing? There is no shortage of musicians teaching lessons of every instrument imaginable! It's definitely a family friendly area. And while the commute to NOVA is terrible up 95, there is the VRE, OR just travel during the off commuting hours. However, if you are going to be a teacher, then I would guess you will be looking for teaching positions in Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania?

Moderator Cut

Good luck!!
Melissa

[NHRABill]

It looks Like it will be another 2 weeks before I get to visit ... I am anxious to see... I just got knocked off my Motorcycle by a careless driver and am a bit banged up.. This is what I get for living so close to Rutgers and Princeton Universities Kids drive like maniacs...
Sooner I move out of here to VA. the better.

[Stripes17]

Sorry to hear of your accident. Get better soon!

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I can relate to your move. My DW and I were born and raised on the Jersey Shore. We relocated to Spotsylvania (Fredericksburg area) in 1990 and lived in the area until 2002. A relocation took us to MD and later to NC.

Spotsy is a wonderful area to raise a family, especially when you'll enjoy the economical benefits of leaving NJ! True, the area is continuing to grow and develop, but the positives still outweigh the hassles.

You'll be close enough to civil war history, modern amenities, Richmond and DC for their culture and events, etc.

I hope you enjoy your move. I thought it was the best decision we made for our family!

[LynnSp]

Originally Posted by NHRABill

It looks Like it will be another 2 weeks before I get to visit ... I am anxious to see... I just got knocked off my Motorcycle by a careless driver and am a bit banged up.. This is what I get for living so close to Rutgers and Princeton Universities Kids drive like maniacs...
Sooner I move out of here to VA. the better.

I am wondering what happened to NHRABill ? Where did you move to and did you like it?

I'm already out of NJ-still trying to figure out where to plant my garden.

Lynn~