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I am a southern native (Alabama, TN, Georgia), and contemplating a move to DC. Salary would be approx $80k in Bethesda area, have a 5 yr old, and wife would eventually look for a credit analyst or commercial lending job. We are both early 30s.
The high cost of living (specifically housing/rent) scares us to bits. We currently have HHI of about $115k and mortgage/insurance/tax is $1300/mo for a 2,000 sqft 4 bedroom home built in yr 2002. We have two vehicles, but will probably trade down or sell one completely. Only mentioning this here to give an idea of our situation.
The education and cultural opportunities are sure to be much better than where we currently are (city with pop. of 160,000). My wife is worried about school, but I told her the "average" public school in DC is probably like the best public school here.
Does anyone have an opinion or similar experience moving from the deep South (not talking about almost-south like N Carolina)? Do you enjoy it?
Or flip the question: Anyone living in DC want to move to the Deep South, even to a large city like Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham? Why?
Well the public schools in DC are actually considered to be some of the worst in the country. But the public schools in the suburbs--Montgomery County in Maryland, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County in Virginia, etc.---are considered to be some of the best in the country.
If you have a kid and your job is in Maryland, it sounds like you will probably be looking to move to the suburbs, not the city.
There actually are dedicated forums for the Maryland suburbs of DC and Northern Virginia (which is the term for the Virginia suburbs of DC).
The general cost of living is not so much the issue; many people live comfortably on middle-income salaries. It’s more about conditioning yourself to accept what you can get for what you have to pay as a tradeoff for why you would want to be in the DC area. I am from the South originally and have been in the DC area nearly 20 years. For me it was unique job opportunities, proximity to family, long-term career growth, cultural offerings, the nucleus of highly-educated people, the manageable density of DC, the location in relation to places I like to visit frequently, etc. For many from the South, the tradeoffs and the negatives are not worth it. And don’t buy the myth that salaries in the DC area are going to account for the higher cost of living across the board.
Most of the friends I grew up with in Ga. hold down “regular” jobs but live very comfortable lives—nice houses, vacations, nice cars—some beyond their means maybe, but most not.
The flip side also is that with very limited disposable income, I find many middle-income folks in my circle in the DC area tend not to be as materialistic and so focused on “keeping up with the Jones.” Seems like people are forced to find their happiness in something other than their things.
I'm from MA orginally but I lived in Macon and Atlanta Georgia for a while before moving up here and I love it. The pace of life is a lot faster, the culture is more northern than southern, but I find the people in DC to be pretty friendly. As a "yankee" I never found the south to be welcoming or friendly and I don't miss it at all. If you're from the deep south you may have a hard time adjusting but I love it. People in DC are far more educated and ambitious than in the deep south.
While Northern Virginia isn't really representative of the rest of Virginia or the South in general, you might feel more at home in Northern VA as opposed to Maryland if hanging onto some vestige of your southern roots is important to you. Maryland Democrats make no qualms whatsoever about being tax and spend liberals. This applies at the lowest of local levels, all the way up to the Governor's mansion where he makes no apologies for pushing for higher taxes for every perceived shortage of revenue.
I'm not trying to turn this into a political discussion, but it's something that you must know ahead of time considering you're coming from the conservative south. I speak from experience, having been born in NC and lived in Nashville TN for 5 years. Since you're not looking to live in DC proper, I would recommend that you compare the VA suburbs to the MD suburbs, and perhaps even visit, in order to wrap your head around the differences (there are many) between VA and MD.
With that being said, you should also know that the lack of bridges crossing the Potomac River present a real problem for VA ----> MD commuters. For example, you probably wouldn't want to live in Leesburg VA if you want to work in Bethesda, MD. Geographically it doesn't look too demanding, but the lack of infrastructure to efficiently get you there is where the problems exist. Traffic hell is a major consideration for all DC-area residents, so be sure to do your due diligence.
Moving to the DC area requires lots of forethought. Good Luck!
I moved 2 years ago from Alabama. Almost all of my family lives there still. I love it here. I have so many more opportunities to experience events and activities and foods that I would never be able to in Alabama.
You have all given really good insight. The opportunities in many areas of life are what excite us about that area.
RLCMA, it's because you're a yankee that you didn't get the welcoming feel. Hospitality stopped for some of my friends (not from me, I'm always nice) once they let slip they were from Ohio or Boston.
11Kap, yes scared to bits. It's excitement and worry all rolled into one emotion.
Maryland and VA schools are definitely some of the top in this country. I've posted in the Maryland forum and some residents don't feel that way, but that's because they don't know any better. Try out public schools in Mississippi, or rural Alabama/Tennessee/Georgia and you would sing praises about your school systems up there.
AeroGuy, politics don't bother me so much but it would be a definite change coming from a red state.
Roz, that is exactly what we are trying to figure out: the tradeoffs. I've been trying to tell my wife that not everybody up there is making $200k. I looked up the median income in MD is $95k, so we would be in the middle. Somehow folks are living there for less. Wife thought salaries automatically lined up with the COL, which it doesn't.
I find DC to be a nice place to live overall. I think coming from the south it all depends. If you have a thick southern accent there are some folks here who will automatically classify you as ignorant, but overall I don't think it has a feel of a northern city. It definitely has unique opportunities to get involved that you won't find anywhere else. Its always amusing and somewhat sad, how Maryland people seem to have this idea that people on the Virginia side seem to be rednecks or something despite them being fairly liberal in the DC area of Virginia. Its competitive here and while its like one person said less materialistic, it is definitely a place that is very much about where you work and who you work for. I'm from the south and I found the transition to be very easy but others may not. It just depends on the person. The majority of the people in the area don't actually live in the district and finding a good value for the money is obviously getting more difficult here but it can be done. Just don't expect the huge front yard with a 3 car garage.
For me it was unique job opportunities, proximity to family, long-term career growth, cultural offerings, the nucleus of highly-educated people, the manageable density of DC, the location in relation to places I like to visit frequently, etc.
The flip side also is that with very limited disposable income, I find many middle-income folks in my circle in the DC area tend not to be as materialistic and so focused on “keeping up with the Jones.” Seems like people are forced to find their happiness in something other than their things.
Pretty much sums it up right there. I lived and worked in Atlanta for 3 years. You can definitely get more bang for your buck there in terms of housing and cost of living, but what DC has to offer is so much more. The rich culture, career opportunity, more of a city feel and proximity to other major cities (hated being landlocked and so far from other cities in Atlanta) can't be beat...
Also, the public schools in DC are horrible, but in the VA suburbs and Montgomery County, they're much better than schools you'll find in GA. I worked in Fulton County as well as Gwinnett County, trust me, the schools around the DC area are much better, although the HOPE Scholarship down there in GA is a great incentive
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it's because you're a yankee that you didn't get the welcoming feel. Hospitality stopped for some of my friends (not from me, I'm always nice) once they let slip they were from Ohio or Boston.
