Thinking of relocating to Charles Town from Manassas City( NOVA) (Martinsburg: real estate, mortgage)
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My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Charles Town from Manassas City in North. Virginia. Our price range will be between 400K-500K, will this budget get us into a nice brick 5bd house (I do not want more than an acre)? Also we have 2 young children 3/6yrs old which school district would you recommend? Is this area anything like DC metro as far as shopping, restaurants, everything within 10mins? Is Charles Town culturally diverse?
Quote: "My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Charles Town from Manassas City in North. Virginia."
Been there done that. Actually I relocated from Manassas VA to Ranson WV (near Charles Town).
Quote: "Our price range will be between 400K-500K, will this budget get us into a nice brick 5bd house (I do not want more than an acre)?"
I live in a townhouse in a bedroom community for DC commuters. I would check real estate sites to see what is available in the area. Being out in the country you will be able to get a lot more for your money and there is less traffic. However, there are also down sides as well, more on that in a minute.
Quote: "Also we have 2 young children 3/6yrs old which school district would you recommend?"
I can't comment on that because I don't have any children. Perhaps someone else on this board might be able to.
Quote: "Is this area anything like DC metro as far as shopping, restaurants, everything within 10mins?"
Within 10 mins, fat chance. One of the reasons I moved from VA to Ranson WV was the cheaper mortgage prices. There was also the promise that there would be a mega, mega shopping development in Ranson with many department stores, movie theaters, electronic retailers, book stores, restaurants etc. The shopping center is there, but the retail not so much. We have four grocery stores (in the area) Walmart, Weis, Food Lion and Martins. Two Department stores Khols and Walmart. Some restaurants in Ranson the majority are in Charles Town even more in the casino. But for everything else you will find yourself going out of the county for. You want to go to the movies, or Best Buy, Hhgregg, Target, Lowes, Kmart, JCPenny, Sears, Bon Ton, TJ Maxx, Costco, Sam's Club, - You will be shopping in Frederick MD, Hagerstown MD, Martinsburg WV, Winchester VA or Leesburg VA. All those cities are more than 10 minutes away.
Don't get me wrong I love WV and the country- but this frustrates me to no end. With the economy on the skids- I don't think the mega mega shopping center in Ranson will ever be completed. In fact many of the stores that were thinking about opening here have decided against it and/or moved else where. I find myself shopping a lot more in northern Virginia (on the way home from work) than shopping locally. Plus grocery prices are cheaper. <For example a gallon of 2% milk is $1.98 at Wegmans in Leesburg. Here in Jefferson County it is $2.55 or more.> I only shop locally if I don't feel like going out of town for anything.
Quote: "Is Charles Town culturally diverse?"
From what I have seen there is a mix of races here- but not as much as you would find in DC. It really depends on what you are looking for- if you like night clubs comedy clubs etc all that is in DC. However, there is horse racing and a full fledged Casino and many many historical sites.
But the bottom line is where you work- that should dictate everything. Do you work 1st, 2nd or 3rd shift? If you work east of route 28 (in VA) your commute from WV will be more than an hour. If you work 1st shift, your commute will be even more than that. Also, you will be stuck in gridlock on whatever route you take commuting to your job. If you work 2nd or 3rd shift you wont' have to deal with the traffic just speed traps and deer.
In my case I worked 3rd shift in Reston VA for about two years, my nightly commute was about 56 minutes. When I lived in Manassas it was 30 minutes. Recently, my employer moved from Reston to Ashburn and now my commute is 46 minutes. Traffic is not an issue because I am traveling the opposite direction of the flow in the morning and at night. But I do get to see the gridlock first hand on the major routes every morning. If you don't mind long commutes go for it. I draw the line at an hour though.
Any way, I hope my perspective helps. With my employer now in Ashburn, I am giving Ranson about three more years to turn around. I am hoping that the Casino business stimulates more retail out here- movie theater, wholesale club, bookstore, electronic retailer, more department stores etc. If not, by that time I hope to have SAVED enough money to move back to northern VA (probably Ashburn), buy a house (place a lot of $$$ down on it) and have a mortgage roughly to what I am paying out here. That would only leave me with the property taxes and utilities to deal with.
Is this area anything like DC metro as far as shopping, restaurants, everything within 10mins?
NO, nothing close!
I mean, I love living out here, and there are a few good restaurants in the area, but not many of note. You want to see a movie? -- drive to Martinsburg, 25 minutes away. Get the idea?
And I venture to say that's how most people around here like it. All that stuff would be great... except that with it would come all the traffic/crowds that we detest.
My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Charles Town from Manassas City in North. Virginia. Our price range will be between 400K-500K, will this budget get us into a nice brick 5bd house (I do not want more than an acre)? Also we have 2 young children 3/6yrs old which school district would you recommend? Is this area anything like DC metro as far as shopping, restaurants, everything within 10mins? Is Charles Town culturally diverse?
Hi. I have similarly aged children and moved from Chantilly to Ranson about 5 years ago. My family really loves the differences.
I think you will be able to find what you are looking for, though I haven't done too much house shopping recently.
It's not going to be as culturally diverse as Northern Virginia, but it's becoming more like a DC suburb every day, so it's heading in that sort of direction. There aren't Klan rallies or anything. We're pretty normal folks.
Many things are available within 10 minutes. Everything is available within 25-30 minutes.
If you are planning on commuting, make a few trips during real drive-time conditions. The few people I know who have regretted there move out here cite the commute. You'll want to make sure you can handle it.
I think TA Lowery and Driswood elementary schools are generally considered the best in Jefferson County. We have been very happy with the schools so far. North Jefferson elementary did not meet federal "No Child Left Behind" laws, so many of the students from that area have transferred to TA and Driswood. By the way, Driswood is a brand-new school if that is important to you.
Good luck house hunting! Feel free to throw any additional questions out.
I moved from NOVA to Charles Town in 2001. It's certainly a change of pace. There is much less traffic and congestion in this area. This area hasn't rebounded from the mortgage crisis quite the same way that NOVA has ...... you might have to work to find a 5 bedroom house that costs you $500K. It's possible that you'll have to be content with spending less. I can tell you from experience that 1 acre is still alot of grass to cut.
My kids all attended South Jefferson Elementary school, then Charles Town Middle and now Washington High. No complaints at all about our school experiences.
Shopping isn't quite up to NOVA standards ..... as mentioned, only a few grocery stores. My kids thought that both Martinsburg's and Winchester's malls were cool for about two days, then they discovered Dulles Town Center and Tysons Corner mall.
Spend a couple of weekends driving around the county. Quail Run in Summit Point is a nice development; I lived there when I first moved to WV. Locus Hill and Huntfield are pretty nice, although smaller than 1 acre lots. Depending on where you work, it can be quite a commute. There are alot of folks commuting into NOVA circa 4:30 or 5 am ....... traffic flows then, but it's still traffic.
Martinsburg is only 15 minutes away from Charles Town now for shopping. The new Route 9 has made the commute between the two towns quicker and easier.
OK, I agree with that second sentence... and I know this is trivial quibbling, but... there is no way you can get from CT to M'burg in 15 minutes! (OK, maybe helicopter.)
Or maybe this is just a semantic disagreement. Let's say going from CT's main street to the M'burg Mall (Foxcroft Ave). With the few lights on the CT side, and then lots of them on the M'burg side, I doubt you could actually do it in less than half an hour.
OK, I agree with that second sentence... and I know this is trivial quibbling, but... there is no way you can get from CT to M'burg in 15 minutes! (OK, maybe helicopter.)
Or maybe this is just a semantic disagreement. Let's say going from CT's main street to the M'burg Mall (Foxcroft Ave). With the few lights on the CT side, and then lots of them on the M'burg side, I doubt you could actually do it in less than half an hour.
You might be surprised...time yourself sometime. I went from Jersey Mike's in Charles Town to the Rt9/11/45 intersection in M'Burg in 15 minutes the other day. Obviously the time will vary depending on traffic, but I was just saying it could be done. The new road saves a lot of time.
You might be surprised time yourself sometime. I went from Jersey Mike's in CT the other day to the 9/11/45 intersection in M'Burg in 15 minutes the other day.
Hmm, you might drive a bit faster than I do.
But the real problems (traffic/lights) start when you get to that 9/11/45 intersection, I think it's at least 10 minutes to go that last mile to the mall. Depends a lot on when you're going, I guess.
Anyway, that kind of traffic/lights situation is exactly why I left the DC suburbs 5 years ago after living there for the first 40+ years of my life. And that's why I for one certainly don't want more restaurants / shopping etc. to come to our neck of the woods (CT / Harpers Ferry).
But the real problems (traffic/lights) start when you get to that 9/11/45 intersection, I think it's at least 10 minutes to go that last mile to the mall. Depends a lot on when you're going, I guess.
Anyway, that kind of traffic/lights situation is exactly why I left the DC suburbs 5 years ago after living there for the first 40+ years of my life. And that's why I for one certainly don't want more restaurants / shopping etc. to come to our neck of the woods (CT / Harpers Ferry).
Same here I will gladly drive a ways to get to something instead of turning this area into more of a cluster.......
Years ago they forced farm owners to sell so they could build a "bypass" around Charles Town so you didn't have to go through town and the lights. What do they do? Put stop lights on a "bypass" (que Homer Simpson "DOH")
Some changes have been positive but the commute I make to Bethesda is hell and I leave at 5 AM.
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Relocating from Manassas to Charles Town
NO, nothing close!
The new road saves a lot of time.
