VANITY: Moving to Virginia and need some help/advice

Myself | 12/30/03 | KC_Conspirator

[KC_Conspirator]

My wife is serious about taking a job in the DC area and we are planning on moving there soon. However, we are not getting much help and we are on a budget. I figured a network of people in the area might be able to help me out the answers to my questions.

First is finding a place to live. We are a little strapped for cash and I am looking for the most economical, but cleanest, and safest place to live. From what I gather, that means living the VA suburbs. Does anyone know of an apartment service that is available?

I am also looking to stay close to the DC area - about 45 minutes to an hour within driving distance and I am looking for what towns/cities to live in. Hopefully Republican leaning places. I understand that Northern VA is a breeding ground for government workers so that probably means being lorded over by democrats like I am now. We dont have kids yet, but plan starting that soon.

As far as the community I am looking for, I just want a place that has cable, malls, metro access, and a nearby sportsbar.

I have been looking at online job sites for some months now in anticipation of this, but have had little results. I just found a place in KC that has the Sunday ComPost so I am now perusing though it, but if anyone knows of better jobs boards, let me know. If your curious, I have been a mainframe programmer for about 6 years and in the past year been doing software sales due to an lousy job market. My job is awful, so finding a new opportunity sounds rally good.

[angkor]

I wouldn't live out in Gainsville for anything. Have friends out there and the commute inbound on 66 is a complete nightmare. 1 1/2 hours? 2 hours? 3 hours? You never know. Forget it. No way.

The same for Reston, Herndon, Chantilly, anything out there that requires inbound on 50, the Dulles toll road, or 66. Yipes, even Woodbridge, since 95 backs up bumper to bumper all the way to Dale City and beyond, 15 miles outside the Beltway. Awful.

The fact is that apartments inside the Beltway are now cheap due to low interest rates, and Metro is usually pretty convenient for commuting (I used to do door-to-door No VA to downtown office in 40 minutes).

Finally we do have the NRA office and shooting range, concealed carry, lower taxes than other jurisidictions, and a very stubborn Republican legislature (and our great AG Jerry Kilgore who once told our Demo guv to get his own personal lawyer in his attempt to sue the state for whatever-it-was).

Also, as a former Maryland resident, I highly recommend that you do not under any circumstances move to Maryland.

KCS, I sent you more details in FR mail.

[KC Burke]

In Arlington and renting, you should assume that you will need 22% more than you make here according to my research.

[MindyW]

An hour?!? Ugh. You need to slug, bus or train. :-)

You're right, Coop. It is a pain most of the time.

[tgslTakoma]

I've read through everybody's posts so far and you've gotten a lot of info to work with, so let me muddy the water just a little bit more for you...

First, here's a fairly good link to ApartmentGuide.com. If you do a search on "Washington DC Metro" you will get 760 apartment listings - DC/MD/VA. Just remember when you look at the photos and read the property's sales pitch - be skeptical.

Second, and I can't believe I'm saying this - Maryland has probably the most affordable housing areas close-in to DC, and the auto commute is better than from close-in VA locales.

You will of course have to give up some things if you move to inside-the-Beltway MD - English, for one thing. And depending on which community you look at in MD, you may want to leave your nuclear weapons back home.

Regarding non-nuclear self defense - you may never get a CCW here (we keep on fighting for it), but firearms ownership is not completely outlawed just yet. We could always use a few more gun-owning conservatives around these parts.

I don't have anything nice to say about Montgomery County Public Schools. For the time that they had my kids, they did a pee-poor job. PTA meetings were a nightmare, first in English, then Spanish interpreter, then Vietnamese (as Dave Barry says "I am NOT making this up!"). Upcounty (longer commute) might be better. There are plenty of Catholic schools throughout the MoCo area, affordable if you are in the parish and have two incomes - a struggle if not - but they provide an excellent education. Lots of non-catholic families send their kids.

And of course, anywhere in the DC metro area nowadays we have the spectre of gangs like MS13 who will just as soon shoot you dead as rob you, rape you, or steal your car and set fire to your house.

But don't let all this info scare you away. It sounds worse than it is.

And finally - to end this post on a positive note: It doesn't matter whether you choose, VA, MD, or DC - If you move here you can join the DC Chapter! We're not a gang, but we are a fierce, warlike tribe.
;-)

Hope this info helps.

[KC_Conspirator]

PTA meetings were a nightmare, first in English, then Spanish interpreter, then Vietnamese (as Dave Barry says "I am NOT making this up!").

OMG! It sounds like parody, like it can't be true, but I am sure it is.

Thnak you for the information.

[greenwolf]

I've been living in the D.C. area all my life. My advice: if you have any other possible plan, if there is any other possible way to go forward with your life without moving into this region, do so. There is no way I can recommend this region for anything resembling quality of life anymore.

If for some perverted reason you have to move here, find the cheapest apartment you can deal with on the Virginia side inside the beltway and keep your real-estate investments outside of the region. Anybody who has bought real estate here over the last two years or who does so between now and the coming crash is going to get hurt, bad.

[steve-b]

Arlington - Affordable

What color is the sky on your planet?

[Ex-Dem]

Compared to Great Falls, it is affordable. Course, if you actually have standards and want to live in Arlington, it's going to cost you. I was referring more to the roach-infested apartments that are usually home to the non-English speaking types ;)...

[gieriscm]

I live in Loudoun County near Dulles Airport and worked downtown at the State Department until this past May. I took a commuter bus to and from work that made the commute bearable. Click for Schedules, and it cost me $10 per day. In May my bureau relocated to Rosslyn and now I car-pool since splitting driving and parking costs with 2-3 people is cheaper than riding the bus. It takes me 45 minutes to get to work, but if I didn't car-pool my commute would be at least double that - on a good day.

I grew up in Maryland and happily left the state in 1992. Nothing since then has convinced me that I made the wrong choice. The taxes are higher, crime rates are higher, and schools aren't as good. Just MHO.

[Fifth Business]

Good advice, but the gun laws are very different in Maryland than Virginia. This freeper in search of advice may consider that an important difference.

[gieriscm]

Good point. Virginia has 'shall-issue' CHL laws, and no laws prohibiting the purchase of certain types of handguns. Maryland just banned some types of handguns for purchase as new, and if you want a CHL you'd better donate some big bucks to the right politician.

However, NFA stuff is actually easier to get in Maryland than in some Virginia counties. In Maryland the CLEO is the State Police; in Virginia it's the county Sheriff or Police Chief so it varies.

[shammadamma]

First-time poster. I just moved out here back in November from Michigan, so I'll offer what little that I've learned since coming here.

I'm in Fairfax, and I like it here. It's about 17 miles out of D.C. It has a small-town/suburban feel to it, but it's very clean and from my experience, people are pretty friendly. Seems to be a fairly conservative-to-moderate area in terms of people's attitudes and lifestyles. Plenty of shopping, and considering there's a college here (George Mason U.), I imagine there have to be a good deal of sports bars around. (I don't do the bar scene, so I can't say for sure. Sorry.) As for schools, I don't have any kids, but I've only heard good things about the schools around here.

Some people here have noted taxes are lower in VA than in MD. I haven't spent much time in MD, so I can't say, but I do know that you'll still find many creative ways in which the VA government takes your money. You need to get a City of Fairfax sticker on your car to park on city streets, you have to pay for an annual vehicle inspection, and you have to pay a vehicle property tax, although this is slowly being phased out.

Housing prices are outrageous almost everywhere you go. Don't bother buying a house. A very modest little Cape Cod house in my neighborhood, maybe 1,200 square feet at best, sold for over $300,000. Get an apartment or a townhouse. There are lots of both in Fairfax. A nice 2-bedroom apartment will run you from $1,100 to $1,500 a month. Sometimes utilities are included, but often they're not. The further you move out from D.C., the more reasonable the housing becomes, but then you end up spending more time and paying more money for your commute. It is, in many ways, a no-win situation.

If the commute doesn't bother you, though, you might consider moving as far out as Harpers Ferry, W.Va. You get away from a lot of the hustle-bustle, and you can still get public transportation via the VRE. Whatever you do, just don't drive. If you choose Fairfax, try living close to the Metro. It's a fairly decent subway system, though a little pricy--I pay $6.50 round-trip every day. The underground stations are very poorly lit, too, but at least they're clean and safe. The Orange Line, the one that runs to Fairfax, is notorious for being overcrowded, but since Fairfax is the end of the line, you're guaranteed to get a seat in the morning. (All bets are off for the ride home, though.) If you can't find a place you like near the Metro, then try living on the CUE bus lines in Fairfax. The CUE will take you to the Metro for 50 cents. It's one of the best deals around, and the buses are clean and almost always on time.

Some other nice towns in the area to check out are Vienna (a pleasant little town next door to Fairfax--more of a bedroom community, and a slightly slower pace), Tysons Corner (the biggest conglomeration of office space between D.C. and Atlanta, so it may be a great place for you to find a job, but the big drawback is no Metro line, and a push to extend the Metro into that area was recently squashed), and Falls Church (very similar to Fairfax).

If things like seat-belt and cell-phone laws are important to you, Virginia is the lesser evil. Maryland and D.C. only allow hands-free cell-phone usage, and while Maryland and Virginia have the same $25 fine for not wearing a seat belt, D.C. charges you $50 and puts 2 points on your license.

Whatever you do, just don't move to the District. Taxes are outrageous, the traffic patterns are insanely confusing (sometimes streets are one-way, sometimes they're two-way, depending on the time of day, and all the stupid roundabouts are guaranteed to throw you onto the wrong street), and everything is ridiculously overpriced. Crime isn't as big of a deal as people make it out to be, though, as long as you know which areas of town to avoid. If you stay in the Northwest or anywhere around the National Mall, you're going to be fine. The worst you may encounter is an occasional panhandler or someone sleeping in a bus shelter.

I hope all of this helps in some way.

[KC_Conspirator]

Thank you very much for the input. It is greatly appreciated.

[KC_Conspirator]

I love fantasy football and I have been running a league for almost a decade. I love golf as well and I am a naval reservist, so I can get on military courses. Although, they may not compare to the Navy-Marine course outside Pearl.

BTW - I also play soccer because it keeps me in shape. Do you know of any pickups games.

[dakine]

I see weekend games, but I don't do the soccer scene...

I have fond memories of Navy-Marine GC, hole-in-one on #3..

Good Luck, if you come to D.C.....

[KC_Conspirator]

You must be pretty good. I have never gotten a hole in one. I did eagle a par four once. My second shot went in the hole on the fly.

[MasterCommie_hunter]

visit www.rent.com

[af_vet_1981]

D.C./MD/VA housing is very expensive so I suggest that you rent rather than buy.

If so, the inverse may be true. Owning can not only be a better qualitative experience but the value of your leveraged property increases. If you are serious about investing in relocation you should also be serious about buying the property you will live in.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Unless you are arriving in an area here the residential housing boom has become irrational.

I was touring a development the other day. 4,000 sq.ft. house of so so quality on a 1/4 acre lot $795,000. Neighborhood mixed as to type and quality of house.

The developer said to me, "it's like stealing"

regards,

[patton]

I strongly disagree - my real-estate value is going nowhere but up.

Your results may vary.