Relocating to Virginia

[Darsa]

Hi y'all

DH and I are trying to decide where to head off to when our DD (now 13) graduates from high school. One of the places that has popped up several times has been Virginia, as they seem to have a lot of places where DH could work after he receives his degree (computer tech). His other thought has been AZ, and while I'd love to visit, I really don't think I want to live there.

Can anyone suggest sites where I could get more information about living in VA, such as taxes, housing (including rental), employment, crime rates and all that stuff? I've been trying and apparently I'm not very good at research when it comes to this kinda thing!

Thanks in advance for any/all info!

 

[Va-bear]

Hi!!

Hope you are able to find the info you want. My sister is an urban planner and I know from info she's sent me that if you can narrow down areas a bit it will be easier to find info.

Also, we can give you tons of general info (ie. - Northen Virginia has a VERY high cost of living and high traffic - buts TONS to do) - but if you are only interested in rural areas, for example, it will help you get the info you want.

I'm guessing from your husbands degree, that you'd want a somehwat urban area...

Anyway, you'll get lots of great info on the DIS.

ps - Richmond is the BEST PLACE TO LIVE __EVER__> (and I'm not AT ALL biased!!)

pps - some good info here (scroll down - tax info, etc.)
http://www.mydreamlocale.com/Relocation_Virginia.php

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

Hi y'all

DH and I are trying to decide where to head off to when our DD (now 13) graduates from high school. One of the places that has popped up several times has been Virginia, as they seem to have a lot of places where DH could work after he receives his degree (computer tech). His other thought has been AZ, and while I'd love to visit, I really don't think I want to live there.

Can anyone suggest sites where I could get more information about living in VA, such as taxes, housing (including rental), employment, crime rates and all that stuff? I've been trying and apparently I'm not very good at research when it comes to this kinda thing!

Thanks in advance for any/all info!

Well Virginia is a BIG state... actually, we Northern Virginians tend to think of ourselves an entirely different state altogether.
Northern Virginia has a high cost of living. (You'd be hard-pressed to find a single family home in Alexandria, VA for under 800,000 thats not a fixer-upper). Then again, our housing market maintains its value better than the rest of the state (country) due to the close proximity to DC. Depends what you're looking for...I'm biased towards Alexandria though

 

[Octoberbride03]

Yeah, VA is a really big state geographically. I'm in SE VA myself and housing is cheaper down here than the DC area which Northern VA is in. You may be able to find a good job for your Dh down here because its a big military environment with lots of companies who have defense contracts.

I've lived here for almost 6yrs now since getting married and I will say I think the taxes are a little nuts. We have sales tax on dang near everything and 2 different tax rates depending on what the item is. I think its 5 and 5.5% sales tax on stuff. We also pay a "personal property tax" on our car every year. That's based on the value of the car. Maybe that'll change by the time your ready to come, but be advised our governors are 1 term and done, so if 1 governor tries to get rid of it the next can bring it back. This has already happened at least once.

But I like the ppl down here and its a nice area to live in.

 

[Green Tea]

Well Virginia is a BIG state... actually, we Northern Virginians tend to think of ourselves an entirely different state altogether.

So do the folks in the rest of the state.

 

[ajk912]

Yeah, I agree, I think you have to narrow it down where exactly IN Virginia you want to live. If you live out near the mountains, some of those areas are poor, but very pretty. DC can be a very high cost of living area. Lynchburg is gorgeous and a good mix, IMO. Virginia Beach would be great to live in, but traffic can be a bear during tourist season and the cost of living can be high. I live in Richmond, and is the best of ALL the worlds IMO!

 

[PlainJane]

For my area there is hamptonroadsdotcom

Each city in the area has its own page. There are 8 cities total: Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Williamsburg.

Welcome to the Commonwealth

 

[Darsa]

Let's see... at this point we were looking at something outside of the Richmond area, since DH seems to see the most "tech" possibilities there. I would very much LOVE to be OUT of the big city, because that's how I've grown up and that's what I'm used to...

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[disfan07]

Well Virginia is a BIG state... actually, we Northern Virginians tend to think of ourselves an entirely different state altogether.
Northern Virginia has a high cost of living. (You'd be hard-pressed to find a single family home in Alexandria, VA for under 800,000 thats not a fixer-upper). Then again, our housing market maintains its value better than the rest of the state (country) due to the close proximity to DC. Depends what you're looking for...I'm biased towards Alexandria though

HAHAHAI could not help but laugh when i read this. I lived in Fairfax County for 20 years before moving to Los Angeles in june. We definiltey think of northern virginia being an entirely different state....when people aske me where i'm from i always said northern virginia...i was always very specific about teh northern part....so was everybody else i know from northern virginia...its really funny

The housing market out there definitely did take a big hit though....at least right now adn where we were....we sold our house in october
The value of our house dropped more than $100,000 in 2 yrs....went from $635,000 to $525,000 AFTER upgrades and an addition...and teh houses in our old area are still dropping
That being said, when your ready to move (it sounds like in 4 yrs???) the housing prices will probably have rebounded and house prices will be back to normal (starting in the $600s)

We lived in herndon VA. 10 minutes from dulles airport. About 30 mins from DC. About 15 mins to the closest metro station. 1 hour 15 mins from baltimore, etc.
It is definitley a good place to live for tech job opportunities.

I'm biased to Fairfax County (Specifically Herndon and Reston area) but i know a lot of people who live in loudon county who love it

I spent half my life wishing i could move out of virginia...now that i dont live there naymore, i miss it.

Theres fairfax County, Arlington County, Loudon County to name a few. Go to the government websites for those counties and that can give you a general idea for what you want to know

 

[hellokitty86]

We lived in Northern Virginia for 3 1/2 years. The cost of living is pretty crazy but comparable to what we were used to (South Florida). A 1 bedroom 650 square foot apartment was 1200/month, and it wasn't even in the most expensive area (Manassas). Traffic is horrendous.

The winter is pretty mild and fall time is gorgeous. We loved living close to D.C. too.

I missed my family while living there so I was happy to move back to Florida, but I do miss it. The fall, D.C., pretty scenery. It's a gorgeous state.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

HAHAHAI could not help but laugh when i read this. I lived in Fairfax County for 20 years before moving to Los Angeles in june. We definiltey think of northern virginia being an entirely different state....when people aske me where i'm from i always said northern virginia...i was always very specific about teh northern part....so was everybody else i know from northern virginia...its really funny

The housing market out there definitely did take a big hit though....at least right now adn where we were....we sold our house in october
The value of our house dropped more than $100,000 in 2 yrs....went from $635,000 to $525,000 AFTER upgrades and an addition...and teh houses in our old area are still dropping
That being said, when your ready to move (it sounds like in 4 yrs???) the housing prices will probably have rebounded and house prices will be back to normal (starting in the $600s)

We lived in herndon VA. 10 minutes from dulles airport. About 30 mins from DC. About 15 mins to the closest metro station. 1 hour 15 mins from baltimore, etc.
It is definitley a good place to live for tech job opportunities.

I'm biased to Fairfax County (Specifically Herndon and Reston area) but i know a lot of people who live in loudon county who love it

I spent half my life wishing i could move out of virginia...now that i dont live there naymore, i miss it.

Theres fairfax County, Arlington County, Loudon County to name a few. Go to the government websites for those counties and that can give you a general idea for what you want to know

I'm sorry your house dropped so much, but, honestly I think Alexandria City and Arlington have really not been hit nearly as bad as the rest of Northern Virginia--and I thinks its b/c we're so close to DC... House prices aren't dropping here and things are selling in Alexandria!! In fact, a house around the corner sold in three days!! WE just sold our house on the other end of town last month and although I didn't get as much as I would have 4 years ago, it was only on the market for about 20 days.
In Loudon County, they can't give houses away out there!! Herndon and REston seem really far out there, too. I don't know much about that area. It does seem like there are more techie type jobs out that direction, though...

I guess LA's cost of living makes Northern Virginia seem like a bargain!!

 

[booger73]

I think of NoVA as a whole different world (more like.. D.C.'ish than anything) - hustle, bustle, lots of traffic.. but actually lots of great schools, and I'm sure lots of jobs (but I wouldn't want to live near the I-95 corridor.. just that traffic I think would kill me).

Options for tech certainly might be to consider near the big Univ's - Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is the biggest 'tech' university, i'd say.. then there's UVA in Charlottesville (lots of medical things).. I do think Hampton Roads is a good option because you have about 8 cities to choose from, each with different personalities - HR is a fairly big 'techie' area too - big military bases, strong healthcare, etc.. good schools VB/Chesapeake, so so other areas, I think...

Certainly anything is warmer than Maine.. brrr

Lots of tech in this area btw - NASA Langley, ODU, William&Mary - there's a new Lockheed Martin building that just opened up down the street from me actually.. and then there's the VA Model Simulation Center.. lots of neat stuff

 

[disfan07]

I'm sorry your house dropped so much, but, honestly I think Alexandria City and Arlington have really not been hit nearly as bad as the rest of Northern Virginia--and I thinks its b/c we're so close to DC... House prices aren't dropping here and things are selling in Alexandria!! In fact, a house around the corner sold in three days!! WE just sold our house on the other end of town last month and although I didn't get as much as I would have 4 years ago, it was only on the market for about 20 days.
In Loudon County, they can't give houses away out there!! Herndon and REston seem really far out there, too. I don't know much about that area. It does seem like there are more techie type jobs out that direction, though...

I guess LA's cost of living makes Northern Virginia seem like a bargain!!

Okay...yeah it definiltey sounds like the alexandria arlington area is doing better pricewise
It definiltey probably is b/c you guys are closer.
Our house was on the market for 4 months i think it was and we just settled on a price b/c we couldnt afford both rent in LA and Mortgage in virginia!!! I think price wise i think from least hit to most hit by price drops are Alexandria and Arlington, than Herndon and Reston and than Loudon has been hit hard

I think reston and hernodn is nice b/c its close enough to eveyrthing (DC, Baltimore, etc) to make for an easy drive BUT it is far enought that it feels like real suburban living...you dont realize how close you are to DC unless you are going to DC
But as you said, I know more about Herndon and Reston than i do about Arlington and Alexandria....put the two of us together and we could be a wealth of information about the DC Area...lol

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I think of NoVA as a whole different world (more like.. D.C.'ish than anything) - hustle, bustle, lots of traffic.. but actually lots of great schools, and I'm sure lots of jobs (but I wouldn't want to live near the I-95 corridor.. just that traffic I think would kill me).

Options for tech certainly might be to consider near the big Univ's - Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is the biggest 'tech' university, i'd say.. then there's UVA in Charlottesville (lots of medical things).. I do think Hampton Roads is a good option because you have about 8 cities to choose from, each with different personalities - HR is a fairly big 'techie' area too - big military bases, strong healthcare, etc.. good schools VB/Chesapeake, so so other areas, I think...

Certainly anything is warmer than Maine.. brrr

Lots of tech in this area btw - NASA Langley, ODU, William&Mary - there's a new Lockheed Martin building that just opened up down the street from me actually.. and then there's the VA Model Simulation Center.. lots of neat stuff

ohhhhhh... Charlottesville is a GREAT suggestion. Its gorgeous there!! Cool little shops and a little bit o nightlife...

 

[boettj]

I know you are talking about Virginia. Which I spent 4 years in the Norfolk area. Not my cup of tea as the British would say.


Personally, I love the DC area, and have done some work in the McLean, Va area. There seems to be a good amount of technology in that area.


Another state you might look at is North Carolina. RTP, Regional Technical Park in Raleigh, and you have Charlotte, NC as well.

 

[ajk912]

Let's see... at this point we were looking at something outside of the Richmond area, since DH seems to see the most "tech" possibilities there. I would very much LOVE to be OUT of the big city, because that's how I've grown up and that's what I'm used to...

Thanks for all of your help!

Outside of Richmond, Henrico County schools and Chesterfield county schools are great. Look within those school districts (greatschools.net is a great resource) to find the best within the school district.

I like Chesterfield county better, I joke that it's a different world crossing the James (River). It's not as populated down here, and traffic isn't as bad. Cost of living is a little lower. IMO, anyway. There is more shopping up & more to do up in Henrico though, and the cost of living is a little higher. Really though, the two counties are just across the city from each other, so only about 30 miles away. I would just avoid the "middle" part- Richmond City. Oh, and the sides are Goochland, Powhatan..and I am blanking on the others..Appomattax, maybe? They are ok, VERY pretty...and just a short highway drive to the city. Schools are more hit and miss out there, but I bet you can find some gems though!!!

 

[izzy]

Outside of Richmond, Henrico County schools and Chesterfield county schools are great. Look within those school districts (greatschools.net is a great resource) to find the best within the school district.

I like Chesterfield county better, I joke that it's a different world crossing the James (River). It's not as populated down here, and traffic isn't as bad. Cost of living is a little lower. IMO, anyway. There is more shopping up & more to do up in Henrico though, and the cost of living is a little higher. Really though, the two counties are just across the city from each other, so only about 30 miles away. I would just avoid the "middle" part- Richmond City. Oh, and the sides are Goochland, Powhatan..and I am blanking on the others..Appomattax, maybe? They are ok, VERY pretty...and just a short highway drive to the city. Schools are more hit and miss out there, but I bet you can find some gems though!!!

This post reminds me of my favorite bumper stickers when I lived in Richmond years ago:

"The West End - By Invitation Only"

"Southside - For Members Only"

"The Fan - Who Invited You?"



Seriously, anywhere in the area surrounding Richmond is great. I probably wouldn't want to live in the City of Richmond, but many seem to like it. (Too many problems with their politicians for me!)

 

[Va-bear]

I living in the city of Richmond, which I did for most of my life (city bus transportation, great people, a very balanced demographic, great shopping, etc, etc.) But we moved to the surrounding county of Chesterfield (specifically, Bon Air Aarea) due to being able to get more land and house for the money.... and it is kind of PERFECT. Like in the city proper, we are near all sorts of city events and 1 hour from the mountains and the Chesapeak Bay, 2 hours from DC and Va Beach, but still very "non-cityish!" (typically, not too many crazy traffic jams, etc.)

The high school for the area I live in is one of the best in the country - so that's really nice for us. (http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/SKLSGAT10_20090609-204801/272831/ the article also shows some of the other well rated schools in the area - I do realize you were talking about after that time for your daughter...more an FYI...). That _is_ a contrast to the city proper - the schools there are not doing well, which is such a shame.

Good luck!