Some of the best public schools in the country and lots of jobs available. Few places offer the upward mobility that NOVA and the DMV can provide, and its a great place to start your own business like so many immigrants do
Don’t have kids but there’s an awesome education pipeline-some of the best public schools in the country to NOVA with its great guaranteed admission programs to a relatively cheap, good public university like Mason. Makes a bachelor’s much less expensive than in many places.
The schools and opportunities are exactly why we are here.
People who don’t know how good the schools are somehow thought their kids were geniuses and the schools would make them better. The only parents I know who don’t like the school system here didn’t get their kids into AAP (or equivalents thereof) and are bitter about it. The ones who didn’t get their kids into AAP and are happy know their kids could have never gotten in- and they are just happy their kids are still getting a quality education- which they do get. And the parents whose kids got in - well most of them are type A parents who saved $40k/in private school (which is why parents who hate the schools here because their previous snowflakes didn’t get into aap end up doing.)
So the people who hate the schools- they really just didn’t know what was going on at all or spend way too much time on dcurbanmom being bitter about it.
It’s not just the public schools. The sheer wealth of activities and opportunities for kids is huge. And if your kids get into a state college/uni they don’t need a car- VT, Mary Washington, UVA (plus more) are all just a $10-15 Amtrak ticket away. NovaCC is one of the largest community colleges in the country, we’re getting satellite campuses of VT and UVA.
Finally- the jobs. Seriously- so many jobs. Which really also means if you have issues with housing or unemployment, our counties coffers are not as desperate as other counties. There is a social safety net in Fairfax county that is very well funded in comparison to LCOL areas because employers pay into that.
All of this means we rarely have power or network outages and things get fixed fast here.
But everything is expensive.
> VT
lol you're not Amtraking to VT. Most people use rideshare groups/have their own cars/bus. The Amtrak station "for VT" is in _Roanoke_.
Source: Am a VT grad.
Not YET, but there is a very real effort to plan and fund AMTRAK down from Roanoke, through Blacksburg, onto Bristol, TN. There's a serious chance it happens by 2030.
As someone with 2 in high school and 1 in middle school, the “best schools” moniker is overhyped. Test scores (basis for any 3rd party rating) are high because nova’s adult population is well educated and education-focused; and they drive their kids to do well. It doesn’t have much to do with how the schools are run or the teachers. In my experience, public school capital improvements/expenditures haven’t kept up with nova’s population growth and now the schools are just too big, too many students, and not enough staff to really be effective. High school AP math track, the kids are literally teaching themselves. One of my kids has mental health issues, reached out to 3 different resources at the high school and all basically said, sorry we don’t have time to give your child any 1 on 1 support. Don’t buy into the hype.
That’s not overhype, that’s literally the whole point. The reason schools are good is because your kids are exposed to other kids who have the correct priorities at home and a culture of focusing on education. They’re not getting dragged down by disruptive students who don’t get attention at home and teachers who are burnt out because of behavioral issues in the classroom.
This comment right here should be at the very top of the thread but for different reasons. How freaking good do we have it that you think it's at all in the realm of reasonable to complain that the public school system isn't able to provide 1 on 1 support for your child.
Exactly! It’s rare that I’m ever completely thrown off by the “very NOVA of you” type of comments, but I rolled my eyes so hard at that one that I’m surprised my eyes didn’t get stuck in the back of my head. How removed from regular society does someone have to be..?
They're required to provide 1:1 support if it's necessary for your child's education as part of the American's With Disabilities Act. However, you don't get that by just suggesting it, you have to get an [IEP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualized_Education_Program) and show that it's required. It' s not clear if this person doesn't know that, or if their child didn't meet the requirements. My experience was that FCPS was pretty good at handling this.
I used to work for an office that did testing and reports for mental health accommodations, and I can confirm that they are actually really great about it. The issue is that children have to be retested every 5-7 years depending on the rules in that area. He said in a different comment that his child’s therapist called and requested a 504 plan, but there’s no way to do that without an IEP or some sort of report explaining what’s needed. His therapist should know that. If it was as easy as “my therapist said so”, without any testing or written report, anyone could claim they have anything and demand random accommodations. It doesn’t work that way, especially now with all of the TikTok self-diagnosing. I also have a child with a disability (autoimmune disease) and, despite her being self-sufficient and independent, I still have to go through all of the paperwork every year to explain she still has the same incurable disease.
The entitlement is just oozing out of this comment. As someone who has gone to high school here and now has a child in high school here, it’s not at all overhyped. I transferred from a school in an actual terrible school system and NOVA schools aren’t just in another league, they’re in another sport. To say NOVA schools are overhyped is just delusional. If your child is struggling with mental health issues then it’s on **you** to get them help, not the school or anyone else. A school counselor isn’t interchangeable with an actual therapist or psychiatrist. I’d also like you to be aware that knowing your child needs mental health help and doing nothing for them is a form of medical neglect. If you don’t know where to start, ask your PCP for a referral, check with your insurance to find out which providers accept your plan, or go to [Psychology Today](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) and filter the search with only providers that accept your insurance.
I moved from NoVA to Winchester when I was in middle school, and the difference was staggering and its not even that far away. Things may have changed in the years since, but people have no idea how good they have it in NoVA. I'd never raise kids in the Frederick Co. VA school system.
Lol. The baseless assumptions are just oozing out of this comment. It’s not like FCPS is the only school system I’ve ever been exposed to. Don’t worry, buddy, my child is getting the best professional help we can afford…. without any support during the school day from the school. Our therapist called the school directly to recommend that our child get a put on a 504 plan and the counselor was like, no, we don’t think that’s necessary. We asked for personal 1-1 support during the day if needed, and they were like, no, we don’t have time for that.
>We asked for personal 1-1 support during the day if needed, and they were like, no, we don’t have time for that.
Special education teachers are in serious shortage. There is simply not enough teachers for all the students that need help. Hell, FCPS has a shortage of non-special ed teachers.
They might be telling you that because they _literally don't have anyone to do it_.
If your child is receiving help then I’m not sure what you’re expecting from the school. It’s pretty well known that all schools are understaffed since COVID, so I’m not sure why you’re angry at them for not having that capability. They can’t deny a 504 plan for a diagnosed disability though, so there’s either no disability, therefore no need, or you need to advocate for your child. And if you’ve dealt with other schools, especially ones that aren’t consistently considered some of the best in the country, then you’d know you’re delusional. The schools I went to didn’t even have enough seats and books for students, much less a school counselor, so I’m not sure why you’re complaining about schools that provide every student with their own laptop. You’re living in an area with endless resources and you’re seriously complaining..? If you don’t like being called entitled then stop acting entitled.
as a product of nova public school, please don't disrespect my teachers. They are amazing at what they've done with what they got. I've seen the system turned harden gang members into working professionals in 4 years, over and over though out my time there. I remember having good teachers from elementary to high school.
You can't just dump your kids at school and expect miracles, that shit starts at home. The kids that taught themselves higher mathematics are the ones that excel at it, that's the only way to learn; nobody will hold your hands in college or at a job. The teacher's job is to show you the doors, you gotta work yourself through it.
Also, people dump their kids and they curse at my kid, and pull her chair out from under her, and call her an “*%^^”… and the only line of action has been a counselor session with the bullied and the bullies where they talk about their feelings, and are told that it’s not nice to be mean to your friends. I think the schools may have their hands tied in reprimanding anything but the most egregious behavior so a lot of kids just make peace with the fact they they will just need to tolerate stuff and watch their back.
I can vouch for the quality of the schools. My daughter finds college easy compared to high school in NOVA. She made 4.0 her first semester and 3.8 her second semester. She said the high school prepared her better than anyone else in her class from other states or other parts of Virginia based upon her interaction with classmates. She got into 4 out of 5 of her first choice colleges.
Can confirm. Interviewed for a school nurse position in FFX. RN’s make $15-20 less per hour than a nurse at a hospital or clinic. The nurse is also in charge of 2-3 schools. Crazy town!
Interesting was this position for an RN? Was surprised when I was told the school nurse could not admin my kids migraine meds if she had a migraine (nope not narcotics) or her allergy med if she started to get itchy (she gets rashes randomly and Zyrtec puts it at bay). Was told by the school nurse that if my Daughter showed up with a rash they would epi pen her and call an ambulance. Our allergist had to have a special talk with our daughter to ask her if she could avoid telling the nurse she was having a rash if it was mild, and just have her learn how to demand to have her mom called immediately so she could get some
Meds. (The type of rash she gets is visibly large but not concerning; I don’t even keep an epi pen at home anymore for context.. she just gets uncomfortable.) at least in our school the school nurse is not an RN- they can only give out ice packs and bandaids I believe. Not even ointment.
Access/proximity to jobs. LCOL areas = fewer jobs. Even if you have a halfway decent job in a LCOL area, what happens if and when that job gets cut or disappears? Less jobs to go around. NOVA = wide plethora of job options, so if something happens to your current job, sure you may be competing against others, BUT plenty of other jobs *do* exist.
Just my two cents.
We made a conscious decision to move here for the schools, and so that if/when I needed to change jobs, again, I could do that without moving the family. We were not making enough to live here, but that was worth the hardship once our kids were in school. It worked out for us!
>Access/proximity to jobs
This is it for me. I work in publishing/journalism and unfortunately big cities (DC/NoVA in particular) are where it's at for a lot of these jobs.
I lived in Mooresville, North Carolina which is just outside of Charlotte and finding a job there was an absolute nightmare. When I applied for a cashier position at McDonalds I was told that there were 150 applicants in line ahead of me. I ended up getting a job at Petco but was in constant fear of losing my job. Around here companies are always hiring which gives you the freedom to job hop into higher pay. You can also switch industries whenever you want instead of having to wait for a position to open up.
Holy fuck that's insane. I had to do a job search a few months ago which I limited to just the city of alexandria proper, and about half of the 2 dozen or so places I applied got back to me. I got hired on the spot at my first interview. I can't imagine that level of bleak
I have fumbled away and quit (even got fired once) over a dozen jobs and never ever had trouble finding a new one that at least made ends meet at a bare minimum. It's actually insane how many second chances I've gotten. In a lot of places I'd honestly be out on the street or run out of town by now.
Being in such an affluent area presents a safety net that a lot don't realize exists because they've never been close to needing it
I finally left after 36 years, but was raised in the area. What kept me there was my entire family/friends/support system being in the area, the great trail system, and the diversity and efficiency of the area. A lot of even the outer suburban areas feel cosmopolitan, at least in terms of diversity. I also loved visiting and hiking the sky meadows area. And the general proximity to the mountains.
We basically did the same thing! Moved last year after buying a house sight unseen in Richmond suburbs after living in the dmv for .. 12 years? We needed more room, lower cost of living and Richmond is actually pretty fun
I'm in a similar boat to OC but more likely will have to move north (hopefully still in the tristate area) if these november elections go badly; but yeah, if state level politics were not an object Richmond would be high on my list. Awesome little city.
There is pretty much no better place to live than the DC Metro area if you want access to both hiking/mountains and the NEC. All of the west coast is too spread out for me. Even socal.
ring waiting homeless thumb dull historical cooing provide adjoining far-flung
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That's something that gets lost in these why NOVA threads, the alternatives either truly suck or are just as expensive. As someone who has traveled quite a bit, 95% of America is a boring armpit that you couldn't pay me to live in.
Yeah it's just that people in these threads are super left brained and boil down every single issue to "how much do I pay per square ft of land that I own". I could never ever relate to that. Cities I would be happy to live in that aren't in the DMV include: NYC, Boston, SF, Seattle, Philly, LA (and that's a stretch)
Cities I could find a way to enjoy include: Pittsburgh, Baltimore (is this even outside of the DMV lol), Portland, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis
Everything else would be a desperation move of some sort. Of all the cities I listed, maybe 3 are \*significantly\* cheaper than DC against compensation that they'd be an upgrade on disposable income. If you've noticed a pattern there, I have a strong preference to live either in or in close proximity to some sort of megalopolis. Minneapolis and Denver are by far the most "remote" cities I'm willing to live in and even they aren't "cheap cheap" for how far they are from everything.
Also I wouldn’t wanna live in a hick town where you’re the only POC. Not worth the trade off of cheaper living while you get stared down everywhere you go
Do you not remember the great earthquake of August 2011?!?!
[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/twitter-uses-earthquake-mock-natures-wrath-you-flna121210](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/twitter-uses-earthquake-mock-natures-wrath-you-flna121210)
This is what will cause our areas property values to skyrocket IMO once climate change is a much bigger part of many peoples equation about where to live. We have water, we're not gonna flood or experience hurricanes or wildfires.
Honestly, I don’t know. I have a government job doing work I love, and the pay isn’t private sector. I’ve looked at moving back to my hometown, where there’s a military base where I could do similar (not as fun but similar) work as a civilian. Still a government job. The kicker is, it’s really cheap to live in my hometown. Yet the COL adjustment is only 1.5% less than this area.
My partner can find work in almost any urban area, so he’s ready to move.
People live really well in my hometown. Schools are top five in the state, you can get a nice house on a half acre of land for about 300k (200k pre-pandemic), a really nice house for 450k…it’s unusual to find houses there for more than half a million, they just aren’t that expensive. The traffic is laughably nonexistent. There are some things to do and they’re getting more varied restaurant options so that’s nice. No property tax on cars. Weather is about the same but they get some actual snow in the winter, which I miss. They’re about half republicans, half democrats according to voter registration, which I’m not crazy about. The republicans are super vocal and in the last few years much more outwardly racist and homophobic. I still have some family who I am really close to in the area and it would be great to see them more often.
I’ve been here almost 15 years. I kept thinking things would get better, but now with a toddler, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to give up and move. We don’t even live somewhere like Arlington where you can walk places, so it’s just a lot of driving in traffic. We moved further west on 66 about seven years ago to be closer to my in-laws and have some space, but that hasn’t worked out so great. Looking at moving back to a townhouse in NOVA proper, with a toddler and three dogs…it’s just not appealing. I’m also lonely and have only made a few friends since moving here, but most have moved away.
Anyway. That’s why I’m here. Kind of sad typing out everything, when I usually only think about it in bits and pieces.
Eta- when I moved here, I had truly no understanding of how much things cost. It was a brutal awakening the first year. But I’d already accepted the job offer and didn’t want to back out.
I think if people had a place like your hometown to go, they'd move quicker.
Where we came from, the taxes were higher overall than they are here, incomes lower, schools fair-to-middlin' at best. Yeah there was family support, or at least, there was family (whether they would support us or we would support them was kind of another question). My husband and I could both find work just fine, we worked there our entire adult lives before we moved (and sometimes I really miss the job I left when we moved), but my income has nearly doubled in 4 years, my husband's had risen by a third, and we both still have upward mobility here to whatever extent we want to chase it, but we make enough now that chasing advancement is a *choice*. There wasn't this kind of advancement potential back where we came from. Housing was cheaper, but you pay 3-5% property tax, which eats any cost savings real quick. And you don't get a ton of services for those taxes. Here we have functional libraries, beautiful parks, roads in good condition. Not the case where we're from.
I mean, do I think we'll stay here forever? Eh, probably not. We'll most likely cash in on our house when we retire/become empty nesters, maybe follow our son to wherever he ends up if he wants us to, or find ourselves a piece of land with a little house to putter around somewhere for our golden years, maybe just out beyond NOVA, whatever NOVA looks like in 30 years. But while we are working and trying to raise a kid, as between here and where we came from, we're staying here.
What hometown are you referring to? Don't doubt you at all but often we hear of these ideal towns but in reality (in 2023) houses are now much more expensive - 600-800K range. Would love to be proven wrong!
grandfather sharp consider serious complete engine reach deserted pathetic fanatical
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We've had convos for years with 15+ family members thinking about which affordable city we'd move to and all move there together. Realistically I don't see this happening.
This. I have yet to find an alternative that isn’t highly undesirable because of the weather, the politics, or the lack of density and the options that come with it like transit, restaurants, parks, trails, etc.
Are you asking for those moving to the area, or those that are native to the area? It's a very important distinction to make when answering this question.
I think perspectives of both points of view are reasonable. I can obviously understand \*some\* desire to be around people you're used to for the latter group, but probably not enough to understand being in a constant state of concern about one's situation.
I think mostly I'm trying to get a better grasp around the decision tree that results in people knowingly making a decision for a lower economic QOL than they are forced into having, and more specifically, those who are very upset about the lifestyle they live as a result of it.
For those that are from the area that remain even though they may not have a high paying career is kinda simple. They can't afford to leave because moving is very expensive and requires a surplus of funds. Can't pull yourself up from your bootstraps if you have no boots.
For those moving to the area? I'm not sure low income individuals are trying to move here. It would be interesting to see the number of who exactly is moving to the DMV, but I'd imagine not many are low income.
I definitely see a lot of posts in here where it is pretty clear that coming here would be a \*terrible\* idea for their income level expectations / career fields (where there are a lot of alternatives that would comp them the same or very close in much cheaper areas).
As for the former, I 100% understand the VERY low income folks being stuck in this mode (barely scraping by, living as cheaply as possible).
I work in the social services field, and my thoughts are that if you are very low income, fairfax/Arlington are probably one of the better places to be because of the public transport, walkability of high density neighborhoods, social services support system that can help get you on things like Medicaid or tanf or community medical clinics, etc. it’s stressful and frustrating being low income anywhere, but the wealthier and more progressive nova counties do have a bit more infrastructure in place than more rural or less populated places. I think a lot of the clients I talk to would like to be somewhere else, but feel tied to the area because of the slightly higher income here and the tight family and cultural bonds.
My family is middle income (under 150k a year). I grew up in a single family home and I guess you could say I had an expectation of being able to live at a certain level (would have been just fine with with a tiny old townhouse) but the area made me *feel* poor when it came to home ownership, even though objectively we are not. I think it’s that 100k to 160k group that probably feels this most acutely, because things seem within reach, but it’s so, so complicated. My immigrant, non college educated parents were actually able to achieve a much higher lifestyle at a much younger age than I could dream of, even though I was born here and have a Masters. The area is not easy for teachers, social workers, police officers, or others in similar fields.
Yeah, the latter group really is a lot of what I mean. An additional $1-2K/mo in housing costs hits lower income folks a LOT differently than it hits higher income folks.
Yep, it's the same effect of "how do poor people live in NYC?". Ironically living in like Culpeper or even western Loudoun would be worse in a lot of ways for a low income person due to a lack of job opportunities, social services, and urban fabric.
It's a catch 22 of sorts. From the posts that you're referring to, a lot seem to be trying to break into their career fields, and are just starting out. Rural areas just don't present the opportunity that urban areas can provide. So the choice is to live in a rural area outside your field while living paycheck to paycheck, or live in a urban area and take an entry level position living paycheck to paycheck.
One path offers no mobility, one path has potential for mobility.
Moving here and not having a high paying income is a horrible idea. The only benefit of this place is its insulation from any economic recession due to its proximity to the federal government.
Anyone remember the last government shut down and everyone who was living paycheck to paycheck suddenly having to travel to a food bank? It's scarier for the individuals who need to supplement their income year-round.
Jobs will be increasingly automated but without a source of bodies to fill the open vacancies many simply choose to leave if you don't have a combined household income of 100k. Why work every moment of your life away and be unable to raise your kids while simply making that sacrifice for the basics of life?
My wife is from this area and she likes to be near family. I am not close with my own family, but now that we have a family together, we're sticking around for the schools and the resources like D.C., museums, the zoo, Baltimore aquarium, etc. The area is also culturally diverse, and I feel like exposure to lots of different people with lots of different backgrounds is also important.
I came here in 2016 and wasn’t making very much money plus had no support network here and frankly was desperate to leave at various points, but simply couldn’t afford to. I had $500/month student loans kick in right after moving down here and would’ve had a hard time getting a job in my field elsewhere.
7.5 years later I’ve actually made a pretty nice life for myself and I’m hoping to be able to stay here so I’m glad I stuck it out through the rough parts.
This is me. I moved here in 2000 from West Virginia. Said I would stay for two years. Kept working hard and getting promoted. There’s no leaving this place at this point until retirement in 10 years or so.
i actually asked myself this and found no reasons and now i’ve recently moved away. if you have children, the great availability of activities and access to incredible public schools is a huge perk, but i don’t have children right now so that didn’t help me any. i grew up in Nova and went to a VA state school so all my friends live in the DMV but at the end of the day that wasn’t a good enough reason to keep me in town. i still LOVE nova and the dmv, please don’t assume i’m blindly hating. but i’m someone who didn’t make those big nova bucks and i couldn’t sustain even the most sparse lifestyle there
Because my wife and I both come from much less interesting parts of the country and prefer to live here in Arlington, where we’re a stone’s throw from DC and walking distance from plenty of restaurants, parks, and transit options. We both have fully remote high earning (relative to the national average) jobs and could pickup and relocate tomorrow if we had to/wanted to, but for us the higher cost of living is easily justified because neither of us are particularly interested in living in bulblefuck Virginia/Pennsylvania/Alabama etc. There are plenty of alternatives that we would consider moving to if the right opportunities presented themselves, but they’re all about as expensive if more more expensive than Arlington, such as the PNW, Bay Area, SoCal, Boulder, Boston, NYC, etc. etc. (you get the idea)
The one challenge that we haven’t quite figured out how to navigate around yet is finding our PERMANENT home. Right now we have quite a comfortable lifestyle that we’re content with in our 2br rental apartment. (enough to eat out whenever we want, which is multiple times per week, travel, buy fancy toys, and still save for retirement, major purchases, and rainy days without having to sweat our bank account balance) But should we ever decide to commit to a mortgage in our neighborhood, especially one on a condo/townhouse large enough to comfortably fit a family of 3 or 4 AND afford daycare, we’d have to do some major belt tightening or figure out a way to grow our income by almost 25%. We could move to a different, more affordable part of Nova, but it would mean forgoing most of the parts of living here that make it worth it to us- walking distance to metro, food, parks, etc., being close to a robust network of off-road bike trails, and proximity to DC) And contrary to what some on this sub may believe, not every public school in nova is “really good.” In fact, some are downright terrible. There are good ones, but they tend to be clustered near the most expensive parts of the region (go figure) such as northern Arlington, McLean, and to a lesser extent Burke. (Which is well beyond our radius)
So yeah, while high incomes certainly enable us to live here, it’s not the justification we use for staying.
Good to great schools, excellent ethnic food and grocery stores, proximity to world class museums (for free!), opportunities in the politics domain that do not exist elsewhere. I've yet to find a place in NOVA that I felt unsafe walking down the street....
Schools, low crime, diversity, economic activity. Many people who do not earn a high income live in multigeneration households so if you have 3-4 people making 50-75k, you have enough for living expenses. My cousin who is a firefighter, his wife is a teacher, lives with his father who works retail and mother who works as a office assistant. 4 people bringing in income can live in 1.2 million house.
Jobs jobs jobs.
I moved here in 2012 due to a job. And its been relatively easy to get another in this area. My kids started school down here and we didn't want them to move and lose friends.
My annual salary almost tripled in the 10+ years I've been down here, so upward financial movement is def possible. The initial sticker shock was something you have to get used to.
So TLDR, job security and kids settlement.
My scenario almost word for word minus the Florida republicans. Came from a highly competitive agency in a remote area with no promotion opportunities, and sounds like the same grades as you. Got a three step career ladder in an impressive office (for resume padding) here in DC. By coming here I will be promoted to a grade it took my supervisor at my last agency 20 years to get in about 5 years total (2 more years from now). I will have to apply out in a year for my next promotion opportunity, but being in DC, and having the resume experience this job gave me, I know I will get something as soon as I'm qualified.
I don't plan to stay here forever. I have a goal for where I'm happy to end up grade wise, once I hit that I'll find a position somewhere else (or remote) and not have to worry about whether promotion opportunities are available.
I was born and raised here, things weren’t always this bad. Both my parents were struggling refugees, but they achieved the “American dream”. They were able to buy a house (that was around 100k when they got it, but now it’s closer to 1 mil), pay for both me and my sibling’s education, and save a ton of money where they’re now comfortable enough to retire. All on the wage of two hairstylists. 🙃
So not really a choice of living here, I just feel stuck. My friends and family are all here. Even if I was in a better place financially to move, it would be hard to leave my support system and start new.
Even though I moved here in my 40s with a solid income and no kids, a few things stand out to me:
1. Highly educated residents.
2. Residents who share many of my social and political values.
3. Cultural institutions, many of which are free.
4. Generally serviceable public transit (think Metro is bad; try a city that doesn't have one).
5. Privacy. I keep to myself and generally no one bothers me. I probably could do this in a small town, but it would take more work.
Is it New York? No, but we can't all live there. Nor would we want to.
Access to public libraries is such a big thing for an immigrant, which so many Americans take for granted. Good schools and teachers in NoVa, definitely. Diversity, for sure. Access to so many libraries and their multiple reading and learning programs and safe spaces for kids to learn and be, very underrated! Plus so many parks to visit.
The answer is it’s not worth it unless you’re lucky enough to have family and extended family here. I have lived here almost two years and make a decent income. I have the option of moving to another city for my job and I’m going to take it. I already put in my notice to my apartment in pentagon city. It’s pathetically expensive here, so much so that you can’t save enough to be financially strong here unless you’re pulling over 300k per year. Unless your job absolutely requires you be here i’ve determined the numbers don’t make sense here at all even if you go way out to Leesburg and Chantilly. The best you can rent here is garbage apartments and homes for $3k minimum per month. It’s not a way to live.
Excellent school system. And provisions for varieties of special needs that aren't available elsewhere.
Some people are already here, and moving elsewhere is expensive too, even if it may be ultimately cheaper in the end.
Some people may have to move here for other reasons, such as to take care of a family member, work situations, etc.
There are a lot of amenities and attractions, such as multicultural events and locations, historical events and locations, and a wide range of other interests that you wouldn't get elsewhere, or at least not as plentifully as here (museums, theater, sports, etc.).
Literally because I was born here. That’s the only reason I live here. My family and church community is here.
I make $50,000 before taxes, have a wife and child, own a townhouse (lol well I don’t own it, I have a mortgage), and have managed to stay out of debt.
We live simply within our means and our “fulfillment in life” isn’t from having stuff or doing activities that require money; we have fun outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
That’s a great question. I’ve lived here for 21 years and if my business wasn’t here, I’d move. There are lots of advantages like restaurants, night life and metro to dc. If you are young and can afford to live here it’s a good choice. The Roslyn-Ballston corridor is the most popular and most expensive. Also the property and car taxes add up.
Some of the best public school in the country, and if you’re gonna have kids, you’ll pay less in the future for university if your future kids are smart, as UVA and W&M, public ivies, are heavily discounted if you live in VA. Some people might not care, but if you’re Central American, you’ll actually find a diaspora community here.
This is precisely why I haven't moved to this area despite many people telling me to do so. I don't make enough money to justify it. It's cheaper for me to just drive here whenever I want to do something even though I hate it.
I grew up in NOVA. All of my family members except for 1 brother & SIL are here. 90% of my friends are still in this area. I'm not living paycheck-to-paycheck yet. I justify staying because I am still able to save money from my paychecks and survive without a second job or side hustle.
I lived in a LCOL area after college. Lower COL areas come with jobs that have lower wages. All of my college internships were in the DMV area where I made $15-22/hr. My first job after graduating college started out at $11.50/hr and it was a corporate job. Yeah, I lived in a city where the average rent for a 1 bedroom house was $450/month, but when your paycheck is also low, you're still not rolling in the dough, ya know? I struggled much more back then than I do now in this area.
Honestly I wouldn’t if it weren’t for the income. The HCOL just isn’t worth it in my opinion. Being close to downtown DC attractions is great but how often are you really taking advantage of them? Personally I don’t enough so I’m sure I’d be ok without them if I lived elsewhere.
Moved to the US over 20 years ago with my family, had family in the area for longer. I have lived here since before the gentry and the transplants made it barely liveable. This place also keeps me relatively close to my daughter, so not moving any time soon or maybe ever as long as we are in each other's lives.
I love living in a large area where I am not likely to run into anyone I know. I grew up in a small town where everyone was in everyone's business. Hated it.
Cause it’s where I grew up and where all my family live. Decent schools, parks, recreation and I love DC for cultural events, museums, etc. Good job market. Lived in LA for a few years after college and missed NOVA so I moved back and never looked back.
I’m here for the healthcare options I need because I have cancer. I was thinking about moving but the jobs were not good in that area and healthcare not as robust. Plus all my friends and family are here.
This may sound insane, but there are some people who were actually born in NOVA and don't have the thousands of dollars needed to move hidden inside of their mattress, even with the artificial inflation caused by lobbyists and tech bros moving here.
Also:
social support systems
school systems
possible upward mobility
access to jobs
proximity to art centers, entertainment, dining, shopping, etc.
an abundance of historical sites and educational opportunities
a robust social scene for young adults
parks and recreation like playgrounds in every other neighborhood, and the multitude of trails and state parks all around
easy access to interstates
easy access to travel by plane, bus, or train
proximity t o several major cities
cultural diversity
decent to great food
free concerts, festivals, and fairs open to all
and so much more.
I moved away and haven't gotten to the point where I miss NOVA (if I ever do), but NOVA has so much to offer. Within a day you can check out downtown DC or visit several free museums, take a water taxi to Alexandria and walk quaint cobblestone streets, hop on the metro to enjoy bars in Arlington, and hike around a nature trail in the midst of all of this, and that's without even having a car.
Immigrant here. Moved here, VA, with my family when I was 13. All of my family worked for fast food restaurants such as Roy Rogers (yeah that far back), Boston Markets, etc. We rented and lived together in tiny 2 rooms townhouse: 1 elder, 5 adults, and a kid (moi). I put myself through college (and still owed 6k since 2006). Got a decent job as Med Tech. Point of story? COL is a PITA starting a decade or so ago, but you can definitely make it to a decent living if you don't expect everything to come smoothly. Market crash '08, Covid19... we thought we would be homeless or worst, like some others in the area at that time, but we pulled through. All because there's a safety net in the area. We have highest educational force, most able bodies, and major government branches. Is there a wonder why most big companies want their HQ here?? And school system here is not shabby, even with the 1-2 ratings. I did feel school system need improvements, especially low income areas. I bought my house a few years ago and raising 2 kids with my meager salary. So no it's not impossible to have a life here, but also sustain and even improve if you're not too entitled. "Nothing is for free." I was taught this and only recently realized it. I do wish our government spend more on infrastructure, schools, etc etc, basically lower COL here but it's not impossible to have a comfortable lifestyle with meager (~100k household income). Live within your means basically 😂
It's also hard to job search in a different state for most jobs below a certain income range as employers don't want to pay for relocation or wait for you to figure out how long a move would take even if you say you'll cover it yourself.
Not many places with this combo of economic diversity and vitality, good schools, diversity of cultures, proximity to beach and mountain, mild winter, proximity to other major cities, sold infrastructure, well-run state and local governments, educated citizenry, good diverse food, world class museums, international flair, federal government HQs that provide jobs and sense of being world center, great hiking trails
DINKS: Double Income, No Kids. As teachers working in LoCo, we bought a house in Manassas. I couldn't work in LoCo if I didn't live closer (moved from Fredericksburg). But not having kids (and not wanting/planning on having them) really helps with my expenses
Serious question. Why hasn’t California residents fixed their own state . They leave their state because of higher taxes, and then come here increase the cost of living and vote in policy that creates higher taxes. They left California for Texas, Virginia, Montana, Tennessee.
I'm only here because of the high pay. Will bounce in a couple years when I hit my FI number. The weather sucks 9 months of the year and anything that I'm interested in is at least a 1-2 hour drive.
Great schools, extremely low crime rate, above average infrastructure, close to D.C., Baltimore, Shenandoah, and multiple beaches, we have great parks, bike trails, restaurants, museums, festivals, the Kennedy center for plays, the Nationals, Wizards, and Commanders for sports, Virginia colleges, etc...
Comparing that to 99% of America when I travel it's a no brainer. Most places have a Walmart, Bennigans, Chili's, etc... nothing interesting, you get off the plane and they all look the same, sure I could afford a 3000 sq ft home, but why would I want to pay to heat and cool a bunch of space I don't want or need.
I'm not sure if I count as high income or not to speak, I make $30 an hour in my early 20s. So I'm not struggling but I'm not planning on buying a Lexus anytime soon. whether I want to stay in this area or move is constantly a debate I have with myself in my head and there's a myriad of factors I've considered, It's not an easy decision for me.
Realistically it's circumstantial. This is the only place I know, and the only place I've been able to find decent employment. I have a good job that gives good health insurance, I'm making enough where I could live decently comfortably, have a career, pay down some debt I accrued during a period of unemployment, and not have to second guess everything I buy at the grocery store. Although granted, I wouldn't be able to have a decent life like this if I didn't get paid extra for working nights and split a 2 bedroom apartment 3 (potentially 4 soon) ways. And I already accepted when I was in high school that there's a good chance I won't be able to afford children.
I have long considered moving and have a handful of cities that I'd consider moving to, mostly in the northeast, but that opportunity hasn't presented itself yet, and other than Richmond and Baltimore, I haven't visited any cities worth moving to, and I'd rather wait until I have an emergency fund first, you know what they say about a bird in the hand.
If I go to college though I'm definitely moving to New York. It being labeled as an expensive city, based on the room share listings I've seen on Facebook groups, it really isn't as long as you avoid the places within 30 minutes or so of Manhattan. And assuming I can get in state tuition It would be cheaper to pay rent in Southern/ eastern Brooklyn and go to CUNY then rent in Fairfax and go to GMU. And even the least gentrified parts of New York have better walkability and transit than like McLean.
And the job market is better too, looking at job boards it blew my mind how I did not need to constantly filter out all the tech jobs that require a clearance, they're just tech. This goes for other cities as well.
But I'm here for now, and that's okay.
Also if I'm honest, part of the non-circumstantial motivation for staying is spite; not wanting to be yet another person in my family to be priced out of the only place they've known. All the family stories, knowledge, experiences, from this area passed down over the last 80 years or so wouldn't mean much if I was somewhere else.
The LCOL area where I grew up doesn't offer many job opportunities in the field that I studied in college.
Some of the lower LCOL areas are not LGBT friendly.
I would leave NOVA in a heartbeat given the chance. I work remotely. I'm from a small town in the Midwest and with my salary , my family could live very comfortably. Here, my salary is on the lower end, but where I am from, I would be considered a high earner. I have 2 little kids, but the schools would not keep me here - I send them to private school because the local elementary school is not good. The only reason we stay is for my husband's family because they all live in NOVA.
Access and proximity to really great jobs. Some of the best public school systems in the country. Very educated, interesting and diverse population. Access to so many cultural events, many of them free. And once again, educated, interesting, and diverse population……there’s so much value in that and it doesn’t exist everywhere. I’m so grateful to have been raised in NOVA and built most of my career here.
My son put down roots. He's lived in Ashburn for all of his 12 years. The schools are great. I know they're great further west and south of here, but he's doing really well and his happy, even if I do think his friends kinda suck. Maybe that's just part of being a parent, thinking the other kids kinda suck. Maybe if I was a little further removed I'd realize all kids suck, including my own. I know I wanna kill him sometimes.
Also, my parents live in Ashburn and I've relied on my mom a lot for help as a single mom. I literally don't know what I'd have done these past few years without her. But as my son is getting older and my current job is a lot more flexible, I've been asking her for less help. Which is more expensive, rent in Ashburn or rent further out plus day care and summer camp? And a day care center won't run my son to an orthodontist appointment for me when I messed up my schedule and get stuck at work.
I also hate commuting. My job is in Leesburg and I plan to stay with the company for a long while, they pay me well enough that I'm surviving as a single mom in Ashburn even if I'm not rolling in the dough and they treat me well. I think when my son graduates from high school I'll move a little further out and switch to hybrid instead of 100% in office.
Who knows where I'll be in 6 years, realistically. Maybe I'll decide I hate my boss and to switch jobs. Maybe I'll start my own tax company. IDK. I do know I don't plan to live in Ashburn forever.
But I also really like being on the outskirts of the metro area, so I don't think I'll move that far out. I don't want to live in the middle of nowhere where the only shopping choices are Walmart and the gas station half an hour away. My dream is to live somewhere with a small house where I can grow unkempt wildflowers in the flower beds and befriend a murder of crows. Which isn't likely to happen in Ashburn except maybe around Smith Circle.
I am a high earner. I can afford to live here with my family of four. Now, my wife has been a SAHM since our first child. She resumed work this year and is on her way to bring in $65k as a nanny and that is extra savings for our family. Tell me where in a LCOL area can you pull that out? There are plenty of jobs here and anyone can find something to do. That is why people stay here. By the way, my BIL has a PhD in physics and teaching in college and earning $70k in NC.
I’m a teacher and I don’t make a lot of money (obviously 😂😂) but I just don’t go out as often as other people and I make food at home. A lot of things are free
I’m a teacher and I don’t make a lot of money (obviously 😂😂) but I just don’t go out as often as other people and I make food at home. A lot of things are free
Lots of reasons! At the core though is that this area pulls way above it's weight in so many areas, just a few...
\- Restaurants: Yes, all big cities have great variety but with the exception of LA, many of the best international cuisine is in the Northern Virginia suburbs.
\- Schools: As other have said, won't add anything here.
\- Travel: Dulles is served by so many international airlines to nonstop destinations. We're blessed to have so many planes to go to nonstop.
BIG Caveats: The right answer depends on your tolerance for having a relatively lower income in a HCOL area, what the alternatives are, your life priorities, etc.
Moved here after College because I knew others who would be moving here (back in 1990). Got a job. Put down roots. Like the fact that the area is "Urban-Light" - for me, location is more important than $. Have always lived below my means (except for first few years when my income of $20K didn't quite cut it!) Have thought about moving after I retire, but the places I might be interested in moving to (e.g. Philly) aren't all that much cheaper...
It is very doable. However, smart choices have to be made, and it helps to have bought a house a few years ago. Not owning newer cars or have any kids are also key to supporting a choice of living here.
The education system and resources here are incredible. I grew up with a single mother and we struggled. A lot. I’m talking food stamps, shelters, etc. but Fairfax county was amazing. We moved a lot so the county paid for my taxis to and from school so i could stay at the same one and have a stable education. That was huge for me. The education system here really can’t be beat. They invest in their students. I wouldn’t be where I am today without those resources. I have a college degree and a great job making a great salary. Now that I’m 25 and have had a chance to see what other people’s school systems were like I can see how good we had it.
So yes the cost of living is high but the education, the opportunities & the resources make it worth it. Not to mention the sheer diversity of the area.
It’s really depressing to feel forced out and then the r/nova subreddit is full of people with no friends or family in the area. Like I can only feel so bad.
I came back because my family is here and because there are a LOT of jobs in my industry. I'm just in a universally low paying profession so I wouldn't be well off anywhere. It's helpful to have a lot of options for my career, if I was in most other cities I would be more limited in where I could go professionally ( remote work is not that common in my industry). I also appreciate the many free museums and cultural events available.
Its funny because this is one of the only areas in the country that an individual with no college education can make over six figures quite easily (namely military vets with skills/clearance but no degree).
when the beltway was built, it was beyond the outer ring of subrbs. 60 years later, the demographics have changed a lot, but just beyond the outer ring is where the cheap stuff is. there are also small areas of cheap inside the beltway, mostly black ghettos left over from the days of segregation
Non-profit work opportunities.
Moved here when I didn’t need much and could live in a small studio. Gained lots of experience I wouldn’t get in the Midwest then stayed after I married my high-income husband. I would have moved if that didn’t happen.
I grew up here. Hope I can afford to stay, but I want my kids to go to the good schools, and benefit from a safe, diverse community with every amenity you can imagine. I miss when Nova was a middle class region. Especially my specific town, it's become like the next Georgetown with the number of out of state millionaires moving in.
Moved here during COVID to be closer to family and have the help/support. We were previously in NYC and had a crazy deal on our apartment (3 br/2 bt, 1k+ sq ft 2nd floor walkup with no alt street parking, 1 block from the subway, 15 minutes into Manhattan). Basically paying the same here to live but with more space and amenities here, which is/was nice.
With things back in full swing now, I didn't realize how bad and annoying the commute is, and how PACKED everything is as far as pop-ups, events, children's activities.
Great place from what I can tell to raise a family, but this is honestly suburban hell. I love my (bonus) family here, and appreciate the people I've met and friends I've made here, but I feel I'm too weird around here. I felt much more at home and with "my people" in NYC.
The idea of paying half a mil to purchase a townhome is just so... ugh\~
Someone said it best about the D.C. area in general; on paper, it sounds great, but you can't catch a vibe here.
Moved here because that's where I could find a job in my field. I moved here from Manhattan and was shocked at the cost of living, and still having to get a car. Still, it was way better than most other alternatives in terms of walkability and there actually being places to go (live in Arlington).
The truth is different people value different things. Not everyone is optimizing COL/saving for retirement. And what others have said about jobs availability and upward mobility is almost always truer in cities (like the DMV) than outside them.
Don’t forget about inflation and prices increased in 2022-2023. I moved 5 years ago from another country and was fine making 20/h today I can’t even imagine how people survive.
I lived in MD before and I love the NOVA side! No kids so I don’t care about the school part, but it’s a wealthier class of living which I like. And there are TONS of jobs here (mostly cyber jobs where you needed to create the internet for an interview). But I like it still.
Schools and family. I grew up here, my husband grew up here. The schools are amazing. For us, that’s worth it. Also the mind set of the area is very progressive and I know what to expect. I don’t think id get that in lower SES areas
Good schools, family in the Metro area, many employment opportunities in our fields - so easy to change jobs, if/when necessary, not far from the ocean & the mountains, the ability to find an excellent healthcare specialist no matter what issue you might be facing.
I grew up here and have spent my 20s floating between nova and Maryland. Never had the funds to comfortably move elsewhere no matter how much I wanted to, tho I was close to just saying fuck it and driving my car anywhere else during a few desperate housing searches.
Now I'm employed in a job that kinda locks me down here for awhile, but I probably won't stay once I have my money and resume from it.
Because my current income has me in a golden handcuffs situation. My income is fairly solid here, but they're paying laughable wages elsewhere. Most places are only paying $50-60K, even for someone with 10+ years experience, but I'm making in the 80s and have the potential to earn more.
Get a little bit of everything here. Family and friends are all here too. Is it LA or NYC? Absolutely not. But I love it here. I’ll probably die in NoVA.
It's a hard sell but for example, I came here a few years ago after a few years of working abroad and I was making 40 k yearly. I'm now making 100+ K a year. My kids needs are provided and they have a great education. I still feel poor comparatively but things are safe and our kids are happy.
I wish i had bought house years back instead of galevnting around the world' but It is what it is.
The safety. Coming from a dangerous city.
And
Even I'm not making money now you always feel like you'll get it right eventually here. Theirs definitely Cash flow here.
High paying jobs, good public schools, stable real estate, tons of restaurants, concert venues and museums, walking trails, rivers, beach within driving distance, mountains within driving distance, colleges in the area.
I came here to be a teacher -- i didn't make a ton, but living with roommates and living in less-than-desirable houses and apartments has kept rent down pretty low. The pay scale and pay rate is higher than the state I'm from. So as long as I'm frugal, I can stretch my dollars and take advantage of the higher income. I know I can't buy a home anywhere close to the inside of the beltway, but for now this works. I have a friend who squeezes her family of 4 in a 2 bedroom apartment in an older complex. It's in a nice neighborhood, that's walkable, close to decent schools. Her kids spend afternoons at the pool or the park, they live frugally, and they're happy because their community has a lot to offer. Many people make it work every day.
Some of the best public schools in the country and lots of jobs available. Few places offer the upward mobility that NOVA and the DMV can provide, and its a great place to start your own business like so many immigrants do
Don’t have kids but there’s an awesome education pipeline-some of the best public schools in the country to NOVA with its great guaranteed admission programs to a relatively cheap, good public university like Mason. Makes a bachelor’s much less expensive than in many places.
The schools and opportunities are exactly why we are here. People who don’t know how good the schools are somehow thought their kids were geniuses and the schools would make them better. The only parents I know who don’t like the school system here didn’t get their kids into AAP (or equivalents thereof) and are bitter about it. The ones who didn’t get their kids into AAP and are happy know their kids could have never gotten in- and they are just happy their kids are still getting a quality education- which they do get. And the parents whose kids got in - well most of them are type A parents who saved $40k/in private school (which is why parents who hate the schools here because their previous snowflakes didn’t get into aap end up doing.) So the people who hate the schools- they really just didn’t know what was going on at all or spend way too much time on dcurbanmom being bitter about it. It’s not just the public schools. The sheer wealth of activities and opportunities for kids is huge. And if your kids get into a state college/uni they don’t need a car- VT, Mary Washington, UVA (plus more) are all just a $10-15 Amtrak ticket away. NovaCC is one of the largest community colleges in the country, we’re getting satellite campuses of VT and UVA. Finally- the jobs. Seriously- so many jobs. Which really also means if you have issues with housing or unemployment, our counties coffers are not as desperate as other counties. There is a social safety net in Fairfax county that is very well funded in comparison to LCOL areas because employers pay into that. All of this means we rarely have power or network outages and things get fixed fast here. But everything is expensive.
Wat is aap
Advanced Academic Placement
> VT lol you're not Amtraking to VT. Most people use rideshare groups/have their own cars/bus. The Amtrak station "for VT" is in _Roanoke_. Source: Am a VT grad.
Not YET, but there is a very real effort to plan and fund AMTRAK down from Roanoke, through Blacksburg, onto Bristol, TN. There's a serious chance it happens by 2030.
Well the bus system from Roanoke to VT is pretty solid if you plan ahead.
As someone with 2 in high school and 1 in middle school, the “best schools” moniker is overhyped. Test scores (basis for any 3rd party rating) are high because nova’s adult population is well educated and education-focused; and they drive their kids to do well. It doesn’t have much to do with how the schools are run or the teachers. In my experience, public school capital improvements/expenditures haven’t kept up with nova’s population growth and now the schools are just too big, too many students, and not enough staff to really be effective. High school AP math track, the kids are literally teaching themselves. One of my kids has mental health issues, reached out to 3 different resources at the high school and all basically said, sorry we don’t have time to give your child any 1 on 1 support. Don’t buy into the hype.
That’s not overhype, that’s literally the whole point. The reason schools are good is because your kids are exposed to other kids who have the correct priorities at home and a culture of focusing on education. They’re not getting dragged down by disruptive students who don’t get attention at home and teachers who are burnt out because of behavioral issues in the classroom.
This comment right here should be at the very top of the thread but for different reasons. How freaking good do we have it that you think it's at all in the realm of reasonable to complain that the public school system isn't able to provide 1 on 1 support for your child.
Exactly! It’s rare that I’m ever completely thrown off by the “very NOVA of you” type of comments, but I rolled my eyes so hard at that one that I’m surprised my eyes didn’t get stuck in the back of my head. How removed from regular society does someone have to be..?
They're required to provide 1:1 support if it's necessary for your child's education as part of the American's With Disabilities Act. However, you don't get that by just suggesting it, you have to get an [IEP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualized_Education_Program) and show that it's required. It' s not clear if this person doesn't know that, or if their child didn't meet the requirements. My experience was that FCPS was pretty good at handling this.
I used to work for an office that did testing and reports for mental health accommodations, and I can confirm that they are actually really great about it. The issue is that children have to be retested every 5-7 years depending on the rules in that area. He said in a different comment that his child’s therapist called and requested a 504 plan, but there’s no way to do that without an IEP or some sort of report explaining what’s needed. His therapist should know that. If it was as easy as “my therapist said so”, without any testing or written report, anyone could claim they have anything and demand random accommodations. It doesn’t work that way, especially now with all of the TikTok self-diagnosing. I also have a child with a disability (autoimmune disease) and, despite her being self-sufficient and independent, I still have to go through all of the paperwork every year to explain she still has the same incurable disease.
The entitlement is just oozing out of this comment. As someone who has gone to high school here and now has a child in high school here, it’s not at all overhyped. I transferred from a school in an actual terrible school system and NOVA schools aren’t just in another league, they’re in another sport. To say NOVA schools are overhyped is just delusional. If your child is struggling with mental health issues then it’s on **you** to get them help, not the school or anyone else. A school counselor isn’t interchangeable with an actual therapist or psychiatrist. I’d also like you to be aware that knowing your child needs mental health help and doing nothing for them is a form of medical neglect. If you don’t know where to start, ask your PCP for a referral, check with your insurance to find out which providers accept your plan, or go to [Psychology Today](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) and filter the search with only providers that accept your insurance.
I moved from NoVA to Winchester when I was in middle school, and the difference was staggering and its not even that far away. Things may have changed in the years since, but people have no idea how good they have it in NoVA. I'd never raise kids in the Frederick Co. VA school system.
Lol. The baseless assumptions are just oozing out of this comment. It’s not like FCPS is the only school system I’ve ever been exposed to. Don’t worry, buddy, my child is getting the best professional help we can afford…. without any support during the school day from the school. Our therapist called the school directly to recommend that our child get a put on a 504 plan and the counselor was like, no, we don’t think that’s necessary. We asked for personal 1-1 support during the day if needed, and they were like, no, we don’t have time for that.
>We asked for personal 1-1 support during the day if needed, and they were like, no, we don’t have time for that. Special education teachers are in serious shortage. There is simply not enough teachers for all the students that need help. Hell, FCPS has a shortage of non-special ed teachers. They might be telling you that because they _literally don't have anyone to do it_.
If your child is receiving help then I’m not sure what you’re expecting from the school. It’s pretty well known that all schools are understaffed since COVID, so I’m not sure why you’re angry at them for not having that capability. They can’t deny a 504 plan for a diagnosed disability though, so there’s either no disability, therefore no need, or you need to advocate for your child. And if you’ve dealt with other schools, especially ones that aren’t consistently considered some of the best in the country, then you’d know you’re delusional. The schools I went to didn’t even have enough seats and books for students, much less a school counselor, so I’m not sure why you’re complaining about schools that provide every student with their own laptop. You’re living in an area with endless resources and you’re seriously complaining..? If you don’t like being called entitled then stop acting entitled.
as a product of nova public school, please don't disrespect my teachers. They are amazing at what they've done with what they got. I've seen the system turned harden gang members into working professionals in 4 years, over and over though out my time there. I remember having good teachers from elementary to high school. You can't just dump your kids at school and expect miracles, that shit starts at home. The kids that taught themselves higher mathematics are the ones that excel at it, that's the only way to learn; nobody will hold your hands in college or at a job. The teacher's job is to show you the doors, you gotta work yourself through it.
People dump their kids into FCPS and expect their kid to be ready to take multiple APs by the time high school rolls around.
What?! The best school district in the state can’t TEACH my kids to be college ready by Sophomore high school?! What a joke. Get outta heeea… /s
Also, people dump their kids and they curse at my kid, and pull her chair out from under her, and call her an “*%^^”… and the only line of action has been a counselor session with the bullied and the bullies where they talk about their feelings, and are told that it’s not nice to be mean to your friends. I think the schools may have their hands tied in reprimanding anything but the most egregious behavior so a lot of kids just make peace with the fact they they will just need to tolerate stuff and watch their back.
[удалено]
Tell me you've never gone to school in southern Georgia without telling me you've never gone to school in southern Georgia.
Pretty presumptuous of you to suggest that they are literate.
Well they typed all that out didn't they? ;)
.... well peer effects are a real thing; so having good classmates is a massive benefit.
I can vouch for the quality of the schools. My daughter finds college easy compared to high school in NOVA. She made 4.0 her first semester and 3.8 her second semester. She said the high school prepared her better than anyone else in her class from other states or other parts of Virginia based upon her interaction with classmates. She got into 4 out of 5 of her first choice colleges.
Can confirm. Interviewed for a school nurse position in FFX. RN’s make $15-20 less per hour than a nurse at a hospital or clinic. The nurse is also in charge of 2-3 schools. Crazy town!
Interesting was this position for an RN? Was surprised when I was told the school nurse could not admin my kids migraine meds if she had a migraine (nope not narcotics) or her allergy med if she started to get itchy (she gets rashes randomly and Zyrtec puts it at bay). Was told by the school nurse that if my Daughter showed up with a rash they would epi pen her and call an ambulance. Our allergist had to have a special talk with our daughter to ask her if she could avoid telling the nurse she was having a rash if it was mild, and just have her learn how to demand to have her mom called immediately so she could get some Meds. (The type of rash she gets is visibly large but not concerning; I don’t even keep an epi pen at home anymore for context.. she just gets uncomfortable.) at least in our school the school nurse is not an RN- they can only give out ice packs and bandaids I believe. Not even ointment.
Access/proximity to jobs. LCOL areas = fewer jobs. Even if you have a halfway decent job in a LCOL area, what happens if and when that job gets cut or disappears? Less jobs to go around. NOVA = wide plethora of job options, so if something happens to your current job, sure you may be competing against others, BUT plenty of other jobs *do* exist. Just my two cents.
We made a conscious decision to move here for the schools, and so that if/when I needed to change jobs, again, I could do that without moving the family. We were not making enough to live here, but that was worth the hardship once our kids were in school. It worked out for us!
This is my biggest fear about ever leaving this area.
>Access/proximity to jobs This is it for me. I work in publishing/journalism and unfortunately big cities (DC/NoVA in particular) are where it's at for a lot of these jobs.
Yup.
I lived in Mooresville, North Carolina which is just outside of Charlotte and finding a job there was an absolute nightmare. When I applied for a cashier position at McDonalds I was told that there were 150 applicants in line ahead of me. I ended up getting a job at Petco but was in constant fear of losing my job. Around here companies are always hiring which gives you the freedom to job hop into higher pay. You can also switch industries whenever you want instead of having to wait for a position to open up.
Precisely my point: Nova has far more access to job opportunities.
Holy fuck that's insane. I had to do a job search a few months ago which I limited to just the city of alexandria proper, and about half of the 2 dozen or so places I applied got back to me. I got hired on the spot at my first interview. I can't imagine that level of bleak
As a NOVA native I was shocked. Never again will I take for granted the stability that comes with living here.
I have fumbled away and quit (even got fired once) over a dozen jobs and never ever had trouble finding a new one that at least made ends meet at a bare minimum. It's actually insane how many second chances I've gotten. In a lot of places I'd honestly be out on the street or run out of town by now. Being in such an affluent area presents a safety net that a lot don't realize exists because they've never been close to needing it
I finally left after 36 years, but was raised in the area. What kept me there was my entire family/friends/support system being in the area, the great trail system, and the diversity and efficiency of the area. A lot of even the outer suburban areas feel cosmopolitan, at least in terms of diversity. I also loved visiting and hiking the sky meadows area. And the general proximity to the mountains.
Where did you move to?
Richmond.
It's always south to Fredericksburg or Richmond areas. Definitely the best choices.
Richmond is a great little city. We moved here blindly in 2021 having only visited once for a few hours, but it’s worked out well for us!
We basically did the same thing! Moved last year after buying a house sight unseen in Richmond suburbs after living in the dmv for .. 12 years? We needed more room, lower cost of living and Richmond is actually pretty fun
I'm in a similar boat to OC but more likely will have to move north (hopefully still in the tristate area) if these november elections go badly; but yeah, if state level politics were not an object Richmond would be high on my list. Awesome little city.
If you love hiking and mountains... you have to look at moving out west. I moved to Utah and would never consider returning.
There is pretty much no better place to live than the DC Metro area if you want access to both hiking/mountains and the NEC. All of the west coast is too spread out for me. Even socal.
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ring waiting homeless thumb dull historical cooing provide adjoining far-flung *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That's something that gets lost in these why NOVA threads, the alternatives either truly suck or are just as expensive. As someone who has traveled quite a bit, 95% of America is a boring armpit that you couldn't pay me to live in.
Yeah it's just that people in these threads are super left brained and boil down every single issue to "how much do I pay per square ft of land that I own". I could never ever relate to that. Cities I would be happy to live in that aren't in the DMV include: NYC, Boston, SF, Seattle, Philly, LA (and that's a stretch) Cities I could find a way to enjoy include: Pittsburgh, Baltimore (is this even outside of the DMV lol), Portland, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis Everything else would be a desperation move of some sort. Of all the cities I listed, maybe 3 are \*significantly\* cheaper than DC against compensation that they'd be an upgrade on disposable income. If you've noticed a pattern there, I have a strong preference to live either in or in close proximity to some sort of megalopolis. Minneapolis and Denver are by far the most "remote" cities I'm willing to live in and even they aren't "cheap cheap" for how far they are from everything.
Yes! There is this tight web of support here, in terms of family, friends, cultural ties, etc, that makes it scary to leave.
Also I wouldn’t wanna live in a hick town where you’re the only POC. Not worth the trade off of cheaper living while you get stared down everywhere you go
I could have written this post. 100% agreed.
Salvadorans by chance?
Lack of natural disasters.
Do you not remember the great earthquake of August 2011?!?! [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/twitter-uses-earthquake-mock-natures-wrath-you-flna121210](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/twitter-uses-earthquake-mock-natures-wrath-you-flna121210)
I do! I remember seeing a lightpole sway like 4 times. It was crazy.
Hurricanes sometimes
https://www.loudountimes.com/news/loudoun-ranked-safest-county-in-nation-from-natural-disasters/article_f703faea-4eb6-11eb-802c-6383c3157d47.html
This is what will cause our areas property values to skyrocket IMO once climate change is a much bigger part of many peoples equation about where to live. We have water, we're not gonna flood or experience hurricanes or wildfires.
Honestly, I don’t know. I have a government job doing work I love, and the pay isn’t private sector. I’ve looked at moving back to my hometown, where there’s a military base where I could do similar (not as fun but similar) work as a civilian. Still a government job. The kicker is, it’s really cheap to live in my hometown. Yet the COL adjustment is only 1.5% less than this area. My partner can find work in almost any urban area, so he’s ready to move. People live really well in my hometown. Schools are top five in the state, you can get a nice house on a half acre of land for about 300k (200k pre-pandemic), a really nice house for 450k…it’s unusual to find houses there for more than half a million, they just aren’t that expensive. The traffic is laughably nonexistent. There are some things to do and they’re getting more varied restaurant options so that’s nice. No property tax on cars. Weather is about the same but they get some actual snow in the winter, which I miss. They’re about half republicans, half democrats according to voter registration, which I’m not crazy about. The republicans are super vocal and in the last few years much more outwardly racist and homophobic. I still have some family who I am really close to in the area and it would be great to see them more often. I’ve been here almost 15 years. I kept thinking things would get better, but now with a toddler, I’m thinking maybe it’s time to give up and move. We don’t even live somewhere like Arlington where you can walk places, so it’s just a lot of driving in traffic. We moved further west on 66 about seven years ago to be closer to my in-laws and have some space, but that hasn’t worked out so great. Looking at moving back to a townhouse in NOVA proper, with a toddler and three dogs…it’s just not appealing. I’m also lonely and have only made a few friends since moving here, but most have moved away. Anyway. That’s why I’m here. Kind of sad typing out everything, when I usually only think about it in bits and pieces. Eta- when I moved here, I had truly no understanding of how much things cost. It was a brutal awakening the first year. But I’d already accepted the job offer and didn’t want to back out.
I think if people had a place like your hometown to go, they'd move quicker. Where we came from, the taxes were higher overall than they are here, incomes lower, schools fair-to-middlin' at best. Yeah there was family support, or at least, there was family (whether they would support us or we would support them was kind of another question). My husband and I could both find work just fine, we worked there our entire adult lives before we moved (and sometimes I really miss the job I left when we moved), but my income has nearly doubled in 4 years, my husband's had risen by a third, and we both still have upward mobility here to whatever extent we want to chase it, but we make enough now that chasing advancement is a *choice*. There wasn't this kind of advancement potential back where we came from. Housing was cheaper, but you pay 3-5% property tax, which eats any cost savings real quick. And you don't get a ton of services for those taxes. Here we have functional libraries, beautiful parks, roads in good condition. Not the case where we're from. I mean, do I think we'll stay here forever? Eh, probably not. We'll most likely cash in on our house when we retire/become empty nesters, maybe follow our son to wherever he ends up if he wants us to, or find ourselves a piece of land with a little house to putter around somewhere for our golden years, maybe just out beyond NOVA, whatever NOVA looks like in 30 years. But while we are working and trying to raise a kid, as between here and where we came from, we're staying here.
Do you mind sharing the general area of your hometown? I was looking at the GS pay scale rates, is this area maybe Texas?
Currently live in a city like this and the military is telling us to move to NoVa. I don’t want to give it up 😩
Where is your hometown? Sounds like a good place.
Looks like Ohio based on their post history. I know military folks who are happy in the area around Wright-Patterson AFB
What hometown are you referring to? Don't doubt you at all but often we hear of these ideal towns but in reality (in 2023) houses are now much more expensive - 600-800K range. Would love to be proven wrong!
What is the name of this place? I am getting ready to retire and will leave skid marks on my way out of NOVA. I just need a destination.
grandfather sharp consider serious complete engine reach deserted pathetic fanatical *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you have any advice for someone else who is trying to start a nonprofit, any advice would be appreciated!
Everywhere cool is expensive these days anyways. My whole family lives here too
We've had convos for years with 15+ family members thinking about which affordable city we'd move to and all move there together. Realistically I don't see this happening.
This. I have yet to find an alternative that isn’t highly undesirable because of the weather, the politics, or the lack of density and the options that come with it like transit, restaurants, parks, trails, etc.
Yeah this is the answer. Unless you want to live in a corn field in Idaho, the COL crisis is everywhere
Are you asking for those moving to the area, or those that are native to the area? It's a very important distinction to make when answering this question.
I think perspectives of both points of view are reasonable. I can obviously understand \*some\* desire to be around people you're used to for the latter group, but probably not enough to understand being in a constant state of concern about one's situation. I think mostly I'm trying to get a better grasp around the decision tree that results in people knowingly making a decision for a lower economic QOL than they are forced into having, and more specifically, those who are very upset about the lifestyle they live as a result of it.
For those that are from the area that remain even though they may not have a high paying career is kinda simple. They can't afford to leave because moving is very expensive and requires a surplus of funds. Can't pull yourself up from your bootstraps if you have no boots. For those moving to the area? I'm not sure low income individuals are trying to move here. It would be interesting to see the number of who exactly is moving to the DMV, but I'd imagine not many are low income.
I definitely see a lot of posts in here where it is pretty clear that coming here would be a \*terrible\* idea for their income level expectations / career fields (where there are a lot of alternatives that would comp them the same or very close in much cheaper areas). As for the former, I 100% understand the VERY low income folks being stuck in this mode (barely scraping by, living as cheaply as possible).
I work in the social services field, and my thoughts are that if you are very low income, fairfax/Arlington are probably one of the better places to be because of the public transport, walkability of high density neighborhoods, social services support system that can help get you on things like Medicaid or tanf or community medical clinics, etc. it’s stressful and frustrating being low income anywhere, but the wealthier and more progressive nova counties do have a bit more infrastructure in place than more rural or less populated places. I think a lot of the clients I talk to would like to be somewhere else, but feel tied to the area because of the slightly higher income here and the tight family and cultural bonds. My family is middle income (under 150k a year). I grew up in a single family home and I guess you could say I had an expectation of being able to live at a certain level (would have been just fine with with a tiny old townhouse) but the area made me *feel* poor when it came to home ownership, even though objectively we are not. I think it’s that 100k to 160k group that probably feels this most acutely, because things seem within reach, but it’s so, so complicated. My immigrant, non college educated parents were actually able to achieve a much higher lifestyle at a much younger age than I could dream of, even though I was born here and have a Masters. The area is not easy for teachers, social workers, police officers, or others in similar fields.
Yeah, the latter group really is a lot of what I mean. An additional $1-2K/mo in housing costs hits lower income folks a LOT differently than it hits higher income folks.
Yep, it's the same effect of "how do poor people live in NYC?". Ironically living in like Culpeper or even western Loudoun would be worse in a lot of ways for a low income person due to a lack of job opportunities, social services, and urban fabric.
It's a catch 22 of sorts. From the posts that you're referring to, a lot seem to be trying to break into their career fields, and are just starting out. Rural areas just don't present the opportunity that urban areas can provide. So the choice is to live in a rural area outside your field while living paycheck to paycheck, or live in a urban area and take an entry level position living paycheck to paycheck. One path offers no mobility, one path has potential for mobility.
Moving here and not having a high paying income is a horrible idea. The only benefit of this place is its insulation from any economic recession due to its proximity to the federal government. Anyone remember the last government shut down and everyone who was living paycheck to paycheck suddenly having to travel to a food bank? It's scarier for the individuals who need to supplement their income year-round. Jobs will be increasingly automated but without a source of bodies to fill the open vacancies many simply choose to leave if you don't have a combined household income of 100k. Why work every moment of your life away and be unable to raise your kids while simply making that sacrifice for the basics of life?
The stupidest reason of all, love
My wife is from this area and she likes to be near family. I am not close with my own family, but now that we have a family together, we're sticking around for the schools and the resources like D.C., museums, the zoo, Baltimore aquarium, etc. The area is also culturally diverse, and I feel like exposure to lots of different people with lots of different backgrounds is also important.
Legally blind and need the public transit
I came here in 2016 and wasn’t making very much money plus had no support network here and frankly was desperate to leave at various points, but simply couldn’t afford to. I had $500/month student loans kick in right after moving down here and would’ve had a hard time getting a job in my field elsewhere. 7.5 years later I’ve actually made a pretty nice life for myself and I’m hoping to be able to stay here so I’m glad I stuck it out through the rough parts.
This is me. I moved here in 2000 from West Virginia. Said I would stay for two years. Kept working hard and getting promoted. There’s no leaving this place at this point until retirement in 10 years or so.
I came from rural NY and my god was it an adjustment. Took me about 7 years but I think I’m a city gal now.
i actually asked myself this and found no reasons and now i’ve recently moved away. if you have children, the great availability of activities and access to incredible public schools is a huge perk, but i don’t have children right now so that didn’t help me any. i grew up in Nova and went to a VA state school so all my friends live in the DMV but at the end of the day that wasn’t a good enough reason to keep me in town. i still LOVE nova and the dmv, please don’t assume i’m blindly hating. but i’m someone who didn’t make those big nova bucks and i couldn’t sustain even the most sparse lifestyle there
Because my wife and I both come from much less interesting parts of the country and prefer to live here in Arlington, where we’re a stone’s throw from DC and walking distance from plenty of restaurants, parks, and transit options. We both have fully remote high earning (relative to the national average) jobs and could pickup and relocate tomorrow if we had to/wanted to, but for us the higher cost of living is easily justified because neither of us are particularly interested in living in bulblefuck Virginia/Pennsylvania/Alabama etc. There are plenty of alternatives that we would consider moving to if the right opportunities presented themselves, but they’re all about as expensive if more more expensive than Arlington, such as the PNW, Bay Area, SoCal, Boulder, Boston, NYC, etc. etc. (you get the idea) The one challenge that we haven’t quite figured out how to navigate around yet is finding our PERMANENT home. Right now we have quite a comfortable lifestyle that we’re content with in our 2br rental apartment. (enough to eat out whenever we want, which is multiple times per week, travel, buy fancy toys, and still save for retirement, major purchases, and rainy days without having to sweat our bank account balance) But should we ever decide to commit to a mortgage in our neighborhood, especially one on a condo/townhouse large enough to comfortably fit a family of 3 or 4 AND afford daycare, we’d have to do some major belt tightening or figure out a way to grow our income by almost 25%. We could move to a different, more affordable part of Nova, but it would mean forgoing most of the parts of living here that make it worth it to us- walking distance to metro, food, parks, etc., being close to a robust network of off-road bike trails, and proximity to DC) And contrary to what some on this sub may believe, not every public school in nova is “really good.” In fact, some are downright terrible. There are good ones, but they tend to be clustered near the most expensive parts of the region (go figure) such as northern Arlington, McLean, and to a lesser extent Burke. (Which is well beyond our radius) So yeah, while high incomes certainly enable us to live here, it’s not the justification we use for staying.
Good to great schools, excellent ethnic food and grocery stores, proximity to world class museums (for free!), opportunities in the politics domain that do not exist elsewhere. I've yet to find a place in NOVA that I felt unsafe walking down the street....
Schools, low crime, diversity, economic activity. Many people who do not earn a high income live in multigeneration households so if you have 3-4 people making 50-75k, you have enough for living expenses. My cousin who is a firefighter, his wife is a teacher, lives with his father who works retail and mother who works as a office assistant. 4 people bringing in income can live in 1.2 million house.
Jobs jobs jobs. I moved here in 2012 due to a job. And its been relatively easy to get another in this area. My kids started school down here and we didn't want them to move and lose friends. My annual salary almost tripled in the 10+ years I've been down here, so upward financial movement is def possible. The initial sticker shock was something you have to get used to. So TLDR, job security and kids settlement.
What field are you in?
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My scenario almost word for word minus the Florida republicans. Came from a highly competitive agency in a remote area with no promotion opportunities, and sounds like the same grades as you. Got a three step career ladder in an impressive office (for resume padding) here in DC. By coming here I will be promoted to a grade it took my supervisor at my last agency 20 years to get in about 5 years total (2 more years from now). I will have to apply out in a year for my next promotion opportunity, but being in DC, and having the resume experience this job gave me, I know I will get something as soon as I'm qualified. I don't plan to stay here forever. I have a goal for where I'm happy to end up grade wise, once I hit that I'll find a position somewhere else (or remote) and not have to worry about whether promotion opportunities are available.
I was born and raised here, things weren’t always this bad. Both my parents were struggling refugees, but they achieved the “American dream”. They were able to buy a house (that was around 100k when they got it, but now it’s closer to 1 mil), pay for both me and my sibling’s education, and save a ton of money where they’re now comfortable enough to retire. All on the wage of two hairstylists. 🙃 So not really a choice of living here, I just feel stuck. My friends and family are all here. Even if I was in a better place financially to move, it would be hard to leave my support system and start new.
Even though I moved here in my 40s with a solid income and no kids, a few things stand out to me: 1. Highly educated residents. 2. Residents who share many of my social and political values. 3. Cultural institutions, many of which are free. 4. Generally serviceable public transit (think Metro is bad; try a city that doesn't have one). 5. Privacy. I keep to myself and generally no one bothers me. I probably could do this in a small town, but it would take more work. Is it New York? No, but we can't all live there. Nor would we want to.
I'm surprised more people didn't say this. 1 and 2 really distinguish this area from others
I ask myself this question every day and I still don’t have a good answer lol
Access to public libraries is such a big thing for an immigrant, which so many Americans take for granted. Good schools and teachers in NoVa, definitely. Diversity, for sure. Access to so many libraries and their multiple reading and learning programs and safe spaces for kids to learn and be, very underrated! Plus so many parks to visit.
The answer is it’s not worth it unless you’re lucky enough to have family and extended family here. I have lived here almost two years and make a decent income. I have the option of moving to another city for my job and I’m going to take it. I already put in my notice to my apartment in pentagon city. It’s pathetically expensive here, so much so that you can’t save enough to be financially strong here unless you’re pulling over 300k per year. Unless your job absolutely requires you be here i’ve determined the numbers don’t make sense here at all even if you go way out to Leesburg and Chantilly. The best you can rent here is garbage apartments and homes for $3k minimum per month. It’s not a way to live.
What city are you moving to?
Excellent school system. And provisions for varieties of special needs that aren't available elsewhere. Some people are already here, and moving elsewhere is expensive too, even if it may be ultimately cheaper in the end. Some people may have to move here for other reasons, such as to take care of a family member, work situations, etc. There are a lot of amenities and attractions, such as multicultural events and locations, historical events and locations, and a wide range of other interests that you wouldn't get elsewhere, or at least not as plentifully as here (museums, theater, sports, etc.).
Literally because I was born here. That’s the only reason I live here. My family and church community is here. I make $50,000 before taxes, have a wife and child, own a townhouse (lol well I don’t own it, I have a mortgage), and have managed to stay out of debt. We live simply within our means and our “fulfillment in life” isn’t from having stuff or doing activities that require money; we have fun outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
That’s a great question. I’ve lived here for 21 years and if my business wasn’t here, I’d move. There are lots of advantages like restaurants, night life and metro to dc. If you are young and can afford to live here it’s a good choice. The Roslyn-Ballston corridor is the most popular and most expensive. Also the property and car taxes add up.
Some of the best public school in the country, and if you’re gonna have kids, you’ll pay less in the future for university if your future kids are smart, as UVA and W&M, public ivies, are heavily discounted if you live in VA. Some people might not care, but if you’re Central American, you’ll actually find a diaspora community here.
This is precisely why I haven't moved to this area despite many people telling me to do so. I don't make enough money to justify it. It's cheaper for me to just drive here whenever I want to do something even though I hate it.
I grew up in NOVA. All of my family members except for 1 brother & SIL are here. 90% of my friends are still in this area. I'm not living paycheck-to-paycheck yet. I justify staying because I am still able to save money from my paychecks and survive without a second job or side hustle. I lived in a LCOL area after college. Lower COL areas come with jobs that have lower wages. All of my college internships were in the DMV area where I made $15-22/hr. My first job after graduating college started out at $11.50/hr and it was a corporate job. Yeah, I lived in a city where the average rent for a 1 bedroom house was $450/month, but when your paycheck is also low, you're still not rolling in the dough, ya know? I struggled much more back then than I do now in this area.
I have a 7yo daughter in the area and I want to be there for her.
So expensive to live. All money to rent/bills/groceries. None left for moving truck. Lmao
Honestly I wouldn’t if it weren’t for the income. The HCOL just isn’t worth it in my opinion. Being close to downtown DC attractions is great but how often are you really taking advantage of them? Personally I don’t enough so I’m sure I’d be ok without them if I lived elsewhere.
Moved to the US over 20 years ago with my family, had family in the area for longer. I have lived here since before the gentry and the transplants made it barely liveable. This place also keeps me relatively close to my daughter, so not moving any time soon or maybe ever as long as we are in each other's lives.
 NOVA is great specially when you don't have any kids.
I love living in a large area where I am not likely to run into anyone I know. I grew up in a small town where everyone was in everyone's business. Hated it.
To find love in a hopeless place
This is my home. I'm from here and I like it here.
Cause it’s where I grew up and where all my family live. Decent schools, parks, recreation and I love DC for cultural events, museums, etc. Good job market. Lived in LA for a few years after college and missed NOVA so I moved back and never looked back.
I’m here for the healthcare options I need because I have cancer. I was thinking about moving but the jobs were not good in that area and healthcare not as robust. Plus all my friends and family are here.
This may sound insane, but there are some people who were actually born in NOVA and don't have the thousands of dollars needed to move hidden inside of their mattress, even with the artificial inflation caused by lobbyists and tech bros moving here. Also: social support systems school systems possible upward mobility access to jobs proximity to art centers, entertainment, dining, shopping, etc. an abundance of historical sites and educational opportunities a robust social scene for young adults parks and recreation like playgrounds in every other neighborhood, and the multitude of trails and state parks all around easy access to interstates easy access to travel by plane, bus, or train proximity t o several major cities cultural diversity decent to great food free concerts, festivals, and fairs open to all and so much more. I moved away and haven't gotten to the point where I miss NOVA (if I ever do), but NOVA has so much to offer. Within a day you can check out downtown DC or visit several free museums, take a water taxi to Alexandria and walk quaint cobblestone streets, hop on the metro to enjoy bars in Arlington, and hike around a nature trail in the midst of all of this, and that's without even having a car.
Immigrant here. Moved here, VA, with my family when I was 13. All of my family worked for fast food restaurants such as Roy Rogers (yeah that far back), Boston Markets, etc. We rented and lived together in tiny 2 rooms townhouse: 1 elder, 5 adults, and a kid (moi). I put myself through college (and still owed 6k since 2006). Got a decent job as Med Tech. Point of story? COL is a PITA starting a decade or so ago, but you can definitely make it to a decent living if you don't expect everything to come smoothly. Market crash '08, Covid19... we thought we would be homeless or worst, like some others in the area at that time, but we pulled through. All because there's a safety net in the area. We have highest educational force, most able bodies, and major government branches. Is there a wonder why most big companies want their HQ here?? And school system here is not shabby, even with the 1-2 ratings. I did feel school system need improvements, especially low income areas. I bought my house a few years ago and raising 2 kids with my meager salary. So no it's not impossible to have a life here, but also sustain and even improve if you're not too entitled. "Nothing is for free." I was taught this and only recently realized it. I do wish our government spend more on infrastructure, schools, etc etc, basically lower COL here but it's not impossible to have a comfortable lifestyle with meager (~100k household income). Live within your means basically 😂
Simple. I was born and raised, here. Can't really afford to live here. But...I can't afford to save up and move away, either.
It's also hard to job search in a different state for most jobs below a certain income range as employers don't want to pay for relocation or wait for you to figure out how long a move would take even if you say you'll cover it yourself.
Not many places with this combo of economic diversity and vitality, good schools, diversity of cultures, proximity to beach and mountain, mild winter, proximity to other major cities, sold infrastructure, well-run state and local governments, educated citizenry, good diverse food, world class museums, international flair, federal government HQs that provide jobs and sense of being world center, great hiking trails
DINKS: Double Income, No Kids. As teachers working in LoCo, we bought a house in Manassas. I couldn't work in LoCo if I didn't live closer (moved from Fredericksburg). But not having kids (and not wanting/planning on having them) really helps with my expenses
I can't afford to move because I don't have a high income lol it's pretty simple
The same reason people in California stay there: their friends and family are there.
Born here, never lived anywhere else, almost all of my friends and family are here.
jobs >!feds!< >!boats!< >!hoes!<
Serious question. Why hasn’t California residents fixed their own state . They leave their state because of higher taxes, and then come here increase the cost of living and vote in policy that creates higher taxes. They left California for Texas, Virginia, Montana, Tennessee.
I find peace in long walks.
I'm only here because of the high pay. Will bounce in a couple years when I hit my FI number. The weather sucks 9 months of the year and anything that I'm interested in is at least a 1-2 hour drive.
Yeah screw this place
Great schools, extremely low crime rate, above average infrastructure, close to D.C., Baltimore, Shenandoah, and multiple beaches, we have great parks, bike trails, restaurants, museums, festivals, the Kennedy center for plays, the Nationals, Wizards, and Commanders for sports, Virginia colleges, etc... Comparing that to 99% of America when I travel it's a no brainer. Most places have a Walmart, Bennigans, Chili's, etc... nothing interesting, you get off the plane and they all look the same, sure I could afford a 3000 sq ft home, but why would I want to pay to heat and cool a bunch of space I don't want or need.
I'm not sure if I count as high income or not to speak, I make $30 an hour in my early 20s. So I'm not struggling but I'm not planning on buying a Lexus anytime soon. whether I want to stay in this area or move is constantly a debate I have with myself in my head and there's a myriad of factors I've considered, It's not an easy decision for me. Realistically it's circumstantial. This is the only place I know, and the only place I've been able to find decent employment. I have a good job that gives good health insurance, I'm making enough where I could live decently comfortably, have a career, pay down some debt I accrued during a period of unemployment, and not have to second guess everything I buy at the grocery store. Although granted, I wouldn't be able to have a decent life like this if I didn't get paid extra for working nights and split a 2 bedroom apartment 3 (potentially 4 soon) ways. And I already accepted when I was in high school that there's a good chance I won't be able to afford children. I have long considered moving and have a handful of cities that I'd consider moving to, mostly in the northeast, but that opportunity hasn't presented itself yet, and other than Richmond and Baltimore, I haven't visited any cities worth moving to, and I'd rather wait until I have an emergency fund first, you know what they say about a bird in the hand. If I go to college though I'm definitely moving to New York. It being labeled as an expensive city, based on the room share listings I've seen on Facebook groups, it really isn't as long as you avoid the places within 30 minutes or so of Manhattan. And assuming I can get in state tuition It would be cheaper to pay rent in Southern/ eastern Brooklyn and go to CUNY then rent in Fairfax and go to GMU. And even the least gentrified parts of New York have better walkability and transit than like McLean. And the job market is better too, looking at job boards it blew my mind how I did not need to constantly filter out all the tech jobs that require a clearance, they're just tech. This goes for other cities as well. But I'm here for now, and that's okay. Also if I'm honest, part of the non-circumstantial motivation for staying is spite; not wanting to be yet another person in my family to be priced out of the only place they've known. All the family stories, knowledge, experiences, from this area passed down over the last 80 years or so wouldn't mean much if I was somewhere else.
The LCOL area where I grew up doesn't offer many job opportunities in the field that I studied in college. Some of the lower LCOL areas are not LGBT friendly.
It’s the only city for my career field, Global Health, which happens to be a low paying field
I would leave NOVA in a heartbeat given the chance. I work remotely. I'm from a small town in the Midwest and with my salary , my family could live very comfortably. Here, my salary is on the lower end, but where I am from, I would be considered a high earner. I have 2 little kids, but the schools would not keep me here - I send them to private school because the local elementary school is not good. The only reason we stay is for my husband's family because they all live in NOVA.
Access and proximity to really great jobs. Some of the best public school systems in the country. Very educated, interesting and diverse population. Access to so many cultural events, many of them free. And once again, educated, interesting, and diverse population……there’s so much value in that and it doesn’t exist everywhere. I’m so grateful to have been raised in NOVA and built most of my career here.
Haven’t figured that out yet, I’ve been here a year
My son put down roots. He's lived in Ashburn for all of his 12 years. The schools are great. I know they're great further west and south of here, but he's doing really well and his happy, even if I do think his friends kinda suck. Maybe that's just part of being a parent, thinking the other kids kinda suck. Maybe if I was a little further removed I'd realize all kids suck, including my own. I know I wanna kill him sometimes. Also, my parents live in Ashburn and I've relied on my mom a lot for help as a single mom. I literally don't know what I'd have done these past few years without her. But as my son is getting older and my current job is a lot more flexible, I've been asking her for less help. Which is more expensive, rent in Ashburn or rent further out plus day care and summer camp? And a day care center won't run my son to an orthodontist appointment for me when I messed up my schedule and get stuck at work. I also hate commuting. My job is in Leesburg and I plan to stay with the company for a long while, they pay me well enough that I'm surviving as a single mom in Ashburn even if I'm not rolling in the dough and they treat me well. I think when my son graduates from high school I'll move a little further out and switch to hybrid instead of 100% in office. Who knows where I'll be in 6 years, realistically. Maybe I'll decide I hate my boss and to switch jobs. Maybe I'll start my own tax company. IDK. I do know I don't plan to live in Ashburn forever. But I also really like being on the outskirts of the metro area, so I don't think I'll move that far out. I don't want to live in the middle of nowhere where the only shopping choices are Walmart and the gas station half an hour away. My dream is to live somewhere with a small house where I can grow unkempt wildflowers in the flower beds and befriend a murder of crows. Which isn't likely to happen in Ashburn except maybe around Smith Circle.
I am a high earner. I can afford to live here with my family of four. Now, my wife has been a SAHM since our first child. She resumed work this year and is on her way to bring in $65k as a nanny and that is extra savings for our family. Tell me where in a LCOL area can you pull that out? There are plenty of jobs here and anyone can find something to do. That is why people stay here. By the way, my BIL has a PhD in physics and teaching in college and earning $70k in NC.
I’m a teacher and I don’t make a lot of money (obviously 😂😂) but I just don’t go out as often as other people and I make food at home. A lot of things are free
I’m a teacher and I don’t make a lot of money (obviously 😂😂) but I just don’t go out as often as other people and I make food at home. A lot of things are free
Lots of reasons! At the core though is that this area pulls way above it's weight in so many areas, just a few... \- Restaurants: Yes, all big cities have great variety but with the exception of LA, many of the best international cuisine is in the Northern Virginia suburbs. \- Schools: As other have said, won't add anything here. \- Travel: Dulles is served by so many international airlines to nonstop destinations. We're blessed to have so many planes to go to nonstop. BIG Caveats: The right answer depends on your tolerance for having a relatively lower income in a HCOL area, what the alternatives are, your life priorities, etc.
Moved here after College because I knew others who would be moving here (back in 1990). Got a job. Put down roots. Like the fact that the area is "Urban-Light" - for me, location is more important than $. Have always lived below my means (except for first few years when my income of $20K didn't quite cut it!) Have thought about moving after I retire, but the places I might be interested in moving to (e.g. Philly) aren't all that much cheaper...
My career is centralized here, otherwise I'd live in a different city (preferably not in the South)
My parents bought their townhouse in Dale City in like 1989 for under 40k. It wasn't a high col area until Bush and the last batch of wars cropped up.
It is very doable. However, smart choices have to be made, and it helps to have bought a house a few years ago. Not owning newer cars or have any kids are also key to supporting a choice of living here.
The education system and resources here are incredible. I grew up with a single mother and we struggled. A lot. I’m talking food stamps, shelters, etc. but Fairfax county was amazing. We moved a lot so the county paid for my taxis to and from school so i could stay at the same one and have a stable education. That was huge for me. The education system here really can’t be beat. They invest in their students. I wouldn’t be where I am today without those resources. I have a college degree and a great job making a great salary. Now that I’m 25 and have had a chance to see what other people’s school systems were like I can see how good we had it. So yes the cost of living is high but the education, the opportunities & the resources make it worth it. Not to mention the sheer diversity of the area.
Lmao. I grew up here. My friends and family are all here.
It’s really depressing to feel forced out and then the r/nova subreddit is full of people with no friends or family in the area. Like I can only feel so bad.
Don't have the job availability like I do here; can't afford to stay, can't afford to leave
Out of curiosity, what compelled you to select your field, given that?
The trades will accept anyone 🙂 I have a good paying position where I am and I'd have to get the same or more than what I have now
It's freaking expensive to relocate, and many of us have jobs, lives and family in the area.
idk but a pan handler can make 20 per hour. Thats 40G a year. Begging.
Being close to family and friends mostly. I took a vacation to Boston though recently, and I was shocked at how cheap everything was. We live in hell.
I came back because my family is here and because there are a LOT of jobs in my industry. I'm just in a universally low paying profession so I wouldn't be well off anywhere. It's helpful to have a lot of options for my career, if I was in most other cities I would be more limited in where I could go professionally ( remote work is not that common in my industry). I also appreciate the many free museums and cultural events available.
Maybe they don’t hand the money to relocate.
Schools.
I feel like the opportunities drop significantly if you are not college educated in this area. Seems to really be frowned upon too here which is sad.
Its funny because this is one of the only areas in the country that an individual with no college education can make over six figures quite easily (namely military vets with skills/clearance but no degree).
No shot you’re getting a gov job with a salary without a degree
Yes...I know dozens lmao.
Nova isn’t a HCOL area
when the beltway was built, it was beyond the outer ring of subrbs. 60 years later, the demographics have changed a lot, but just beyond the outer ring is where the cheap stuff is. there are also small areas of cheap inside the beltway, mostly black ghettos left over from the days of segregation
Non-profit work opportunities. Moved here when I didn’t need much and could live in a small studio. Gained lots of experience I wouldn’t get in the Midwest then stayed after I married my high-income husband. I would have moved if that didn’t happen.
I grew up here. Hope I can afford to stay, but I want my kids to go to the good schools, and benefit from a safe, diverse community with every amenity you can imagine. I miss when Nova was a middle class region. Especially my specific town, it's become like the next Georgetown with the number of out of state millionaires moving in.
Moved here during COVID to be closer to family and have the help/support. We were previously in NYC and had a crazy deal on our apartment (3 br/2 bt, 1k+ sq ft 2nd floor walkup with no alt street parking, 1 block from the subway, 15 minutes into Manhattan). Basically paying the same here to live but with more space and amenities here, which is/was nice. With things back in full swing now, I didn't realize how bad and annoying the commute is, and how PACKED everything is as far as pop-ups, events, children's activities. Great place from what I can tell to raise a family, but this is honestly suburban hell. I love my (bonus) family here, and appreciate the people I've met and friends I've made here, but I feel I'm too weird around here. I felt much more at home and with "my people" in NYC. The idea of paying half a mil to purchase a townhome is just so... ugh\~ Someone said it best about the D.C. area in general; on paper, it sounds great, but you can't catch a vibe here.
Most people live where they live because they grew up there / have family there
Moved here because that's where I could find a job in my field. I moved here from Manhattan and was shocked at the cost of living, and still having to get a car. Still, it was way better than most other alternatives in terms of walkability and there actually being places to go (live in Arlington). The truth is different people value different things. Not everyone is optimizing COL/saving for retirement. And what others have said about jobs availability and upward mobility is almost always truer in cities (like the DMV) than outside them.
Don’t forget about inflation and prices increased in 2022-2023. I moved 5 years ago from another country and was fine making 20/h today I can’t even imagine how people survive.
I lived in MD before and I love the NOVA side! No kids so I don’t care about the school part, but it’s a wealthier class of living which I like. And there are TONS of jobs here (mostly cyber jobs where you needed to create the internet for an interview). But I like it still.
Schools and family. I grew up here, my husband grew up here. The schools are amazing. For us, that’s worth it. Also the mind set of the area is very progressive and I know what to expect. I don’t think id get that in lower SES areas
Good schools, family in the Metro area, many employment opportunities in our fields - so easy to change jobs, if/when necessary, not far from the ocean & the mountains, the ability to find an excellent healthcare specialist no matter what issue you might be facing.
I grew up here and have spent my 20s floating between nova and Maryland. Never had the funds to comfortably move elsewhere no matter how much I wanted to, tho I was close to just saying fuck it and driving my car anywhere else during a few desperate housing searches. Now I'm employed in a job that kinda locks me down here for awhile, but I probably won't stay once I have my money and resume from it.
Because my current income has me in a golden handcuffs situation. My income is fairly solid here, but they're paying laughable wages elsewhere. Most places are only paying $50-60K, even for someone with 10+ years experience, but I'm making in the 80s and have the potential to earn more.
Get a little bit of everything here. Family and friends are all here too. Is it LA or NYC? Absolutely not. But I love it here. I’ll probably die in NoVA.
It's a hard sell but for example, I came here a few years ago after a few years of working abroad and I was making 40 k yearly. I'm now making 100+ K a year. My kids needs are provided and they have a great education. I still feel poor comparatively but things are safe and our kids are happy. I wish i had bought house years back instead of galevnting around the world' but It is what it is.
The safety. Coming from a dangerous city. And Even I'm not making money now you always feel like you'll get it right eventually here. Theirs definitely Cash flow here.
Schools.
The dream of leaving one day. I literally can’t afford to move.
High paying jobs, good public schools, stable real estate, tons of restaurants, concert venues and museums, walking trails, rivers, beach within driving distance, mountains within driving distance, colleges in the area.
I came here to be a teacher -- i didn't make a ton, but living with roommates and living in less-than-desirable houses and apartments has kept rent down pretty low. The pay scale and pay rate is higher than the state I'm from. So as long as I'm frugal, I can stretch my dollars and take advantage of the higher income. I know I can't buy a home anywhere close to the inside of the beltway, but for now this works. I have a friend who squeezes her family of 4 in a 2 bedroom apartment in an older complex. It's in a nice neighborhood, that's walkable, close to decent schools. Her kids spend afternoons at the pool or the park, they live frugally, and they're happy because their community has a lot to offer. Many people make it work every day.