Considering Moving to VA...Can You Help Me Decide?

Charlottesville was rated one of the top cities in the US a few years ago and has everything you are looking for.

I live in Virginia Beach and LOVE it!! I've lived here for 12 years and have recently started a family. There are TONS of things to do here, so many that you can't possibly do everything each weekend. We have a low crime rate, the schools are good (especially in certain neighborhoods) and Virginia Beach has also been listed in the top 10 places to live, raise a family etc... for several years in a row. It's close to so many places (Baltimore, DC, Charlottesville, Richmond, Outer Banks, Philadelphia) which are a quick drive. I love this area and can't say enough about it! What we don't have is a great public transportation system :( Not yet anyway. Take a look at www.vbfun.com & www.vbgov.com to get a feel for the city. Good luck!

VA is a big state with lots of different characteristics. Nothern VA is nothering like the southern parts which is generally more rural. Here is my take. I live in Loudoun County about 20-30 miles outside of DC. Love it because it is very family oriented and relatively near the city and the country. Metro coming here in 5-10 years. Low crime in many areas but there are some bad neighborhoods as there are everywhere. Check out Ashburn - relarively affordable but NoVA in general is very expernsive, probably lower property taxes than NJ but lots of traffic and high housing costs. Very low unemployment - it's under 6% here now. East of Loudoun, it gets more expensive bur nice suburbs - Reston, Herndon, Fairfax. Alexandria and Arlington are really fun and vibrant communities but more urban than suburban, but still family neighborhoods.

I know people who love Winchester (small, quaint, couple hours from DC). Charlottesville is a great college town in the middle of the state and in quite a beautiful area. VA Beach and Chesapeake has its advantages, but it has always seemed very congested and commercial to me - but I am just a visitor there. Lots of military there because of the bases too.

I am from Long Island, so I have made the similar more. VA is a nice state, poilitically conservative especially in the south. They can't drive in snow here and most people are transplants in NoVA - very few born here. DC is a great historic city and I am still impressed when I drive by the Capitol Building or the White House. I miss the excitement of NYC but am very happy here.

Charlottesville!!!! We moved here from northern VA because we were so tired of all the traffic and commuting! We absolutely love it here. It's a small town that is packed with wonderful family things to do. It's also a college town (UVa), so there's great restaurants, bars, art exhibits, festivals, college sports, concerts, free live music, I could go on and on! We have so many wonderful parks and playgrounds, a kids museum, the "dowtown mall" which is an outdoor pedestrian mall. Everything is close by, no commuting, and excellent schools! If you want any more info on it, I'd be happy to help!

I live in Charlottesville and really love it. The schools are good, particularly Albemarle County (the county that surrounds Cville) and there are also some really reputable private schools in the area. There's public transportation within the city and to some degree out in the county, but honestly if you live in Albemarle you'll probably have to drive most places.

UVA provides a lot of jobs for different skills and some degree of job security. They also have a really good Children's Hospital with routine care as well as care for more serious issues (http://uvahealth.com/services/childrens-hospital.) Disclaimer, I work at the hospital, but I'm proud of it!

Overall it's a good combination: fairly small area, but lots to do thanks to the university. Traffic can be frustrating but it's much better than northern Virginia. 3 hours from the beach, two hours from DC.

My husband and I are living in Northern Virginia, but if you are looking for a great little city/town with all the things you speak of Charlottesville is lovely! We love NOVA, but don't know that we will stay here forever or raise our children here. The school systems are great and there is tons to do, but it is sort of a fantasy land. I just often feel as though Northern Virginia isn't the real world. There are so many benefits to living here though, jobs being one of the main reasons. It all depends on what you and your husband do. I am a sahm and it's nice to have the ability to do so, especially in this area as the cost of living is quite high.

I am from Roanoke, Va. While it isn't my cup of tea, it certainly is a nice area to raise a family. Schools can be hit or miss though. There are great private and great public schools, but dependent upon where you live in the city there are schools that are not so great.

The Williamsburg area is beautiful as well. Don't know anything about their school systems, but it is a lovely place.

We are in Northern VA. The traffic is always something you need to be thinking about if you are going anywhere. That said, we live out - way out - in the country. Gas prices are higher, grocery prices are higher, but I'd do it all over again! Our schools are great.
Loudon County has good schools, is family oriented, but high taxes.
Fairfax County has the best school system in the US -- supposedly. It isn't far from DC and public transportation is available.
It honestly depends on what you want. If you want to live in a suburb - Ashburn, Fairfax, Centreville, etc... Please remember that the closer you get to DC, the higher the housing costs. Check it out on the internet...
LBC

Do you want ot move to VA or NC? Or are you considering both?

THEy both have their pros and cons.

In VA next year your 8 year old will do 4th grade VA history, which is the history of the United States. It is a great time to be in VA. JAmestown, Williamsburg, George Washington, Jefferson.
The schools also provide more in VA, depending where you live.

VA schools south of DC have many opportunities at the high school level, engineering, preveterinary, horse studies, firemen training, cosmetology.

In NC, if you live on the coast the weather is warmer.

NC is very southern. THey work on NC time, you talk first and make friends with those you do business with then you do your business. This threw my mom. She is very Chicago and does not get the southern hospitality, which she found to be slow and inefficient. I loved it.

Anywhere you go you will have good teachers and bad teachers. We had some of the most awesome teachers in the NC highschool. We have a great English teacher here but the Chem teacher is nothing like last year's NC gal. Here our Calc teacher is better, there the Engineering teacher. So it really doesnt' matter where you are. Stay involved.

We lived on the coast in Onslow County. It is the youngest community in America, thanks to all the Marines.
Wilmington is a sleepy town that is gaining more and more fame. The USS NC is there along with some great museums.
There is the Aquarium, it's not like Monterey Bay or Shedd but it is quaint and has three campuses on the coast.
The Outer Banks are amazing and we have done the lighthouses a few times.
Raleigh has some awesome museums, the planetarium, and three college campuses, Duke, UNC-CH, and NC State. These have all sorts of cultural festivities.

Northern VA has DC, Eastern VA has Hampton Roads and Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Busch Gardens.

Housing costs are cheaper in NC.
Gas prices are higher.
Cost of groceries is about the same.

Bottom line if I could have stayed in NC I would have but VA is a great state too.

What?? Now you're considering moving to VA? What happend to NC?

Hi! We live in Arlington, VA near Ballston (technically N. Arlington) and it's great for young families. The schools are good, the neighborhood is full of kids and there are alot of really nice parks (like Bluemont, and Upton Hills- that has a water park, batting cages, and mini-golf). We really enjoy the park paths that are close to our house, a safe place for the stroller and little kids on bikes. Plus, you're close to all the main highways, and the metro to downtown, but it feels like an old-fashioned neighborhood with big trees, brick colonials, nice big yards. I feel safe at night and haven't worried about crime- I also check the Arlington Crime Report every week and most crime is in South Arlington and late at night where the nightclubs/bars are around Clarendon.
I've also heard good things about Vienna and Fairfax.
Good luck!

We live in Leesburg in Loudoun County and love it. We moved out here after living in Arlington for many years. We were nervous about moving so far out from the city but now we would never move back in. There is not much access to public transportation out here, but good schools, nice neighborhoods, lots of things to do with kids, etc.
It is a hard commute though for anyone working in Washington DC. If you are considering northern VA then traffic will always be a factor so that may influence where you choose to live. My husband works in Fairfax and has to leave the house at 5:30 am to avoid spending an hour + in traffic.

Stay out of Northern Virginia. anything with in an hr of Washington DC.
further south, if you like the college town feel , Blacksburg area is good.

We moved to Richmond about two years ago and really like it. We bought our house in Chesterfield, which is a 30 minute drive into the city for my husband's work. The schools are amazing. Our neighborhood is extremely child friendly. Richmond has a lot to offer with museums, cultural activities and close proximity to Washington, Williamsburg, the coast, the mountains. All in all it's a great place to live!

I love the Hampton Roads area. We live in Chesapeake and are very happy. Bridge traffic and tourist season can be annoying, but there is plenty to do-aquarium, zoo, children's museum, the beach/oceanfront. We are also close proximity to other great getaways-DC, Williamsburg, Busch gardens/water country, Outer Banks. Weather is moderate...hot summers but mild winters (usually only snows 1-2 times, hilarious bc whole city shuts down). A lot of great school districts, just do your research before you come! Happy house-hunting.

We live just east of Harrisonburg and I love it. There are good schools, low crime rate and lots of kids (depending upon whether you move to a neighborhood or more out in the country). There is no public transportation except for a bus system in Harrisonburg, and you may have to search a bit for things to do, but there is stuff around. There are several colleges in the area so there is often stuff going on at those schools. Charlottesville would be another good area to check out.

I used to live in Va Beach, and I really liked it. It has good schools, and lots to do including a nice beach. It doesen't have the traffic like No Va has.

I have lived in the Hampton Roads my whole life. I highly recommend Virginia Beach or Chesapeake, though Chesapeake is a little pricer. Out of the 7 cities these are the best to me for raising families. There is so much to do with children and a lot of playgroups as well, making friendships so easy as with the military, people are always looking for friends. I live in Chesapeake in the Greenbrier area for most of my life and love it. If you have any questions, I'd love to help. Good luck.