Possible move to Virginia

[heybrad]

This place is always wonderfully helpful so I thought I'd throw out my situation and just ask for any feedback on a couple of things. I'm being pushed to relocate at my current job. I currently work in Costa Mesa, CA and I'm now being asked to move to a new office we're opening in Reston, VA. I'm being told the company wants all of our key technical people in this new office because it's closer to our headquarters in the UK and they see Reston as being in the center of a great technology region.

Any feedback on life in Virginia would be appreciated or good cities within 30 miles of Reston that are worth considering. Isn't Subby from Virginia? Maybe I can get personal lessons on how not to suck at OOTP.

Also, what do you think is fair or typical in asking for as far as a relocation bonus? Along with covering the costs of moving, I'm asking for a relocation bonus and to have my current employment agreement torn up and redone to be extended for at least a year. I have an agreement in place that I can't be let go without 3 months notice. That's what I'm asking to be extended.

Anywho... any feedback is very much appreciated. I think because I'm having to keep this on the down low at work it's therapeutic for me talk about here as well just to get it out.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Reston is a very nice suburb of Washington, DC. If you don't mind suburban living it's not a bad place at all. The "Reston Town Center" is essentially an outdoor mall. A nice outdoor mall, but a mall nonetheless. It's definitely more for families than single folk. I have friend who has lived there for years and Lady H_B's has an aunt and uncle who live there, so I have visited often.

There are a number of cities around Reston. If you'd like to live somewhere closer to D.C. - Reston is not Metro accessible to DC and wont be for years - there are plenty of options. The closer to D.C. are a little more urban, while those further out less so. I wouldn't imagine the commute being too bad since you'd be going against traffic each way.

As for places beyond Reston - further away from D.C. - I don't know that much about. I never really ventured that far and I haven't lived in D.C. for 6+ years now so undoubtedly things have changed.

Reston is also super close to Dulles airport. Dulles is a horrible airport, but being that close to it does have its advantages.

[CraigSca]

Don't know how to compare to Costa Mesa, but Reston is a very affluent area (expensive housing), and VERY trafficy. Certainly, all the amenities are there - great shopping, restaurants, etc. But again, very expensive and the traffic there is absolutely nuts anywhere in the DC area.

[chesapeake]

I live in Arlington, which is most of the way to DC from Reston. I've lived in NoVA since 1996. My wife worked in Herndon, the exit on the Dulles Toll Road between Reston and the airport, for the better part of a decade, so between the two of us we should be able to give you a little guidance.

Two immediate benefits of working in Reston come to mind. 1) Most flavors of American living are within 30 minutes, with a mostly urban core building up in Tyson's Corner, ultra-wealthy McLean, basic suburbia in Reston, the smaller town feel of Leesburg or the many shades of rural in Loudon County. 2) If you have kids, Fairfax County is extremely wealthy and the public schools are among the very best in the country.

Real urban living in DC would be a LONG commute, probably more than an hour each way until the metro line to the airport is finished. Unless you have more patience than I do, that is probably out.

If you want to give more specifics about what you are looking for in thread on via PM, I am happy to tell you what I know.

[Critch]

I work in Reston and live in Herndon (the next town over). As has been mentioned by everybody else, it's affluent suburbia but that's not a bad thing for us old folks. I hear the schools are very good, but I cant vouch for that since we're kid-free.

Good cities near by would be Reston or Herndon for me, cut down on the commute and both are ok (although Herndon has a name for being a bit more down market and affordable than snooty Reston.) This part of NoVa I'm not sure there's a bad choice though, other than maybe Ashburn with is a soulless expanse of box-shaped houses.

[Bisbo]

Arlington is a very nice, close-in town to live in, with easy Metro access into DC. Lots of condos, restauarants and bars along the Ballston - Clarendon - Courthouse corridor too. Reston is pretty plain vanilla suburbs. Old Town Alexandria is also a very nice place - right on the Potomac, lots of old townhouses - but expensive. Falls Church or Vienna are two other nice places to live, and closer to Reston than Arlington and Alexandria. DC itself would involve a pretty long commute. You'll like it here - its a very good place to be.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

If you want to give more specifics about what you are looking for in thread on via PM, I am happy to tell you what I know.

I guess I'm mainly looking for that combo of proximity and affordability in housing. I commute now anyways so I'm used to an hour drive as is. Mostly just looking for suggestions of cities to look at. I'm finding what looks to be incredible deals on nice looking houses in Fort Washington, MD which I'm showing to be a 45 minute drive, but it seems like there has to be a catch. Is the are terrible or the schools terrible? The houses look great and and are fairly cheap.

[lcjjdnh]

Originally Posted by heybrad

I guess I'm mainly looking for that combo of proximity and affordability in housing. I commute now anyways so I'm used to an hour drive as is. Mostly just looking for suggestions of cities to look at. I'm finding what looks to be incredible deals on nice looking houses in Fort Washington, MD which I'm showing to be a 45 minute drive, but it seems like there has to be a catch. Is the are terrible or the schools terrible? The houses look great and and are fairly cheap.

Will it actually be 45 minutes in traffic?

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Will it actually be 45 minutes in traffic?

Um, no. Out of the blue I'm guessing 2 hours, but I have never known anyone that lives down there. Perhaps there is a reason why? I don't know my Maryland geography well.

I also don't know what Costa Mesa is like, but I don't think your relocation is what you most need to worry about -- I think you need to look at a cost of living increase. There are sites out there that attempt to make a cost of living comparison, but look at housing costs, commute costs, those websites, etc and see if you should get a raise for the move. The DC area is rather expensive and that should be a huge consideration.

I grew up in Northern Virginia and live in DC now. My wife grew up in Reston. I love it. Is there any chance they'll pay for you to come out and see the area before you make a decision?

[stevew]

I've dealt with horrible DC traffic traveling before, and that Maryland to Reston commute looks like hell

[Subby]

I live in McLean which is a great town if you have kids. It's inside the beltway and you can get pretty much everywhere you need to go within 20 minutes. DC is ten miles away and I often bike or run to work. Reston is 10 miles in the other direction and easily bikeable or driveable. Unfortunately, the standard 50s era shitbox house in McLean is 600k.

I think you would be best off finding something in Reston. Sterling and Ashburn are sort-of close by, but Critch has it right when he says it is a soulless expanse (I lived out there for 5 years and it is 1000s of acres of vinyl siding and tiny yards).

You absolutely cannot beat the public education in Fairfax County (which contains McLean, Reston, Herndon, Vienna and a number of other affluent towns). Reston offers a ton for kids in the way of sports and open space.

20k is a good relocation bonus and I would crank your salary by 15%. I haven't checked the median household income here lately but it has to be 125k.

Do NOT live in a) Maryland b) anywhere other than Fairfax County

The caveat to B would be if you could find something affordable in the City of Falls Church or Arlington. Be pretty careful though because South Arlington is a mixed bag and while there are super nice parts of Falls Church, some parts are iffy.

Don't hesitate to PM me if you want to chat.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Subby

Do NOT live in a) Maryland

Damned communists....

[Tim Tellean]

I've lived in Reston for 40 years. Fire away on the questions.

[chesapeake]

Subby's assessment is solid. But I would say that there are some well-kept 50s era houses in McLean for your 600k. I looked at a number of them about a year ago.

You don't want to have to cross a bridge to get to work in the DC area. That adds anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to your commute. And you don't really know from day-to-day which it will be. For example, my <9 mile commute from N Arlington to Capitol Hill takes from between 35 minutes to 2 hours, all because I have to take a bridge over the Potomac.

You're going to have a huge amount of options. Since you mention schools, I'd recommend staying withing Fairfax County, Falls Church or North Arlington. Schools in South Arlington are good, but it is really starts to add into your commute to keep moving farther away from Reston.

[GoldenEagle]

hey brad, meet Virginia.

[Toddzilla]

Just my 2 cents:

• Every HS in Fairfax County VA is in the top 100 nationwide. Top notch education.
• Housing is EXPENSIVE wherever you go, so you may as well live close to work because
• Traffic sucks mightily. If you are being told 45 minutes, double that.
• Welcome to VA!

TK lives in Ashburn so maybe she can tell you about the northern NOVA burbs...

[JediKooter]

Didn't you see Deep Impact?? Not a good place to be.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

You don't want to have to cross a bridge to get to work in the DC area. That adds anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to your commute. And you don't really know from day-to-day which it will be. For example, my <9 mile commute from N Arlington to Capitol Hill takes from between 35 minutes to 2 hours, all because I have to take a bridge over the Potomac.

Should I not be "that guy" and ask why you don't take metro?

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Should I not be "that guy" and ask why you don't take metro?

Excellent question. 2 reasons. I have to drop off both my kids in the morning and am the closest to pick them up when they get sick or there is an emergency. And, working on the Hill means that some nights I don't get to go home until it is too f-ing late to get on the Metro. You don't always know ahead of time when those nights will be. I've had to sleep in the office before because I didn't get out of here until after the Metro closes. Few things suck more than that.

I guess the third reason is that I am an American and I like to have access to my car at all times.

I do like the Metro and used it to commute during Congressional recesses before I had kids. But as bad as traffic is around here, it generally takes longer to Metro than to drive. But you gain the consistency of a fairly regular travel time, which has a lot of value.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Should I not be "that guy" and ask why you don't take metro?

I'll be that guy and give you an honest assessment of metro.

Metro is disgusting. It smells terrible. It's loud. It's hot. It's slow. You are sardined with gross people. It's not a whole lot cheaper than driving.

I love public transportation. In theory. Try getting on a metro after a Caps or Nats game. I would much prefer waiting in my car to get home than getting squashed in the metro.

[Subby]

dola

And just to show that I'm not a big slobbering suburban troglodyte, I'll point out that I actually prefer biking to work over all the other options.

[Scoobz0202]

The Metro in DC was the first public transportation I've ever used. I didn't think it was bad at all. I was only there a week, though. Only hiccup was the punk 16 year old kid and his group that started talking shit and said he was going to knife me.

I'd probably use it daily if I lived there. I'd love to be rid of a car.

[terpkristin]

Stay away. We're a bunch of a-holes up here. If where I lived wasn't 5 miles from where I work, I wouldn't live here.

And if you want to live near a metro, live in Ballston. But that won't get you to Reston...yet...maybe ever.

/tk

[terpkristin]

Ok now that my gut reaction is done, time for the more serious response.

We're not all a-holes. For example, none of the FOFC'ers I've met from this area in the local meet-ups are a-holes. And although I have my moments, I'm nothing like people I see when I go out, and am NOTHING like the people I work with.

I've lived in this area-ish most of my life. My folks live in Columbia, MD (which is where I went to high school), about 60 miles away. It will take me a little over an hour to go visit them on the weekend. On weeknights with traffic, it takes anywhere from 90 minutes to 3+ hours. Columbia is a lot like Ashburn, which is where I live now. It's a suburb, it takes about 30 minutes to actually get to DC by car (and then you have to find a place to park...) or about 20 minutes to get to the Metro and another 20 minutes (ish) to downtown. Maybe a little more, it all really depends what traffic is doing and what's going on downtown.

I sometimes wished I lived a bit closer to downtown, but as one who prefers hosting people at my house or going to friends' houses to going out (I grew out of my clubbing days while in college), it works well enough. Ashburn has all of the problems of most suburbs (similar to the issues Reston, Herndon, etc have) and some problems they don't. You have to have a car, and you have to drive everywhere. There isn't much in the way of public transportation, especially if you're just trying to roam around the area. The metro doesn't come this far west (yet) so you have to drive even if you want to get to DC. This entire area is a rather affluent (as others have said) melting pot type area. Netflix tells me that people in my zip code are watching a lot of Bollywood. Ashburn has the distinction of being where Verizon and AOL are, so there are a lot of super-rich people here...and upper middle class people, of which I guess I fall into that range. I paid 300k in 2008 for my 3-level townhouse with garage. Property value around here hasn't dropped as much as it has around the rest of the country. That said, Loudoun County, where I live, is said to have some of the best schools in the country (there are a lot of counties in this area with that distinction including Loudoun and Fairfax in VA and Montgomery and Howard in MD). Forbes has consistently ranked Loudoun County as one of country's richest and most expensive counties to live in. We have a lot of activities for kids, a lot of chain restaurants, and some really cute local things. And we have two Wegmans grocery stores.

Unlike other suburbs, Ashburn is still early in its development. There is a new "One Loudoun" initiative and there will be a public park with amphitheater and a Reston-like downtown coming in the next year or so, right near where I live. There is a minor league baseball stadium coming (they were supposed to be here for 2012 not sure what happened...) right near where I live. I'm looking forward to those things. There are a few parks in the area, but it sounds like the stuff they're building will be more geared towards outdoors entertainment.

I admit I'm not much of a city person, but I love having areas I can go walk and shop. As I stated above, I really live here because it's 5 miles from where I work and I really really really hate driving. If I could live anywhere I wanted in this area, it would be Alexandria, VA or Frederick, MD. Both are older towns with really nice, walkable and social downtowns. Actually, if you can put up with about an hour commute, Frederick isn't too bad a place to live if you wanted to work in Reston, depending on what time you leave your house. Many of my coworkers live there.

If you do want the city-ish scene, I would recommend Arlington or McLean type areas. The advice in this thread from Subby is pretty spot-on regarding those areas. They're on the fringe of DC, with easy access to downtown and not TOO bad a commute to Reston and Dulles.

As others have said, if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer. I've lived in Ashburn for about 7 years now and as I said, I've been in this area-ish (Columbia/College Park/Ashburn) for most of my life.

/tk

[heybrad]

So it looks like I'm coming out. I've accepted my works offer to work from our Reston, VA office. We're already working with a realtor and we're looking at houses in Herndon, Leesburg and Sterling. It's all a bit overwhelming at this point.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by heybrad

So it looks like I'm coming out.

That's very brave of you.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

That's very brave of you.

Bad choice of words, I suppose. Let's try this again.

Looks like I'm moving to Virginia!!

[QuikSand]

(703) HEY BRAD

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by heybrad

Bad choice of words, I suppose. Let's try this again.

Looks like I'm moving to Virginia!!

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Congrats on the move by the way!

[Subby]

That's great news! Congratulations.

I vote for Leesburg. Pretty similar cool factor to what TK described with Frederick. You'll have a commute, but I bet you can get more land out there. Sterling is awful. There's even a Patton Oswalt bit on youtuble about growing up there.

Herndon is mixed but if you are going to live there, I would recommend getting as close to Reston as you can.

[Tim Tellean]

Originally Posted by heybrad

So it looks like I'm coming out. I've accepted my works offer to work from our Reston, VA office. We're already working with a realtor and we're looking at houses in Herndon, Leesburg and Sterling. It's all a bit overwhelming at this point.

My townhouse on Sunrise Valley Dr. 1 block from Sunrise Valley ES will be vacant on August 1.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Tim Tellean

My townhouse on Sunrise Valley Dr. 1 block from Sunrise Valley ES will be vacant on August 1.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by Subby

Sterling is awful. There's even a Patton Oswalt bit on youtuble about growing up there.

Can you expand on this one a bit? Are we talking slums or it's just Anytown, USA?

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by heybrad

Can you expand on this one a bit? Are we talking slums or it's just Anytown, USA?

If there's a ghetto in northern VA, Sterling is it. I can't really describe it but when you drive through the area, you know when you're in Sterling. And yes, there are some worse neighborhoods in there, where there is a higher crime rate.

And I agree with Subby on Leesburg, especially if you can live close to the downtown area. The only downside there is that to get east for work, you either have to take 7 or the Greenway. 7 is full of traffic. The Greenway is expensive. There are back roads that can be taken but they'll also be pretty crowded...

/tk

[moriarty]

Depends on how you define "Sterling". Cascades (some people refer to it as being in 'Potomac Falls' but it's the same zip code) is nice. Rivercrest and areas by the river are very nice. Heck Donald Trump's golf course in Lowe's island is technically "Sterling".

I'd say anything labeled as "Sterling" west of Church street or anything north of Rte 7 would be a good option. Anything in "Sterling Park" area, I'd avoid.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by moriarty

I'd say anything labeled as "Sterling" west of Church street or anything north of Rte 7 would be a good option. Anything in "Sterling Park" area, I'd avoid.

One of the properties we're looking at (looking at it on the map) is definitely west of Church St and near the Sterling Golf Club. Does that fit in with the good area you're referring to.

It's tough for me obviously not being able to understand the bigger area yet but our real estate agent is being very candid with us on good and bad areas. What makes it tougher though is I know that if I compared it to where I live now. Corona is an affordable city with very nice areas, but when you're near the freeway it certainly looks much more ghetto. Get up into the hills though and it's very nice. So it makes it tough as people are writing off entire cities and yet we're seeing properties that look really nice. And this particular Sterling property is on our favorite list right now as it has a pool.

[heybrad]

Another question... how is the Gainesville area? We're being shown a lot of great properties in that area and being told it's a lot of new development although it's clearly further out.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by heybrad

One of the properties we're looking at (looking at it on the map) is definitely west of Church St and near the Sterling Golf Club. Does that fit in with the good area you're referring to.

It's tough for me obviously not being able to understand the bigger area yet but our real estate agent is being very candid with us on good and bad areas. What makes it tougher though is I know that if I compared it to where I live now. Corona is an affordable city with very nice areas, but when you're near the freeway it certainly looks much more ghetto. Get up into the hills though and it's very nice. So it makes it tough as people are writing off entire cities and yet we're seeing properties that look really nice. And this particular Sterling property is on our favorite list right now as it has a pool.

If it's near a Golf Club I'd hazard a guess that that's probably an okay part of town.

Note: I have no idea in this particular instance, and am not trying to say you shouldn't ask, I just wanted to make a witty comment.

[JediKooter]

Hazard...golf course...I see what you did there.

[Subby]

Just say no to Gainesville. You'll have a nightmare commute.

Sterling has zero charm and less culture, so if you care about that then it probably isn't for you. Otherwise, what moriarty described it spot on.

Are you guys looking for a single family home or a townhouse?

[heybrad]

Our first choice is single family home but we've been surprised at what we can get in a townhouse so we're not ruling it out. The only catch to a townhouse is that I'd prefer it be an end unit.

On the commute, keep in mind that I already do a 35 mile, hour to 1.5 hour each way commute on one of the worst freeways in the country (91 Fwy) where I'm at now, so what I was initially told was that I'd be looking at 20 miles taking about 45 minutes. That's still a win for me.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Subby

I'll be that guy and give you an honest assessment of metro.

Metro is disgusting. It smells terrible. It's loud. It's hot. It's slow. You are sardined with gross people. It's not a whole lot cheaper than driving.

I love public transportation. In theory. Try getting on a metro after a Caps or Nats game. I would much prefer waiting in my car to get home than getting squashed in the metro.

Late to this but wow...as an NYCer, the Metro is a dream compared to our subways. I've spent 4-6 weeks a year there for 7 years, riding the orange/blue line from Foggy Bottom to Federal Center SW during rush hour each day. Never would consider it to be annoyingly crowded. This has to be a matter of perspective.

Then again, I had a new appreciation for NYC subways after working in London.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by heybrad

Our first choice is single family home but we've been surprised at what we can get in a townhouse so we're not ruling it out. The only catch to a townhouse is that I'd prefer it be an end unit.

On the commute, keep in mind that I already do a 35 mile, hour to 1.5 hour each way commute on one of the worst freeways in the country (91 Fwy) where I'm at now, so what I was initially told was that I'd be looking at 20 miles taking about 45 minutes. That's still a win for me.

Understood - and that's awesome that it will improve. That said, Gainesville is in Prince William County and that place is a comparative shithole. Stick to Loudoun or Fairfax.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by heybrad

One of the properties we're looking at (looking at it on the map) is definitely west of Church St and near the Sterling Golf Club. Does that fit in with the good area you're referring to.
.

I just realized Church street runs east to west.

The sterling golf club isn't a nice club (at least in the way you usually think of a 'club'). It's more of a municipal par 3 type course. I take my kids there to learn so they don't tear up a real course.

If you're looking around Sterling and care about schools, I'd avoid anything that feeds Parkview High School. Dominion and Potomac Falls are both good high schools.

If you find something near Algonkian Parkway you'll literally have a 15 minute commute to work (you can avoid rte 7 which is a mess, and take Algonkian right to Fairfax County pkwy).

I had a friend who was looking in Countrysides/Cascades area (your Realtor will know it) and was looking at single family homes in the 400-500k range to give you an idea.

Agree with Subby, it's not the cultural center of VA, but it's a good commute to Reston and you're close to both Reston town Center and Leesburg for drinks/dinner.

[heybrad]

Should have updated this sooner...

I'm officially in Virginia and today was my first day working in Reston. We ended up getting a place in Manassas which is kind of funny because most people told us to avoid Manassas. We found a really nice neighborhood and I've since found that most people don't associate it with Manassas. Most people have tried to convince me that I live in Bristow. Trust me... my address is Manassas. Took me 45 minutes to drive to work today which is about 30 minutes less than I used to do.

Anywho... we had a fun and interesting cross country trip getting out here last week. We're looking forward to a lot of sight seeing on the weekends.

And Subby... I already have a Nats shirt (although I'm still following the Angels).

[Subby]

Originally Posted by heybrad

And Subby... I already have a Nats shirt (although I'm still following the Angels).

Awesome! Welcome to the Old Dominion! Sorry about Manassass.

[Ksyrup]

Congrats! See you out in Las Vegas again?

[sterlingice]

My wife and I always used to childishly giggle whenever we drove past the Manassas/Woodbridge sign on 95 because of some silly jokes that I'm sure we weren't the first people to make

SI

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by heybrad

Should have updated this sooner...

I'm officially in Virginia and today was my first day working in Reston. We ended up getting a place in Manassas which is kind of funny because most people told us to avoid Manassas. We found a really nice neighborhood and I've since found that most people don't associate it with Manassas. Most people have tried to convince me that I live in Bristow. Trust me... my address is Manassas. Took me 45 minutes to drive to work today which is about 30 minutes less than I used to do.

Anywho... we had a fun and interesting cross country trip getting out here last week. We're looking forward to a lot of sight seeing on the weekends.

And Subby... I already have a Nats shirt (although I'm still following the Angels).

This is fairly common in this part of Virginia. The address often contradicts the actual or perceived neighborhood. Especially because what most people consider Bristow didn't have any homes 10 or so years ago.

Originally Posted by sterlingice

My wife and I always used to childishly giggle whenever we drove past the Manassas/Woodbridge sign on 95 because of some silly jokes that I'm sure we weren't the first people to make

SI

As a native Woodbridgian (ok, Dale City), the much more common joke goes something like:

"Did you hear that Dumfries and Manassas decided to merge? They'll now be called 'Dumassas'".. hilarity ensues.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Congrats! See you out in Las Vegas again?

I'll be there.