If You Grew up in MD, Would you ever move to VA?

[Anonymous]

Aren't they the same?

[Anonymous]

Virginia's fugly areas (messy, run-down looking):
Crystal City
Springfield
Franconia
Centerville
Fort Belvoir
Sterling
Manasses

Maryland:
Gaithersburg
Takoma Park
Hyattsville
Rockville - the area around Montgomery College
Aspen Hill
Adelphi
Clinton
Chillum


I'm sure I've missed many, but when I think of reasons I wouldn't live in one or the other, it has to do with images conjured up by the towns listed above.

[Anonymous]

Virginia's fugly areas (messy, run-down looking):
Crystal City
Springfield
Franconia
Centerville
Fort Belvoir
Sterling
Manasses

... Merrifield
7 Corners
FFX City / that circle place
Annandale inside the beltway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in MD for two years as a kid. Lived in DC for four years in college. Have lived in VA in the 17 years since then. I wouldn't rule out living in Maryland, but after 17 years, most of my friends live in Virginia, and I don't really see any great advantage to moving. Fairfax and Arlington schools are similar to Montgomery County schools, the housing stock is no greater there, and I don't see any real commuting advantages. But if I found the perfect job there, I'd consider it.

This is similar to me. I've lived in all three places and now live in MD. My big stance is that I need to be close in. If I had to choose between close in MD or close in VA right now MD would win because we've set up a life here and it works with our commute and has for the last several years (DH works in MD, about 2 miles from our house). If I had choose between close in VA or say, Columbia MD, I'd rather be close in. I will probably always work in DC so need to be in that proximity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Have you had people break into your house, rob you and/or steal from you while in Maryland? If not, you are not drawing an equal comparison. My opinions are based on my experiences, not hypothetical scenarios. Many people do feel that PG Co is crime-infested....the only problem is that most haven't even been in the County...they get their info from the sensationalized news stories.

Okay, let me make this more clear to you. The people who were CONVICTED of robbing my house (in broad daylight) and stealing my car lived in PG County. They are from Maryland. My experience is JUST as real as yours. All b/c I don't *live* in MD doesn't make my experience about people *from* Maryland any less valid.

For all you know, the people who called you N (which is absolutely horrible) could have NOT been from Virginia. Seriously, did you then *ask* them where they grew up? They could have ironically been from Maryland.

But even so, my point is that you are taking ISOLATED events and proscribing them to HUGE populations. That is ignorant - plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"When I say "I don't know why" it's because it's more a feeling of not being comfortable when I'm in VA. I've been called a n-i-g-g-e-r when I was vacationing in Virginia Beach, so perhaps that's played a role. VA just seems really backward and unwelcoming. As a white woman, I'm sure YMMV."

But Virginia Beach is full of military and rural hicks. It's much closer demographically to WVA than to NOVA. Are you aware of the differences in income and racial and ethnic diversity?

Understood and point well taken. Honestly, though, I just believe VA to be a place of bigotry. Whether my opinion is founded or not does not change my views. I'm sure there are really nice people in all areas of VA, but it just would not be where I would choose to live for the reasons I stated. For the people that I know of that are from VA, they are either:

1) backward, red-neck'ish with racist beliefs
2) Hard-nosed conservatives who hold really staunch views where there seems to be a low level of tolerance for those that don't measure up financially.
3) HHI folks who measure their success and those around them by what designer labels they wear, in what gated community they live, in what school their child attends, etc.

Again, my opinion based on my experiences. Other people's MMV.

I am the PP from CT who likes VA. I can understand why you would have this impression. In my experience it's inaccurate, but then not being black, I don't know what the black experience is here.

VA does have more of a deep south feel, outside of NOVA. HQ of the confederacy and all that. Robert E Lee day, wasn't that our invention? MD has a more New Englandish, liberal, non-slave state FEEL although yes I know there were slaves there.

You explained my POV in a very PC-way! Thanks! I guess I should've been less blunt in my opinion. I was dancing around it, but really my main beef with VA and while I'm not totally comfortable there is because of its history with slavery. Perhaps when I'm in the state, I'm hyper-sensitive and, as a result, notice unsavory things more. I'm not sure, but it's exactly as you describe...For me, VA feels more Southern/conservative while MD definitely feels more New England'ish/progressive/accommodating.

Truly not bright. The institution of Slavery in Maryland lasted around 200 years, and initially it developed along very similar lines to neighbouring Virginia. Maryland was a slave state. Maryland is south of the Mason-Dixon line. Maryland was segregated (remember PP's remark about Glen Echo Park?).

FWIW, I don't live in MD or VA, I live in DC. I just think you're mind numbingly unintelligent. And not because you have a different opinion. It's because you say things like whether my opinion is founded or not, blah blah.

Good grief.

[Anonymous]

I live in Falls Church and would never, ever consider moving to the southern part of Virginia. Equating NoVA to Richmond, the Tidewater area, or really anywhere else in the State is like comparing apples and hamburgers. The people and the culture are 180 degrees different. As far as I'm concerned, we share a Governor and a legislature but that's about it.

With that said, I also have no plans to move to Maryland. It's nothing against Maryland--I just love the quality of life here in NoVA.

[Anonymous]

You've heard of Harriet Tubman right? Did you know she was from Maryland, and led slaves to freedom out of the SLAVE STATE of Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've heard of Harriet Tubman right? Did you know she was from Maryland, and led slaves to freedom out of the SLAVE STATE of Maryland?

And that is relevant how, exactly? It didn't make Maryland any less of a slave state--it wasn't exactly a bastion of progressive thinking.
Still isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From MD and we would NEVER move to VA. We are gay and would never live in a such a bigoted state. My husband actually won't even visit friends there. Then again we wouldn't visit Nigeria for the same reason.

See, we need people like you to come here and be voters!

I grew up in CT, been in VA 20 years. I am a total democrat, liberal, unitarian from an LGTB "welcoming" congregation. I love VA. I live in FFX City. Small town feel, great schools, two minutes to metro, wonderful parks, nice people, very diverse, lots of conveniences and within a short drive of many things I like to do. Even traffic is not THAT bad as long as you work the system - flex your hours, use HOV, a hybrid, metro, what have you.

I think of MD as being either high crime or unaffordable farm land turned into mcmansions. Not saying VA doesn't also have the mcmansions but NOVA also has so many nice old neighborhoods to choose from.

I am very happy with the place I landed; no interest in moving.

I am the poster to whom you replied and I think you have your priorities way out of whack. Foremost we have kids and I would never take a chance that the state would try to take them. Second, I am happily married and would never take the chance that the state would actively try to both invalidate my marriage and all rights whatsoever (including those in wills, deeds, contracts and trust agreements) from us. As little as 10 years ago it was a crime to engage in homosexual behavior in VA (it technically still is a crime, but the Supreme Court has permanently injuncted the state from enforcing the law).

Maslow's highest need is safety and it just isn't safe as a gay person to live in VA.

Hmmmm . . . I wonder what the gay couple who lives next door to me (in Falls Church) and the family headed by a same sex couple at my child's school would say about that. They all seem happy here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You've heard of Harriet Tubman right? Did you know she was from Maryland, and led slaves to freedom out of the SLAVE STATE of Maryland?

And that is relevant how, exactly? It didn't make Maryland any less of a slave state--it wasn't exactly a bastion of progressive thinking.
Still isn't.

Um, that's kind of my point. People who live in MD don't know their own history.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Richmond - it has serious racial divisions, but they are very much out in the open, discussed at length by everyone, black and white, and at the end of the day, it, like VA as a whole has been a place where the AA middle and upper classes have thrived (heard of Doug Wilder?). Unlike more "Progressive" places (and isn't it funny how "progressive" places always tended to be dominated by whites politically? How progressive is that really?) where everyone congratulates themselves on their liberalism, while failing to consider how severe black poverty could exist in such a supposedly racism free environment. The first time I encountered overt racism it was in Baltimore. If you live in Maryland because you think it is a better state for minorities you are seriously delusional. BY any measure, wealth, education, political influence, life expectancy, AAs in Maryland are far worse off than in VA.

[Anonymous]

Virginia had a black governor 20 years ago. when has a black been elected to governor or senator from Maryland?

[Anonymous]

As a nonsoutherner who lived in the deep south for some years, I agree with the above statement relating to racial issues being out in the open in the south. I have never seen racism worse than up north in places like New Jersey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a nonsoutherner who lived in the deep south for some years, I agree with the above statement relating to racial issues being out in the open in the south. I have never seen racism worse than up north in places like New Jersey.

I hear your point. People don't make much effort to hide their racism in the deep south. In the north, social mores dictate otherwise. And I agree that there are northern areas where--hidden or not--racism is pervasive. But with that said, you will *never* convince me that prejudice and racism in New Jersey (or any point north) are worse than what I have seen in Mississippi. Mississippi truly frightens me.