PG County "Lucky Loser" of Amazon HQ2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why anyone would ever consider living in or working in PG County....

Because it is nice and affordable.

That's why md is the richest state. Even its worst county is superior than 50 percent of Va's counties.

Maryland has 24 counties. Virginia has 134. Hardly a fair comparison. Also NOAA HQ is in Montgomery not PG County just like National Archives HQ is in DC not PG County. But carry on.

+1. I love how all the Maryland boosters said having to cross a bridge was so awful - how it made Virginia "so far removed" from DC and the rest of the area. It's like they'd never seen rivers in Brussels, Buenos Aires, London or Hong Kong. But now that Amazon is coming to Crystal City, suddenly it's "Oh PG is gonna benefit! We're right over the bridge!"

You do realize that this thread was started by someone in VA, right? But carry on with your MD bashing so you can feel good about yourself.

Not sure I see any bashing here. PP simply pointed out the inconsistency in the argument that some people don't want to commute over the bridge from Virginia to DC, yet expect Amazon workers to buy in PG so they can commute over the bridge to Virginia. I happen to like parts of Prince George's, but man are the folks here overly sensitive to any perceived slight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Notice that 12:20 doesn't mention anything about kids or schools. I agree that the housing option and newer retail in some areas (Bowie is a good example) are very attractive. No waiting lists to join local pools! But, the MS and HS options are well known to be a problem. Even the kids who were in TAG all through ES and MS are fighting to get into Eleanor Roosevelt Sci/Tech program or else they are going private at high cost.

So, the living may be pretty good, and the price is excellent... but when schools are part of the equation ... PGCPS doesn't make the cut.

The best thing PG county could do is put a lot more spots in the TAG prgrams and bring in the kids who are currently going private for elem school or bring in new families. And then create more speciality HS programs... and THEN PG county will have a shot at winning in the Amazon game. Schools are crucial.

Bullshit I am like number 2500 on the waiting list for the neighborhood pool in PG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FDA headquarters are in Silver Spring, Md which is in Montgomery County.

HQ is in White Oak, not SS.

LOL.
Where do you think White Oak is?

It's not in Silver Spring.

So tell us where it is.

Your kidding right.

It's in White Oak. ^^^^^ It's not like this thread is 100 of words, that was said the 17th word of this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FDA headquarters are in Silver Spring, Md which is in Montgomery County.

HQ is in White Oak, not SS.

LOL.
Where do you think White Oak is?

It's not in Silver Spring.

You are too clueless. Here is the address :

FDA White Oak Campus. Federal Research Center. 10903 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20993.

But it still is not within Sliver Spring city limits just like some "rockville" addresses are not in rockville city limits.

It's location is in White Oak, not Silver Spring.

Google map silver spring and white oak, you will see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why anyone would ever consider living in or working in PG County....

Because it is nice and affordable.

That's why md is the richest state. Even its worst county is superior than 50 percent of Va's counties.

Maryland has 24 counties. Virginia has 134. Hardly a fair comparison. Also NOAA HQ is in Montgomery not PG County just like National Archives HQ is in DC not PG County. But carry on.

+1. I love how all the Maryland boosters said having to cross a bridge was so awful - how it made Virginia "so far removed" from DC and the rest of the area. It's like they'd never seen rivers in Brussels, Buenos Aires, London or Hong Kong. But now that Amazon is coming to Crystal City, suddenly it's "Oh PG is gonna benefit! We're right over the bridge!"

You do realize that this thread was started by someone in VA, right? But carry on with your MD bashing so you can feel good about yourself.

Not sure I see any bashing here. PP simply pointed out the inconsistency in the argument that some people don't want to commute over the bridge from Virginia to DC, yet expect Amazon workers to buy in PG so they can commute over the bridge to Virginia. I happen to like parts of Prince George's, but man are the folks here overly sensitive to any perceived slight.

+1.

I bet a dollar not a single Amazon worker chooses to commute from PG.

That'd be frankly stupid for them -- they are not exactly government workers with plenty to time to kill, ya know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why anyone would ever consider living in or working in PG County....

Because it is nice and affordable.

That's why md is the richest state. Even its worst county is superior than 50 percent of Va's counties.

Maryland has 24 counties. Virginia has 134. Hardly a fair comparison. Also NOAA HQ is in Montgomery not PG County just like National Archives HQ is in DC not PG County. But carry on.

+1. I love how all the Maryland boosters said having to cross a bridge was so awful - how it made Virginia "so far removed" from DC and the rest of the area. It's like they'd never seen rivers in Brussels, Buenos Aires, London or Hong Kong. But now that Amazon is coming to Crystal City, suddenly it's "Oh PG is gonna benefit! We're right over the bridge!"

You do realize that this thread was started by someone in VA, right? But carry on with your MD bashing so you can feel good about yourself.

Not sure I see any bashing here. PP simply pointed out the inconsistency in the argument that some people don't want to commute over the bridge from Virginia to DC, yet expect Amazon workers to buy in PG so they can commute over the bridge to Virginia. I happen to like parts of Prince George's, but man are the folks here overly sensitive to any perceived slight.

+1.

I bet a dollar not a single Amazon worker chooses to commute from PG.

That'd be frankly stupid for them -- they are not exactly government workers with plenty to time to kill, ya know?

Market studies have already been done, many workers will live in PG.

You sound really ignorant and racist, why not live in PG?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why anyone would ever consider living in or working in PG County....

Because it is nice and affordable.

That's why md is the richest state. Even its worst county is superior than 50 percent of Va's counties.

Maryland has 24 counties. Virginia has 134. Hardly a fair comparison. Also NOAA HQ is in Montgomery not PG County just like National Archives HQ is in DC not PG County. But carry on.

+1. I love how all the Maryland boosters said having to cross a bridge was so awful - how it made Virginia "so far removed" from DC and the rest of the area. It's like they'd never seen rivers in Brussels, Buenos Aires, London or Hong Kong. But now that Amazon is coming to Crystal City, suddenly it's "Oh PG is gonna benefit! We're right over the bridge!"

You do realize that this thread was started by someone in VA, right? But carry on with your MD bashing so you can feel good about yourself.

Not sure I see any bashing here. PP simply pointed out the inconsistency in the argument that some people don't want to commute over the bridge from Virginia to DC, yet expect Amazon workers to buy in PG so they can commute over the bridge to Virginia. I happen to like parts of Prince George's, but man are the folks here overly sensitive to any perceived slight.

+1.

I bet a dollar not a single Amazon worker chooses to commute from PG.

That'd be frankly stupid for them -- they are not exactly government workers with plenty to time to kill, ya know?

Market studies have already been done, many workers will live in PG.

You sound really ignorant and racist, why not live in PG?

They literally just said it’s about commute.
LITERALLY.

[Anonymous]

I live in PG and I think that some mid-level Amazon employees with families will choose to live in PG along the orange line. That's probably a pretty small number of residents though. There are plenty of people who work in NoVa who live in Cheverly. They sit on the Orange line and read a book.

I agree that PG should focus on getting government agencies to relocate or open offices in PG. It could spur a lot of development around those facilities even if they employees don't choose to live in PG.

My office is in PG and a lot of folks live in PG but many live in MoCo, Howard County and Anne Arundel counties and have a 30-45 minute commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Notice that 12:20 doesn't mention anything about kids or schools. I agree that the housing option and newer retail in some areas (Bowie is a good example) are very attractive. No waiting lists to join local pools! But, the MS and HS options are well known to be a problem. Even the kids who were in TAG all through ES and MS are fighting to get into Eleanor Roosevelt Sci/Tech program or else they are going private at high cost.

So, the living may be pretty good, and the price is excellent... but when schools are part of the equation ... PGCPS doesn't make the cut.

The best thing PG county could do is put a lot more spots in the TAG prgrams and bring in the kids who are currently going private for elem school or bring in new families. And then create more speciality HS programs... and THEN PG county will have a shot at winning in the Amazon game. Schools are crucial.

Bullshit I am like number 2500 on the waiting list for the neighborhood pool in PG.

Dang! That must be a very exclusive pool club! My friends joined Whitehall pool with no problem -- they just signed up. Over here in VA, the wait in my area is 6-8 yrs!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a former resident and home owner in both Fairfax and Alexandria. I hated every min of living in NOVA. It was over crowded with endless amounts of gridlock, and had an abundance of pretentious jerks. I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a 1100 SF home that had sub par schools and was not walk-able to anything. I also commuted about an hour or more to SE DC to work.

I grew tired of NOVA and started looking for other options. I was delighted with what I found in PG county. Specifically in the Arts District in Hyattsville, University Park, Riverdale, and College Park. All of these areas have amazing amenities, good public transportation, and housing stock that is affordable. The neighborhoods that I started looking at have beautiful arts and crafts bungalows, Victorians, colonials, etc. and all were under 500K when I was looking. I now own in PG. I own a historic house from 1911 that has been completely restored, over 2500 SF, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, detached garage, and a nice size yard. I have a walk score of 80 and can walk to everything in the Arts District, as well as to the Whole Foods (I have made it big, lol) complex in Riverdale. I can also walk to the MARC train station in Riverdale and the Farmers Market. I have a bus line that picks up in front of my house and I can be at the PG Plaza Metro station in less than 10 mins. I am a stone throw away from everything at PG Plaza Mall/Target/Safeway. I am a stone throw away from the DC Costco and all of Dakota Crossing. I am an easy Uber ride from most DC attractions and nightlife.

I also have AMAZING neighbors! The community here is very welcoming and there are countless community events. We even have our own newspaper that highlights the wonderful people who live here in PGC. The schools are not amazing, but are improving, but it should also be noted that there are several affordable private school options in PG, I happen to also live walk-able to one and will most likely send my son there. I will end up paying less than I was for daycare! The schools were also not very good in Alexandria! People go crazy for Del Ray, but the schools there are terrible and I have everything I had there, here (plus more), and I paid half of what I did in Del Ray! I would also like to note that my house cost 470K exactly one year ago today and it has already appreciate by 80K in a year!!

I am over the moon excited that I have found my forever home and expect that people coming to this area for Amazon will look at PG as a real option for housing. I think more business will come to this area as well. I am glad I made the move I did, and I think others in this area will start to take PG seriously!

OK, you MENTION the public schools -- as "they aren't all that bad" but "I will probably send my kid to a local private school." So, yeah, you MENTION the schools, but you don't actually USE any public schools in PG and you plan to send your kid to private. So, you are glossing over the big reason people avoid PG County -- public schools, especially at the MS and HS level are not good enough. I have friends (white friends) in PGCPS and in the TAG program. I will agree that they have had a very good education in the TAG program. But, when the acceptances/rejections for Roosevelt Sci/Tech came out -- my friends and all the families they know (also in TAG) were either getting into Roosevelt or taking a huge hit to sent their kids to private HS -- $25K per year and up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why anyone would ever consider living in or working in PG County....

Because it is nice and affordable.

That's why md is the richest state. Even its worst county is superior than 50 percent of Va's counties.

Maryland has 24 counties. Virginia has 134. Hardly a fair comparison. Also NOAA HQ is in Montgomery not PG County just like National Archives HQ is in DC not PG County. But carry on.

+1. I love how all the Maryland boosters said having to cross a bridge was so awful - how it made Virginia "so far removed" from DC and the rest of the area. It's like they'd never seen rivers in Brussels, Buenos Aires, London or Hong Kong. But now that Amazon is coming to Crystal City, suddenly it's "Oh PG is gonna benefit! We're right over the bridge!"

You do realize that this thread was started by someone in VA, right? But carry on with your MD bashing so you can feel good about yourself.

Not sure I see any bashing here. PP simply pointed out the inconsistency in the argument that some people don't want to commute over the bridge from Virginia to DC, yet expect Amazon workers to buy in PG so they can commute over the bridge to Virginia. I happen to like parts of Prince George's, but man are the folks here overly sensitive to any perceived slight.

+1.

I bet a dollar not a single Amazon worker chooses to commute from PG.

That'd be frankly stupid for them -- they are not exactly government workers with plenty to time to kill, ya know?

Market studies have already been done, many workers will live in PG.

You sound really ignorant and racist, why not live in PG?

They literally just said it’s about commute.
LITERALLY.

Would the commute really be that long though from PG to Pentagon City or Crystal City since Amazon will spread offices between those areas, as "National Landing". According to Google it is like 40-50 mins via train from PG Plaza or West Hyattsville to Pentagon City or Crystal City. It will be less if they expand Yellow Line service to Greenbelt. People commute that far in their car from as far as places like Stafford so why would people not be interested in a train ride where they wouldn't have to worry about the stress of driving and could still have access to affordable housing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a former resident and home owner in both Fairfax and Alexandria. I hated every min of living in NOVA. It was over crowded with endless amounts of gridlock, and had an abundance of pretentious jerks. I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a 1100 SF home that had sub par schools and was not walk-able to anything. I also commuted about an hour or more to SE DC to work.

I grew tired of NOVA and started looking for other options. I was delighted with what I found in PG county. Specifically in the Arts District in Hyattsville, University Park, Riverdale, and College Park. All of these areas have amazing amenities, good public transportation, and housing stock that is affordable. The neighborhoods that I started looking at have beautiful arts and crafts bungalows, Victorians, colonials, etc. and all were under 500K when I was looking. I now own in PG. I own a historic house from 1911 that has been completely restored, over 2500 SF, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, detached garage, and a nice size yard. I have a walk score of 80 and can walk to everything in the Arts District, as well as to the Whole Foods (I have made it big, lol) complex in Riverdale. I can also walk to the MARC train station in Riverdale and the Farmers Market. I have a bus line that picks up in front of my house and I can be at the PG Plaza Metro station in less than 10 mins. I am a stone throw away from everything at PG Plaza Mall/Target/Safeway. I am a stone throw away from the DC Costco and all of Dakota Crossing. I am an easy Uber ride from most DC attractions and nightlife.

I also have AMAZING neighbors! The community here is very welcoming and there are countless community events. We even have our own newspaper that highlights the wonderful people who live here in PGC. The schools are not amazing, but are improving, but it should also be noted that there are several affordable private school options in PG, I happen to also live walk-able to one and will most likely send my son there. I will end up paying less than I was for daycare! The schools were also not very good in Alexandria! People go crazy for Del Ray, but the schools there are terrible and I have everything I had there, here (plus more), and I paid half of what I did in Del Ray! I would also like to note that my house cost 470K exactly one year ago today and it has already appreciate by 80K in a year!!

I am over the moon excited that I have found my forever home and expect that people coming to this area for Amazon will look at PG as a real option for housing. I think more business will come to this area as well. I am glad I made the move I did, and I think others in this area will start to take PG seriously!

OK, you MENTION the public schools -- as "they aren't all that bad" but "I will probably send my kid to a local private school." So, yeah, you MENTION the schools, but you don't actually USE any public schools in PG and you plan to send your kid to private. So, you are glossing over the big reason people avoid PG County -- public schools, especially at the MS and HS level are not good enough. I have friends (white friends) in PGCPS and in the TAG program. I will agree that they have had a very good education in the TAG program. But, when the acceptances/rejections for Roosevelt Sci/Tech came out -- my friends and all the families they know (also in TAG) were either getting into Roosevelt or taking a huge hit to sent their kids to private HS -- $25K per year and up.

It's just math, pp. DH and I looked at Virginia and PG when we were buying our house because both would have been a reasonable commute at that time. The type of house we bought in PG cost 320k in PG (at that time) and would have cost 800k+ in NOVA, plus would not have been in one of the better school districts. Our children are in the public schools for elementary (and one is in a specialty program until 8th grade) but let's assume they need private for middle and high school.

So let's say 6 years of $25,000 tuition for both kids- that is $300,000. Yikes. So that turns the cost of our 320k house into 620k. Which is still less than the same house in Virginia. We could also move, that is always an option!

But wait, our house, which was a short sale, appreciated greatly- it could easily sell for around 600k now. So financially our choice makes even more sense. Then you factor in that our house is paid off, and that DH was relocated so that his PG commute is much better than his NOVA commute would have been.

So for us, our choice worked in our favor. We have a nice home and our kids go to great schools (that's right, I think my PG county public schools are GREAT, not just good). Other people can make other choices that work for them and that's fine.

[Anonymous]

Everyone in NoVa doesnt and cant afford to live in a GS 8+ pyramid. Its ridiculous that bad schools are being cited against pg, when most people in NoVa send their kids to an average GS 4 or 5 school.

-NoVa resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a former resident and home owner in both Fairfax and Alexandria. I hated every min of living in NOVA. It was over crowded with endless amounts of gridlock, and had an abundance of pretentious jerks. I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a 1100 SF home that had sub par schools and was not walk-able to anything. I also commuted about an hour or more to SE DC to work.

I grew tired of NOVA and started looking for other options. I was delighted with what I found in PG county. Specifically in the Arts District in Hyattsville, University Park, Riverdale, and College Park. All of these areas have amazing amenities, good public transportation, and housing stock that is affordable. The neighborhoods that I started looking at have beautiful arts and crafts bungalows, Victorians, colonials, etc. and all were under 500K when I was looking. I now own in PG. I own a historic house from 1911 that has been completely restored, over 2500 SF, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, detached garage, and a nice size yard. I have a walk score of 80 and can walk to everything in the Arts District, as well as to the Whole Foods (I have made it big, lol) complex in Riverdale. I can also walk to the MARC train station in Riverdale and the Farmers Market. I have a bus line that picks up in front of my house and I can be at the PG Plaza Metro station in less than 10 mins. I am a stone throw away from everything at PG Plaza Mall/Target/Safeway. I am a stone throw away from the DC Costco and all of Dakota Crossing. I am an easy Uber ride from most DC attractions and nightlife.

I also have AMAZING neighbors! The community here is very welcoming and there are countless community events. We even have our own newspaper that highlights the wonderful people who live here in PGC. The schools are not amazing, but are improving, but it should also be noted that there are several affordable private school options in PG, I happen to also live walk-able to one and will most likely send my son there. I will end up paying less than I was for daycare! The schools were also not very good in Alexandria! People go crazy for Del Ray, but the schools there are terrible and I have everything I had there, here (plus more), and I paid half of what I did in Del Ray! I would also like to note that my house cost 470K exactly one year ago today and it has already appreciate by 80K in a year!!

I am over the moon excited that I have found my forever home and expect that people coming to this area for Amazon will look at PG as a real option for housing. I think more business will come to this area as well. I am glad I made the move I did, and I think others in this area will start to take PG seriously!

OK, you MENTION the public schools -- as "they aren't all that bad" but "I will probably send my kid to a local private school." So, yeah, you MENTION the schools, but you don't actually USE any public schools in PG and you plan to send your kid to private. So, you are glossing over the big reason people avoid PG County -- public schools, especially at the MS and HS level are not good enough. I have friends (white friends) in PGCPS and in the TAG program. I will agree that they have had a very good education in the TAG program. But, when the acceptances/rejections for Roosevelt Sci/Tech came out -- my friends and all the families they know (also in TAG) were either getting into Roosevelt or taking a huge hit to sent their kids to private HS -- $25K per year and up.

It's just math, pp. DH and I looked at Virginia and PG when we were buying our house because both would have been a reasonable commute at that time. The type of house we bought in PG cost 320k in PG (at that time) and would have cost 800k+ in NOVA, plus would not have been in one of the better school districts. Our children are in the public schools for elementary (and one is in a specialty program until 8th grade) but let's assume they need private for middle and high school.

So let's say 6 years of $25,000 tuition for both kids- that is $300,000. Yikes. So that turns the cost of our 320k house into 620k. Which is still less than the same house in Virginia. We could also move, that is always an option!

But wait, our house, which was a short sale, appreciated greatly- it could easily sell for around 600k now. So financially our choice makes even more sense. Then you factor in that our house is paid off, and that DH was relocated so that his PG commute is much better than his NOVA commute would have been.

So for us, our choice worked in our favor. We have a nice home and our kids go to great schools (that's right, I think my PG county public schools are GREAT, not just good). Other people can make other choices that work for them and that's fine.

I think that's awesome. Living in a paid off house gives you so much freedom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a former resident and home owner in both Fairfax and Alexandria. I hated every min of living in NOVA. It was over crowded with endless amounts of gridlock, and had an abundance of pretentious jerks. I paid a ridiculous amount of money for a 1100 SF home that had sub par schools and was not walk-able to anything. I also commuted about an hour or more to SE DC to work.

I grew tired of NOVA and started looking for other options. I was delighted with what I found in PG county. Specifically in the Arts District in Hyattsville, University Park, Riverdale, and College Park. All of these areas have amazing amenities, good public transportation, and housing stock that is affordable. The neighborhoods that I started looking at have beautiful arts and crafts bungalows, Victorians, colonials, etc. and all were under 500K when I was looking. I now own in PG. I own a historic house from 1911 that has been completely restored, over 2500 SF, 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, detached garage, and a nice size yard. I have a walk score of 80 and can walk to everything in the Arts District, as well as to the Whole Foods (I have made it big, lol) complex in Riverdale. I can also walk to the MARC train station in Riverdale and the Farmers Market. I have a bus line that picks up in front of my house and I can be at the PG Plaza Metro station in less than 10 mins. I am a stone throw away from everything at PG Plaza Mall/Target/Safeway. I am a stone throw away from the DC Costco and all of Dakota Crossing. I am an easy Uber ride from most DC attractions and nightlife.

I also have AMAZING neighbors! The community here is very welcoming and there are countless community events. We even have our own newspaper that highlights the wonderful people who live here in PGC. The schools are not amazing, but are improving, but it should also be noted that there are several affordable private school options in PG, I happen to also live walk-able to one and will most likely send my son there. I will end up paying less than I was for daycare! The schools were also not very good in Alexandria! People go crazy for Del Ray, but the schools there are terrible and I have everything I had there, here (plus more), and I paid half of what I did in Del Ray! I would also like to note that my house cost 470K exactly one year ago today and it has already appreciate by 80K in a year!!

I am over the moon excited that I have found my forever home and expect that people coming to this area for Amazon will look at PG as a real option for housing. I think more business will come to this area as well. I am glad I made the move I did, and I think others in this area will start to take PG seriously!

OK, you MENTION the public schools -- as "they aren't all that bad" but "I will probably send my kid to a local private school." So, yeah, you MENTION the schools, but you don't actually USE any public schools in PG and you plan to send your kid to private. So, you are glossing over the big reason people avoid PG County -- public schools, especially at the MS and HS level are not good enough. I have friends (white friends) in PGCPS and in the TAG program. I will agree that they have had a very good education in the TAG program. But, when the acceptances/rejections for Roosevelt Sci/Tech came out -- my friends and all the families they know (also in TAG) were either getting into Roosevelt or taking a huge hit to sent their kids to private HS -- $25K per year and up.

It's just math, pp. DH and I looked at Virginia and PG when we were buying our house because both would have been a reasonable commute at that time. The type of house we bought in PG cost 320k in PG (at that time) and would have cost 800k+ in NOVA, plus would not have been in one of the better school districts. Our children are in the public schools for elementary (and one is in a specialty program until 8th grade) but let's assume they need private for middle and high school.

So let's say 6 years of $25,000 tuition for both kids- that is $300,000. Yikes. So that turns the cost of our 320k house into 620k. Which is still less than the same house in Virginia. We could also move, that is always an option!

But wait, our house, which was a short sale, appreciated greatly- it could easily sell for around 600k now. So financially our choice makes even more sense. Then you factor in that our house is paid off, and that DH was relocated so that his PG commute is much better than his NOVA commute would have been.

So for us, our choice worked in our favor. We have a nice home and our kids go to great schools (that's right, I think my PG county public schools are GREAT, not just good). Other people can make other choices that work for them and that's fine.

+ the lifetime cost of the NoVa house when you count taxes, upkeep and utilities are expenses most people don't think about when saying they go to a 'free" public school.