How did you pick between MD and VA?

[Anonymous]

I looked at a map and noticed that VA was a snarl of highway traffic islands and I didn't want to live like that. MD seemed to have more walkable urban stuff, and a closer connection to DC.

While that's all still true, these were decisions we made a decade ago when MD and DC were both more optimistic places. I still wouldn't move to VA, but from what I've met of the urban planners in MD (and in my old job I met many) they fall into two camps: 1.) They want a lot of chain development like Tysons, etc. 2.) They freak out if someone tries to build anything anywhere.

Both are terrible and if I had my way we would be living in an affluent, walkable part of Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Job in VA. Did not want to cross the bridge twice each day.

[Anonymous]

Jobs are in Virginia. Taxes are less. PUblic schools were xlnt (at least then). More than30 institutions of higher learning (both kids would wind up going in-state many years later). Real estate values were good and continued up so we made a few millions on a resale. less crime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gun laws. So, MD.

You realize gun laws don't really stop guns, right? It just stops law-abiding citizens from getting them. Doesn't do anything for those non-law abiding types.

See this

and this

Shall I keep going?

Good luck in your bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
MD for the privates. Bailing on public schools and want Marylands better privates. Plus it’s prettier and better planned. NOVa to hardscrabble.

Which privates?

+1

[Anonymous]

The difference , quiet literally, is black and white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ MoCo defector PP again. Tell us your housing budget and how important school ratings are, and we will tell you where we think you should live.

OP here… Looking for a 4 bedroom house under $800K with a little yard. Safety is big… I’ve lived in other cities where I’ve actually caught intruders inside my house mid-break in. We’ll get an alarm system and have dogs now but it was still pretty traumatic. Schools are important, and bilingual/immersion would be our preference. We like going out to restaurants/happy hour. We need parking for 2 cars, but would love to be able to have metro as an option, especially when people come to town to visit.

So an old townhouse somewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We chose Virginia for the public colleges and universities. Both kids now enrolled and we are paying in-state prices. I honestly think there isn't that much of a difference in housing, eating, lifestyle options between VA and MD. It's all "DC area Suburbia." I do think the number and quality of VA higher education choices is significantly higher in VA over MD. Not everyone will put as much weight on this as we did, but for us it was key.

This is wrong. Go outside MoCo, PG, Fairfax and Arlington. The states have very different cultures.

You're talking about the suburbs of a city; its no surprise they seem alike.

But the rest of the state is very different. Maryland has a very different culture than Virginia.

PG and Fairfax are huge. Both go from liberal uppy, to hide your kids hide your wife, to country as heck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jobs are in Virginia. Taxes are less. PUblic schools were xlnt (at least then). More than30 institutions of higher learning (both kids would wind up going in-state many years later). Real estate values were good and continued up so we made a few millions on a resale. less crime.

What year did you buy, though? 1990s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in both. I just didn't like the people at all in Maryland. Silver Spring was trashy and Chevy Chase was stuffy. Lots of entitled boomers. Vienna has better diversity in terms of asian community and as others have said, lower taxes. Saving 3% on 500k HHI is nothing to sneeze at.

Felt the opposite. Grew up in Vienna and moved to Moco to raise my own kids.

[Anonymous]

We picked va after factering in state taxes moco is about 3.5% more expensive then ffx minus car tax costs, with high income levels the savings in ffx vs moco is substantial wrt to taxes