Whining About Your Neighbors in Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really puzzled by the PP who hates anyone living in a smaller older home in a neighborhood with teardowns. That's me, and I'm not sure what I ever did to you. I like some of the rebuilds in my neighborhood, and dislike some of them, on the merits - some have been done tastefully, in a way that doesn't look ridiculous, and some are literally so wacky looking that they have become the butt of jokes on this forum and elsewhere. But why would anyone who either lives in those houses or wants to bash me for living in a 2000 sqft place that could use more work? To suggest that I'm either intensely jealous of the rebuilds or that I can't afford my neighborhood is just patently false. Wrong on both counts.

YES!! Or to assume we don't have the $. We love old houses. We hate clutter, unused-- wasted space, etc. we only have two children and no need for more than 2200 sq feet.

We could afford a mammoth addition, etc. We are in 22201 and make a shitload of money and we actually own two houses in more affluent neighborhoods than this in the city. We moved here for public schools and found great neighbors. Surprising to now see some in the 'hood may be judging us on the size of our house ....ESP the ones that bought 10 years ago when sh*t was dirt cheap over here. They paid $600k less than the rest of us, btw.

It wasn't dirt cheap in 22201, 10 years ago. Even 40 years ago it wasn't dirt cheap. Generally speaking, Arlington has always been expensive, just much less expensive than today in some neighborhoods. A large 4 bedroom colonial in 22201 or 22207 that sold for 300k in 1988 or 150k in '78 is probably close to 2 mill today.

BS. 22201 was cheaper than where my parents live 20 min south of here now. This particular area was crime ridden in the late 60s/early 70s. People fled for safer suburbs, more space and brand new construction. Traffic also wasn't the concern it is today. The exact opposite trend exists today...young families are fleeing the places are parents grew up in for urban/city environments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really puzzled by the PP who hates anyone living in a smaller older home in a neighborhood with teardowns. That's me, and I'm not sure what I ever did to you. I like some of the rebuilds in my neighborhood, and dislike some of them, on the merits - some have been done tastefully, in a way that doesn't look ridiculous, and some are literally so wacky looking that they have become the butt of jokes on this forum and elsewhere. But why would anyone who either lives in those houses or wants to bash me for living in a 2000 sqft place that could use more work? To suggest that I'm either intensely jealous of the rebuilds or that I can't afford my neighborhood is just patently false. Wrong on both counts.

YES!! Or to assume we don't have the $. We love old houses. We hate clutter, unused-- wasted space, etc. we only have two children and no need for more than 2200 sq feet.

We could afford a mammoth addition, etc. We are in 22201 and make a shitload of money and we actually own two houses in more affluent neighborhoods than this in the city. We moved here for public schools and found great neighbors. Surprising to now see some in the 'hood may be judging us on the size of our house ....ESP the ones that bought 10 years ago when sh*t was dirt cheap over here. They paid $600k less than the rest of us, btw.

It wasn't dirt cheap in 22201, 10 years ago. Even 40 years ago it wasn't dirt cheap. Generally speaking, Arlington has always been expensive, just much less expensive than today in some neighborhoods. A large 4 bedroom colonial in 22201 or 22207 that sold for 300k in 1988 or 150k in '78 is probably close to 2 mill today.

BS. 22201 was cheaper than where my parents live 20 min south of here now. This particular area was crime ridden in the late 60s/early 70s. People fled for safer suburbs, more space and brand new construction. Traffic also wasn't the concern it is today. The exact opposite trend exists today...young families are fleeing the places are parents grew up in for urban/city environments.

I'm afraid you've been completely misinformed. 22201 was not crime ridden at all. Who told you that? In the late 60s and early 70s Clarendon/22201 was still Arlington's shopping downtown with JC Penny's, Hahn's Shoes, Kann's Department store, Kay Jewlers, Lerners, the Quality Shop, the Clarendon Bank and Trust., and GC Murphys and Sears which didn't close until the 1990s. The single family neighborhoods were typical upper middle class suburbia. Lyon Village in the heart of 22201 was very much a "Leave it to Beaver" suburb. The neighborhood high school, Washington-Lee High School was ranked number two in the nation by Time Magazine, right behind New Trier outside of Chicago, but ahead of Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS. Ladies Home Journal also ranked it in the top 10 throughout the 60s and 70s. Arlington was very affluent and largely homogenous, with a small Black population in the historically Black neighborhoods like Hall's Hill and Green Valley.

22201 back then was not cheaper than Woodbridge, or Lorton or whatever else is 20 minutes south of here 30 years ago. That's malarkey.

I moved here in the early 60s, raised a family, and now my grandkids are in the Arlington public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really puzzled by the PP who hates anyone living in a smaller older home in a neighborhood with teardowns. That's me, and I'm not sure what I ever did to you. I like some of the rebuilds in my neighborhood, and dislike some of them, on the merits - some have been done tastefully, in a way that doesn't look ridiculous, and some are literally so wacky looking that they have become the butt of jokes on this forum and elsewhere. But why would anyone who either lives in those houses or wants to bash me for living in a 2000 sqft place that could use more work? To suggest that I'm either intensely jealous of the rebuilds or that I can't afford my neighborhood is just patently false. Wrong on both counts.

YES!! Or to assume we don't have the $. We love old houses. We hate clutter, unused-- wasted space, etc. we only have two children and no need for more than 2200 sq feetI

We could afford a mammoth addition, etc. We are in 22201 and make a shitload of money and we actually own two houses in more affluent neighborhoods than this in the city. We moved here for public schools and found great neighbors. Surprising to now see some in the 'hood may be judging us on the size of our house ....ESP the ones that bought 10 years ago when sh*t was dirt cheap over here. They paid $600k less than the rest of us, btw.

It wasn't dirt cheap in 22201, 10 years ago. Even 40 years ago it wasn't dirt cheap. Generally speaking, Arlington has always been expensive, just much less expensive than today in some neighborhoods. A large 4 bedroom colonial in 22201 or 22207 that sold for 300k in 1988 or 150k in '78 is probably close to 2 mill today.

Not dirt cheap...but those neighbors in the 2 million house purchased it for $450k in 1998. $450k compared to $2 million is dirt cheap. 20% down on $450k is a lot less than on $2 million. Salaries were not on the same trajetory. The type of people (as in earners) that could afford these neighborhoods then are very different than those that can afford it now.

I

+1
Those people would not be able to afford today's prices and would be in the places they love to mock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
BS. 22201 was cheaper than where my parents live 20 min south of here now. This particular area was crime ridden in the late 60s/early 70s. People fled for safer suburbs, more space and brand new construction. Traffic also wasn't the concern it is today. The exact opposite trend exists today...young families are fleeing the places are parents grew up in for urban/city environments.

That's funny. This person is making 22201 sound like a ghetto in the 60s and 70s. It was lilly-white suburbia with... a lot of rich white kids. I've never heard Sandra Bullock talk about growing up in "crime-ridden" Arlington in the 70s and 80s. She once talked about some bullying at her junior high, but that was it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
BS. 22201 was cheaper than where my parents live 20 min south of here now. This particular area was crime ridden in the late 60s/early 70s. People fled for safer suburbs, more space and brand new construction. Traffic also wasn't the concern it is today. The exact opposite trend exists today...young families are fleeing the places are parents grew up in for urban/city environments.

That's funny. This person is making 22201 sound like a ghetto in the 60s and 70s. It was lilly-white suburbia with... a lot of rich white kids. I've never heard Sandra Bullock talk about growing up in "crime-ridden" Arlington in the 70s and 80s. She once talked about some bullying at her junior high, but that was it.

Rosslyn had prostitutes and drugs. 22201 is fairly large.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rosslyn had prostitutes and drugs. 22201 is fairly large.

In the 50s. Not the late 60s/70s.

[Anonymous]

Rosslyn is 22209.

In the 70s, our house was owned by a public school teacher and his wife, who did not work outside the home. There is no way such a couple could afford our house on that salary today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rosslyn is 22209.

In the 70s, our house was owned by a public school teacher and his wife, who did not work outside the home. There is no way such a couple could afford our house on that salary today.

Quick, sell your home... it was owned by a school teacher once
And buy. Yourself one that was owned by a doctor or engineer

[Anonymous]

Pp. more likely a lawyer or 2 if it is Arlington

Don't forget that the latest crystal meth factory was in a pricey rental in 22201.

[Anonymous]

None of the close in suburbs have ever been dirt cheap. I don't think people saw "living further out" as quite as far out as these days, but it was still by choice how close in or not one lived.

I know people who thought Reston was practically another continent in the 80's - not that long ago!

Anyway, if you are someone who bought close in you paid for it, relative to dollars of the time. Point being, many of those resent the new construction. I guess I can see why, but it seems to stem almost 100% from jealousy that the "old" do not like the "new". Even if you speak about it amongst the dwindling "old" crowd, it still becomes known rather quickly. I just don't think people are very discreet about their feelings about the new construction. Change is unstoppable. Furthermore, I am grateful of the new houses contribution to the tax base!

The animosity shows shortsightedness and intolerance. I wonder what else the "old" owners are intolerant of?!?! Wow.