Leaving DC for a lower COL area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t feel like many of the cities mentioned are actually that much lower COL.

The real difference between DC and other cities in COL is cost of housing. You get a lot more housing for your money (bigger, better, nicer neighborhood) up to a certain threshold. And it's often more affordable for young people and easier to get on the property ladder.

The other differences between DC and a provincial city are going to be soft factors. Quality/length of commutes for example. While this isn't true for everywhere it can be easier for more people to have a more low key, less stressful and relaxed lifestyle in the provincial cities.

“Provincial cities?” Snotty people like you are one reason I can’t wait to get out of here. The people in the rest of the country in some way or another pay for your bloated DC lifestyle. So shut up and say thank you.

[Anonymous]

Or... you guys could just move to the suburbs of DC that aren’t the fancy Whole Foods GreatSchools 10 neighborhoods... As a previous poster has mentioned, my neighborhood (near Forest Glen/Kensington) has great houses in the 400s. And full of feds and teachers and families, etc. (this qualifier necessary for everyone who was about to object “but... the schools!”).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or... you guys could just move to the suburbs of DC that aren’t the fancy Whole Foods GreatSchools 10 neighborhoods... As a previous poster has mentioned, my neighborhood (near Forest Glen/Kensington) has great houses in the 400s. And full of feds and teachers and families, etc. (this qualifier necessary for everyone who was about to object “but... the schools!”).

shhh don't let people know

it's Bethesda or bust guys time to move

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC two years ago as it is cheap. My car insurance lower, my property taxes lower and my commute costs much less.

If you are moving from NYC or San Fran DC is still cheap

Yes, but the subject is: Leaving DC for a lower COL area

DC is a low COL area. Poolesville Maryland has the pretty much one of the best public schools in whole DMV area. Can buy a nice house for 500K. The spouse that makes less does WFH, part-time or becomes a Stay at Home Parent - problem over.

[Anonymous]

Charleston or Hilton Head. We would do it in a heartbeat if we didn’t have DS going into 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Providence, RI and have a bunch of friends who moved here from NYC or the Bay area because you can afford to buy a house here.

Sounds lovely. What type of careers do you and most of your friends have? What kind of industry?

Meds and Eds is the quick description for the economy here. I know a bunch of people working in the healthcare sector, some providers and some in management, many people working in higher ed, one fed who works for the EPA out of Boston, a few people working for tech companies that have offices here, one person in biotech. I'm a non-profit fundraiser. I think there's a shortage of engineers and people with the skills to work in advanced manufacturing.

And an excess of talented baristas and mixologists with man buns who play banjo and create performance art on the side.

Uh. I'm from Rhode Island originally. And there is a world class culinary school in Pvd, plus a top art school - so yeah, there is a good restaurant scene and a good arts scene. Are you suggesting that having food and art is somehow a bad quality in a city?

+1

Don't bother. Southerners generally don't like the north east, and vice versa. Which is fine, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t feel like many of the cities mentioned are actually that much lower COL.

The real difference between DC and other cities in COL is cost of housing. You get a lot more housing for your money (bigger, better, nicer neighborhood) up to a certain threshold. And it's often more affordable for young people and easier to get on the property ladder.

The other differences between DC and a provincial city are going to be soft factors. Quality/length of commutes for example. While this isn't true for everywhere it can be easier for more people to have a more low key, less stressful and relaxed lifestyle in the provincial cities.

“Provincial cities?” Snotty people like you are one reason I can’t wait to get out of here. The people in the rest of the country in some way or another pay for your bloated DC lifestyle. So shut up and say thank you.

Cool it. I wrote the message and I'm a big proponent of the provincial cities. Provincial means more than just hayseed. It means not one of the major cities but a regional, ie provincial, city. Places like Baltimore or Pittsburgh or Kansas City or Minneapolis or Charlotte.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC two years ago as it is cheap. My car insurance lower, my property taxes lower and my commute costs much less.

If you are moving from NYC or San Fran DC is still cheap

Yes, but the subject is: Leaving DC for a lower COL area

DC is a low COL area. Poolesville Maryland has the pretty much one of the best public schools in whole DMV area. Can buy a nice house for 500K. The spouse that makes less does WFH, part-time or becomes a Stay at Home Parent - problem over.

Let's talk about that commute from Poolesville to the District.....

I laughed. DMV is not a low COL. Your example is pointing at X and saying it's low cost compared to Y (Bethesda, Arlington, NW DC, whatever). Poolesville is still more expensive than the Poolesville comparison in most cities where that "nice house for 500k" will go for 250k. And with a better commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Providence, RI and have a bunch of friends who moved here from NYC or the Bay area because you can afford to buy a house here.

Sounds lovely. What type of careers do you and most of your friends have? What kind of industry?

Meds and Eds is the quick description for the economy here. I know a bunch of people working in the healthcare sector, some providers and some in management, many people working in higher ed, one fed who works for the EPA out of Boston, a few people working for tech companies that have offices here, one person in biotech. I'm a non-profit fundraiser. I think there's a shortage of engineers and people with the skills to work in advanced manufacturing.

And an excess of talented baristas and mixologists with man buns who play banjo and create performance art on the side.

Uh. I'm from Rhode Island originally. And there is a world class culinary school in Pvd, plus a top art school - so yeah, there is a good restaurant scene and a good arts scene. Are you suggesting that having food and art is somehow a bad quality in a city?

+1

Don't bother. Southerners generally don't like the north east, and vice versa. Which is fine, really.

The kinds of cities you all are interested in are in the south but honestly not really "full of southerners." Tons of northern transplants in places like Atlanta, Nashville, etc. The idea that everyone is going to be a southern debutante like Scarlett O'Hara is wildly inaccurate. Lots of people from all over come to Emory or Vanderbilt and then stay in the area. Both are fairly international as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Charleston or Hilton Head. We would do it in a heartbeat if we didn’t have DS going into 5th grade.

I'm from Charleston, and it is a beautiful place, but it is no longer low COL. The places where you'd want to live -- Mt Pleasant, good parts of downtown, nicer parts of West Ashley -- are as expensive as around here. It's changed a lot in the last 10 years or so.

[Anonymous]

Lol. MD in general is NOT low COL at all.