Crossing the border - moving to VA from MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Born and lived all my life in MD now considering moving to northern VA - dont laugh. While this may not seem like a big move for most, for this MD girl who swore to always hate VA - it is. I have small kids and want a home in a neighborhood that is aligned to great schools. I could find that in MD but don’t want to move to the suburbs as I’m currently in SS. Also long term my kids would have better college options in VA.

I say all that to say, if you’ve made the MD to VA move - what’s it like? Is the air different and how does it feel to live in a republican state?

(Don’t laugh at the post!)

Don't come. The fact that you tell this story and think it's okay (that you swore to always hate VA) says to me that you are too provincial to live in NOVA.

oh please

[Anonymous]

OP, you won't have "better college options in Virginia" IF moving to Virginia is not a desirable thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do find that nova dems are more moderates, a bit more conservative than moco dems, which tends to skew more left. At the end of the day, nova went for HRC but if Sanders had won the D nom., I don't know that they would have voted for him in high numbers.

This is not a judgement. Just an observation.

Warren won the most votes in Arlington, IIRC, in the latest Democratic primary.

You don't RC. Biden won Arlington handily (48%). Warren was slightly ahead of Sanders for second. Sanders did better in Fairfax than Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Can you elaborate more about the gifted education? My kids are too little to know if they would be gifted but still interested in your perspective.

A determination is made re: the level of Giftedness or need for advanced instruction and the student is offered the chance to change schools. Away from their friends, away from their sibling. Even if the elementary school where your children would normally attend is one of those schools, a "center", the advanced learners are separated, they take separate classes. It's like 2 schools within a school. This begins in 3rd grade and lasts till 8th. It's tracking. It's establishing a foregone conclusion of who will be more academically successful, and who will not. It affects parent interactions, children's friendships, the student's view of themselves. It sets up a terrible family dynamic if one child in the family is "gifted" and one/other are not - determined in 3rd grade, lasting for years. Contrast to MoCo where the needs of advanced learners are met by providing supplemental instruction and remain in the same school .. with their friends, with their siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than Virgina has no dentists it is not that different

? lol what?

We all know the tooth brush was invented in Virginia because if it was invented in Maryland it would be a teeth brush.

Also Churches in Virginia don’t have aisles down the middle at weddings. No such thing as bride family on
one side and groom family on other side when you are all related

[Anonymous]

If your are Jewish, I would stay in Maryland. You will be the only one in VA. MoCo is very different than NoVa in that aspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Born and lived all my life in MD now considering moving to northern VA - dont laugh. While this may not seem like a big move for most, for this MD girl who swore to always hate VA - it is. I have small kids and want a home in a neighborhood that is aligned to great schools. I could find that in MD but don’t want to move to the suburbs as I’m currently in SS. Also long term my kids would have better college options in VA.

I say all that to say, if you’ve made the MD to VA move - what’s it like? Is the air different and how does it feel to live in a republican state?

(Don’t laugh at the post!)

Don't come. The fact that you tell this story and think it's okay (that you swore to always hate VA) says to me that you are too provincial to live in NOVA.

Yes OP, don't you dare join the sophisticates of Annandale and Alexandria!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Born and lived all my life in MD now considering moving to northern VA - dont laugh. While this may not seem like a big move for most, for this MD girl who swore to always hate VA - it is. I have small kids and want a home in a neighborhood that is aligned to great schools. I could find that in MD but don’t want to move to the suburbs as I’m currently in SS. Also long term my kids would have better college options in VA.

I say all that to say, if you’ve made the MD to VA move - what’s it like? Is the air different and how does it feel to live in a republican state?

(Don’t laugh at the post!)

I totally get it. I grew up in nova and yes Maryland seemed like this great big faraway northern place. The light is brighter up there?

+1 to the military southern provincial feel of much of nova.

Arlandria or del ray in Alexandria might be the most silver spring like places in nova although it has gotten crazy expensive with Amazon HQ.

also correct me if I am wrong, fellow posters, but fairlington shirlington lorton Vienna Reston and surprisingly, Herndon might be okay too

[Anonymous]

I moved from Chevy Chase to Vienna 7 years ago and never looked back. As high HHI the taxes are somewhat lower (saving around $10k per year after accounting for car taxes). I don't talk politics because I have an actual life but from what I can tell people are fairly liberal here. Definitely way fewer stuck up people or outwardly obnoxious people. Fewer entitled 60 year olds yelling at the movie theater employee because they feel they deserve some kind of special treatment. In general NoVa is just a lot less depressing than MoCo. That's my experience, anyway.

[Anonymous]

My parents are from Connecticut right outside of NYC and lived in Boston right after they were married. They lived in NYC.

They moved here in the mid 60s for work and settled in NoVA.

My parents are very progressive and were raised to hate Maryland. Every single time we crossed the bridge for soccer games or the drive up North to visit relatives my dad would launch into his Maryland tirade about idiot MD drivers, etc.

That's ingrained in my head and hard to get ride of. I do think the people in NoVa tend to be much more down to earth. Less flashy/status oriented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your are Jewish, I would stay in Maryland. You will be the only one in VA. MoCo is very different than NoVa in that aspect.

Spoken like someone who hasn't crossed the Potomac in the last 50 years. There are tons of Jews in VA, myself included. No, not as many as in MoCo, but to say there are NONE is revealing your ignorance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your are Jewish, I would stay in Maryland. You will be the only one in VA. MoCo is very different than NoVa in that aspect.

You are ignorant.

[Anonymous]

One thing to consider is LGBTQ protections. We moved to MoCo many years ago after looking in both Arlington & MoCo (wanted close in suburb, good schools). We laughingly talked about the red state vs blue state issue but likely would've moved to either had we found a house we liked better. Fast forward 15 years & our child is queer. MUCH better protections in MD state law for LGBTQ kids, + more progressive legislators in MoCo/MCPS. Was a long battle (see here: https://pflag.org/sites/default/files/Curriculum%20Victory%20in%20Montgomery%20County%202.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3scCxiXtwClOhQ-zNqX_xsPq43Ql3ziWPBvmaUd9rSwrvnv03u8z6lJnI) but MCPS kids have some protections from zealots trying to promote things like conversion therapy or giving voice to the lie that LGBTQ status = a mental disorder. Really low-hanging fruit type of stuff, & my understanding is that MCPS is way ahead of VA from other parents I know via my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved from Chevy Chase to Vienna 7 years ago and never looked back. As high HHI the taxes are somewhat lower (saving around $10k per year after accounting for car taxes). I don't talk politics because I have an actual life but from what I can tell people are fairly liberal here. Definitely way fewer stuck up people or outwardly obnoxious people. Fewer entitled 60 year olds yelling at the movie theater employee because they feel they deserve some kind of special treatment. In general NoVa is just a lot less depressing than MoCo. That's my experience, anyway.

I have lived many years in both places. Recently I went to CCMD. I forgot how rude and entitled people in MD are. And my Bethesda persona returned when twice in 2 hours I had to remind entitled person not to ignore social distancing and cut to the front of the line. Because “they were in a hurry”. Maybe that’s why they have so much COVID over there. I forgot that aspect of life in MD. People are much more polite in VA. It’s because they are so backward and all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your are Jewish, I would stay in Maryland. You will be the only one in VA. MoCo is very different than NoVa in that aspect.

You are ignorant.

Not none but the majority are in MD.