Places to retire in Virginia that are relatively close to DC?

[Anonymous]

Family friends want to retire in Virginia and asked for my help in identifying some target towns to consider. They rejected Charlottesville as too far from DC. They keep asking about places like Leesburg and Manassas, but to me those seem more like commuter suburbs of DC, and not really ideal spots for retirees. It seems like those places will be more expensive because they're catering to working commuters, and they won't really have much independent character because they're so close to DC. But I don't really know anything about them, so I'm probably completely wrong.

Can some of you Virginia people please help me out with ideas? How about places like Culpeper, Fredericksburg, and Front Royal? Other good communities out there? Are Manassas/Leesburg just a commuter-driven as I think, or are they nice places for retirees?

Any help appreciated.

[Anonymous]

There are a number of senior/assisted living areas in Loudoun County, so I think that would a fine place for a retiree. Leesburg has a lot of history and the town area is walkable. People who work aren't the only ones who want access to entertainment, restaurants and museums.

[Anonymous]

why would you want to retire to Loudoun? I'd look instead at Williamsburg, Charlottesville or Blacksburg. A few hours or more to DC, but worth it.

[Anonymous]

Please keep the ideas coming. They're rejecting Williamsburg & Charlottesville as too far from DC. I agree that's idiotic of them, but I can't change their minds on that. Also, they're in their late 60s and still very active, so they aren't interested in an assisted living facility or anything like that.

[Anonymous]

I liked Fredericksburg when I lived there but I would only live in town in or near the Historic District and close to the Amtrak/VRE station downtown. Also Fburg has the University of Mary Washington in town and as I recall they used to have elder hostel classes there. However, Fburg is still pretty expensive compared to places further out from DC, if that makes a difference. Also if you live further out, say, on Rte 3 West, the traffic is terrible. But if your friends want access to DC via rail, Fburg is a good choice because of the train station downtown which has both Amtrak and the commuter train. On the other hand, if your friends are driving they should avoid anything on I-95 like the plague. That stretch from DC to Fburg is horrible during rush hour!

FWIW my MIL lives in my house now and she got connected up to the local bridge playing groups so she keeps pretty busy. There are also senior communities further out from town in Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties.

Culpepper once got noticed by a national magazine as a top small town to live in. I've driven through it. Looks nice. However, in terms of amenities like higher education (meaning the advantages that it brings to a place like speakers and concerts) and mass transportation to DC, there's a lot less of that -- but I'm sure it's got to be cheaper than Fburg.

If your friends want to go further out on the railroad line, they might look at Ashland -- about 100 miles south of DC and about 15 miles north of Richmond. Beautiful small town, cheaper than Fburg, and has Randolph-Macon College. Amtrak runs right through the middle of town so your friends could take the train to Washington. (Then again Charlottesville also has Amtrak to DC) They've been talking about high speed rail from Richmond to DC for years and just started talking about it again but who knows if that will happen. But if cost of living is an issue, Ashland would be worth looking at.

Another quaint small town between Fburg and Richmond is Bowling Green but again I don't think there is good mass transportation or education there.

Oh and I guess I should say this upfront -- these recommendations are based on your friends being white native-born folks -- not that they wouldn't enjoy these towns if they weren't. I just think small town/small city life in Virginia can be more complicated for African-Americans or international folks. But now that I think of it I knew several gay African-American men in Fburg who were quite happy living there and are still there. So indeed I may be wrong about that.

[Anonymous]

If I have to retire here, please put me out of my misery.

[Anonymous]

do they like mountains or the water? lots of great places on the chesapeake to choose from ...

[Anonymous]

Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church - you can't get any closer to DC than that.

[Anonymous]

Annapolis! (not Virginia, but would be my choice)

In Virginia - Middleburg, Leesburg, maybe Centreville, Occaquan has a cute little downtown.

[Anonymous]

My friend lives near Fredericksburg, in a gated community called Fawn Lake. We tease her that she's been "retired" since she moved there!

There's a huge boating lake, pool, club, golf, clubs & activities. It's a mix of families and retirees. My friend has been there about 5 yrs and loves it. It almost seems like a permanent vacation.

The one thing she does not love so much is Fredericksburg itself or the environs - I think she finds Spotsylvania County unsophisticated. But within their large community, it's slightly more "upscale" and they have a ton of friends, lots of social activities going on, etc. She occasionally makes trips "up north" to go to nicer stores (Tyson's, etc) because some of that is not available down there.

It's accessible to DC. Her husband commutes 4 days/wk - he's a federal employee so he works some insanely early schedule like 7am (which requires him to leave home at 5am) to 3pm, to avoid some of the traffic.

[Anonymous]

Lake anna.

[Anonymous]

What about the Northern Neck? Especially if they like boating.

[Anonymous]

What about Old Town Alexandria? That was on the short list for my inlaws before they went to Annapolis.

[Anonymous]

What about the Northern Neck? Especially if they like boating

And if they don't like boating, it will be a short retirement because they will soon die of boredom. There is NOTHING to do there!

[Anonymous]

OP, what is the maximum miles from DC are they willing to accept? How often will they go into DC?