Reply to Is Arlington the Best Place to Live in the DC Area?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you both work from home, WTH are you moving to the DC area?!

I live in Arlington and enjoy it (most of the time), but if both of our jobs became permanently remote, I'd be out of here in a heartbeat and move someplace cheaper. [/quote]

OP here. We were looking at many different urban areas, and this seems to be the best one where you can get a house with a yard just a short drive from world-class arts & culture. We also looked at a couple big southern cities, but the weather there was a bit offputting, I like the idea of 4 seasons and not having to be indoors all summer. [/quote]

Honestly, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, you should reconsider the DC area. The cost of living here is tremendously high in every way, not just housing. Summer camps, VA car taxes, parking, home improvement projects, literally everything costs more than most of the rest of the country. A lot of folks live here because this is where their job is.

Do you have family nearby that is drawing you to DC? You talk about world class arts and culture, but how often are you actually going to go to museums, lectures, fancy restaurants, etc? What other cities were you considering?[/quote]

I am not offended! I really want to think this through, so I appreciate the feedback. Living in cities, we would be going to museums and exhibits every weekend, trying a new restaurant every weekend, exploring a new neighborhood or area, etc. Even with the kids. Moving to the suburbs was really hard. We tried for several years to get used to the suburban life but it's just not for us.

We looked at New York, but the close-in suburbs are either too suburban/not walkable or too white/rich or both. And taxes are high.
Philadelphia - the close-in suburbs are really white/rich. 
Boston - I guess Cambridge is the "urban suburb" there, and it's nice and walkable but more expensive than DMV area and I didn't really find diversity there, [b]one of those places with a lot of BLM signs and few Black people.[/b]
Houston - horrible weather for like 4-5 months of the year, too many guns, and houses in the close-in, walkable areas cost almost as much as DMV
San Francisco - high taxes, very expensive, homelessness and looting, fires and earthquakes
LA - kind of like SF with less looting and more scary traffic. 
Chicago - partner vetoed because it's too cold.

I have lived in most of the cities above and extensively visited the others, and also spoke to people living there, so I know I'm stereotyping a bit, but I don't think I'm too far off.

And I know we are being picky and most people just choose an apartment/condo in a city or a house in the suburbs, and I'm a privileged brat to want both, but you only live once :)  [/quote]

I think the issue that you will run into in Arlington is what people have already said - the public schools with best Great Schools scores are the ones with the least amount of diversity. Personally I think GS scores mean very little and it seems like you do, too, but just wanted to flag it again. If you stick to Arlington I would not look north of the former Lee Highway recently renamed Langston Blvd. There is very little diversity up that way.

Also, I think you might have said you didn't like Silver Spring in MD, but the Woodside Park neighborhood (20910) has a lot of what you're seeking. Beautiful homes, a real sense of community, more diversity than in other places, and there are some things you can walk to. Some people will say the schools are meh, but I have family friends who have had great experiences. You're probably already overwhelmed with choices, but I figured it can't hurt for you to take a look. [/quote]

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