Reply to Why does anyone want to live in Arlington?

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Reply to "Why does anyone want to live in Arlington?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not sure what APS has that you can’t get other places.

It’s also awful the housing cost here and for what?![/quote]

Arlington has so much to offer, to be grateful for.

I've lived in this area since 2001: Alexandria, Falls Church City, Silver Spring, College Park, Arlington. DC/Adams Morga.

Adams Morgan and Arlington top the list for me because of the really nice mix of being both near large parks and conveniences nearby. At the end of the day, I prefer Arlington because comes with back yard and I love keeping a garden. There are so many great opportunities for children that are amazing to live near. My daughter is learning archery, pottery, glass work. The Kennedy Center is nearby. There is much to be grateful for. And I'm not rich, much of this is accessible to folks of modest/middle class means. Falls Church City equally nice but I don't hope to afford to live there. We live in an older small house in Arlington. [/quote]

If you can afford a backyard I suppose so along with all the activities. That’s not the case for a lot of people. Would love to know what “not rich” looks like for you and if you are a two or one parent household. What I’m hearing is if you have money you can enjoy Arlington. [/quote]

If you have money, you can enjoy Arlington. If you have very little money, you can enjoy Arlington. The parks, libraries, and the DC museums close by are free to everyone. There are a multitude of spendy programs for rich kids, and the county offers lots of programs that are free or nearly so for poor kids (and they even get a signup preference now).

Arlington is a great place to be rich and a great place to be poor if you win the housing lottery. If you’re a middle class family, which is probably $150k-$350k here realistically, it’s rough. No one’s helping you with anything, and you’ll pay out the nose for whatever you manage to get. Everything from aftercare to gymnastic classes to swim pools to early intervention has insane waitlists. Hyper competitive everything. Taxes and fees going up 10% a year. A school year that follows no logic. Growing class sizes, few affordable private options- none secular.

IMHO, the only thing Arlington has going for it is the location. [/quote]

If you can't take advantage of those things on $350K, you either have some extraordinary medical expenses or aren't very good with a budget. I agree that the "middle" can be tough; but it's tougher the closer you are to the low-income discount cut-offs. We're less than $200K and manage; but we don't take yearly vacations or travel much, and we don't eat out at "real" restaurants; property taxes are about to max us out on the monthly expenses relative to monthly income. But if we had another $150K, we wouldn't be concerned.[/quote]

You “manage” at $200k. Not thrive, but “manage” on an objectively high income that puts you in the top percentages nationwide, but you can only do it (and barely) by living a LMC lifestyle. That’s Arlington.

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