Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:27     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.


Huh?
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:26     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.


To be fair Oregon has a ton of undocumented who harvest fruit and crops, so maybe it would be like at home.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:24     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:20     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
I recommend renting for a year while you get to know the area. I know you said that you hate moving, but I still think it's better than buying a house, and then it turns out that the commute is horrible, or the neighborhood is horrible, or whatever. Also, what type of school will you use?

(I live in Montgomery County, have two children in Montgomery County public schools, and am enthusiastically on Team Montgomery County, but I have never lived in Virginia, so I'm not really an authoritative source...)
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:20     Subject: Re:Virginia or Maryland
Politics in Maryland will be more similar to Oregon, but it will be easier if you live in McLean near the Beltway. It's easier to commute to Bethesda from McLean in the AM than it is to commute from Maryland to the Tysons/McLean area.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:16     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
Oregon, PP. So, we really don't know the DC area that well.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:10     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
What state are you coming from?
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 13:00     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
It's a 6 on on hand half a dozen on the other. I will be working at NIH. DH will be working in McLean. We can pick either but one of us is going to have to drive a bit.

I just wanted to get some thoughts on this because the idea of buying in one state versus the other worries me. (I also hate moving so this is basically it for us. I want to park it and be done).

Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:58     Subject: Re:Virginia or Maryland
Arlington probably has the best reputation of the three.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:55     Subject: Re:Virginia or Maryland

You should try out particular commutes at rush hour before making any kind of decision.


Agree. You really don't know until you try it. Maps can be deceiving.




Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:48     Subject: Re:Virginia or Maryland
It's much more a question of the town you choose than the state. There are extremes of wealth and poverty in both states and in the District, all within a handful of miles. Commutes can be very long. I live 10 miles from my office but it takes 45 minutes to drive and over an hour on the metro. Everyone here makes some kind of compromise between how much they want to spend and how far they want to commute. You should try out particular commutes at rush hour before making any kind of decision.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:39     Subject: Re:Virginia or Maryland

Sorry, You that should read you CAN NOT just punch in the mileage to get a sense of your commute time. Folks on this board can give you lots of info on this if you give details on where your work locations will be.

+10000




Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:37     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
Anonymous wrote:First, make absolutely sure that the commutes really are the same for you VA vs. MD. You can just punch in the mileage and get a sense of what the commute will be. Some routes have significantly different travel times, so you'll want to understand that when making your decision.

You'll get hot debate on this, but ultimately I think that the "biggies" MoCo and Fairfax, are more or less the same, and that despite the criticism, you'll probably be reasonably satisfied with either.

So, here's another thing to consider.
College.

Again, raging debate on either side of this issue, and I think ultimately UVA and UMd are probably equal but different, but Virginia has more high quality state school options in addition to UVA than Maryland, which basically only has UMd.

We are truly middle class, which means private college is probably out of reach for us, so opting for VA residency, with it's many high quality state colleges and universities ended up being a tipping point for our family.

Good luck, and welcome to the region, wherever you end up.


Sorry, You that should read you CAN NOT just punch in the mileage to get a sense of your commute time. Folks on this board can give you lots of info on this if you give details on where your work locations will be.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:36     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
First, make absolutely sure that the commutes really are the same for you VA vs. MD. You can just punch in the mileage and get a sense of what the commute will be. Some routes have significantly different travel times, so you'll want to understand that when making your decision.

You'll get hot debate on this, but ultimately I think that the "biggies" MoCo and Fairfax, are more or less the same, and that despite the criticism, you'll probably be reasonably satisfied with either.

So, here's another thing to consider.
College.

Again, raging debate on either side of this issue, and I think ultimately UVA and UMd are probably equal but different, but Virginia has more high quality state school options in addition to UVA than Maryland, which basically only has UMd.

We are truly middle class, which means private college is probably out of reach for us, so opting for VA residency, with it's many high quality state colleges and universities ended up being a tipping point for our family.

Good luck, and welcome to the region, wherever you end up.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2015 12:12     Subject: Virginia or Maryland
I am trying to decide between MCPS and the NOVA districts and really wanted to get an outside opinion. Do the state's differ dramatically? I know SES wise they seem similar but I wanted to get some info (we are house hunting from out of state and our commutes are basically the same living in Mont. vs. living in Arlington or Fairfax.