We moved our family from DC to Fairfax County about two years ago. We were worried about it. Truth is, our lives did improve a lot. Nothing is perfect, but it was absolutely the right move for us.

I don't think there's a huge amount of difference between upper NW and close-in MoCo, for example. A lot of the close-in suburbs aren't that's different from the more suburb-like areas of DC. So it will depend on what neighborhood you're moving from and to. It also depends on your commute. A long commute really can be a soul-crusher, and it does significantly reduce family time. It's not like DC is a monolith, nor are the suburbs. People I know in Bethesda or Westover have very different experiences from friends in Fairfax.

We moved from Logan circle to Arlington. We miss a lot about the walk ability of Logan circle and 14th St but love love love our large house, nice yard, friendly neighbors all with young kids like us, driveways and quiet streets to ride bikes in, etc. Arlington has great programs for kids too (swim classes, gymnastics, etc) and amazing playgrounds. I can’t believe I used to think Stead park was nice or that Logan circle was nature.

It was the right decision for us given that we have kids. If we didn’t, or perhaps if our kids were under age 2, I’d prefer DC.

Anonymous wrote:I have more than a few friends who are "sick of the DC thing" (crime, bad schools, etc) and are making the move to Arlington and Bethesda or planning to do so when their leases are up.

Are things really better in 'burbs re: crime, schools, rent prices for those of you who've made the move, or is it a "grass is greener" situation?

For us, yes. We moved from DC to the cheaper part of Potomac, near Churchill HS. Our old DC neighborhood was walkable and as DINKs we loved it, but with kids, it became less enjoyable or convenient. Yes, the crime was concerning, as were the teenagers smoking pot and occasionally throwing bottles on the playground. And our place was small with very limited, non-kid-friendly outdoor space. There were few kids around, the neighborhood was mostly young professionals who had loud parties and stood outside our windows smoking cigarettes at 3 AM.

Now we are in a house where there is enough space for the kids to have a child-proofed playroom. We're walkable to the schools the kids will be attending, plus green space/parks and playgrounds. We have a private, spacious yard that has been a lifesaver for our preschooler and toddler during quarantine. There are lots of shopping and dining options within 1-1.5 miles - on a nice day we walk to get ice cream. Lots of kids in the neighborhood, and we plan to join the neighborhood pool once the kids are a little older.

Not going to lie... I am a city person at heart and the transition has been hard for me. But my family is thriving.

We don't miss the lousy social services, poor schools, and general social pathology in DC. Didn't help that our former EOTP neighbors included some members of a drug gang, a slew of unemployed young men who smoked pot on the sidewalk constantly, and another set of neighbors who regularly took advantage of us to dump their kids off at our rowhouse for hours on end. Life in NoVa is just much easier in terms of being about to take basic services and good schools for granted. There weren't many older kids in our DC neighborhood and most of the parents eventually abandoned the local ES for various privates.

I think COVID-19 makes the isolation, cocoon-like environment of living in an SFH more attractive as city amenities are almost all shuttered. BUT, spending more time with family makes me appreciate spending less time commuting and more time with family.

You can be happy anywhere and miserable anywhere. It depends on what you value. We moved from EOTP to a burb with on average, 2 hours a day each spent in commuting, early in our parenting journey and ended up moving WOTP into a smaller SFH but only spending 1 hour a day commuting per parent on average. Those extra 10 parenting hours per week (1 hour per day x 5 days a week x 2 parents) or 500 hours per year mean more time cooking, cleaning, parenting, exercising, or just relaxing.

BTW while moving around was painful at the time, the journey wasn't bad for us economically because we've now collected a diversified set of rental properties. We make a lot on our EOTP rowhouse FWIW but break even on the SFH in Vienna.

And based on college acceptance statistics in the top FCPS and MCPS vs. Wilson and SWW, our kids more likely to get into top tier colleges.

Glad that we moved to a house 1/4 mile across the DC line into Silver Spring.

Schools

We gave NoVa a shot and hated every second of it: all the driving on absurdly congested roads, the nosy neighbors, the horror-show parents at our kids' (highly regarded) school, the fact that the restaurant options are either chains or dingy strip-mall ethnic eateries.

Moved back to DC the second we could and couldn't be happier.

We moved from DC to Fairfax County It's been such a good move for us. The outdoor space is so much nicer, our housing is bigger The kids are outside all the time playing in commmunity spaces and neighborhood parks, without having to deal with clouds of pot smoke and neighbors stinking up the alley or porch areas, broken beer bottles all over sidewalks, etc. The crime is less, and what there is is less violent. Our schools are good, not amazing, but many levels better then what we had in DC. Our stress level about all those things - schools, crime - has minimized significantly. One party in our home was reluctant about the move, but after a few months was so grateful we left the city as our quality of life was so much better.

I moved to Old Town so the schools are still crap and parking is still unbearable.

But I work in Old Town.

So much better now. I spent 10 years in DC before moving to NoVa. The difference in quality of services is like another world. Things just work here, and we have trails, parks, and diverse dining options all around. Schools are much better (even the “bad” ones out here are leagues ahead of Wilson/Deal). No one throws their fast food trash in my yard and I have yet to hear a gunshot.

Love it! Except for the commute to DC from a further out burb. I like to hear crickets at night instead of cars.

We moved from DC to North Potomac and love it. Our neighborhood is walkable, there are great school options, and there’s a real sense of community. We don’t have to worry about crime and there are endless things for kids to do. We don’t regret it for a second.

We moved from DC to Bethesda and love it. Depending on how close in you are, theres not much of a difference in terms of walkability. Neighbors are really friendly and everyone walks around even with no sidewalks. Love hearing the birds and general sense of calmness. Grew up in Brooklyn and lived in DC (logan) for 18 years. No regrets.

I have more than a few friends who are "sick of the DC thing" (crime, bad schools, etc) and are making the move to Arlington and Bethesda or planning to do so when their leases are up.

Are things really better in 'burbs re: crime, schools, rent prices for those of you who've made the move, or is it a "grass is greener" situation?