Anonymous wrote:VA is best for instate college. However, all three of my kids refused to go to an instate college as wanted to "go away" to college not a place close by with a lot of kids from their HS.

It also depends where you work in DC. some parts DC easy to get to from VA some parts easy MD some parts same either way.

and people on DCOM miss if poor or lower income you want to live in high tax places. Why they have lots of services for lower income folks and you dont pay taxes anyhow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is about to add a whole heap of new taxes on just about everything, including things like all home deliveries including food deliveries, uber, dog walking/grooming/pet care, all digital content including streaming, apps, subscriptions and video games, all home repairs and home improvements, all grooming and self care including haircuts/manicures/wellness, all entertainment including kids activities and gyms, etc, etc

Virginia is also raising the state income tax to the highest in the nation, higher than California, as well as adding taxes to all investment income.

There are a few more taxes that Virginia is adding. The list is too long to write. The new taxes are on everythi g that anyone spends money on.

I never thought I would ever say this, but if you are choosing, strongly consider Maryland.

In a couple of weeks, Virginia is set to become the highest taxed state in the United States, higher than California. Only a fool would move to Virginia voluntarily right now.

You can ignore all the lies above. PP is just spewing nonsense.

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Anonymous wrote:What areas/neighborhoods in Virginia are comparable to Bethesda, Potomac, North Bethesda, etc. in terms of great schools and somewhat close (commute) to DC?
(The above poster mentioned Arlington and Silver Spring, but I don’t think they are necessarily comparable??)

They are absolutely not comparable at all. Silver Spring doesn’t have near the amount of amenities, jobs, safety, and wealth as South Arlington, let alone North Arlington. Shirlington and Crystal City are MUCH nicer than Downtown Silver Spring, which has been circling the drain for 30 years.

This happened last night Silver Spring Metro. Four kids were stabbed in a mob attack. Bethesda Magazine is so craven for burying the lead in this story and representing this as a simple fight in the headline. It’s no wonder people don’t trust the media.

More than 20 juveniles involved in fight near Silver Spring Metro

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/02/09/silver-spring-stabbing/

County police said in a Monday night statement that officers were dispatched around 6 p.m. to a large fight with “more than 20 juveniles” near Wayne Avenue and Ramsey Avenue. Around the same time, MCFRS crews were dispatched to the Silver Spring Metro at 8400 Colesville Road for a report of injured people after “an assault/stabbing,” MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer posted on social media.

Additional MCFRS resources were added shortly after for a second patient, according to MCFRS radio transmissions that noted “one was hit in the head, and one was stabbed in the neck.” Minutes later, dispatch informed responders that there were four patients.

Crystal City? That hellhole? Oh, and there's plenty of crime going on there:

https://www.arlingtonva.us/About-Arlington/Newsroom/Articles/2025/Fashion-Centre-at-Pentagon-City-Evacuated-Following-Fights
https://wjla.com/news/local/boy-stabbed-fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city-mall-fight-arlington-virginia-south-hayes-street-juvenile-crime-police-investigation-arrest
https://www.arlnow.com/2025/12/17/police-man-beat-up-three-people-then-urinated-in-public-after-arrest/

+1. Most of South Arlington is not nice at all. You drive around, and the neighborhoods look horribly run down -- hoarding out in the open, chain link fences, overgrown shrubs and grass, houses that look like they haven't been maintained, and the list goes on. It looks like people have just given up. I know some people who live there, and the petty crime is awful -- constant car break ins, package theft, etc. And many people refuse to step foot in Pentagon City Mall, which has been the source of stabbings, huge fights, violent assaults, and even multiple murders. Silver Spring may not be perfect, but it's actually much nicer, especially Woodside.

Pentagon City Mall might be dangerous, but it has Nordstrom, Apple Store, J Crew and other desirable retail options. Downtown Silver Spring has Ellsworth Place with a TJ Maxx and a Ross. It is dangerous and depressing and dilapidated. At least Pentagon City Mall is nice.

As far as South Arlington, even if you don’t like South Arlington it is across the bridge from The Wharf and the National Mall and sandwiched between North Arlington and Del Ray / Old Town. It has so much more to do within a 5-10 minute drive that Silver Spring, which has Wheaton to the north and Langley Park to the east, two incredibly crime ridden areas that are much more dangerous than anywhere in VA that borders South Arlington.

Why would anyone in SS go to Langley Park. That's like saying that people in South Arlington visit the many dangerous parts of Alexandria for fun.

You omit that DTSS has very nice retail options in its walkable outdoor downtown area (uniqlo, h&m, whole foods, nike) and is right next to Chevy Chase and Bethesda (which have lots of high-end retail). DTSS also has a major concert venue, live theater venue, independent movie theater, community center with indoor pool, and hundreds of great restaurants and breweries. If you went to DTSS to spend time in the old indoor mall with TJMaxx and Ross, that's your own fault. I don't shop at TJMaxx and Ross, and every retail option I actually need is nice and within 10 minutes and all are infinitely better than taking chances at Pentagon City Mall.

South Arlington has its own crime ridden hellholes like Green Valley, and Alexandria has tons of incredibly dangerous parts. And South Arlington is so ugly. And eventually the time will come when Amazon has mostly exited South Arlington, as it continues firing people and replacing them with AI.

That’s why Silver Spring is more expensive than South Arlington, right? Because it’s so safe and desirable?

N Arlington resident here. Would gladly live in Silver Spring over South Arlington any day. Oh, and no idea why you keep bragging about Pentagon Sh*ty. It's mall with basic b offerings that have limited selection and because tour buses make stops there. Go shop at see how dismal the Nordstrom is there compared to Tysons, or even Montgomery. Plus the Costco there is literally hell on earth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is changing for the worse. The new governor has proposed tons of new taxes. The reason for the new taxes is that there's no job growth -- Amazon is shedding employees like crazy, as are other major employers like Nestle. And Virginia lost more jobs because of the federal downsizing than Maryland. Virginia has bet heavily on data centers in an attempt to tun things around, but those employ very few people and are incredibly ugly.

Name one tax proposed by Abigail Spanberger.

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Anonymous wrote:What areas/neighborhoods in Virginia are comparable to Bethesda, Potomac, North Bethesda, etc. in terms of great schools and somewhat close (commute) to DC?
(The above poster mentioned Arlington and Silver Spring, but I don’t think they are necessarily comparable??)

They are absolutely not comparable at all. Silver Spring doesn’t have near the amount of amenities, jobs, safety, and wealth as South Arlington, let alone North Arlington. Shirlington and Crystal City are MUCH nicer than Downtown Silver Spring, which has been circling the drain for 30 years.

This happened last night Silver Spring Metro. Four kids were stabbed in a mob attack. Bethesda Magazine is so craven for burying the lead in this story and representing this as a simple fight in the headline. It’s no wonder people don’t trust the media.

More than 20 juveniles involved in fight near Silver Spring Metro

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/02/09/silver-spring-stabbing/

County police said in a Monday night statement that officers were dispatched around 6 p.m. to a large fight with “more than 20 juveniles” near Wayne Avenue and Ramsey Avenue. Around the same time, MCFRS crews were dispatched to the Silver Spring Metro at 8400 Colesville Road for a report of injured people after “an assault/stabbing,” MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer posted on social media.

Additional MCFRS resources were added shortly after for a second patient, according to MCFRS radio transmissions that noted “one was hit in the head, and one was stabbed in the neck.” Minutes later, dispatch informed responders that there were four patients.

Crystal City? That hellhole? Oh, and there's plenty of crime going on there:

https://www.arlingtonva.us/About-Arlington/Newsroom/Articles/2025/Fashion-Centre-at-Pentagon-City-Evacuated-Following-Fights
https://wjla.com/news/local/boy-stabbed-fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city-mall-fight-arlington-virginia-south-hayes-street-juvenile-crime-police-investigation-arrest
https://www.arlnow.com/2025/12/17/police-man-beat-up-three-people-then-urinated-in-public-after-arrest/

+1. Most of South Arlington is not nice at all. You drive around, and the neighborhoods look horribly run down -- hoarding out in the open, chain link fences, overgrown shrubs and grass, houses that look like they haven't been maintained, and the list goes on. It looks like people have just given up. I know some people who live there, and the petty crime is awful -- constant car break ins, package theft, etc. And many people refuse to step foot in Pentagon City Mall, which has been the source of stabbings, huge fights, violent assaults, and even multiple murders. Silver Spring may not be perfect, but it's actually much nicer, especially Woodside.

Pentagon City Mall might be dangerous, but it has Nordstrom, Apple Store, J Crew and other desirable retail options. Downtown Silver Spring has Ellsworth Place with a TJ Maxx and a Ross. It is dangerous and depressing and dilapidated. At least Pentagon City Mall is nice.

As far as South Arlington, even if you don’t like South Arlington it is across the bridge from The Wharf and the National Mall and sandwiched between North Arlington and Del Ray / Old Town. It has so much more to do within a 5-10 minute drive that Silver Spring, which has Wheaton to the north and Langley Park to the east, two incredibly crime ridden areas that are much more dangerous than anywhere in VA that borders South Arlington.

Why would anyone in SS go to Langley Park. That's like saying that people in South Arlington visit the many dangerous parts of Alexandria for fun.

You omit that DTSS has very nice retail options in its walkable outdoor downtown area (uniqlo, h&m, whole foods, nike) and is right next to Chevy Chase and Bethesda (which have lots of high-end retail). DTSS also has a major concert venue, live theater venue, independent movie theater, community center with indoor pool, and hundreds of great restaurants and breweries. If you went to DTSS to spend time in the old indoor mall with TJMaxx and Ross, that's your own fault. I don't shop at TJMaxx and Ross, and every retail option I actually need is nice and within 10 minutes and all are infinitely better than taking chances at Pentagon City Mall.

South Arlington has its own crime ridden hellholes like Green Valley, and Alexandria has tons of incredibly dangerous parts. And South Arlington is so ugly. And eventually the time will come when Amazon has mostly exited South Arlington, as it continues firing people and replacing them with AI.

That’s why Silver Spring is more expensive than South Arlington, right? Because it’s so safe and desirable?

N Arlington resident here. Would gladly live in Silver Spring over South Arlington any day. Oh, and no idea why you keep bragging about Pentagon Sh*ty. It's mall with basic b offerings that have limited selection and because tour buses make stops there. Go shop at see how dismal the Nordstrom is there compared to Tysons, or even Montgomery. Plus the Costco there is literally hell on earth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is about to add a whole heap of new taxes on just about everything, including things like all home deliveries including food deliveries, uber, dog walking/grooming/pet care, all digital content including streaming, apps, subscriptions and video games, all home repairs and home improvements, all grooming and self care including haircuts/manicures/wellness, all entertainment including kids activities and gyms, etc, etc

Virginia is also raising the state income tax to the highest in the nation, higher than California, as well as adding taxes to all investment income.

There are a few more taxes that Virginia is adding. The list is too long to write. The new taxes are on everythi g that anyone spends money on.

I never thought I would ever say this, but if you are choosing, strongly consider Maryland.

In a couple of weeks, Virginia is set to become the highest taxed state in the United States, higher than California. Only a fool would move to Virginia voluntarily right now.

You can ignore all the lies above. PP is just spewing nonsense.

The only one lying here is you, gotta keep it going to keep the $$$$ here but the truth is, this area especially VA is losing lots of people as of late.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What areas/neighborhoods in Virginia are comparable to Bethesda, Potomac, North Bethesda, etc. in terms of great schools and somewhat close (commute) to DC?
(The above poster mentioned Arlington and Silver Spring, but I don’t think they are necessarily comparable??)

They are absolutely not comparable at all. Silver Spring doesn’t have near the amount of amenities, jobs, safety, and wealth as South Arlington, let alone North Arlington. Shirlington and Crystal City are MUCH nicer than Downtown Silver Spring, which has been circling the drain for 30 years.

This happened last night Silver Spring Metro. Four kids were stabbed in a mob attack. Bethesda Magazine is so craven for burying the lead in this story and representing this as a simple fight in the headline. It’s no wonder people don’t trust the media.

More than 20 juveniles involved in fight near Silver Spring Metro

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2026/02/09/silver-spring-stabbing/

County police said in a Monday night statement that officers were dispatched around 6 p.m. to a large fight with “more than 20 juveniles” near Wayne Avenue and Ramsey Avenue. Around the same time, MCFRS crews were dispatched to the Silver Spring Metro at 8400 Colesville Road for a report of injured people after “an assault/stabbing,” MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer posted on social media.

Additional MCFRS resources were added shortly after for a second patient, according to MCFRS radio transmissions that noted “one was hit in the head, and one was stabbed in the neck.” Minutes later, dispatch informed responders that there were four patients.

Crystal City? That hellhole? Oh, and there's plenty of crime going on there:

https://www.arlingtonva.us/About-Arlington/Newsroom/Articles/2025/Fashion-Centre-at-Pentagon-City-Evacuated-Following-Fights
https://wjla.com/news/local/boy-stabbed-fashion-centre-at-pentagon-city-mall-fight-arlington-virginia-south-hayes-street-juvenile-crime-police-investigation-arrest
https://www.arlnow.com/2025/12/17/police-man-beat-up-three-people-then-urinated-in-public-after-arrest/

+1. Most of South Arlington is not nice at all. You drive around, and the neighborhoods look horribly run down -- hoarding out in the open, chain link fences, overgrown shrubs and grass, houses that look like they haven't been maintained, and the list goes on. It looks like people have just given up. I know some people who live there, and the petty crime is awful -- constant car break ins, package theft, etc. And many people refuse to step foot in Pentagon City Mall, which has been the source of stabbings, huge fights, violent assaults, and even multiple murders. Silver Spring may not be perfect, but it's actually much nicer, especially Woodside.

Pentagon City Mall might be dangerous, but it has Nordstrom, Apple Store, J Crew and other desirable retail options. Downtown Silver Spring has Ellsworth Place with a TJ Maxx and a Ross. It is dangerous and depressing and dilapidated. At least Pentagon City Mall is nice.

As far as South Arlington, even if you don’t like South Arlington it is across the bridge from The Wharf and the National Mall and sandwiched between North Arlington and Del Ray / Old Town. It has so much more to do within a 5-10 minute drive that Silver Spring, which has Wheaton to the north and Langley Park to the east, two incredibly crime ridden areas that are much more dangerous than anywhere in VA that borders South Arlington.

Why would anyone in SS go to Langley Park. That's like saying that people in South Arlington visit the many dangerous parts of Alexandria for fun.

You omit that DTSS has very nice retail options in its walkable outdoor downtown area (uniqlo, h&m, whole foods, nike) and is right next to Chevy Chase and Bethesda (which have lots of high-end retail). DTSS also has a major concert venue, live theater venue, independent movie theater, community center with indoor pool, and hundreds of great restaurants and breweries. If you went to DTSS to spend time in the old indoor mall with TJMaxx and Ross, that's your own fault. I don't shop at TJMaxx and Ross, and every retail option I actually need is nice and within 10 minutes and all are infinitely better than taking chances at Pentagon City Mall.

South Arlington has its own crime ridden hellholes like Green Valley, and Alexandria has tons of incredibly dangerous parts. And South Arlington is so ugly. And eventually the time will come when Amazon has mostly exited South Arlington, as it continues firing people and replacing them with AI.

That’s why Silver Spring is more expensive than South Arlington, right? Because it’s so safe and desirable?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is about to add a whole heap of new taxes on just about everything, including things like all home deliveries including food deliveries, uber, dog walking/grooming/pet care, all digital content including streaming, apps, subscriptions and video games, all home repairs and home improvements, all grooming and self care including haircuts/manicures/wellness, all entertainment including kids activities and gyms, etc, etc

Virginia is also raising the state income tax to the highest in the nation, higher than California, as well as adding taxes to all investment income.

There are a few more taxes that Virginia is adding. The list is too long to write. The new taxes are on everythi g that anyone spends money on.

I never thought I would ever say this, but if you are choosing, strongly consider Maryland.

In a couple of weeks, Virginia is set to become the highest taxed state in the United States, higher than California. Only a fool would move to Virginia voluntarily right now.

You can ignore all the lies above. PP is just spewing nonsense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve done a lot of digging into the new income and investment tax proposals. They are likely to pass because they are being sponsored by leadership and/or heads of committees.

OP, if you don’t make $500K+, the new investment and income tax proposals won’t impact you. It’s 8% on $600K+ and 10% on 1M+, and 3.2% on investment income IF your HHI is over $500K.

So the top bracket is 13.2% and would apply to say someone making $1.5M with $300K of that being investment income (rental property, etc). This would be the highest rate in the country if passed.

If you’re below $1M, VA still has less taxes than MD or DC. At the $1M mark, it gets closer and if taxes were your only deciding factor, it’s basically the same across VA, MD, and DC.

Also remember MD has the county tax which adds up once you hit $500K+ too, and DC has a brutal tax on $1M+ income as well.

VA also has much higher job growth and a healthier economy than MD due to the # of corporations here but DCUM gets rabid over that fact (apparently people aren’t aware Google and BLS data exists?). OP you can easily Google the data and see for yourself.

Don't know many middle class or working class, huh?

All of those new secondary taxes are going to hit the poor, working class and middle class very hard.

You people in the top 5% might be able to handle that extra tax on every single household expense, but the rest of the people in Virginia are going to be hit hard with what will essentially add roughly 4% on every penny they spend on essential services. When you are working class, that extra tax on everything from haircuts to appliance repair to their kids activities will completely blow up the household budget.

Only someone very wealthy and out of touch would claim that all those taxes are no big deal.

Affordability my a$$.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is about to add a whole heap of new taxes on just about everything, including things like all home deliveries including food deliveries, uber, dog walking/grooming/pet care, all digital content including streaming, apps, subscriptions and video games, all home repairs and home improvements, all grooming and self care including haircuts/manicures/wellness, all entertainment including kids activities and gyms, etc, etc

Virginia is also raising the state income tax to the highest in the nation, higher than California, as well as adding taxes to all investment income.

There are a few more taxes that Virginia is adding. The list is too long to write. The new taxes are on everythi g that anyone spends money on.

I never thought I would ever say this, but if you are choosing, strongly consider Maryland.

In a couple of weeks, Virginia is set to become the highest taxed state in the United States, higher than California. Only a fool would move to Virginia voluntarily right now.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is changing for the worse. The new governor has proposed tons of new taxes. The reason for the new taxes is that there's no job growth -- Amazon is shedding employees like crazy, as are other major employers like Nestle. And Virginia lost more jobs because of the federal downsizing than Maryland. Virginia has bet heavily on data centers in an attempt to tun things around, but those employ very few people and are incredibly ugly.