If I worked in NoVa, I would live in NoVa. But for working in DC I found commuting from Bethesda was MUCH easier on a daily basis than Arlington (some days are easier than others, obviously.)

Taxes were pretty much equal once you add everything in.

Amenities - same.

Schools - slight (VERY slight) edge to MoCo, but great in the parts of Arlington and Fairfax we looked into also.

"Community" - the feel of our neighborhood just seemed more like what we wanted than Arlington.

Overall, I have no hate for NoVa, and see the reasons why people live there. MoCo was just a better choice for us.

Anonymous wrote:Looked closely at moco and nova, chose nova bc
1) much easier and quicker commute downtown (comparing clarendon to bethesda)
2) Arlington is a small county that is well run w good schools.
3) I actually like having my vote matter in elections but my neighborhood is just as blue as MoCo
4) Arlington is quite diverse.
5) Even as a liberal, I like paying lower taxes
6) If people are picking to stay away based on lame stereotypes, well then I like not living near those people.

Pretty much exactly this. Picked Arlington and am really happy.

All the haters on DCUM are similar to the Maryland PP. They have some... strange ideas, to say the least.

Most people who live in NOVA think MOCO is great and vice versa.

I've lived in both Mongt Co and NoVA and frankly, all the generalizations of each don't hold up. They're really not all that different. The only exception if you want to live with a specific group (ex: Chinese - MD, Vietnamese or Korean - VA) It really depends on what neighborhood you're in - there's pluses and minuses to each. The cost isn't all that different. People who like Mongt Co better are often more familar with Mongt Co and vice versa for NoVA. When I moved from Mongt Co to NoVA it took me a little while to get the lay of the land but I'm happy with the move. We did it for commuting reasons.

Looked closely at moco and nova, chose nova bc
1) much easier and quicker commute downtown (comparing clarendon to bethesda)
2) Arlington is a small county that is well run w good schools.
3) I actually like having my vote matter in elections but my neighborhood is just as blue as MoCo
4) Arlington is quite diverse.
5) Even as a liberal, I like paying lower taxes
6) If people are picking to stay away based on lame stereotypes, well then I like not living near those people.

Traditionally Va attracted Episcopalians and Md dissenters of various kinds, including Catholics and Jews. Some of this remains - the maryland suburbs still have more Jews, more liberals, more international bureaucrats. Arlington tends to attract anodyne yuppies.

MD- Blue State Traditionally
VA- Red State traditionally and need to deal with the rest of the state in elections if you are in the middle or lean to the blue.
Both MoCo and Fairfax have some excellent schools and congestion. Just see what works best for you and your life. Crossing the bridge daily can be a pain!

OP here: we have no family here and only a few acquaintances. We have one preschooler. I work from home and dh in dc. I have no idea what AAP is but ill look it up now!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Spare me. We like MoCo more because the schools are superior, the neighborhoods are prettier, the restaurants are better, the politics are more in line with our values (Virginia politicians are insane), and we'd rather live in an area associated with life industries than death industries (biotech and medical research, not defense contractors).
.

You sound like such fun, welcoming, open-minded neighbors. I MUST live right near you.

Careful. I might be black, Jewish and Democratic.

That says absolutely nothing about whether you are judgmental, closed-minded, or an ideologue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks PP. I'm wondering why all of the hate of NOVA. It seems so much better than moco. Am I missing something? I'm not from here but I thought the schools were just as good in NOVA, so what's the fuss about moco?

PP, I think there are couple of factors contributing to the negative comments. I have grown up in Va and Md, and there has always been rivalry between Va & Md. Historically, a lot of Jews lived in Montgomery Co. and PG County is predominately AA-Black. They considered Nova "Southern" because it used to be mostly Whites and it attracts other Whites that move to the area.

Also, Nova has attracted more high paying jobs than Md. People go where the jobs are... some posters do not want to acknowledge this. But there has been a gravitational shift towards Nova while Md. has atrophied. Another factor is Va has lower income taxes for individuals.

I say, live where you feel comfortable. But, you will not regret your decision to live in Nova. You will know quickly how silly these Nova haters are...

Spare me. We like MoCo more because the schools are superior, the neighborhoods are prettier, the restaurants are better, the politics are more in line with our values (Virginia politicians are insane), and we'd rather live in an area associated with life industries than death industries (biotech and medical research, not defense contractors).

I like Alexandria, but the schools are not good. I like parts of Fairfax, but the obsession there with AAP is offputting. Arlington, on the other hand, I find bland beyond belief. I could never live there.

Sorry, but MoCo schools are not superior to Fairfax or Arlington Co schools. Don't like AAP? Fine, but that's a personal preference. It doesn't make the MoCo system better.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia is pro business and has tons of jobs, Maryland especially moco is pro illegal immigrants and harbors them so we can have cheaper labor.

We need both states for their contributions to our area.

I thought Virginia was getting overrun by MS-13.

Virginia is pro business and has tons of jobs, Maryland especially moco is pro illegal immigrants and harbors them so we can have cheaper labor.

We need both states for their contributions to our area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Spare me. We like MoCo more because the schools are superior, the neighborhoods are prettier, the restaurants are better, the politics are more in line with our values (Virginia politicians are insane), and we'd rather live in an area associated with life industries than death industries (biotech and medical research, not defense contractors).
.

You sound like such fun, welcoming, open-minded neighbors. I MUST live right near you.

Careful. I might be black, Jewish and Democratic.

Anonymous wrote:Spare me. We like MoCo more because the schools are superior, the neighborhoods are prettier, the restaurants are better, the politics are more in line with our values (Virginia politicians are insane), and we'd rather live in an area associated with life industries than death industries (biotech and medical research, not defense contractors).

I like Alexandria, but the schools are not good. I like parts of Fairfax, but the obsession there with AAP is offputting. Arlington, on the other hand, I find bland beyond belief. I could never live there.

(Come on, you just KNOW some there's bad shit going on in that building.)

Two major life-giving industries in Murland. I assume your careers and portfolios have been fully scrubbed of any association with these Death Givers.

(Just between you and me, I'd rather live in Murland, but my wife's a Republican. But come on, let's get real here.)

Anonymous wrote:

Spare me. We like MoCo more because the schools are superior, the neighborhoods are prettier, the restaurants are better, the politics are more in line with our values (Virginia politicians are insane), and we'd rather live in an area associated with life industries than death industries (biotech and medical research, not defense contractors).
.

You sound like such fun, welcoming, open-minded neighbors. I MUST live right near you.

The taxes thing is overstated, especially if you both own late-model cars. If you have family/many friends in or nearer to MoCo, the value of that cannot be overstated. Likewise if your jobs are in DC or MD, why the speed to move?

If you're moving to Northern VA to get away from the dirty libruls, you will also find yourself severely disappointed.

Also, MoCo and NoVa are pretty wide-ranging.

You've got your bustling inner suburbs of RBC corridor/Old Town and Bethesda/Silver Spring.

You've got your expensive leafy residential areas like McLean/North Arlington and Chevy Chase.

You've got your ageing inner suburbs like Wheaton and South Arlington.

You've got your 1950s outer Metro areas like Rockville and Vienna.

You've got your shiny new residential areas like Ashburn and Clarksburg.

Also -- Northern VA is more expensive. You either pay it in mortgage in Northern VA or in taxes in MoCo.