Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the advice. We will probably stay put for a while maybe when our income is higher.

By the way.. We live a mile from magic kingdom and LOVE it. So na na na na boo boo, sad person.

Thanks for the MD suggestion PP. I'll look into that area!

Do you visit Disney world on a frequent basis ?!??

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the advice. We will probably stay put for a while maybe when our income is higher.

By the way.. We live a mile from magic kingdom and LOVE it. So na na na na boo boo, sad person.

Thanks for the MD suggestion PP. I'll look into that area!

I can't imagine that someone who enjoys living close to Disney world would enjoy living in DC.

OP here. Thanks for all the advice. We will probably stay put for a while maybe when our income is higher.

By the way.. We live a mile from magic kingdom and LOVE it. So na na na na boo boo, sad person.

Thanks for the MD suggestion PP. I'll look into that area!

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't do it. It's going to feel like a significant downsizing for you and your family at that cost differential. With three kids and a salary under $200k, and moving from a 3000 sq ft house, you're going to feel it.

NP. I kind of agree with this. (We live and work in the exurbs, and that's great for us). We have friends who recently moved to Allentown area, and they like it. I'd find something in PA if I were OP.

I wouldn't do it. It's going to feel like a significant downsizing for you and your family at that cost differential. With three kids and a salary under $200k, and moving from a 3000 sq ft house, you're going to feel it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We actually love Orlando but want to be closer to family in PA without actually being in PA. Orlando isn't soulless at all. I'm sure you're using the little you know about Orlando to make generalizations.

np. That woman has a huge chip on her shoulder, and she's jealous of people who aren't crammed into a tiny old house. Feel comfortable ignoring her.

I can assure you I'm not jealous of someone living in Orlando. I've been there. It's all chain restaurants and four lane highways with strip malls. Oh and Disney world.

Anonymous wrote:I don't like Richmond. No offense to those who live there. Old town Alexandria would be a dream but wishful thinking forever right?

Move to downtown Frederick, MD. Same 19th century charm, much cheaper. Find job(s) in the corridor between Frederick and DC, and you'll also be much closer to PA.

Not worth it. You won't like living here on that income.

I don't like Richmond. No offense to those who live there. Old town Alexandria would be a dream but wishful thinking forever right?

why not richmond?

OP here I've always wanted to live in DC and thought our higher income could finally afford it. But now I'm thinking otherwise. I grew up in PA, have one grandmother in Bethesda off Wisconsin Ave but she has no intention of moving lol

Aside from family in PA, why are you so eager to move to DC? And why DC proper, vs the burbs? For your jobs, does it have to be DC, or could it be something much farther out, or even in PA?

PP here - the ones that just moved. The other thing I was worried about was traffic. Traffic in getting kids to and from activities when they were older. Traffic in just getting around DC on the weekends to do fun stuff. Traffic coming home at night. Traffic in the morning. I just wasn't up for the challenge. I also was annoyed by just the sheer numbers of people trying to do the same things I was - making the waiting lists long or the process to sign up for stuff super annoying. I just find life easier where we live now. But, with that said, I really do miss DC and am sad, sometimes, that my kids won't grow up with so much diversity and so many things to do.

OP here. That's what I'm worried about my kids participate in activities and attend good public schools here. We have a yard here but it is small.

Honestly, we make about that much, and we just left the DC area. We could make it on that salary, of course, but we just couldn't do what we wanted with it. We do have 2 kids in daycare, so that was a big part of it, but we couldnt' afford any place that had a back yard and was in a good school district close enough in to make commutes not an hour + for at least one parent. So, we moved. Now we have a backyard, pay way less in daycare, don't have to deal with snow, and save a ton of money a month. I think it's all in what you're looking for. I love D.C. and were I single or just married without kids, I'd live there in a heartbeat.