Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mt. Rainier, MD
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/architecture/neighborhood-spotlight-mount-rainier-maryland--129513

I know people in Mt. Rainier and Cheverly that are quite happy with the price of housing and their location. It would NOT work for us since we both work in VA (he's in Ashburn, I work part from home and part in Lorton). But yes, there ARE some places that are hidden gems and relatively affordable, just none that are anywhere near where WE need to be.

Ft. Washington to Ashburn take one hour and has some lovely homes and neighborhoods closein....but many would never give it a second look. I have noticed many newcomers moving in (aka young white upwardly mobile professionals) with all the great deals over here right now (under $400k) that are taking a chance to make it a community that can be all they desire.

In what universe does Fort Washington to Ashburn take an hour? It takes me 25 minutes just to get from South Vienna to Ashburn.

With that said, I am seeing some Prince George's boosterism here.

Can someone explain why I would want to move to a county with the worst schools in the area (and private school tuition + Prince George's mortgage is about equal to a FFX mortgage), where I'd be virtually the only white person in town? (Laurel, Bowie, and College Park/Greenbelt being exceptions.) Or is Prince George's not as bad if you're not near any older garden-style apartment areas in/around Suitland? FWIW, isn't Calvert/Charles full of Black families wanting to get out of Prince George's?

If I'm going to cough up the dough for a private school, I'd rather live in a condo or older TH in Old Town Alexandria or Del Ray.

I stay here - both sets of families are in the Shenandoah Valley, wife grew up in Northern VA, and I grew up in the Valley.

Whoa! Seriously? You sound like an uneducated hick. Did you get lost on the way back from your KKK meeting? I HAVE been the only white person in my neighborhood in the past (out of state) and I got by just fine. I did not live in the 'ghetto' and nobody was lurking around the corner to get the white girl. Get your head out of the sand PP! I hope you aren't teaching your children to be hateful bigots too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mt. Rainier, MD
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/architecture/neighborhood-spotlight-mount-rainier-maryland--129513

I know people in Mt. Rainier and Cheverly that are quite happy with the price of housing and their location. It would NOT work for us since we both work in VA (he's in Ashburn, I work part from home and part in Lorton). But yes, there ARE some places that are hidden gems and relatively affordable, just none that are anywhere near where WE need to be.

Ft. Washington to Ashburn take one hour and has some lovely homes and neighborhoods closein....but many would never give it a second look. I have noticed many newcomers moving in (aka young white upwardly mobile professionals) with all the great deals over here right now (under $400k) that are taking a chance to make it a community that can be all they desire.

In what universe does Fort Washington to Ashburn take an hour? It takes me 25 minutes just to get from South Vienna to Ashburn.

With that said, I am seeing some Prince George's boosterism here.

Can someone explain why I would want to move to a county with the worst schools in the area (and private school tuition + Prince George's mortgage is about equal to a FFX mortgage), where I'd be virtually the only white person in town? (Laurel, Bowie, and College Park/Greenbelt being exceptions.) Or is Prince George's not as bad if you're not near any older garden-style apartment areas in/around Suitland? FWIW, isn't Calvert/Charles full of Black families wanting to get out of Prince George's?

If I'm going to cough up the dough for a private school, I'd rather live in a condo or older TH in Old Town Alexandria or Del Ray.

I stay here - both sets of families are in the Shenandoah Valley, wife grew up in Northern VA, and I grew up in the Valley.

I always run into people who left but came back (from Texas, Atlanta, Seattle, Cali). I always remember that when I consider leaving. And they always mention coming back for the diversity, the worldly/international people, the focus on education, the cultural opportunities, proximity by car/train to so many other metro areas like NYC, plentiful jobs, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mt. Rainier, MD
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/architecture/neighborhood-spotlight-mount-rainier-maryland--129513

I know people in Mt. Rainier and Cheverly that are quite happy with the price of housing and their location. It would NOT work for us since we both work in VA (he's in Ashburn, I work part from home and part in Lorton). But yes, there ARE some places that are hidden gems and relatively affordable, just none that are anywhere near where WE need to be.

Ft. Washington to Ashburn take one hour and has some lovely homes and neighborhoods closein....but many would never give it a second look. I have noticed many newcomers moving in (aka young white upwardly mobile professionals) with all the great deals over here right now (under $400k) that are taking a chance to make it a community that can be all they desire.

Anonymous wrote:I lived in St. Louis for about 10 years and Nashville for 1. Even though the job markets are not nearly as good in those places, and the salaries are lower, I am attracted to the more gentle pace of life. Folks in DC are all about their careers, and that gets a little old for me.

I'm here because my mom lives here. She's a huge help with raising my kids, and since she's almost 80, I want to be nearby to help her as she needs it. My husband and I both have siblings in the area too, and a few nieces and nephews. So, these are the reasons we stay.

I moved my family here from the midwest to help with the kids. My husband is from here so his family is here also. Having family nearby as a support system has been the greatest thing ever.

I agree with PP, there is a way to have it all in this area in other neighborhoods that most will never consider because they are not the elite zip codes. I am also in PG in a neighborhood that I have grown to love despite all the negative reactions of people when I tell them I live in PG. I have some decent elementary schools nearby and some affordable privates and if we decide to go for a $30k school, that will be more doable due to our lower mortgage cost to live in a nice affordable SFH. My neighbors are a nice mix of diverse and congenial middle class and upper middle class folks that want the best for their families also but just either can't afford the constantly stated preferred zip codes or can afford it but choose not to move there for less house than they have now and for double the mortgage payment. We have considered North Carolina as an option one day if we decide to leave here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is more to life than living in a big house. Your children will have opportunities if you stay here that would be unimaginable in Buttfuk Tx.
If anything you should move closer to DC to reduce your husband's commute.

OP here: I agree. A house is a house. I'm considering it all, however: house, commute, lower cost of living and still being in a system with good schools and churches (I'm Catholic so a good church and school system is important to me when it comes to the upbringing of my children). As far as exposure I don't think Leesburg is giving us as much exposure as DC families, anyway.

OP, you may not be reading anymore but I have a suggestion for you. Hyattsville Hills (in Hyattsville, MD) is an easy commute to downtown, has extremely inexpensive houses right now ($200Kish), and is a warm, family-friendly community. You can walk everywhere - park, post office, YES organic market (opening this year), school, church. Even more interesting, is that there is somewhat of a Catholic "intentional community" in the neighborhood. http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/pavlat/04479.html
The public schools are so-so (best in elementary), but the Catholic school is inexpensive, and very good, and has space for new children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Home for sale plus photos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/photos/3025460506-3545-Sparkling-Dr-Plano-TX-75074

that house is hideous

Yeah, kind of dark and ugly inside. But I thought the first one was low in interior style sense, too.

OP, I feel the same way as you. Moved here for an internship after school, met a Philly guy, we now have 2 kids. We have had a great time in DC and have carved out a nice life with friends and fun things to do.

However, there are 3 things I just can't get over:
1. It is SOOO expensive. We live in a 2 bedroom condo in Arlington, a walk to the metro, but I don't think we could ever afford a house here with school loans, etc. So we are stuck in our 2 BR condo or would have to move verrrryyy far out, thus losing the qualities that we like in the first place.
2. No family close by. My inlaws are 2 1/2 hours away, but they are it. All my family (a big one) is down south. I miss my parents terribly.
3. So competitive in terms of everything, especially kids. Worrying about getting the lottery to get into...mother's day out at 2 years old. SHEESH. So much competition for kids, when I just want ours to enjoy life and be happy. Even if we go against the grain, they will have no laid-back kids to play with--only super-pressured kids who turn into smart, over-stressed teens who let loose partying (I've seen it).

Funny enough, I am from Houston so I have gotten a kick from the Texas talk. We just visited Austin and had a good vibe, but weren't bowled over on first sight (I hadn't been in years). I am very worried we will move somewhere and miss it here, that I will think I have made a mistake. But I just can't get over those 3 things, so Austin & Denver are on our short list to move closer to family.

Anonymous wrote:
Home for sale plus photos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/photos/3025460506-3545-Sparkling-Dr-Plano-TX-75074

that house is hideous

My MIL would love for us to move to Texas, she is in Hill Country which is too far to commute anywhere for work but nice to visit. Very long-horn-cowboy-Polish-Catholic-ranch-sausage-bluebell-antique shops-historic-horsey country around there. But I think Austin is the only place I could live in Texas.
I'm from Northern California but I'm terrible with computers! So I've given up on making any kind of money if I move back home. I miss Yosemite, Tahoe and Big Sur.
I'd be willing to try Colorado, Park City, Hawaii or some combination of New Hampshire and the Virgin Islands.
I just wish DC had coral reefs and bigger mountains within a couple hour drive. And less gun toting young thugs. Oh well!

Anonymous wrote:This thread is cracking me up as I from FL, live in TX now and we are currently planning our return to DC. I've lived in enough places to know that nowhere is
perfect, it all depends on your values. Different strokes! That said, to the PP moving to Austin, just know that (1) traffic is godawful; (2) those hipsters get tiresome; and (3)no town ruled by Rick Perry is all *that* progressive. Don't kid yourself, it's still TX!

The Portland poster said it was the SF of TX, not me. I am well aware of these issues. We're planning to move as close to the city and/or my husband's job as possible to try to avoid the nasty traffic, I will work at home, we're planning to move somewhere we can walk places and not have to get on the road for absolutely everything. Oh, and trust me, the land of Dubya was pretty much the last place on earth I ever thought I would be moving. Rick Perry is a tool, but I am going to stay out of state politics as much as possible. If I could have found a neutral location, I would have (which is why Portland was appealing to me). I would stay HERE if we had family closeby, but we don't.

Again, it is a balancing act to get the best quality of life for our family. Oddly enough, my husband's job would probably be best done in FL at this point - AAAAH!!! I am NOT moving to FL - it doesn't fix any of the things we wanted to move for other than cheaper housing.

FL poster - just goes to show you, to each her own. FL would pretty much be the last place I want to live. But (and I don't mean this to sound snarky because I really am being sincere) it's great that you found a great life there.

I have some problems with the DC area but overall DH and I have really made it work (a combo of our hard work as well as luck). We have family nearby (thought neither of us are from here everyone ended up in the area) which is invaluable as a family where both parents work - and we have great neighbors and co-workers - people really are well read, educated, informed here. I know Americans outside of the DC area can be all of those things, but I do think there is a high concentration of that here.

Our lives are pretty simple - we don't make enough to be in on the DC competitiveness and keeping up with the Jones I hear so much about on this board - it's just not our reality though I have no doubt it exists - but we do make enough to live comfortably here. Our house is small but our neighbors raised four kids in it their whole life, surely we can raise two in the same house that's been added onto. And less house means less crap to fill it with and less to clean. We have one car and do a lot by metro - which you just can't find in many parts of America. Walking is a big part of my day and I would miss that living elsewhere. I love that I work in the city but can escape to the quiet of the suburbs not too far away in the evenings. Yes, there are some issues but overall I feel really lucky to be making it work here.

Home for sale plus photos.

http://www.trulia.com/property/photos/3025460506-3545-Sparkling-Dr-Plano-TX-75074

I don't see this as a thread bashing DC. I think we're all parents simply curious about different areas where we can raise our family in a safe, more affordable, and less hectic environment. In fact, I've learned about a few cities I would have never considered but will now explore. It's important to hear first-hand accounts from those who have migrated out of the area and even those who have returned. I think it also points out that some of us love the burbs and others need the city. No big deal in my opinion. It's like living in DC versus MoCo or Loudoun.

Anyway, thanks for the tips, ladies.