Home DC vs. LA

[CaliCushion]

Have any of you lived in both LA and the DC area? What are your thoughts? Pros and cons of each city?

We are considering moving to DC at the end of the summer for a career opportunity my fiance has. It is important to him to be intelectually challenged and learn from top professionals in his field. He would also be paid very well (about 200,000 now, moving towards $300,000 every year for the next 4 years.)

We are 27 and 30, and want to have kids in about 2-3 years. Having a house in a good school district is important to us, as well as accessibility to independent stores and restaurants. We have no interest in only living close to TGI Friday''s and The GAP (not that anything is wrong with those places...) It would also be great to live near a train stop.

I remodel houses, and would like to do the same in DC if possible. Living in an area with some homes at least 20 years old would be ideal.

What areas would be good for us to look at? I''ve been told Bethesda, MD, but am very open to any and all suggestions. I don''t know anyone in DC and could use some help!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Okay, let me preface with saying I haven't lived in LA, but I've visited LA. So my opinion may or may not be helpful. I vote DC all the way. I am from Virginia so I grew up going to DC sometimes and my FI is from right outside of DC. It's a busy area just like LA and has traffic issues just like LA. So instead of Hollywood you get politics. Both can get annoying at times. It's a really nice area and there would definitely be some homes to remodel. If I remember this correctly it really built up around/after WWII so some of the homes are definitely older. The housing market is CRAZY expensive there, so as long as the "bubble doesn't burst" you'll be making a good investment. Frederick, MD kind of looked like a nice sleepy town so check into there as well. Northern Virginia has some of the BEST schools in the country. I think they may have had the number 1 or 2 high schools. It's also a melting pot area, there are people from all over the country living there to work so that is nice. Tons of stores and restaurants, and the farther you get into the suburbs the more crowds will diminish. One of the largest malls is Tyson's Corner which is so big it's actually two malls, and it's a little crowded for my taste but has everything you could ever want. As for residetial areas: Fairfax, Va comes to mind and is the richest area of the state I believe; Sterling, VA is nice and little more suburban right near Dulles airport; Alexandria, VA is nice I believe and so is Arlington, VA but I believe they might have some bad areas. The nice thing about the latter two would be they are definitely older areas so more older homes. Hope that helps and sorry for the long post! If you have any other questions I can ask FI.

ETA: There are a lot of other areas in NoVA I know I am forgetting (Reston, Herndon, etc.). Also, most of NoVA has some sort of commuter system because so many people commute. Park and ride type things and carpools. The closer you get I think you can ride the Metro train. As for MD, I don't know a lot about Bethesda but it would definitely be worth checking into.

 

[Snooper]

Being from Fairfax county I have to agree with everything SarahLovesJS said. Another place you might want to consider is Vienna, Oak Hill (which is basically Herndon, but some say it's "Reston" too).

I don't have kids but once I survive turning 30 this year, then things might change . From what I'm told from friends and people I have worked with, the school system is one of the "top" ones in the country. Quite a few top notch private schools in No. VA as well as DC. I like living in Fairfax county as you're close enough to DC, yet far enough away. Traffic of course, like any other major city can be an issue.

Sterling and Loudoun County are some of the fasting growing areas in the country. I love living in No. VA!! While I too haven't lived in LA (just visited) there's a lot of career advancement in our area.

Sorry I can't contribute more as I've only been in VA for 4 years.

ETA: Yes, the Tyson's mall is FANTASTIC! Tyson 2 has more of the upscale stores, and Tyson 1 is more family oriented. Great places to eat in Tyson's 2!

 

[Logan Sapphire]

I live in Arlington, VA and we''re currently looking to buy a house in Fairfax. I''d also always heard that Fairfax schools are excellent but in our search, we''ve come across more than a few that are not so good. Now I don''t know if compared to the rest of the nation, they''re still better...And it seems that we can only afford the houses in the worse schools, not the better ones!

If you like old homes, then NoVa is the place for you! It seems like all the houses in Arlington are from the 1940s and in Fairfax, from the 1960s and 70s.

 

[sumbride]

Date: 3/12/2008 5:37:45 AM
Author: Logan Sapphire

If you like old homes, then NoVa is the place for you! It seems like all the houses in Arlington are from the 1940s and in Fairfax, from the 1960s and 70s.

That''s what I was thinking. Arlington and Falls Church seem to have the oldest homes and the best access to public transportation, but the homes are also smaller. Vienna has a good amount of older housing stock too. Newer than Arlington, but older than all the new subdivisions that are all over NoVa. As far as living near restaurants that aren''t chains, the closer you are to DC, the better for that. Fairfax is almost ALL chain restaurants and chain stores. Sure, there are a few exceptions to that, but not many. Alexandria is also worth a mention with lots of older homes, local restaurants, boutiques and public transportation, and with the Washington Harbor project going on just across the river, it could be an interesting place to be.

On the Maryland side, Potomac is known as a good area, Bethesda is also very good, and the Kensington area may be worth a look. Frederick is pretty far away from DC and the only real train access is via the MARC commuter train, which is weekdays only and not all that convenient on that line. Columbia, MD also may be worth a look, and it has a good mall too, but not many original stores or restaurants. There is a new Trader Joe''s there, and they are expecting a Wegmans in the next few years. My DH works in Columbia and lived there for a few years. It''s a snoozefest for us, but would be great for starting a family.

I live in Baltimore City. I like it very much, but coming from LA, I don''t think it would appeal to you. Not all that great for kids either, though that is changing with public charter schools and lots of efforts. It''s great for the "yuppie hipster DINKS" we hang out with.

If you do look this far north, Towson might be appealing, but would be a very long commute to DC.

 

[CaliCushion]

Thanks everyone. My Fiance''s job would have him working long hours close to GW. Ideally, we''d live close enough to a metro stop for him to take the train to work. Baltimore is going to be too far for us! NoVA is an option, but where? I''d really like to live in an area with a downtown, or at least within walking distance to a few places.

 

[Gypsy]

Oh gosh I LOVE DC! I live in Nor Cal now, but lived in DC for 5 years and it's just fabulous. Much better than LA. Silver Spring was up and coming, anywhere near Tysons Corner in VA or Alexandria. I LOVE Bethesda personally. Oh, there would be NO choice for me... DC all the way.

 

[sumbride]

If he''s going to be working at GW, I''d concentrate on North or South Arlington, Old Town Alexandria, the Del Ray part of Alexandria, and DC. Right around GW there are some great areas and I know of one elementary school on 21st between K and L street that is quite popular. I think it''s public, but I''m not sure.

 

[xapora]

When my husband and I were dating, he was in the Army and stationed in Arlington. I lived there for a little under a year and visited throughout the three years he was stationed there, and I fell in love. I miss the DC area so much and would jump at a chance to raise a family there. Bethesda is nice. I really liked Arlington and Fairfax counties, but everyone else has pretty much talked all about the great cities there. Clarendon and Ballston are very "downtown"-y areas around Arlington. Good luck!

 

[CaliCushion]

Thanks for reassuring me that DC won''t be so bad if we have to move. I am actually excited about the possiblity of having decent public transit! Sumbride, he wouldn''t be working at GW, but right around there.

 

[diamondfan]

I know that there are some lovely suburbs outside of DC in Virginia and Maryland. The Chesapeake is charming too, but I think too far to commute, though I am not certain. You would be on the Northeast corridor for Amtrack too so NY is not too tough.

I lived in Southern Cal my whole life til moving east. I actually really love it. I love the seasons and how scenic most of it is too.

DC is a one industry town like LA, but I just think culturally the east is so great. The museums, galleries, etc...and there is great shopping too!