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Author
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Topic: Moving to Northern VA
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Gordon Clark
Member
Member # 379
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posted 04-01-2003 04:13 PM
   
Well maybe...Don't know if anyone noticed that I have not posted much in a while - been a bit pre-occupied with my job situation. Here is the story - I have an offer from a company in the DC area. I'm not sure what to do ... it is only a small raise (say 10%) but would be a very interesting job. Not sure my family can live "in the style they have been" for the money... Of course one bonus would be that I would then be close to Living History groups! Any advice about cost of living, schools (I have a daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall) or who to try to get in touch with (Men of Codnor is there - right Jeff?)? Thanks folks. Gordon
Registered: Oct 2002 | IP: Logged
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Jeff Johnson
Member
Member # 22
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posted 04-01-2003 07:37 PM
Welcome to the area, man!I'd be glad to help you get oriented & what not. No kids myself, but a lot of my friends have them about your daughter's age. We should discuss the orientation stuff off-line though. Would also welcome a new recruit (or 3) to the group. We just picked up something like 8 new people this year. Four are women, so it your wife is into reenacting, she will have someone to hang with. -------------------- Geoffrey Bourrette
Man At Arms
Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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Nikki
Member
Member # 27
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posted 04-02-2003 01:32 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Gordon Clark:
Any advice about cost of living, schools (I have a daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall) or who to try to get in touch with (Men of Codnor is there - right Jeff?)?
If you don't mind sitting in some of the worst traffic in the country, you can commute to VA from the Maryland suburbs. The schools in Fairfax County (VA) and Montgomery County (MD) are both among the best in the country (I went thru K-12 in the Montgomery system fairly recently, and keep up with the local developments in the school system, but don't know much about Fairfax). The area revolves around your county: in Virginia, its either Fairfax (very wealthy) or the outer counties (Prince William, etc, the site of lots of suburban sprawl and McMansions); in Maryland, its Montgomery (the most upscale in MD, less wealthy than Fairfax, but very highly educated), Prince Georges (PG, somewhat poorer, high minority), or the outer suburbs (Frederick, very rural; Southern Maryland, or the Baltimore area). There's also DC, where you'd want to go with either Northwest (upscale gentrified) or Northeast (more like PG county), or maybe Georgetown (rowdy drunk college kids). Schools in DC and PG are not as good as Fairfax or Montgomery; I've got no clue about the outer counties. If you want more info, check out washingtonpost.com, they have archived education articles about regional school systems. A lot of people commute from Maryland to the Tech Sector in Fairfax, and the beltway is at a critical mass where any tiny accident or incident will cause massive delays, on top of the usual rush 'hour' (6 am to 11 am, then 3 pm to 7 pm). The Metro is clean and pretty and nice; anyone who thinks it is crowded or slow hasn't taken the green line T in Boston. Cost of living is not as high as SF or NY, probably a bit less than Boston, ie, higher than much of the country, but not astronomical. There's also a huge mess of living history groups of different time periods, and a fair number of local events. Can we tell where I'm moving back to as soon as I finish my thesis?  ps. Its hot and humid in the summer, with frequent 'code red' for ozone (buses are free, but you can't breathe); but in the winter you get a nice holiday whenever it snows, then it melts within a few days. Jeff, I am so envying your 75 degrees this week, it just keeps snowing here, altho I think it is supposed to warm up to 45 and rain the rest of the week...
Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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Fire Stryker
Admin & Advocatus Diaboli
Member # 2
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posted 04-03-2003 02:29 PM
Do the pros outweigh the cons?  Definitely a mind over the heart decision. Jenn -------------------- ad finem fidelis
Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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Gordon Clark
Member
Member # 379
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posted 04-04-2003 01:22 PM
Alas, I lack the correct scale to weigh them.
Both the pros and cons seem so large -
Everything gets magnified in importance if it affects your kids, I find. Basically, moving would be great risk (mostly financial - some personal) and possibly great reward (mostly personal, hopefully some finiancial), while staying is the safer route. quote:
Originally posted by Fire Stryker:
Do the pros outweigh the cons? Definitely a mind over the heart decision. Jenn
Registered: Oct 2002 | IP: Logged
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Fire Stryker
Admin & Advocatus Diaboli
Member # 2
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posted 04-08-2003 02:59 PM
Good luck, safe move!Jenn -------------------- ad finem fidelis
Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged
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posted 04-02-2003 06:01 PM
