How are the living conditions in the norhtern part of VA near Washington D.C?

My family might be moving so that my husband can work in Washington D.C to the northen tip of VA, How are the schools, doctors, neighborhoods, churches, libraries, etc.? Just looking for opinions.

How are the living conditions in the norhtern part of VA near Washington D.C?
We just did a major relocation for my husbands job in DC from Cleveland to Manassas Park, VA. It is REALLY nice around here, schools are great. There is a high spanish population, but all of them are very nice.





We were shocked at housing prices, but everything else seemed the same as Ohio. There are many churches around here, but we haven't visited them yet. The library in Manassas (Manassas Park is a small town just outside of Manassas which is much bigger) is okay, but I've only been to the branch. It was the equivalent of the smaller branches from my home.





Once again, you probably will be shocked at housing prices, but you will get used to it. We are renting for $1700 a single family home. I think we kind of got a break on it. Expect to pay around that much for renting. To buy.....uh....there's no way we could do it.





We picked Manassas from a map and a realtor. My husband takes the VRE train in to town every day. This has turned out to be a blessing...the train has been reliable and very near to us. It saves us a ton of gas on travel (and time).





When we were moving I asked similar questions. A lot of people wrote about gangs being around the area. I am here to tell you that EVERYONE around here has been extremely nice and decent, and we have seen no signs of such goings on.





If you would like to know more, please feel free to email me. We've only been here a few months, but I totally know what it is like to go through this.





I have to say it has been such a great change for the better!





PS: The weather has been SO beautiful!!
Reply:I used ti live in west virginia and go to washington dc every time i could and i travel to va, it was quiet gray but good people. the national park services have many books about those places.
Reply:The tip or as it is called by locals Northern Virginia or No. Va is huge. Arlington and Fairfax Counties are consistently 2 of the best school systems in the Nation. There are many hospitals in No. Va but Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax County is unbeatable. It is ranked very highly by U.S News and World Report. I am from Fairfax County (the largest in No. Va and all of Virginia for that matter with over 1,000,000 residents.) and we have 21 libraries I used to volunteer at one and they are great. Depending on where you are coming from No. Va may be an adjustment and you may experience culture shock, because of the diversity, but that is what makes so No. Va amazing. The suburbs spread out forever around D.C so be ready for some major and I mean major traffic backups. Falls Church might be a great place to live they have their own school system (Falls Church Public Schools) and is close in to Washington, and is very historic. If you like shopping Tysons Corner is the way to go there are 2 malls with every store imaginable. Overall No. Va is an amazing place to live despite the gridlock. Hope this helps.





P.S No. Va has a very low crime rate especially in Fairfax County is very low.
Reply:Very nice, its big horse country up there, cost of living is rather high. My in-laws live 30 minutes west of DC in VA. I love it there aside from prices
Reply:Can you be more specific. The northern tip of VA near DC is rather large and encompasses a vast difference in cultures. Arlington is a nice city with lot's of shopping and is more residential than Rosslyn, with is also near DC. Rosslyn is considerably more expensive than arlington. Arlington, however offers more cultural diversity than rosslyn.
Reply:traffic sucks.. there is always traffic on 95. the area is nice but cost of living is high. lots of parks, schools, and hospitals. Fairfax is the best hospital. Potomac hospital sucks. if you get sick in the night you might as well wait until the morning togo to the doctors because you will be sitting there all night long anyway.Plenty of big libraries. Public transportation also.
Reply:We just moved to Sterling, VA, which is right across the Fairfax Co. line into Loudoun Co. So far we are enjoying it. Very low crime rate, and right by the Dulles Town Center mall.





I work in Sterling, but my wife drives to DC everyday. The traffic can get pretty bad, but she makes about 25 miles in 45 min. to an hour taking the toll road to the beltway.





As was mentioned, the biggest shock has been the real-estate prices. We pay $1400/mo. for a 2br apartment, and we got a deal on that. If you are going to rent, expect to pay anywhere from $1400 to $2000 a month. Average cost of a house is just under a half-million.





There is a large immigrant population in the area. If you enjoy diversity, then this is the place for you. Hispanic, East-Asian, and Middle-Eastern are the largest groups I have encountered.
Reply:Traffic sucks and it's way expensive to live. Many people end up moving to Fredericksburg or Stafford and commuting an hour or more to DC.