Here are the final results of a recent blog poll.
If house prices were the same, where would you choose to buy a primary residence?
Votes: 358
Fairfax County: 105 (29%)
Arlington: 100 (27%)
Alexandria: 37 (10%)
DC: 31 (8%)
Loudoun County: 30 (8%)
Falls Church: 25 (6%)
Prince William County: 12 (3%)
Fauquier County: 7 (1%)
Further Out: 7 (1%)
Stafford County: 4 (1%)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Poll Results
Posted by Harriet at 10:57 AM
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33 comments:
A few interesting things the poll results showed me:
1. 358 votes means have a lot of lurkers out there - not saying thats good or bad, just pointing it out.
2. I am SHOCKED by the number of votes for Arlington. Sure some of this is pumpers, but still. Arlington has 1/4 as many households and 1/5 the population of Fairfax. Yet if prices werent an issue, nearly as many people would want to live in Arlington as Fairfax. As has been noted, sometimes mockingly in this blog, apparently everyone really does want to live in Arlington!
3. Seriously, no love for PWC???
If I could buy a SFH for PWC price and get PWC size and the effect of privacy allowed via PWC and be in Fairfax, Alexandria or Arlington... yeah. No, no love for PWC. The only advantages it has is a simpler/lower tax structure and my family. And that first point is in serious jeopardy.
Not everyone works in the city.
I bet if the poll was for people who work in DC, it would be more like 2-1 in favor of Arlington.
Also, a lot of posters on this blog are female housewives who dont work. Clearly Fairfax has a huge advantage as far as shopping goes.
re #2: I think that's reflective of the people who do live in the district and want to live the suburban life. It's a nice commute and nice place to live. We looked at Fairfax and that would have added 20 minutes in real time to our commute at least depending on area...Alexandria did too (added about 15) which is why we are where we are...ARL even though we have more friends in ALEX and DC...didn't want to deal with the DC gov...
I don't want to live in D.C. because I don't want to be disenfranchised.
My choice was Fairfax, because the greater Alexandria area, i.e. near Van Dorn, Franconia or Huntington are the best commute compromises for us. I care about my commute, which I do 5 days a week, everything else is gravy and can be traveled to.
I want to own in Arlington. I've rented in Arlington for almost 7 years now (and don't start with the "why didn't you buy in 2001" bit, because I was a poor, broke student up until very recently).
My reasons are (1) proximity to DC, where I work (2) proximity to the metro, the method of my commute and (3) being able to walk to almost everything that I need.
I don't want a big yard. I want a walkable community and a short commute.
doug said,
"Also, a lot of posters on this blog are female housewives who dont work. Clearly Fairfax has a huge advantage as far as shopping goes."
Huh?
Only tabitha comes to mind as a "housewife" poster, but shopping wasn't listed as one of her priorities in her house-hunt.
Perhaps everybody in this area does NOT make $100K/year, as you seem to believe, and chose Fairfax for economic reasons.
Kristina: Great response. However, it does remind me that I'm responding to blogs while working....and that's probably wrong.
If you picked DC then
. You like someone else doing everything for you: Making your breakfast,lunch,dinner,and coffee, and entertainment is sitting back and watching other people do things.
If you picked further out then
. You value privacy and open space, low crime, self sufficiency, and entertainment is fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling, etc.
If you picked Fairfax,Arlington,or Alexandria then
. You are in-between but may also value lower crime and good schools.
great post shamrock. so true on all counts.
Perhaps the poll should be restated. Given a budget of $x.xx, where would you live? Then provide a representative home in all the general areas that cost that much.
When you simply say, "everything else being equal" all you end up with is a slant towards the nice neighborhoods. Not very informative in my opinion.
Give someone a budget and find out how they will really compromise.
My $0.02.
Its funny how the pissed off housewives chime in - all angry that people recognize them for what they are.
Oh, and if you chose economic reasons for picking Fairfax Kristina, then you are too stupid to read the poll in its entirety.
The poll was for if prices were the same! Shows what a GED does for ya.
mm, you really think so?
Smamrock made a very broad, sweeping generalization. There are pockets of crime in all regions, there are quality education options available in all areas, and there are varying levels of personal initiative in all areas.
My $0.02
harriet,
is there an "ignore" feature that will allow me to skip the posts from cavemen?
Doug,
Are you really surprised at that response when you write an inflammatory comment like that?
My $0.02
Maybe Doug is unemployed and living with his mother in her basement?
Shamrock: My DC-living friends don't have maids and cooks. Were you referring to going out to dinner a lot? We do that...This weekend we learned how to Bonsai at the Nat. Arboretum... and that was fun.
"$0.02 said...
When you simply say, "everything else being equal" all you end up with is a slant towards the nice neighborhoods. Not very informative in my opinion."
Im not so sure...Loudon Co is filled with all sorts of nice areas. Huge, new houses with little crime, etc., yet it barely comes in ahead of tiny Falls Church with a population and housing stock approximately 1/10th that of Loudon.
Dont know what to make of that, but I find it interesting nonetheless.
"Shamrock Said...
If you picked further out then
. You value privacy and open space, low crime, self sufficiency, and entertainment is fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling, etc."
Ironically, just this last weekend, I went fishing with a friend who keeps his boat at a marina in DC. My wife went horseback riding with a friend in DC (stables at rock creek park).
That said, we do have a maid, so I guess I do fit part of the stereotype.
doug,
I’m not a housewife and I graduated from college.
For a person choosing between Fairfax and Loudoun, he/she would likely choose Fairfax for economical reasons, as the tax rate in Loudoun is $1.14/$100.
Furthermore, if you’re going to demean a person’s education and reading skills, perhaps you could learn how to spell. “Its” and “It’s” are two different words.
Today's post has called me out as the lurker I am... For what it's worth, I picked Fairfax because of 1) proximity to my husband's job; 2) good schools; 3) yard size for the price - we have two kids and would like two more if we don't go crazy first; and 4) proximity to grandparents, who play a big role in our lives and also babysit one day a week while I do consulting work from home. Shopping did not factor into the decision (good grief).
Some background: We're renting now until my husband finishes grad school; plan to buy something next summer/fall in the low $300K range with approx $100K down (we, like Cara, prefer a 20-year mortgage). However (and related to recent discussions about this area vs other places), we also dream of getting out of the region altogether in five to ten years and will be factoring that in any purchasing decision.
Wife and I either work at the beltway or slightly outside (i.e. Fairfax City). We are not remotely interested in Arlington, nor do we want a walkable community (been there, done that, hate the noise). We want a big yard, trees, and privacy, which is why Oakton is at the top of our list.
Wow doug... you need to take a look in a mirror. First you make a needlessly inflammatory and frankly dumb comment... then you get bent out of shape when people call you on it.
Who are you to judge a bunch of people you have never met and know nothing about?
Are you honestly that upset that some strangers didn´t vote for your favorite area in an online poll that you decided to try to smear them?
The survey is fun, but, ah, this is a NOVA-focused blog, so I can only presume (in the absence of site traffic data) that a large number of the people who follow this excellent blog already live in NOVA and have previously ruled DC out as a place to live.
Doug, my friend, why the hostility?
kristina, I must admit to a not-quite-pleasant thrill when my name came to your mind at the word "housewife."
Of course, that's what I am, but it is not too often that I come across that reductionist term.
Allow me one brief moment of self-esteem when I mention that I am an Ivy League grad, Phi Beta Kappa (jr. year), magna cum laude, about-to-be published author, survived my husband's Iraq deployment with five kids, just completed a move with child #7 in my tummy, and am about to pick up homeschooling again once we get back from my sister's wedding.
And, doug, I positively loathe shopping.
There, I feel better now.
Quickly, we appreciate all the closer-in counties have to offer, but we have a great community here and like being by horses (our oldest rides) and farms and Quantico and the VRE...we get to straddle the cosmopolitan world of the city (and take advantage of it when we choose) while seeing the more open spaces of the Virginia countryside. Since we don't need to worry about school districts, it's the best of both worlds for a lot less $.
So we are one of the PWC people, and I hope we get to stay.
If I were to totally lose my sense of reason and financial judgement and decide to actually buy here, I would pick Fairfax. 1)Close to my office (though I don't work there but one day a week). 2)Prefer suburbia and easy access to western parts of Virginia which is some of the most beautiful country in the Mid-Atlantic area.
Arlington is not attractive me. I don't like 90% of what I have seen there. Alexandria is too busy for my tastes though it is quaint to wander through. DC...good God, no. Infrastructure, politics and far too many pseudo-cool people who ideas of high fashion is a black dress or brown suit from LL Bean. Falls Church, I don't like split levels, split foyers, or simply unkempt box homes from the 40s and 50s. None of the above is quaint to me, though there are a few quaint/interesting neighborhoods. None are worth the price tag to me.
I live on the Fairfax-Loudoun line in Great Falls, so I could easily move to the Algonkian/Cascades/Lowe's Island area and still have an easy commute. Therefore Eastern Loudoun would be my second choice.
I currently have easy access to the river. I love trees, creeks, hills, and a sense of being away from urban life. There are lots of remote hiking trails and no street noise!
I love nice restaurants and good food, but frankly I don't want to put my money into going out to eat a lot. My boyfriend and I prefer to prepare food at home. We do go to Arlington, Alexandria and Georgetown for a nice meal every once and awhile. We go to DC to take relatives and friends when they come to town. We go to concerts and plays in-town, but don't do that but once a month.
Anything that acquires the adjective 'trendy' turns me off. Far too often I have heard 'trendy' around here from 30 somethings for whom trendy does mean something. Been there and done that, not interested.
We both work and love it, enjoy our life together, don't have to worry about long commutes and don't take this place seriously. Our careers take precedent now that our children are adults. (Don't have to worry about schools though that would be paramount if I had little ones.)
This area isn't home and never will be for us. Within 5 years we plan to move to Asheville, NC which is more to our liking. We will then be convenient to our children and grandchildren.
This is a great place for career, but anyone who thinks they are envied because they live here, think again. You aren't. Just ask the rest of America.
If you picked DC then
. You like someone else doing everything for you: Making your breakfast,lunch,dinner,and coffee, and entertainment is sitting back and watching other people do things.
WOW what an arrogant, ignorant JERK. Republican, I suppose?
I picked DC because:
1. I want to be away from people like YOU.
2. Because it allowed me to GIVE UP OWNING A CAR. I consider needing to drive everywhere (ALONE in the car) to "entertain yourself" and do errands is an IMMORAL WAY TO LIVE right now. I bike to work, and I bike to almost every errand I can, even as far out as the beltway, nearly year-round. And for fun, I'm only 10 minutes away from half a dozen tree-lined bike trails.
3. Because the INTELLIGENT day-to-day things I like to do for entertainment, like the theater, are walkable from my house. ("...You teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat all day and drink beer.")
4. Because the architects, lawyers, and lobbyists that are my neighbors have quieter hobbies and parties than the students, teachers, rugrats, bus drivers and gardeners you'll find in the burbs.
5. Because I saw more guns-drawn felony stops outside my window in NoVa than I ever have since being in DC. And good luck when the local govts start laying off safety workers.
6. I don't need a yard, I can go to a park if I want grass stains. So I don't mow lawns and pull weeds these days. I went to college for two degrees so I could get a promotion from that teenage activity.
7. I cured myself years ago of the typical American's addiction to buying CRAP, so I don't need the big-ass house and garage to keep the CRAP in.
By the way, I biked across Costa Rica last year, hiked Utah's highest peak the year before, and I'm doing a hiking/biking week in NH next week, and another in ME in October. Sound like I'm sitting back and watching to you? Think you could keep up, even though you sound like a snot-nosed kid half my age?
>If you picked DC then
. You like someone else doing everything for you: Making your breakfast,lunch,dinner,and coffee, and entertainment is sitting back and watching other people do things.<
You can live as well as somebody from DC no matter where you live!!!
-- You can eat out like a DC'er too! Most rural communities have at least a 7-11 or Dairy Queen and some have both! I have had delicious hot dogs at both places.
-- You can order Starbucks coffee on-line and enjoy the same coffee that DC'ers have -- without having to stand in line!
-- If you walk and ride your bike everywhere you can get as much exercise as someone living in DC.
-- By "watching other people do things" -- do you mean like shovel snow? Well, I'll have you know no one shovels snow in DC! You should see our sidewalks in the winter. LOL. So if you want to live like a DC'er ...
I moved from my Arlington condo to a Fairfax house recently and enjoy having more space and a bigger yard. But I miss the metro (esp. w/ $4 gas), restaurants, parks, bike trails, shorter commute, etc. My $200 per month car gas (actually $400 w/ my wife's car) bill plus $270 parking garage bill ($470 with wifey's cost) plus yard maintenance, increased heating/AC bills, and seemingly neverending upkeep (water heater, AC, weeds, insulation, renovations, landscaping, etc.) have me thinking twice. Plus, have you seen the Washington & Lee highschool (sp?) lately (the one near Balston metro)? I know Fairfax/McLean has great schools, but that facility looks state of the art. I miss my condo's pool, too. All costs being even, I would choose Arlington.
--Remy
Remy:
You're right about all the reasons Arlington consistently ranks in the top of the most desirable places to live in the Washington region. BTW, my house is a short walk from the new Washington-Lee High School. It is indeed a high-tech marvel -- and them most expensive high school in Virginia history!
tabitha,
I certainly hope that your résumé is not directed at me, as I could care less about your education level or occupation. Neither one makes you or your choices more or less important.
You should note that doug used the term “housewives”, which I reiterated in quotations. If you find the term derogatory or “reductionist”, you should take issue with doug. Your name came to mind because your occupation had been stated many times.
kristina, hey, no offense taken. And my ego-boosting was directed at doug, not you. Sorry for the confusion. As I said, it's just not too often that I come across an actual labeling of my path in life, and I just got a chuckle out of the link between my name and the term. Now back to making dinner while barefoot and pregnant (for real). No worries!
kob: -- You can eat out like a DC'er too! Most rural communities have at least a 7-11 or Dairy Queen and some have both! I have had delicious hot dogs at both places.
I've gotten food poisoning twice eating in DC and a third time at a government Cafeteria.
Tips, do not buy hot dogs from street vendors. It's OK if it came from a factory, like a candy bar, chips, canned soda.
Avoid the sandwich counter at government (low bidder, mystery worker) cafeterias. If you're not certain they cooked it today, don't eat it.
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