Below you will find all the SperlingViews added about this city.
| Why We Chose to Forgo Fredericksburg VA - 1/2/2019
Fredericksburg has an undeniably small town charm and an all around appeal that is hard to beat, in the context of its proximity to the larger DC Metro area. The downtown proper of this historic community has an easy going and decidedly un-stuffy personality. Unlike Old Town, Alexandria (which has it’s own signature style) Fredericksburg has not yet been entirely overrun by trendy boutiques and pricey restaurants- while there are a variety of establishments to choose from, the cafes and whimsical shops are still present.
Unfortunately, traffic surrounding the DC area is now amongst the worst in the country. Outlying areas are sprawling, and gone are the days of a quick and easy commute to the our nations capitol. True, there is a commuter train, but by the time catching a metro at the other end is figured in- well, it’s probably going to be at least 3 hours out of your day. Minimum.
There are not a lot of employment opportunities in Fredericksburg proper, but if you either work remotely or only have to take the train in once a week or so, it could be a great option. Because it’s not a port city (like Annapolis or Old Town Alexandria) prices are considerably less for ‘in town’ historic homes.
We (couple in our 30’s and 40’s) have both travelled nationally and internationally, with one of us working remotely out of NYC. Fredericksburg was on our short list, but we ended up choosing Wilmington, NC- and have since discovered several other prior Fredericksburgians who made the same choice.
By contrast, houses in Wilmington were just as historic (almost 300 square blocks of historic homes make up the downtown), significantly cheaper, often larger lots and gardens, lots of dog parks an people parks, as a port city we have a beautiful boardwalk, great eats, a 20 minute drive to the beaches, reefs and kayaking nearby... and with a significant film industry, there’s an abundant creative and diverse community. Open air summer concerts, better weather... and an airport that is never impossible to get to, with flights straight to the city.
Bottom line: If you need to be in the DC metro area for work and commute in once a week or so, Fredericksburg will be tough to beat. But if you genuinely work remotely, Wimington offers more culture, a fun and funky downtown, and far more impressive homes for the dollar. It’s still a relatively unknown town and prices likely won’t stay low forever- luxury condos are already going up, along the riverfront.
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| Fredericksburg, VA is a great place to live! - 2/9/2015
I have lived in Fredericksburg for over 10 years and love it. The housing prices are affordable and this historic city has so much to offer. Ideal location also situated an hour south of DC and an hour north of Richmond.
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| Many BETTER Places To Live Than Fredericksburg VA - 10/8/2014
Disclaimer right off the top; yes I know there are good people everywhere and some are here as well but Fredericksburg is far from an ideal place to live and here is why:
#1 This is first and foremost a bedroom community, no infrastructure to speak of; majority of jobs are retail and restaurant, at low wages. Most people commute long hours every day to Northern Va, D.C. and even Maryland and West Va for high paying jobs. It is not uncommon to meet people who spend 5 hours a day in their car. Which brings me to...
#2 TRAFFIC. There are only 2 roads in and out of this region. I95 and route 1 Both are credited with some of the worst congestion in the country. You CAN spend 2 hours going 25 miles (no accident, just commuters)one reason being many new subdivisions being built along I95 corridor hence more commuters.
#3 This area (Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, South Stafford is INSULAR in EVERY way.
#4 RACISM is alive and well. The downtown area is very segregated with blacks not crossing the rail station line into downtown area. Literally a dividing line of a street. Conservatives are still fighting the "war of northern aggression" and have meetings about it. Liberals, on the other hand, are some of the most closed minded I've come across. If you don't believe exactly as they do they hate you, bullies all.NO MIDDLE GROUND FOR MODERATES. Which BTW is most of country now. A lot of political in-fighting here so nothing gets done.
#5 DISPARITY OF INCOME Again, no middle ground in socio-economic class. Most people struggling terribly; large # on food stamps, while my neighbor built 700,000 home because he is gov't contractor who makes 200,00 per year, but ironically cannot afford to live where he works, hence commute.
#6 Not A Lot To Do Here: Unless you really,really,really love civil war history. Most outdoors people travel as the river dries up many times a year. Mountains and ocean are both 2-3 hours away. This place is mostly a tourist destination.
#7 No CHOICES: not a lot of choices in anything except chain restaurants. Google Central park as that is the main shopping district. Plus a 3rd rate 30 year old mall. NO trader joe's, whole foods, but wegmans is great. Downtown area is very quaint, but very expensive, small, and caters to tourists.
#8 RUDE PEOPLE: Make no mistake, this is the 'High south' not the fabled friendly south. One reason being the generational rednecks with a chip on their shoulder vs. Pennsylvania transplants who moved her to build big homes while they work in D.C. And yes, they hate each other.
#9 PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Not that great. Again, you can look this up. Private schools: ( 2) and again not the greatest in the world, plus thousands of dollars a year.
#10 WEATHER: Lastly, it sucks. Almost 5-6 months of 'too cold to be outside' weather while summers are sweltering with enough humidity to rival the bayou. 100 plus degree days the norm. Maybe 2 weeks of a temperate Spring and maybe 2 weeks of a temperate Autumn.
I guess that's it. I have been her 13 years and am making plans to move my family as soon as I can. And yes, I too loved living here at first, but growth is done.
#7
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| Reasonable Compromise - 7/30/2014
Fredericksburg is a reasonable compromise among a number of factors that make for quality of life. It is safe, for the most part, has a mild climate, lies on a major highway, I-95, has quick train access into Washington, D.C. and has a moderate cost of living. It has a excellent liberal arts college in Mary Washington University. For history buffs, George Washington grew up here and his mother's and his sister's houses are still standing. In addition a number of major civil war battlefields are either in the city or just outside it.
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| Traffic - 5/8/2014
I like Fredericksburg, as a whole. My main issue with it at the moment (I've lived here for five years) is that the traffic is terrible...and it seems to get worse as time goes on. Depending on the time of day that you set out to go somewhere...you can count on a x < 10 mile drive taking well over 30 minutes. That's not counting the morning or afternoon rush hour...if you time that right...the same x < 10 mile drive will set you back well over an hour. I suppose if you're from Fairfax, VA or Los Angeles,CA...that would be an improvement.
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| Fredericksburg VA region - 11/27/2012
If you can avoid it do not move to this area (other parts of VA are fine). I know there are many who love Spotsylvania county and Fredericksburg, however, those are people who have never lived anywhere else and know no better. This is a hell hole for those of us who desire more than Food Lion grocery stores, Big Box and discount retailers, and would like employment that pays enough to live & work without communting 2-4 hours a day. Housing is over priced for salaries (o.k if you work for local or federal gov't or commute north; there is no culture, unless you count corvette shows and Lynrd Skynrd concerts as culture; sales staff and other "customer" service is either lazy, stupid or both; locals love to suck off the government teat but do not want to pay taxes (every other person seems to be on some kind of disability); a classic example of highway planning "it's been on the 6 year plan for the last 18 years" [direct quote from a co. supervisor] Yes there is a train, but you need a car to get there and it cost more to commute by VRE than to drive.They finally figured out around 2009 or so that they should bring a bus to the VRE station BEFORE the last train leaves. Local elections are more about popularity than progress - basically it is an area where the faded prom queen and "has been" quarterback breed and talk about the good ol' days while drinking Bud and smoking Marlboro's, complaining about them uppity "come he-ya's" and all them taxes they seem to want(yeah but we are the ones paying their kids/grandkids welfare bill). My husband and I are counting the days to his retirement (roughly 900 left) so we can leave.
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| transferring a section 8 voucher to richmond virgi - 6/20/2010
hello all how r u? i have a very important question and i am asking 4 some answers please
I have a section 8 hud voucher and i plan to move it from fredericksburg , va to richmond , va this fall.
I make 10,000 a year in fredericksburg, can I quailfy to move my voucher but not my job with this amount of income into a home that rents for 1200 a month in the city of richmond , va 22333?
god bless
54 year old
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| Job search - 5/18/2010
so far, your site sucks with all of the pop ups. VERY unfriendly
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| nothing - 4/12/2009
none
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| My Whole Life - 3/24/2009
I have lived in Fredericksburg, VA all of my life. I went to school at Lee Hill Elementary Thornburg Middle and Massaponax High School! I just recently moved out of the state 2 1/2 years ago and i miss the place i call home!
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| Good Luck!!! - 3/22/2009
You want to go anywhere around here plan on alot of extra travel time. I have been here now for 5 yrs and it just keeps getting worse with no relief in sight. 95 is the corridor here and it is a parking lot most of the time during normal rush hour and than at any given time of day or night. Simply put for this area that traffic and travel times are horrible.
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| 20 years of living around Fredericksburg - 5/19/2008
Fredericksburg is a lovely city bordering the Rappahannock River and comprised of historic colonial homes owned primarily by the well-to-do. Ideal for tourists who enjoy Civil War history and antique shopping. The city is relatively unspoiled thanks to preservation efforts, however, the surrounding counties have seen booming growth over the last 25 years resulting in sprawling bedroom communities. Unfortunately, the first thing a tourist sees upon exiting I-95 is traffic congestion from shopping centers and/or strip malls.
Pros: Close proximity to Washington, DC and Richmond, VA -- 50 miles either way. Virginia Rail Express (VRE) train service serves commuters to DC. Loads of historic sites & events. People are generally friendly. Within 1 hr. drive of beautiful Shenandoah Mountains. Gas prices are lower than in other regions of the country. Rappahannock River, Potomac Creek, Aquia Creek, and Potomac River offer great opportunities for boating, fishing, bird-watching, & swimming. Local Farmer's Market provides fresh produce and flowers from many farms still in operation in area.
Cons: Expensive housing. Increased road congestion in the surrounding counties, especially on the weekends and rush hour. No local mass transit, except for a fairly new bus system. Some of the locals do not warm up to outsiders very well and are ultra conservative. Road system is NOT pedestrian or bicycle friendly.
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| if you are making more than 200,000 thousand a yea - 3/16/2008
lived in fred. for 16 years need to move due to cost of living. it is a nice city that is growing to fast and it is trying to big like northern va cities. pay rates are way to low for this area. you need to work in d.c. to able to afford to live here.it is ashame to see this city now from what it was 4 years ago
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| the burg - 2/26/2008
I'd have to say Fredericksburg isn't that great of a place to live anymore, with all the uncontrolled growth. Crime isn't a daily worry around here, the majority of the time most people don't lock their doors. Unfortunately the area is growing way too fast. Stafford County is the second or third fastest growing county in VA. There's construction everywhere, sub-divisions being built, new shopping centers and stores, and schools being built to compensate. The schools are decent, with a mixture of good and bad teachers. Most who's only concern is their kids pass the SOL's, which you may want to look up if you haven't heard of them and have school-aged children. The housing costs still haven't gone down, though they've built so many new homes that aren't selling that they're slowly decreasing. Traffic is a nightmare around here in the mornings and in the evenings, and there's really no way out. Also, for those with teenagers, there's nothing to do around here aside from shopping, an occasional movie at a packed dirty theatre, or bowling. Sorry this is so long but hopefully there's some helpful info. BTW if you're hoping to move here to get away from the city, so you can commute. Join the club, this isn't secluded anymore. Way too many people for what this area was and ever will be ready for. The county isn't too great at planning.
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| Fred is a wonderful small town - 7/6/2007
I graduated Mary Washington in 2000, and I loved living there for four years. Old Town is very cute, and there are many nice little restaurants and shops available. They had just gotten public transportation when I left, and I assume that it's still there.
Fredericksburg is a beautiful, historic town that has many interesting things to do or see for a small town. It is also directly between Richmond and DC, with a commuter train stop in town. When I lived there, a fair few of the residents commuted in to one or the other, especially DC, and I assume that that's still true.
I don't think it would be a great place to live if you're single and not in college, but I can't think of many better places to live if you have a family and want a small town. I have no personal knowledge of the schools there, but I knew people who had graduated from them, and they seemed to be quite bright.
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| TOO EXPENSIVE - 5/22/2007
As a transplant from the Midwest, I was shocked with the cost of housing and day to day living. Fredericksburg has benefited with its location to the Quantico Marine base and Washington, DC. But with those benefits have come drawn backs, such as, road congestion, finding affordable housing and the raising prices homeowners are paying on their property.
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| Old town - 10/13/2005
Old town Fredericksburg is a wonderful place to visit if you love anything associated with the civil war. The Rappahannock River runs near by and you can smell the history everywhere. The tourist office will give you a free pass to park almost anywhere, you don't have to worrry about the parking meters.
Plenty of places to eat, go in the early fall, say just after Labor Day when the crowds are down and the temp. is just right.
Pray for a thunderstorm, the air smells wonderful afterwards.
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