Great Quality of Life - But Expensive
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9/27/2006
My wife and I have lived in Leesburg for about 3 years now. Moving in from a dry western US location, it took a while to get used to the high humidity. There is a large variety of housing; one can find anything from historic buildings to new construction. There are lots of places to shop and eat - quaint restaurants and shops downtown, large department stores, and an outlet center with chain restaurants near the intersection of routes 7 and 15. There are lots of things to do in and around town. Shenandoah NP is about an hour away, the Potomac River is 5 miles away, and there are several wineries, farms, playgrounds, and historical sites around the area. Now the negative. Traffic congestion is a real problem and getting worse each day; it can take more than 15 minutes to cross town. Housing prices are very high. Townhomes with 1,500 sq ft start at about $350,000 and single family detached homes start at over $450,000. Our property taxes have increased substantially over the past two years. Also, Virginia charges personal property tax on automobiles. Finally, the downtown restaurants, although attractive, are overpriced and overrated. Overall, Leesburg is a nice place to live - if you can afford it and can deal with some traffic.
Mike | Leesburg, VA