Wonderful culture, but cost of living will kill yo
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11/20/2008
I lived in Fairfax County for 5 years. Great place to live that offers museums, culture, fun, sophistication, and the Shenandoah Mountains a short drive away. Very few people are natives so I actually found it the easiest place to make close friends of any place I have lived (I have lived in 4 major metro areas around the country). Unfortunately, the cost of living will absolutely kill you. 65% higher than the national average. Median home price is $850,000. Average rent for a 1 Br Apt was $1255/month when I moved there in 2002. Probably much higher now. Groceries and everything costs more. There are property taxes on cars (about $350 per year for an average car)You absolutely must make over $150,000 per year to make ends meet - especially if you are single. I did not make that much and soon found myself selling everything I owned on ebay in order to make my rent and car payment. After 5 years, I was down to my bed, TV, and some clothes and I was thousands of dollars in debt. Although I loved my job I had to move to a place with a lower cost of living. The other downside is all the immigrants. 20% of the adult population in the DC metro area were not born in this country. It takes some getting used to. There is a mix of South Americans, Asians, Indians, and Arabs. Day workers hang out by the hundreds on many streets in Arlington and Alexandria. Eight adults plus children may live in a one bedroom apartment. Although Fairfax Co has laws limiting the number of people that can inhabit an apartment, these laws are not enforced. So if you rent you may encounter filth, roaches, and high noise levels. Because of cultural differences, they often don't dispose of trash as is appropriate here, treat their pets by our standards, or bathe every day as we do. You encounter communication difficulties everywhere - retail stores, retaurants, and the DMV. Speaking of the DMV, be prepared to wait in line 4 to 6 hours to get your tags and driver's license. One thing that is exaggerated about the DC area is the traffic. It is not that bad. In fact, both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are much worse! I live in Denver now and I would say DC and Denver are about equal as far as traffic jams. A positive thing about the cost of living in Fairfax County was the cost of car insurance. My insurance went down 75% when I moved there from Philadelphia. The Philly area has some of the highest rates in the country and I found that Virginia has some of the lowest. This may be because car insurance is not required by law in Virginia as it is in Pennsylvania. Despite the downsides, if I had a high enough salary I would move back to the DC area in a heartbeat.
DJ | Centennial, CO