A wonderful place, IF you can afford it.
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4/8/2020
I lived in the area for 17 years through high school until I eventually became a truck driver. Having now seen most states extensively, I wanted to fairly review what was my home for so long(and counteract the awkward only other "rated" review making it seem like a bad place). As a whole, NOVA is a wonderful place, simply put. IF you can afford it. I'm a blue collar guy obviously, so I couldn't, but that didn't stop me from trying for years. I'm also very big on arts and culture, I love good food from as many different cultures as I can, as well as local food options and good grocery stores, and I love the outdoors, especially walking trails and parks. All of those things you will find in abundance in Fairfax.
-Wegmans is the best grocery store I've ever been to, in terms of quality, price, and variety, and having been to 47 other states and dozens of other grocery stores, nothing quite matches it(some Meijers are pretty good, some Safeways, some Sprouts, and some Fred Meyers). It may seem strange to say that that is the thing I'll miss most about the area, but it is. You can find all of the things that make NOVA great in other areas, but unless you're willing to move to the Northeast(and I am not) you won't be able to enjoy Wegmans anywhere else.
-The parks are excellent, as are the walking trails, if you're from a more mountainous area, you may be disappointed if you're looking for some genuine hikes with significant elevation gains, but if you are looking primarily for good views, good weather, and good exercise, you'll find all of that within close proximity, The Bull Run Trail(the south half is best), Great Falls, and Burke Lake, are my personal favorites.
-If you like good food, you should at least visit(especially Korean and Indian). The only cuisine that you might not find a truly authentic version of, is Japanese. There are some decent ramen shops, but most places marketing themselves as Japanese are primarily Korean or Chinese, and just happen to have a couple of re-imagined Japanese-ish dishes or sushi, on the menu.
-Demographics are incredibly diverse, which for me is only a positive. You have access to everything from Bollywood films in theaters, to Anime screenings, to historical significant, famous, or popular older films in any of the dozen or more independent and art theaters in the area. Angelika is certainly my favorite. But there is, of course, Alamo Drafthouse and others as well. Speaking of Angelika, the Mosiac District in Merrifield is a gorgeous little shopping area in which Angelika sits near the equally cool Mom's Organic Market, and a variety of excellent restaurants, some of which serve entirely local menus.
Overall, if I didn't find myself yearning for an area that I could more easily afford, and a place with a few more mountains, I would stay in Fairfax forever. The climate is generally good, a little too hot and humid in summer sometimes and a little too cold in winter, but overall it's pleasant and Spring and Fall are always gorgeous. The traffic doesn't seem nearly as bad to me as others have said, and I've worked delivery jobs that had me driving the area for my entire adult life, but I would never live closer to DC than Fairfax, because it DOES get pretty bad in Arlington and McLean where the road network is much more geographically constricted(not that I could afford it anyway...). The worst thing about the area is the cost of living. It's simply unattainable for anyone making less than $55k to even afford a one bedroom apartment east of Gainesville, let alone purchase a house. So I'm off to find somewhere else that comes close to matching my desires at a lower cost. Let me know if you have any recommendations. :)
Tayler | Fair Oaks, VA