If you an afford it, life is pretty good here
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2/4/2022
Resident for 20 years. There is nothing hidden about Arlington. It is an affluent inner suburb of DC with a highly educated, mostly professional, population. The schools are excellent, the government/county services are generally responsive, crime is low, there are tons of parks and recreational paths, a whole lotta of pets, and plenty of very healthy people who like to exercise. People are generally friendly, volunteer a lot, mostly lean left politically. Washington Nationals MLB is very big; lots of youth sports and activities.
Tons of shopping; restaurants of just about every ethnicity you can think of and probably others that you never have (and if Arlington doesn't have it, DC or Fairfax Co. almost certainly will)
If Arlington is not enough, all the culture and attractions of DC are right across the river but then you can leave DC and go back to VA at the end of the day. Even the "seedy" parts of Arlington, including where I live, are laughably safe compared to other places. Some homeless issues, but nothing like DC. In sum, Amazon liked the area so much, they picked it for their East coast HQS.
The result of all these positives is that real estate and, to some degree, the cost of living is eye-wateringly expensive compared to most of the rest of the country. (But once you buy something it will probably never go down in value.) That's the trade off.
Climate is pleasant enough if you like four seasons. It's not Southern CA, but you get a gorgeous East Coast spring and fall; put up with hot and humid summer days mainly in July and August, and winter will usually have some very cold days along with some snow almost every year, though it's unusual to get much more than 1-3 inches here and there.
Unlike Southern CA, you will not have to worry about wildfires. Most serious natural disasters here are the leftovers of hurricanes that swing through every 8-10 years. Watch out for localized flooding from torrential summer thunderstorms once in a while also.
Recreation, lots of bicycling and running opportunities -- along the Potomac River is particularly nice. You can also sail and kayak, etc. on the Potomac. The are lots of gyms, CrossFit, and so forth.
Many transportation options, metro subway system is great, tons of walkable places, plus two airports -- DCA, which is super convenient --it's in Arlington, and IAD, about 45 minutes to the west.
Cons? Yeah, it's expensive. Plenty of traffic in Northern VA, which stinks (though if you just stay in Arlington, it's tolerable). Do you like lots of space, uninterrupted natural vistas? You won't get that here much, but you knew that already. Just drive 1.5 hours to Shenandoah NP.
I spend time researching alternate retirement locations across the country, particularly warmer ones, and while it would be fun to try somewhere else for a while, I'm not sure it is worth ever leaving Arlington permanently, given all the positives of the area.
jefe | Arlington, VA