We are wanting to relocate, just like we were last year to a somewhat warmer climate.
Virginia seems quite nice, not too backwoodsy, not too citified.
I know theres lots of dopers from around there.
Any ideas of good neighborhoods, job opportunities, anyone wanting to take in a woman and child temporarily?
thanks
Um . . . I can’t take anyone in right now, mostly because in a week I’ll be living in a space that’s really too small for two people, even, and it’ll have two people (myself and my roommate) in it.
If you want something that isn’t very citified, stay away from DC. The further I get to my cabin in WVA the lerss citified it is. Granted that isn’t going to be the case universally, but if you get around 30 mins from the VA/WVA border kinda near Hampshire County and Fauquier County you should be set.
As for a job, I got no friggin’ idea.
How old is woman and how old is child?
Like everywhere else, the less backwoodsy, the more job opportunities, and vice versa.
What sort of job might you be looking for? That’s always a factor. I know a few things about Virginia, but it’s helpful to have a place to start.
I live in the DC area of Virginia. I can answer any questions you have about here.
As I’ve said to others, DC has quite a high cost of living. $1000-1500 for a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment or house is not unheard of, if not the norm now. (It’s been years since I signed a new lease.)
Traffic in the DC area is also 2[sup]nd[/sup] worst in the nation, less only to LA traffic.
Somewhat warmer being relative, you probably wouldn’t like coastal Virginia summers. Very humid and sticky. If you can find a good job in one of the western mountain cities, that’d be best. (Charlottesville [sp?], Lexington, etc.)
I’ll be in Renton, VA (citified) Sept. 6th thru the 9th for a training seminar.
I’ll look around and get back to you with all the straight dope you’ll need.
No, no. Don’t thank me. Not a problem. 
Peace,
mangeorge
Have’nt been reading the board much lately, so forgive me if I am asking something that I ought to know.
Is Bill moving too? Are you guys still getting married?
Jeffery
I live in Richmond. So Vanilla, what do you do for a living? the most job opportunities are in Northern Va outside of D.C.
Hey Phil, guess who wants to come over, hehehehe? I live here vanilla, are you sure you still want to come? Assuming you want a 2 bedroom place in the DC area of Virginia in a neighborhood you don’t want to be shot in plan on spending at least $1000 but you would better be off if you could spend more. If you actually were able to buy a place it would be a little cheaper. Most of the single family homes in Virginia (two bedroom… I know it is small) start at around $200K. You can get a 2-3 bedroom townhome a little cheaper.
Sqrl
If you’re gonna relocate,then GO FOR IT! Come to sunny California. We got it all! Mountains, beaches, deserts, forests, big cities and Major League Baseball!
I so read the title of this thread wrong .
I’ll leave now
bye .
Boy, the living is more expensive there, for sure.
My last apartment was 400 a month.
Hey sqrl, why would i mind you living in the area?
I am thinking coastal though. Hows V Beach?
vanilla -
I know we have a few Chesapeake/Va Beach dopers…IIRC, lunasea lives down there, Jess might, and Atrael does. I’ll point them towards the thread.
Vanilla…I live just outside of Petersburg, 16 miles south of Richmond. It’s pretty “bubba” around here, but the cost of living is much better than the D.C. area. Traffic is better, pace is slower. Richmond is an attractive little town. There are plenty of jobs to be had here. I grew up in a little burg called Chester. It’s grown quite a bit but it’s still a nice place to raise kids. The schools are pretty good and there isn’t much crime. Western Chesterfield county is the “upwardly mobile” area around here. Housing is higher there. But you can get a three bedroom apartment or house to rent in my area for around 600 a month.
There are job opportunites. Bell Atlantic/Verizon has been on strike lately but they have been hiring pretty steady now for about a year. I understand that Virgina Power is hiring. There is quite a bit of industry here, chemical plants, warehouses, etc. Time/Life runs their phone order business out of Richmond. What are you qualified to do?
The weather isn’t so bad here. It’s a little warmer here than the D.C. area as a rule. If it snows they usually get an inch or so more. But somethimes we will go for several years without having a real accumulation. (That’s the way I like it. People who drive get stupid when it snows around here.) It’s a little humid in the Summer, sometimes downright sultry, but we’ve had a relatively cool Summer this year. The Richmond area is a nice location. We have lots of retired military that settle here. They like the climate, the job opportunities, the easy life style. They like it that you are a 2 hour drive from the mountains and a 2 hour drive from the beach. There’s a lot of water around here really. Lots of rivers, lakes and ponds.
I can email you if you’d like.
Needs2know
Shameless plug for Richmond and environs. Moderate cost of living, plenty to do for adults and kids, 1.5 hours to beach and mountains, traffic isn’t too bad, all in all I’m happy here. Y’all come on down.
If you have high-tech experience, don’t come to VA Beach if you expect an above average salary. Local paper stirred up brou-haha over wages in this area being X amount below the national average, and it would take 40 years at the current rate for wages to break even with the national average.
Ok, as a resident of Va Beach, and having lived in a bunch of other cities in the Tidewater Area, I’ll offer my humble opinion.
Don’t expect to get rich down here, average saleries are lower than what you’ll usually find up and down the eastern coast. You can, however make a decent living. If you haven’t done anything major in your life that would preclude you from getting a security clearance, opportunities about with government contracting firms. That’s what I do. I make a comfortable salery (e-mail is you want exact figures) and the cost of living is lower, so it makes up for it.
Although living at the beach has a nice sound to it, I would recommend against it. Traffic can be a huge pain, especially during the summer with the tourist, also housing is much more expensive the closer you get to the beach. Also, with the large military bases in the area, highway traffic is heavy during the day. I currently rent a nice 2 bedroom apartment about 10-15 minutes from teh beachfront for around $900 a month. If you go a bit farther inland, the prices come down. Just be sure to check if you’re in a flood zone. With a high water table in the area, floods happen very frequently. If you move a bit away from the beach area, prices for houseing come down a lot. We’re having a 4 bedroom 2 and 1/2 bath house built for about $134K, so it’s much more affordable. I’d recomment getting a medium-nice apartment for your first year or so, till you know the area better, then looking into a house or something. E-mail me if you’d like some more info, I’d be glad to help.
Now, now. It’s not all suburbia around here. I’ll bet if you vist, say, Glebe Road & North 38th Street in Arlington, you’ll feel right at home.
I had been looking into another apartment here in Arlington, the one bedrrom I’m in now is $650 and a 2 bedroom starts at $800. I have since started looking at condos for sale; a two bed, two bath condo starts at $71k.
Of course, we also have a very good public transportation system.
Where are you looking, with prices like that? I got three people in a $1000/mo 2br 1.5ba who would be very interested in such things. Do the condos have W/D in each unit?
vanilla, I’ve only been living in Arlington for a year so I’m afraid I can’t be much help, but you might want to check out the Washington Post help wanted section, esp. on Sunday, if you can get it out wherever you are.
Hey there vanilla…i work in arlington (nova) as a housing counselor. if you have any questions about housing (tenant/landlord law, buying, looking for a place, yada) just lemme know. this place is ridiculously expensive, but plenty of jobs available. i’m an urban person, so i love being close to the city and work, plus all the stuff to do around here. the dc area is pretty nice, it’s urban, but not as overwhelming and huge as say nyc.
vanilla said:
Osip said:
Problem solved!
