Well, that's the problem.

Post #32,008 by inthane-chan 3/13/02 11:38:20 AM Reply	Well, that's the problem. Quality of life has gone all to shit: - Increased commute time due to combination of gridlock/californian immigration/totally unaffordable housing in urban areas. - No jobs. - No jobs at reasonable salaries. Somebody wanted me to take a PC support job at $7.00/hour part time, no benefits. I'm making more on unemployment! - Economic downswing. My dad moved out to D.C. a few years back, and he's convinced it's raining soup there. My wife and I have both checked out the want ads, salaries are massively higher (like 2x what I USED to make here for the same work I was doing here) and the rent really isn't all that different than here. Can't complain... "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Post #32,016 by admin 3/13/02 12:35:22 PM Reply	Quality of live in DC We hated it there. Salaries were OK, the rent was ungodly... $800/mo for 734 sq ft 20 miles out of the city, and this was back in 1992. COL is generally quite a bit higher out there, and it's nearly impossible to buy a house. Not to mention #1) the national news is the local news, #2) it's a very fake city... I didn't like the people at all (no offence, AScott, just how it seemed), and #3) we got tired of turning on the news and hearing about how 11 kids got shot in the space of 4 hours in Anacostia the night before. Hot and muggy out there too. :-) Regards, -scott anderson "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
Post #32,022 by Silverlock 3/13/02 12:51:48 PM Reply	It's the doorway to hell. One of the worst places I've ever lived, worked or visited. Expensive everything. Insane drivers. Horrible weather. Worlds worst street grid. Politicians live there (shudder). Some good things though; outstanding food, great museums, exemplary public transportation. The bad thoroughly outweighs the good IMO. With this much manure around, there must be a pony somewhere.
Post #32,026 by admin 3/13/02 12:58:17 PM Reply	Yup, do miss the food/museums/subway. But as you say, the rest of it sucked too much. I drove like a complete asshole for the first 6 months after we moved back to Michigan. They are insane around DC. Using a blinker is a sign of weakness, and other drivers will maneuver to make sure you can't complete your unfortunately telegraphed intent. Regards, -scott anderson "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
Post #32,093 by Ashton 3/13/02 8:13:18 PM Reply	OK then, revised 'Targets from Orbit' schedule: 1) Redmond WA (natch - its preprinted on the target form) 2) DC 3) 700 Club HQ any others?
Post #32,101 by Another Scott 3/13/02 10:05:59 PM Reply	Hey! DC's had enough stuff falling from the sky in the last 6.x months. :-( Some of us iWeThey-ers live in the area, ya know. DC's got good and bad points. Nobody's forcing you to visit. :-) I'd certainly think Mugabe's or Saddam's compounds would be higher up on the list than the city up the road.... Cheers, Scott.
Post #32,115 by inthane-chan 3/14/02 1:42:34 AM Reply	Well, if you want another neighbor... ...tell me what you think of Fredricksburg. We're looking at an apartment complex there, but know nothing about the town. "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Post #32,131 by Another Scott 3/14/02 8:00:09 AM Reply	Don't know much about it. There are an awful lot of suburbs around here.... [link\|http://www.fredericksburg.com\|Fredericksburg.com] - a paper in the town. [link\|http://fredericksburg.com/Homes/Listings\|Here]'s some real estate listings. Don't be shocked - it starts with expensive homes. [link\|http://fredericksburg.com/Homes/Listings?query_start=1301\|Some $98k homes]. Browse around. Homes in good neighborhoods closer to DC can be very expensive. Houses in our subdivision have gone up about 50% in the last 4 years. The housing market is very strong around here. Part of the reason why housing is so expensive is: 1) the cost of land (DC has building restrictions - nothing can be taller than the Capitol), 2) little undeveloped land close to the city, 3) people want to be in areas with good schools. It mainly comes down to supply and demand. Housing is generally cheaper in some parts of Maryland - e.g. Prince George's County. But the schools there have a terrible reputation. VA suburbs can be very expensive (e.g. Reston, Old Town Alexandria) or inexpensive (parts of Prince William County), or you can get a much larger house with more land if you're willing to live farther out and put up with a long commute. It's a tradeoff. Fredericksburg is pretty far from DC - about 52 miles. It wouldn't be a terrible commute compared to some I've heard about (people literally commuting from northern NC to DC every day), but I-95 (like many of the expressways in the area) is often is backed up during "rush-hour" (approximately 5-6AM to 9-10AM and 3-7 PM). The commute would likely take 75-90 minutes or more if you had to go to DC daily. Virginia is generally organized in to counties (i.e. unless you live in a city, the county government is more important). Fredericksburg is in Spotsylvania county. [link\|http://www.spotsylvania.va.us/\|Spotsylvania County]. I've never been there, but imagine it's a nice part of the state - pretty countryside. Lots of Civil War sites in the area. Close to the Potomac and not far from Richmond and DC (about 50 miles each). Maybe 2.5 hours to Virginia Beach if you like the ocean. Best of luck with your decisions! HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #32,143 by admin 3/14/02 8:53:46 AM Reply	Rushhour... ... around DC is all day long, Scott. :-) Maybe you don't quite get complete backups in the middle of the day, but 495 at 3AM is as busy as I75 up here at 8AM. DC has the second worst traffic in the nation, after LA. Regards, -scott anderson "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
Post #32,148 by boxley 3/14/02 8:59:58 AM Reply	Fredericksburg is nice have just visited around there, not lived. Close to Old dominion racetrack, fast run south to 6 flags just north of Richmond and if ya get a job in Reston not too hard a commute, guestimate an Hr. thanx, bill There is no difference between a "settler," "soldier," "secular," or "Chassidic Jew." The target is the JEW. \ufffd Harvey Tannenbaum
Post #32,178 by dshellman 3/14/02 12:26:13 PM Reply	Just a couple of more pennies As another resident of the DC area, I guess I'd better throw in a couple of pennies. As with most things, it all depends upon the part of the elephant you're looking at. I live just west of Manassas. I used to commute to Reston (too expensive to live there), and if I left early enough (6 a.m.), I could usually get there in about a half hour. They moved us downtown D.C., though. Now, I take the train (the station is about 10-15 minutes from where I live, and the train stops a couple of blocks from where I work). The train ride is about an hour. Having lived in Washington and Oregon (born and raised there), Utah, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, I'd have to say that northern Virginia has better weather than the others (this winter, we've had a really mild winter). The traffic is terrible, but you tend to work around it (driver earlier, take mass transit, etc.). There's still lots of traffic...guess you get used to it (yes, I'm a terrible driver). There's lots to do that's available from mass transit (Smithsonian, etc.). That's definitely a big plus. Housing is very expensive, though not a far cry from other metropolis areas (certainly not as bad as some in CA). But, outside of housing, the prices are comparable to other places. I actually enjoy living here (I certainly don't like the traffic, and it's only going to get worse, but I try to avoid it as much as I can...I don't (refuse) to drive in downtown D.C.). Dan
Post #32,363 by kmself 3/15/02 2:17:42 PM Reply	Well, you could move to California... - Increased commute time due to combination of gridlock/californian immigration/totally unaffordable housing in urban areas. ...so's we all could bash y'all for a while.... `-- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] [link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|[link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/]] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?`
Post #32,374 by inthane-chan 3/15/02 3:32:38 PM Reply	I know that was in jest... ...but I can't let that slide, and you know it. :) Actually, I wasn't bashing Californians - it's basically what happened. The formula goes something like this: LA Smog+massive traffic jams+magazines proclaiming Washington "Best Quality Of Life" = Mass immigration from California to Washington. IIRC, wasn't California the prior "best quality of life" state that got a lot of publicity? Makes sense - you advertise a good quality of life, and suddenly everybody wants to live there, turning it into a living hell. :P "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Post #32,381 by drewk 3/15/02 3:54:01 PM Reply	Crowds attract people Seriously. Does anyone want to go to a restaurant that no one else goes to? Don't people try harder to get into nightclubs that are already full of people? And, remember what happened in high school whenever there was a fight? Must be a herd thing. I can't be a Democrat because I like to spend the money I make. I can't be a Republican because I like to spend the money I make on drugs and whores.
Post #32,404 by inthane-chan 3/15/02 6:09:25 PM Reply	I remember what happened in high school... ...everybody stood around while I broke up the fight. :P "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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