Tell me about NOVA.

[WRXtranceformed]

Jake's breakdown is pretty spot on, and Chris and Derek's notes about Ashburn / LoCo were also accurate. Having lived in NoVA for 25+ years you couldn't pay me to go back as I am sure Mike, Chris etc. would agree with. No matter where you are it is going to be expensive relative to other good places in the nation you can live, have fun as a youngin' and have a good job in the IT field. Did anyone mention the ridiculous Arlington city car tax? I think my brother just paid his and it was like $1300. Not to mention having to pay $150 / month on top of his rent for a parking space in his own garage and another $160+ to park next to his office in the city. :lol: :lol: Hence why most people try to take public transport up there. But if you are bougie like me and don't like to travel crammed in amongst the peasants, it is going to get claustrophobic for you and eventually the allure of the area wears off. Personally, I got tired of spending two-three hours of my day every day in the car commuting. Derek weren't you commuting for a while from like NW Wisconsin or something into the city? I don't know how you people who live out in the boonies do it.

I would also plug CLT / Research Triangle (Raleigh) for tech jobs, although people have figured out how awesome it is here and are already moving in droves, so the affordability is starting to decrease and the traffic is increasing. It doesn't bother me much as someone who just gained $13K in equity between purchase and closing but my point is you would want to get going on a move if cost of living vs. salary is important. You can still make a lot of money in your field in other areas of the country and not get nickle and dimed by the "DC Tax"