06-23-2006, 03:35 AM
JohnC Wrote:Jess and I successfully escaped from NoVA. Decided that long commutes and high housing costs weren't our cup of tea, so after a little bit of searching around, we settled on Charlottesville. There are plenty of tech jobs down here, major .gov expansions in the works too (think BRAC). I work for one of the major gov't tech consulting/contracting firms, here in a little office building right on the edge of town, about 25 minutes from our house in the country.
John and I talked at HomoMatt's river gathering a few weekends ago. Although we ended up in very different areas, we are both quite happy w/ getting out of NoVA. It is possible, and there are near equal areas out there.
Personally, I'm quite happy with Richmond so far. The people are friendlier, there is less traffic, I'm quite convenient to anything I need or want, and outside of the usual congestion to & from D.C./NoVA on my days before and after work, I am actually beginning to enjoy being behind the wheel again. The outrageous fuel prices are preventing me from regaining my pure enjoyment of driving though. As for the nightlife, I haven't really gone out on the town yet, so that verdict is still out. I have heard great things though.
As for real estate, much like John stated about C'Ville, the real estate is also taking off here, and I think I've gotten in at the beginning of the upswing. There is still more to go though. My home here, is in a older Burke/Centerville area, with nice sized homes, mature trees, quiet streets, and decently sized yards. I'd easily have paid 2.5x to 3x what I did for my home in NoVA, and still probably wouldn't be as conveniently placed to everything.
Point is, NoVA is not the end all, be all of fun, employment, & life.
- Greg
gay, gay, gay, for RJ
gay, gay, gay, for RJ