Is Springfield really going down teh shitter....

[Apoc]

If you're only going for a week or two you can punish your body and come back haggered if you really want to enjoy yourself.

Yeah but I think I aged 5 years in those 18 months by doing that.

18 months is a long time but at least you're wasting the crappy years when you're old and fraile.

I aged at least a year or two in the 4 days I spent in Vegas for my bachelor party.

[G.Irish]

If you're only going for a week or two you can punish your body and come back haggered if you really want to enjoy yourself.

Yeah but I think I aged 5 years in those 18 months by doing that.

18 months is a long time but at least you're wasting the crappy years when you're old and fraile.

I aged at least a year or two in the 4 days I spent in Vegas for my bachelor party.

Good point. Nobody who plays it safe their whole life and lives that extra 2 to 10 years over more risky people really gets to enjoy it. You'd probably be shitting yourself in a nursing home anyway, might as well have fun while you're young.

[.RJ]

You'd probably be shitting yourself in a nursing home anyway, might as well have fun while you're young.

I'm gonna have Volks on my wheelchair!

[Sijray21]

those are my thoughts for old age, might as well live it up and have fun while you can. i feel like i won't live to see old age anyway...i'm not really sure why, but i really can't see myself when i'm old.

[.RJ]

but i really can't see myself when i'm old.

You and maeng can hang out in the casinos yelling "Brackjack!"

[Andy]

Shit, I would love to go to half the places you guys are being offered. In the year I've worked at my job, I've visited lovely Katrina wrecked New Orleans, Biloxi, and the Central florida which btw is completely populated by trailer parks and the largest rats I've ever ever seen.

[Maengelito]

but i really can't see myself when i'm old.

You and maeng can hang out in the casinos yelling "Brackjack!"

bitch, get it right...

"brackuh jackuduh, bitches"

[Apoc]

Good read about the decline of middle-class neighborhoods in America.

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"No city in America has gotten more integrated by income in the last 30 years," said Alan Berube, an urban demographer at Brookings who worked on the report.

"It means that if you are not living in one of the well-off areas, you are not going to have access to the same amenities -- good schools and safe environment -- that you could find 30 years ago," he said.

[G.Irish]

"It means that if you are not living in one of the well-off areas, you are not going to have access to the same amenities -- good schools and safe environment -- that you could find 30 years ago," he said.[/i]

Part of the public services and amenities puzzle is that people have to demand those things and make a big fuss when they don't get them. People complain about education or crime or whatever but what do people actually do about it?

The reason I say that is because the area of DC a friend of mine lives in has had a moderate crime problem for a long time. But recently more well-off folks have started moving in and all of a sudden the police are patrolling more and making more arrests. She was saying that the original people in the neighborhood complain that, "Oh, see, the police start coming around when white folks move in..." but really she was saying that the community tended not to call the police as much before, preferring to either let stuff slide or handle it themselves. Now the new people do call the police and there's more patrolling.

Its just a small example but people have to take ownership of their communities and make stuff happen rather than just moving away or accepting mediocrity. That won't do anything about the decline of the middle class in the short term but at the very least getting involved and improving the educational opportunities in the community will give the next generation a better foot to stand on.

[Fyrfytr]

Ireland is one of the few places I do really want to go to. Love the culture, love the music, the people and no language barrier

Have you really ever heard them talk?

It may be called English, but it sure doesn't sound like English.

[Fyrfytr]

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.

[Fyrfytr]

Housing market is just another form of inflation IMO. It makes you feel great that your house is appreciating, but the only way that it actually does you any good is if you move even further out or to a different place...to make less money. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Evan, you make a good point.

I am worried that in 5 years or so, when I sell me (then) 45 year old home, and want something new or more recently built, w/ a little more land, maybe a bit further than the city, I will have nowhere to go. I'd have to move far out of Richmond to be able to afford it, if current pricing trends continue, and I can't go north, because NoVA home prices are creeping down here from the north. Problem is, if I go further south or west, I'm even further from DC (work) than I am now. I'm already at a two hour commute one way, and while 2.5 hours was my limit originally, I feel at my limit with two hours. And, should I be transferred to NW DC, I can add another 15 minutes onto that.

[BLINGMW]

I got offered a 6 month position in Madrid, a 12 month position in Sydney, and a 3 month position in Germany a couple weeks ago.

umm.... hock: can I have one? Seriously? I'll take any of them, well, unless it's international jizz mopper or something.

[Feersty]

Housing market is just another form of inflation IMO. It makes you feel great that your house is appreciating, but the only way that it actually does you any good is if you move even further out or to a different place...to make less money. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I am worried that in 5 years or so, when I sell me (then) 45 year old home, and want something new or more recently built, w/ a little more land, maybe a bit further than the city, I will have nowhere to go. I'd have to move far out of Richmond to be able to afford it, if current pricing trends continue, and I can't go north, because NoVA home prices are creeping down here from the north. Problem is, if I go further south or west, I'm even further from DC (work) than I am now. I'm already at a two hour commute one way, and while 2.5 hours was my limit originally, I feel at my limit with two hours. And, should I be transferred to NW DC, I can add another 15 minutes onto that.

A little debacle one of my relatives is experiencing in reference to this. My mom's cousin and his wife and their 17 year old son live in Carlisle, PA, and for the probably 10 years they have lived there, their house has not gone up in value. Their house is beautiful man you, but man, they are stuck there because they really have no where else to go, it is cheap to live there and they haven't made any money on their residential investment.

I guess from NOVA you can really go anywhere and the cost of living will be less, minus NYC and Socal, but to come back here after you have established roots somewhere else for 10 odd years is difficult. My grandparents live in Alabama and have a single family house they bought for like 180,000$, but they are not gonna make any money on it cause it is not like Alabama in the vicinity of Auburn University is growing at all...

[Apoc]

Point is, NoVA is not the end all, be all of fun, employment, & life.

Your situation is nearly unique and almost unfair for comparison because you're still commuting to Nova/DC for work. You're really no different than folks who live out in western loudoun or WV and commute to DC. Yeah it's great living where you live but you've still got the long ass commute. You're just blessed with the ability to sleep over and work less days a week than most. Come back and see us when you're not driving more than 60 miles to work.

I firmly believe that living and working in Loudoun is the best there's to be had in the area. Traffic is nearly negligible compared to other areas, you can find a nice single family home for less <$500k west of Leesburg and the people are actually decent. It may not have the teaming nightlife there is inside the beltway but it's just a short drive away and I'm willing to bet it's on par with say, Chalottesville. Mike makes fun because he can't drunken bar hop up and down the street a la Adams Morgan but there are plenty of opportunities to have a good time. When it comes down to it, if you want to party in a city you're going to pay city prices. Other cities may be cheaper but you also get paid less so it all washes out in the end.

[JohnC]

Ireland is one of the few places I do really want to go to. Love the culture, love the music, the people and no language barrier

Have you really ever heard them talk?

It may be called English, but it sure doesn't sound like English.

On our recent trip to Europe, London gave us the most problems as far as language barriers. We expected it to be easy, but of course most of the folks we dealt with were service-industry types, who were all foreign, and learned British-English as a second language.

Fish and Chips Guy: "Topontopoff?"
John/Chan/Jess/Jess: "WTF?"
Fish and Chips Guy: "TOPONTOPOFF?!?!?!"
John/Chan/Jess/Jess: "WTF?"

Apparently he was asking if we wanted to eat in the little shop, or take it to go...

In Paris, the few folks we had to deal with in English were understandable. In Germany, almost everyone spoke English.

[Feersty]

Ireland is one of the few places I do really want to go to. Love the culture, love the music, the people and no language barrier

Have you really ever heard them talk?

It may be called English, but it sure doesn't sound like English.

On our recent trip to Europe, London gave us the most problems as far as language barriers. We expected it to be easy, but of course most of the folks we dealt with were service-industry types, who were all foreign, and learned British-English as a second language.

Fish and Chips Guy: "Topontopoff?"
John/Chan/Jess/Jess: "WTF?"
Fish and Chips Guy: "TOPONTOPOFF?!?!?!"
John/Chan/Jess/Jess: "WTF?"

Apparently he was asking if we wanted to eat in the little shop, or take it to go...

In Paris, the few folks we had to deal with in English were understandable.

When we got a taxi cab in Paris to take to our hotel on the outskirts of the city, the d00d drove like a maniac. His dog sat in the front passenger seat while the three of us jammed in the back. He spoke very good English with a French accent, it was very entertaining and he was a smart ass dude.

[G.Irish]

Evan, you make a good point.

I am worried that in 5 years or so, when I sell me (then) 45 year old home, and want something new or more recently built, w/ a little more land, maybe a bit further than the city, I will have nowhere to go.

Don't worry about it, the current rate of real estate inflation is unsustainable. Between overbuilding, no interest loans, and the interest rate going up you'll see the wild prices come back down quite a bit, although not to preboom levels of course.

[Fyrfytr]

Point is, NoVA is not the end all, be all of fun, employment, & life.

Your situation is nearly unique and almost unfair for comparison because you're still commuting to Nova/DC for work. You're really no different than folks who live out in western loudoun or WV and commute to DC. Yeah it's great living where you live but you've still got the long ass commute. You're just blessed with the ability to sleep over and work less days a week than most. Come back and see us when you're not driving more than 60 miles to work.

While you are correct, and I fully realize that my unique schedule puts me in a situation that 95% of other people don't have the ability to take advantage of. That said, comparing salaries for firefighters in NovA to here, I'd say that there is a difference of about $5k-$7k. But, when real estate prices are 50% less, or more, for comparable structure and location, it still is a helluva lot more affordable to live here.

A (very hot :wink: ) friend I have made down here bought a townhome, in an area of Chesterfield County that I'd compare to Dale City in March for $125k. It's newly renovated, two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, perfect for a first time homeowner. She earns $30k+ working for Clear Channel. Where w/in 70 miles of D.C. can a person making $30k afford their own home?

[Apoc]

Where w/in 70 miles of D.C. can a person making $30k afford their own home?

Charles Town, WV
Kearneysville, WV
Harpers Ferry, WV
etc... etc... etc...

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<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1058560956">http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1058560956</a><!-- m -->

I'm willing to bet there are quite a few $30k jobs to be had even if you didn't want to drive farher than 30 miles. Your location in not unique, it's just in a different direction to comparable ones.