Moving To Dumfries (Alexandria, Manassas, Woodbridge: high crime, townhouse, neighborhoods)

[al_76]

After reading some of the information that has been posted on this forum in regards to Dumfries, this city seems to have a bad reputation and place to live in. Not knowing this since I've just moved to Virginia, I'm a new home owner around the area of Possum Point Rd. Can anyone give me any good or bad information about this area. All I know is that there's a electrical company at the end of this road.

[koko61]

Originally Posted by al_76

After reading some of the information that has been posted on this forum in regards to Dumfries, this city seems to have a bad reputation and place to live in. Not knowing this since I've just moved to Virginia, I'm a new home owner around the area of Possum Point Rd. Can anyone give me any good or bad information about this area. All I know is that there's a electrical company at the end of this road.

This forum has one poster that, for some apparently personal reason, is trying to discourage people from moving to this area by badmouthing Dumfries, but please don't let their negative comments worry you. I am not personally familiar with the immediate area of Possum Point Road, but I have lived just south of there for more than 10 years and I love it. If you go south from Possum Point Road and make a left on Graham Park Road, there is a small townhouse development (Williamstown) that has some problems, but it shouldn't affect you at all. The neighborhood that I live in is directly across Route 1 from Graham Park Road and it has never affected me or the neighborhood I live in. I feel very safe and comfortable here and, if you ignore the comments of that one poster, I am sure that you will be very happy here as well.

[goldenmom7500]

I don't know Dumfries particularly well, but I do know Prince William County as a whole quite well - I tend to agree with the general point above. There are some sweeping statements that tend to be made about neighborhoods in the DC metropolitan area as a whole, ranging from Herndon to Manassas to Woodbridge to Dumfries to Alexandria (even "DC" is spoken about as "bad" and areas of Maryland, etc.). It's really quite unfortunate since these are large areas with many different neighborhoods. We frequently seem to send all newcomers to these new built communities (Bristow et al.) and those are fine, and maybe if you are a newcomer it is less risky on the whole to do so, but it's still unfortunate. So if you are happy, then worry not!

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by koko61

This forum has one poster that, for some apparently personal reason, is trying to discourage people from moving to this area by badmouthing Dumfries, but please don't let their negative comments worry you. I am not personally familiar with the immediate area of Possum Point Road, but I have lived just south of there for more than 10 years and I love it. If you go south from Possum Point Road and make a left on Graham Park Road, there is a small townhouse development (Williamstown) that has some problems, but it shouldn't affect you at all. The neighborhood that I live in is directly across Route 1 from Graham Park Road and it has never affected me or the neighborhood I live in. I feel very safe and comfortable here and, if you ignore the comments of that one poster, I am sure that you will be very happy here as well.

Williamstown has "some" problems huh?? Talk about the understatement to all understatements!!! What about the surrounding areas?? Purvis Drive, Port o Dumfries, Graham Ct??? All are high crack areas and high crime areas. Keep drinking the cool aid and believing you are in a nice area...

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by al_76

After reading some of the information that has been posted on this forum in regards to Dumfries, this city seems to have a bad reputation and place to live in. Not knowing this since I've just moved to Virginia, I'm a new home owner around the area of Possum Point Rd. Can anyone give me any good or bad information about this area. All I know is that there's a electrical company at the end of this road.

Possum Point is pretty nice, just stay north if you do any shopping. If you have kids, they will go to school with the kids from the bad parts (basically anything south). Obviously that's a concern. Kids have raced at the quarter mile of road that leads to the electric plant for decades, so you may have some knuckle head kids racing around on a nice Friday night, but other than that the newer houses off of Possum Point are nice. I never had a problem when i was a police officer there. When you go North on Rt.1 another problem area is Georgetown Village. We had some really bad problems there. Of course, if you believe Koko, it's just one big happy family that has very little crime, but most know otherwise. The area is getting better because of the new high cost homes, but a lot times the hoodlums just see that as more expensive stuff to steal when they break into those new homes.

[jaywallace]

I am NOT the "only" poster on this board to post the truth about that area. Not by far-

Originally Posted by beth ann

I lived in Dumfries (Montclair) for two years and then headed back to Fairfax county as soon as I could

Even though Montclair was nice, immediatly outside was like living in the "hood". I drove Route 1 daily and saw more "gang-type" people, toddlers/children riding in cars without buckles, and other scary people all the time. I literally would lock my car doors at red lights. It was bad. Really bad. Dale city was no better.

The commute to DC for my husband was sometimes 1.5 to 2 hours EACH way....it was ridiculous and defintley not worth it.

Being back in Fairfax county is wonderful....I wouldn't move back to Dumfries if you paid me. Just my experience.

[koko61]

And with the last post above this one, you have just been introduced to our resident troll, a self-proclaimed "police officer" with a personal vendetta against the town of Dumfries. I know several Prince William County police officers and every one of them has better things to do than sit in front of a computer screen and bash a town. A few years ago, I had the honor of attending the funeral of one of the most respected officers in the history of the Prince William County Police Department, who was also a close personal friend of mine. He lived in Dumfries his entire life, loved it, and never would have even considered living anywhere else.

That said, if our resident troll was really a police officer, he would have a much better knowledge of the geography of the town than he has exhibited here. Also, if he really was a police officer, and if Dumfries was really that bad, maybe he should spend a little less time bashing the town and a little more time cleaning it up. If the area was really as bad as he would like people to believe, it would be only logical for any decent police officer to ENCOURAGE more good people to move to the area and thereby push out the bad element rather than DISCOURAGING it. It seems to me that he is trying to keep good people away in order to make more room for criminals. As the saying goes, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....then it must be a criminal trying to protect his turf.

[koko61]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

I am NOT the "only" poster on this board to post the truth about that area. Not by far-

Funny you had to go back 2 months to find ONE other person that agrees with you. I could do the same and come up with a lot more that agree with me, but I don't have that kind of time....and I don't even claim to be a police officer. But it really doesn't matter anyway because you've only been posting here for 3 months and most people already see you for what you really are.