CA to FL To NoVA (Arlington, Alexandria: homes, neighborhoods, living in)

[DCworkFL]

I am considering taking a job here in the Northern VA area and am concerned if this will be an area I'll enjoy living.
I have been living off Van Dorn in Alexandria and it seems really ghetto. I went to the health food grocery store thinking there would be the laid back people I'm used to from Trader Joe's (in SoCAL) and it was close but not quite what I was hoping for.
I did like Old Town vibe from what I saw. The people seemed somewhat refreshing compared to a lot of other areas around here.
Could someone suggest some local areas for 30 something singles? Fun things to do, living areas, people, shops, etc.
I'm concerned about quality of living and hope I'm not making the wrong decision about moving here and end up miserable.

[MacUser85]

Hello there.

Moving to a new area can always be a little bit unnerving and confusing. Where you are fortunately is not representative of most areas here and I think you'll be able to find something you like and near your job. Here are some of my favorite places around:

INSIDE BELTWAY:
-Old Town Alex
-Del Ray (area of Alex northwest of Old Town and due south of Crystal City)
-Pentagon City
-Ballston - Rosslyn corridor on Metro's Orange Line
-North Arlington (Lee Hwy and Wash Blvd corridors)
-Falls Church City

OUTSIDE BELTWAY:
-Tysons Corner
-Fair Oaks Mall
-Fairfax Corner
-Kingstowne (just south of where you are now)

I have missed many areas for sure and this is just VA. Trader Joe's has locations in Old Town Alex, Baileys Crossroads, Tysons Pimmit, Reston and Fairfax.

[DCworkFL]

Originally Posted by CaseyMac

Hello there.

Moving to a new area can always be a little bit unnerving and confusing. Where you are fortunately is not representative of most areas here and I think you'll be able to find something you like and near your job. Here are some of my favorite places around:

INSIDE BELTWAY:
-Old Town Alex
-Del Ray (area of Alex northwest of Old Town and due south of Crystal City)
-Pentagon City
-Ballston - Rosslyn corridor on Metro's Orange Line
-North Arlington (Lee Hwy and Wash Blvd corridors)
-Falls Church City

OUTSIDE BELTWAY:
-Tysons Corner
-Fair Oaks Mall
-Fairfax Corner
-Kingstowne (just south of where you are now)

I have missed many areas for sure and this is just VA. Trader Joe's has locations in Old Town Alex, Baileys Crossroads, Tysons Pimmit, Reston and Fairfax.

This is great! Thank you!

Could you please name some specific places where I could go around this area?

I'm used to the beach cities in Southern CA like Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Seal Beach. I hope you know what I mean.

Thanks again for your time and help!

[FindingZen]

CaseyMac made some good suggestions of neighborhoods and retail areas where you may find people and activities most likely to interest you. I'd definitely co-sign on Old Town and Del Ray in Alexandria along with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington.

Northern Virginia is not Southern California; the stereotypical resident can be particularly career-focused and "uptight" and not nearly as laid-back as the ideal West Coaster. If you choose to drive, the traffic situation should be familiar or maybe slightly lighter than what you are accustomed to. Fortunately, there's a fair chance that the Metrorail could alleviate some of the pressure of commuting.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Tone509

CaseyMac made some good suggestions of neighborhoods and retail areas where you may find people and activities most likely to interest you. I'd definitely co-sign on Old Town and Del Ray in Alexandria along with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington.

Northern Virginia is not Southern California; the stereotypical resident can be particularly career-focused and "uptight" and not nearly as laid-back as the ideal West Coaster. If you choose to drive, the traffic situation should be familiar or maybe slightly lighter than what you are accustomed to. Fortunately, there's a fair chance that the Metrorail could alleviate some of the pressure of commuting.

SoCal is not exactly 'laid back' anymore: I lived there from 1980-89 then left for Arizona----------and, I am a Wash DC native (born/raised).

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

SoCal is not exactly 'laid back' anymore: I lived there from 1980-89 then left for Arizona----------and, I am a Wash DC native (born/raised).

I admit my own view of Southern California is anecdotal since I've never lived there myself... so I certainly respect the view of someone who has spent a lot of years there.

[makeitbetta]

Originally Posted by DCworkFL

This is great! Thank you!

Could you please name some specific places where I could go around this area?

I'm used to the beach cities in Southern CA like Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Seal Beach. I hope you know what I mean.

Thanks again for your time and help!

I too am from SoCal and have lived in Southern Va and visit my husbands family often who are from the DC and MD area. We will eventually be moving to NOVA
i guess, still trying to figure out where that exactly is but I know from experience you will not get CA in VA. Totally different, my husband is out there now trying to find a place where the kids and I will acclimate best and the only thing he can come up with is around Georgetown. Unfortunately thats too far from his job. So we will get along just being able to visit those places.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by makeitbetta

I too am from SoCal and have lived in Southern Va and visit my husbands family often who are from the DC and MD area. We will eventually be moving to NOVA
i guess, still trying to figure out where that exactly is but I know from experience you will not get CA in VA. Totally different, my husband is out there now trying to find a place where the kids and I will acclimate best and the only thing he can come up with is around Georgetown. Unfortunately thats too far from his job. So we will get along just being able to visit those places.

If you liked - and could theoretically afford - Georgetown in DC, then you may want to look into Old Town Alexandria. Like Georgetown, it has an upscale feel to it albeit without as many upscale chains. Where will your husband be working?

[Skapov]

Originally Posted by DCworkFL

I have been living off Van Dorn in Alexandria and it seems really ghetto. I went to the health food grocery store thinking there would be the laid back people I'm used to from Trader Joe's (in SoCAL) and it was close but not quite what I was hoping for.

Hello There!

Could you please expand upon exactly HOW/WHAT/WHO/WHEN Alexandria was so-called "ghetto"? A great portion of Fairfax County's 10% African-American populace call Alexandria home, and so I hope you are not misaliging your opinions solely because there are Black People living in Alexandria! Now if you are meaning "ghetto" in that the buildings look older, well you see Alexandria is a historic place with many old homes, but nobody ever calls Old Towne "ghetto" and so I infer that you aren't using "seems really ghetto" in response to the buildings, but rather the PEOPLE since you go on to talk about the people you saw at the health food store!! What is so "ghetto" about Alexandria residents??

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Skapov

Hello There!

Could you please expand upon exactly HOW/WHAT/WHO/WHEN Alexandria was so-called "ghetto"? A great portion of Fairfax County's 10% African-American populace call Alexandria home, and so I hope you are not misaliging your opinions solely because there are Black People living in Alexandria! Now if you are meaning "ghetto" in that the buildings look older, well you see Alexandria is a historic place with many old homes, but nobody ever calls Old Towne "ghetto" and so I infer that you aren't using "seems really ghetto" in response to the buildings, but rather the PEOPLE since you go on to talk about the people you saw at the health food store!! What is so "ghetto" about Alexandria residents??

He's talking about the Van Dorn area of Alexandria--not the nice parts of Alexandria. I would agree that it is very run down and "ghetto" and I don't mean that in the African American sense and I doubt he did either. I was in the Van Dorn area of Alexandria two weeks ago and I don't think I even noticed an African American person. It just looks bad there and always has. Run down--like the Rt. 1 corridor in Virginia mainly is.