Living in NOVA considering Charlottesville or Blacksburg (Arlington, Alexandria: real estate, low crime)

[BloomingVa]

I am currently living in Fairfax, Va and I commute to DC. I have been here for less than a year but I now have to opportunity to work remotely anywhere in Virginia. I have a 4 year old son that will be starting kindergarten in the fall. These are the things I am looking for in a community.
High regards for sustainability and green living
Access to organic foods
Progressive thinking
Holistic/Alternative health options
Low crime
Outdoor activities
Good schools that think outside the box (not traditional) I lean more Waldorf and Montessori but would love to find a dual immersion school. This is my first child going into school, my biggest concern is getting into a school that crushes creativity and that doesn't value a child as an individual. I would say top of list would be good schools.
Affordable housing, one of my biggest issues living in NoVa is how expensive housing is for what you get. We love open spaces and growing our own vegetables. Looking for a home with a decent yard and at least 3 bedrooms for less than 350K.
On our list to consider Charlottesville, and Blackburg.We have also considered staying in the NoVa area because of the great schools. Where would be the best place to find what I am looking for? I am a professional corporate minded person with a hippie heart and soul! I am looking for a community we can call home for at least 10 years to give my son stability and sense of belonging. I love the Blacksburg area but I think it may be too small and perhaps a bit non-progressive in thinking, seems very rural. Charlottesville seems a bit more progressive but it seems like the school system is not that great. Should I just stay in NoVa and make the best out of it? So confused!!!!!!

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by BloomingVa

I am currently living in Fairfax, Va and I commute to DC. I have been here for less than a year but I now have to opportunity to work remotely anywhere in Virginia. I have a 4 year old son that will be starting kindergarten in the fall. These are the things I am looking for in a community.
High regards for sustainability and green living
Access to organic foods
Progressive thinking
Holistic/Alternative health options
Low crime
Outdoor activities
Good schools that think outside the box (not traditional) I lean more Waldorf and Montessori but would love to find a dual immersion school. This is my first child going into school, my biggest concern is getting into a school that crushes creativity and that doesn't value a child as an individual. I would say top of list would be good schools.
Affordable housing, one of my biggest issues living in NoVa is how expensive housing is for what you get. We love open spaces and growing our own vegetables. Looking for a home with a decent yard and at least 3 bedrooms for less than 350K.
On our list to consider Charlottesville, and Blackburg.We have also considered staying in the NoVa area because of the great schools. Where would be the best place to find what I am looking for? I am a professional corporate minded person with a hippie heart and soul! I am looking for a community we can call home for at least 10 years to give my son stability and sense of belonging. I love the Blacksburg area but I think it may be too small and perhaps a bit non-progressive in thinking, seems very rural. Charlottesville seems a bit more progressive but it seems like the school system is not that great. Should I just stay in NoVa and make the best out of it? So confused!!!!!!

Both Blacksburg and Charlottesville seem superficially vibrant, because they are both "college towns" ... and they are vibrant, if you're involved with activities somehow related to the college in that town. HOWEVER, when you get just a little bit away from the school, you will find that the surrounding communities are nothing like being "in town" ... and this applies to any "college town" I've ever seen. Drive a few miles, and you might as well be on another planet.

"Non-progressive" seems to me like a polite understatement. I went to UVA, but have absolutely no desire to live in Charlottesville area. Have a lot of friends who went to Va Tech, but have even less desire to contemplate a move to Blacksburg area.

If you're interested in generally staying in NoVA area but looking for lower cost, you might want to check out Dale City (near Woodbridge). Substantially cheaper than Fairfax County, and still has a good school system. Some parts of Fauquier County are nice too.

Not sure whether there are good Montessori schools in either area; you would have to do your own research on that. Good schools are crucial. Here's a link that may be helpful:

http://www.privateschoolreview.com/state_montessori_schools/type/10/stateid/VA

I'm curious about where you lived before moving to Fairfax County. And why are you in such a hurry to move after only a year?

[GustavoFring]

Charlottesville has grown beyond just being a college town, where as Blacksburg still hasn't. I would love to live in the downtown area of Charlottesville, as it's got a lot going for it. To even suggest Dale City or anywhere in PWC would offer nearly as much is laughable. Most of Nova is sterile, inorganic, and lacks any sort of community feel (with a few exceptions). The only portion of Northern Virginia I would put on the same plane as the downtown area of Charlottesville would be Old Town Alexandria.

Now, that being said, you'll not be able to replicate any sort of urban lifestyle comparable with Northern Arlington, Crystal City or Old Town, but as long as you're fine with that, then Charlottesville is great.

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by GustavoFring

Charlottesville has grown beyond just being a college town, where as Blacksburg still hasn't. I would love to live in the downtown area of Charlottesville, as it's got a lot going for it.

Interesting. Last time I was in Charlottesville was maybe 15 years ago. Guess I need to go down and take another look around. Last time I was there, any semblance of urban sophistication seemed to vanish about 10 miles outside of town.

[GustavoFring]

Originally Posted by Dan_in_DC

Interesting. Last time I was in Charlottesville was maybe 15 years ago. Guess I need to go down and take another look around. Last time I was there, any semblance of urban sophistication seemed to vanish about 10 miles outside of town.

Well, it still does, but maybe that number would be pushed up to 15. Charlottesville, and Albermarle county are pretty nice. As you go further away in the surrounding counties, the more rural it gets (obviously). Really, once you just ignore the 29 strip mall corridor that looks and feels like much of nova, the actual meat of the town is pretty nice and has a lot of character.

[Charlesaf3]

Charlottesville would be perfect for you from the description.

Do you actually live in Virginia, dan in dc? Your takes on places are just odd... Though you certainly can't be accused of following the herd or conventional wisdom...

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

Do you actually live in Virginia, Dan in DC? Your takes on places are just odd... Though you certainly can't be accused of following the herd or conventional wisdom...

Yes, I actually do live right here in the edges of the Cradle of Western Civilization, in the Grand and Glorious Commonwealth of Virginia!

My family has been here since sometime in 1611, 4 or 5 years after the Virginia Company's founding of the first English colony at Jamestown, or almost a decade before the establishment of the Virginia Company's second colony at Plymouth Rock, in what would have probably then been called "extended Northern Virginia" or something like that.

I believe now that area is called Massachusetts. My old friend Ted Kennedy used to live there. Odd sometimes how the names of things keep changing ... occasionally it gets a bit confusing LOL.

Grew up in a place that, once briefly part of Washington DC (on the South side of the Potomac), had been ceded back to the Commowealth by the FedGov shortly before the Civil War.

Later they renamed that chunk of real estate Arlington County, and yes, Arlington is the place where the Internet was invented ... although they called it ARPANET at first (more name-changing again), and most people didn't even know the 'NET existed for quite some time yet. See link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA

At the time I was growing up, Arlington County had the absolute best public school system in the United States. They didn't teach us how to "follow the herd." They taught us how to THINK. And those of us with the cranial capacity to do so were taught how to harness the power of WHY; and a few of us even learned how to make that quantum leap of controlling the power of WHY to create the WHY NOT.

Once one has gained the ability to control that degree of power, one can usually make logical and correct decisions without needing to "follow the herd" or to even bother wasting time on what some call "conventional wisdom" (which tends to be wrong about 75% of the time).

So that's what I do. I hope I've answered your question adequately.

Best regards,
Dan

[Charlesaf3]

Originally Posted by Dan_in_DC

Yes, I actually do live right here in the edges of the Cradle of Western Civilization, in the Grand and Glorious Commonwealth of Virginia!

My family has been here since sometime in 1611, 4 or 5 years after the Virginia Company's founding of the first English colony at Jamestown, or almost a decade before the establishment of the Virginia Company's second colony at Plymouth Rock, in what would have probably then been called "extended Northern Virginia" or something like that.

I believe now that area is called Massachusetts. My old friend Ted Kennedy used to live there. Odd sometimes how the names of things keep changing ... occasionally it gets a bit confusing LOL.

Grew up in a place that, once briefly part of Washington DC (on the South side of the Potomac), had been ceded back to the Commowealth by the FedGov shortly before the Civil War.

Later they renamed that chunk of real estate Arlington County, and yes, Arlington is the place where the Internet was invented ... although they called it ARPANET at first (more name-changing again), and most people didn't even know the 'NET existed for quite some time yet. See link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA

At the time I was growing up, Arlington County had the absolute best public school system in the United States. They didn't teach us how to "follow the herd." They taught us how to THINK. And those of us with the cranial capacity to do so were taught how to harness the power of WHY; and a few of us even learned how to make that quantum leap of controlling the power of WHY to create the WHY NOT.

Once one has gained the ability to control that degree of power, one can usually make logical and correct decisions without needing to "follow the herd" or to even bother wasting time on what some call "conventional wisdom" (which tends to be wrong about 75% of the time).

So that's what I do. I hope I've answered your question adequately.

Best regards,
Dan

More than adequately, frankly. Please take your meds. They are for your own good.

[Dan_in_DC]

Originally Posted by Charlesaf3

Please take your meds. They are for your own good.

So good to hear from you again, Charlie.

It's been so long, I was beginning to think that maybe you had overdosed.

[CAVA1990]

I don't think anywhere in VA would work for you as well as Asheville, NC so you should check that out. There's nothing really hippie anywhere in this state, even in C'ville.