Pros and Cons of Living in Northern Virginia

Are you trying to decide where to live in the Washington DC Area and wondering about Northern Virginia? I’ve got seven pros and three cons you will want to know about before you consider moving here.

I do these videos for you every week and break down living in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. I’ve lived here over 20 years, and I know these areas. I go deeper than anybody and I write everything myself, there is no AI here. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the new videos.

One thing to note – my partner Michael and I have done a lot of videos on the different towns and cities in Northern Virginia, so definitely check those out too once you have narrowed down the areas where you are interested.
Let’s start with the Pros because there are a lot of them!

Pros of Living in Northern Virginia

Location

Northern Virginia is amazing for both its proximity locally to everything you need but also in the country. There are two major airports in Northern Virginia. There’s Dulles which is international and Reagan National in Arlington for domestic flights.

A significant part of Northern Virginia lies inside the beltway. These areas include Arlington County, The City of Alexandria and parts of Fairfax. Being inside the beltway was long considered the gold standard for where to live as it was the most commutable to DC as well as the suburbs. But as things have changed! Northern Virginia has proven itself to be very business-friendly, Tyson’s Corner and the Dulles Corridor are also huge employment centers. This means that traffic doesn’t head in one direction like it may have decades ago. Commutes happen in all directions and that means you have options.

Jobs

There are over 200 Corporate Headquarters located in Northern Virginia. They provide robust and stable employment for people who live in and commute to the area. The largest industries here are Government Contractors and Technology but there is decent representation for non-profits, think tanks, real estate, consumer goods, media, finance, education and communications. Google, Amazon, Mars, Capital One, Accenture, Northrop Grumman, Motley Fool, Rosetta Stone, USA Today, Hilton, Freddie Mac, Interstate Hotels, Sunrise Senior Living are among several that call Northern Virginia their home.

Transportation

The western areas of Northern Virginia, notably anything past Fairfax County used to seem so far and could only be reached by driving. The orange line metro went to Vienna and that was the end. Now there is the Silver Line metro! Loudoun County and the northern part of Fairfax County welcomed the silver line with four stops in McLean, two in Reston, two in Herndon, and then three in Loudoun County. The last stop is Ashburn, which is an incredibly popular suburb of Washington DC. This was a windfall for Ashburn property values.

Climate

It’s thankfully pretty mild here. Our summers do get hot, so expect to wear shorts for June, July, August and September. Hats and gloves in December, January and February. We have four seasons. Actually, locals say that we have 12 seasons. They are: Winter, Fool’s Spring, Second Winter, Spring of Deception, Third Winter, The Pollening, Actual Spring, Summer, Hell’s Front Porch, False Fall, Second Summer, Actual Fall. Seasons like Actual Spring last for about 45 minutes.

Our winters are usually not too bad, we don’t often get weather below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Summers we can get to 100 but it usually tops out in the 90’s. We did have a heat wave this summer though, and it was rough for some people.

Education

People here are smart! According to Forbes, Arlington, Virginia is the 2nd’ most highly educated city in the country. According to a website called “Overflow Data,” The highest educated counties are in order: Falls Church City, VA, Arlington County, Los Alamos, New Mexico, City of Alexandria, Fairfax County, Howard County, MD, Loudoun County, VA. Virginia holds 5 of the top 7 spots.

The school systems for the kiddos are top notch. Fairfax and Loudoun Counties have strong schools across the board. The college options in Virginia are also awesome but worth highlighting here is the preference Virginia residents get for University of Virginia. UVA is a top school and as darn close to an Ivy as you’re going to get without being in New England. I have an in depth video on Fairfax County Schools which you can check out if you want to know more.

Diversity in Residents and Food

Where there is diversity, there is also a wide variety of options for eats. The diverse population in the entire area results in huge benefits for everyone. The schools will showcase events educating the kids on other cultures and you will never be bored with all the great restaurant options. Beyond the usual finds of American, Italian, and Mexican, you can find Ethiopian, Indian, Greek, Balkan, German, Turkish, Thai, Korean, Yemeni, Afghani – it’s all here. There are restaurants in almost every community where you will find that old world feel that someone brought here from their home country, and you can seriously taste the love and pride in their food. It’s something I could not live without if I ever left the area.

Recreation

The outdoor recreation between the trails, bike paths and park is unbelievable. Each county also has their own recreation program where you often can get inexpensive access to great fitness classes, pools, water parks and gym facilities. I can’t stress enough how awesome the offerings are, and we’ve been lucky enough to take advantage of several different classes when they open up to non-county residents.
It’s amazing right? You’re ready to move here aren’t you? We do need to cover some of the cons now.
Cons of Living in Northern Virginia

There aren’t a lot of negatives about living in Northern Virginia but here’s a few you should be aware of.

Traffic

If you do live west of DC and commute to DC by car, you are driving east. Driving home at night, you are headed west. Why the geography lesson Melissa? Because you should think about that sunrise and sunset. If you’re always driving into the blinding sun, there will be traffic.

Because there are so many different employment areas though, this isn’t all bad. There are many alternative roads you can hop on, in an effort to alleviate a bad commute. But you should also know that many roads turn into toll-roads with the overhead EZ-Pass readers. So traffic can not only be bad, but it can be costly. Sometimes the prices to drive 10 miles can cost $20, so make sure you watch those overhead signs before you hop on a highway.

Cost of Living

It’s expensive here. It is really hard to get a good house that’s move-in ready under $800,000. Prices stay strong though, thanks to that job market and the demand to live in Northern Virginia. Some areas are definitely more expensive – moving into Falls Church City, McLean or Vienna for under $1M is nearly impossible. But there are more affordable areas like Burke, West Springfield and Fairfax.

As far as taxes, Virginia basically has a flat income tax of 5.75%. You will also have property taxes depending on the county or city where you live. One thing to note – unlike Maryland, cities and counties operate entirely separately. Meaning – a City like the City of Falls Church or the City of Alexandria will not reside within a county. Cities are totally on their own. You won’t get huge variations in property taxes but know that they do exist.

One other sneaky trick in Northern Virginia is the personal property tax. What’s that? It’s a tax on your cars, RV’s, planes or boats. They calculate it off the NADA Book value, but it can add around $1000 a year or more for your vehicle.

Space

They like to build things in Virginia. And they don’t often give much thought to lot setbacks. What this can mean is that in some of these newer communities, you can borrow sugar from your neighbor by knocking on their kitchen window from inside your kitchen. Okay it’s not that bad, but it can certainly feel like it. The house looks amazing when it’s the model home with nothing around it, but they can get pretty dark when things are built in a row with little space between them.

I hope this gave you all the details you need to consider in your move to Northern Virginia. It’s a pretty awesome place to live, people tend to stay for a long time and build roots here and if that’s your plan, my contact info is next!