Relocation possibilities, Fredericksburg VA

I have been looking around places to relocate with the company that both my wife and I work for. I had looked into Burlington Mass but I have shifted my gaze back south. Fredericksburg is the furthest south the company currently goes, and is the only location in VA outside of the DC beltway. Looking into things, I like that it is about half way between Richmond and DC. Cost of living looks reasonable, doubly so to the greater Boston area I was considering. Apartments look to start around $750, with starter homes to be had Sub-$75k.

Part of this is I grew up in Virginia and want to go back. VA gun laws are far more lenient than NY or Mass. A day trip to DC is up to an hour to drive to a metro station then a short train ride in. Kings Dominion(largest VA amusement park) is 35-45 minutes south. Best of all, winter won't be the 5 month affair it is here in CNY.

Anything else I should consider? If this happens, it might be in a year or two.

Just to clarify..Your employer is actually in Fredericksburg?

If you are willing to have a short commute (~20 mins) check out the surrounding areas. For instance the further west you travel on Route 3 the more rural it becomes.

Fredericksburg on the weekend, at least around the central park area on Route 3 can be a pain in the ass, with the traffic and all the dolts that typically drive 10 under the posted speed limit. Dont get me wrong, its nowhere near as bad as northern VA but wife and I much prefer driving to Culpeper if we need to "go to town".

We live smack dab in the middle of Route 3 between Fredericksburg and Culpeper, in Locust Grove. Exact same distance to each, wayyy less traffic getting to things in Culpeper. We like Culpeper a lot and when it comes time to move to a slightly larger house thats where we plan to move.

Been through Fredericksburg a time or two. Seems like a well-situated, thriving community. Virginia's a fine place to live!

Way too close to DC for me. I've only driven through Fredericksburg a few times. The winter there would be a huge improvement for you though.

As soon as you get off the I-95 corridor, it doesn't feel close to D.C. at all. There are some very nice small towns and wide open spaces nearby. Kinda like parts of New Jersey once you get off the turnpike.

There are a couple GRMers around too.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/richmond-va-grm-meet/84307/page1/

Yeah, I grew up in Culpeper which is about 30 min west of Fburg. Good town that's coming on up. If you've gotta commute on 95, it becomes a bitch every rush hour anywhere north of the city. Other than that a bunch of stuff was covered on this thread a bit ago

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/learn-me-living-in-va/52806/page1/

Lake Anna isn't far and the outer banks make for nice summer weekends when not at the track, which you should be at with Summit, VIR and Dominion opening soon.

captdownshift wrote: Lake Anna isn't far and the outer banks make for nice summer weekends when not at the track, which you should be at with Summit, VIR and Dominion opening soon.

Just read on the Dominion Raceway website that the proposed road course is expected to have a 3000 ft straight. Aw yeah.

Back on topic. Fredericksburg is a nice place. I agree that immediately off the interstate it goes rural real fast which is nice imo. You could live in Fburg, enjoy the quiet life, and then go "into town" for groceries and such. Then you'd have DC as your playground for any culture fun like concerts, art, museums, etc.

Richmond is only an hour away but if you feel so inclined has a much different culture than DC.

I'm not afraid of a little commute. I currently have a 22 mile/30-35 minute drive to work. My wife and I like rural as long as we are within the range of cable for high speed internet.

Be sure where you are looking actually does have the services you want.

Protip: Cable providers can and will lie to you. We called before the purchase of the home and were told that Comcast did service that area. Yeah. No they don't.

Hard lesson to learn. Wife wasnt very happy.

when I lived in northern, va (Leesburg) and had my 29 mile commute to Falls Church I could count on it taking 90 minutes...each way. Thankfully that's the opposite end of the Northern VA spectrum for you, stay south of Hoodbridge and it isn't too bad.

Truth. Northern Virginia is still growing ridiculously fast and traffic is not getting any better.

A few years ago my commute was Aldie to Fairfax, 45 mins to an hour - 17 miles. If it was raining in the afternoon, it was an hour and a half.

Now my commute is still 45 minutes to an hour, to drive 45 miles. Always consistent.

Out of curiosity neon where did you grow up in VA?

failboat wrote: A few years ago my commute was Aldie to Fairfax, 45 mins to an hour - 17 miles. If it was raining in the afternoon, it was an hour and a half. Now my commute is still 45 minutes to an hour, to drive 45 miles. Always consistent. Out of curiosity neon where did you grow up in VA?

I used to have a commute that shared much of those roads (Purcellville to Chantilly. Interestingly enough, its now much faster due to the roundabouts they put at Gilbert's Corner and several intersections surrounding it. Where 50 necks down still blows chunks though.

<-- Glad to no longer live near any of that E36 M3.

I grew up in Bayside in Virginia Beach. Dad was navy and we stayed there until he retired when I was in middle school. When I took my wife there on our honey moon she couldn't get over the "noise" of frequent fighter jet flyovers.

I would love to be just far enough out if town to have room and zoning permit a steel out building.

All I know is you are much closer to Summit Point and VIR than I am up here in MA. That would be a criteria I would be looking at.

Bumping for the OP, as I saw you mention your employer in another thread. Wegman's is planning two Richmond locations sometime in the next couple of years (all of us down here in Richmond are super excited for someone to fill the gap that Ukrop's left behind). It opens up the opportunity for even more reasonable costs of living on I-64 west of Richmond (or out in Chesterfield/Amelia county in the case of the planned South Richmond location). In addition, Richmond is so much easier to deal with than northern Virginia traffic (even Fredericksburg). You may be well served by looking into that.

In reply to szeis4cookie: Thanks for the update. All I know is wegs is currently pushing Massachusetts stores hard now and with plans for the North Carolina in 5 years. The further into Virginia the better for me.

I spent a lot of time working near mineral va and bumpass. Used to spend my off day in fredericksburg or fishing on lake anna nice area although in the bigger cities I encountered quite a few shiny happy people