Manassas or Loudoun?

I live in Manassas. Moved down here from NYC almost 5 years ago. I have a Middle Schooler(10) and a toddler(2). Schools are average and efficient. Daycares are plentiful, with the better ones being Appletree and Minnieland. My Middle Schooler goes to Mayfield Intermediate School and the teachers/staff and programs are plentiful and he enjoys school. We just brought our first house last July, we paid for a SFH at townhouse pricing. By far you can get an even better deal these days. Wellington is a very nice neighborhood, it has access to 28, 66,Prince William Parkway and 234. Commutting is what you make of it. There are back ways out of Manassas that help you avoid the main thoroughfares and help you save time. While all neighboorhood have rough spots, on my side of town the blight on the area is Georgetown South, which is a boarding community on the Wellington Townhouse areas, it hasn't been to active lately, but it is an old subdivision of townhomes. I have rented in Wellington and had no problems with crime at all, I now own in one of the older sub divisions that are along/between Hastings and Wellington Rds and which are pretty nice. I would say the best thing to do is to drive around during the daytime and during the evening. this would give you a better understanding of the neighborhoods. Stores, Resturants and activities are close by and there are a great resources like Boys and Girls Club and Freedom Aquatic Centers with programs and activities for kids and Parents. Good Luck in your search.

Loudoun has better schools. Both commutes are not the best. Look into foreclosures for the best pricing, and if in Loudoun, I would try to look west of Route 28.

Hi J.,
I am an agent in the area and I can tell you that you will spend less in Manassas, Loudoun has a few crime issues unless you live the farm area and that would not be in the price range you are looking at. Bristow and Gainesville are nice area but try traveling in to Fairfax during rush hour you may change your mind after being on 66. My husband works in Alexandria and commutes from Stafford, we got alot more house and our kids go to excellent school that are not over crowded. I am also a fan of LAKE RIDGE. NOT DALE CITY. Anything in prince william I think you will be good with, lots of foreclosures to jump on. Its almost a trade, exspensive house or big house with a commute.Many dont move up north until later in life. If your not from around here sticker shock is painful. Let me know if you need any advise or help. I can hook you up with some searches of the foreclosures. Dont forget to check out the builders many have great deals ! And take your agent. Ask for a buyers rebate.. ... I do them if you cant find anyone. ( this were the agent splits her commission with you) Good Luck house hunting.

Hi J.,

We bought a house last year so that we could move OUT of Loudoun county. We didn't like it there at all! The people just seemed to be snobby, upwardly mobile types. Of course, that's fine for some people, but we were looked down on because we live a simpler kind of life. We had the money for a townhome there, but chose to live where we are now because it's a quieter, slower paced life and better for raising kids. Plus, for the price of a townhome in Loudoun county, we got a nice, big, stand alone home on .75 acres in a great neighborhood down here in King George. Also, believe me when I tell you that your husband will NOT want to be driving to work on the Leesburg Pike every morning. It regularly turned a 40 minute commute into a 2 hour commute for my husband. The traffic is HORRIBLE!! Maybe you should think about expanding your search out even further. My husband commutes into DC every day to work at the federal center, but we feel it's soooo worth it for a peaceful and enriching home life. Sorry I don't have an opinion about schools since we homeschool. The only school I ever came in contact with was Tolbert Elementary when we tried out Kindergarten with my son. That's in Leesburg and I didn't like it, but then I don't like public school period, so I'm biased.. :)

I recommend you look for a place in Fredericksburg. There are some really nice neighborhoods there and house prices are very reasonable. In Loudoun you probably wouldn't be able to find a home to grown in for what you said your budget is. By the time we moved the market there was ridiculous (we had a friend selling their townhome which was very small and cramped for $410,000!!). It's only about 30-40 minutes or so from Fredericksburg to 495 and there are metro stations along the way for commuters as well. Also, you don't even have to take 95 to get to Fairfax from Fredericksburg. We never take 95 anymore when we have to go to IAD, we take 17 to 28 and come up through Manassas on 28 which would put your husband in a good position to get on 66 coming from the Dulles direction. It's a bit longer, mileage wise, but much faster since there are few traffic lights (it's mostly farm country) and no interstate traffic. Check into it if you want. Another thing we considered was actually buying a place in VW. It's not as far away as it sounds and my husband worked with several people who bought houses out there in order to get more (a LOT more) for their money. They said the commute wasn't too bad and they worked on the complete opposite side of DC. I think it would be pretty reasonable to Fairfax. All in all, we decided that King George was the most affordable and the best deal, despite the commute. We actually SAVE money; every month on our mortgage and every year since we're not paying Loudoun's ridiculous local taxes any more, even though we're paying for more gas for my hubby's drive to work. My advice is, don't be afraid of the commute, it may be worth your while to endure it in order to get into a better house.

Hi J.,
We lived in Ashburn for 2 years. Then we moved to Gainesville over 6 years ago. Then we could see horses and cows. A lot has changed. It has been refered to as the "NEW ASHBURN". I really love it here. We have awesome neighbors. We have most of the stores you need within minutes away. It seems like there are more stay at home Mom's here than is Ashburn. Schools are new and awesome. My son is in one of the nation's top High School programs.
My elementary school son is loving his school and teachers.
They are finishing up the HOV lanes on 66 so the commute, will not be great, but better than last year. If yo have any questions, please let me know.

We used to live in Loudoun, in Leesburg proper and I loved it. I could walk everywhere and saved a ton on gas etc. Now we live in Haymarket (not one of the gated communities) and although at first, I was not super happy now I LOVE it!!! My kids have friends in the neighborhood and yesterday, they spent the afternoon riding bikes, scooters etc. (we could never let our kids ride bikes in the street in Leesburg) The people in the area are wonderful and will help you out in a heartbeat. There are parts of Manassas that are fine and others that are probably not so safe. I go to manassas at all hours of the day and have never seen or felt anything that has made me feel uncomfortable. There are many stores in and around gainesville, bristow and even haymarket. There are many advantages to living in both Loudoun and in the gainesville area. Commuting from either area would probably be a bear. I love being close to 66 and find it really convenient to get to most places. The schools in Haymarket are good. Just like all other public schools, they teach to the SOL. We had issues in first grade at Alvey elementary but since then, every teacher was wonderful. The middle school, Bull Run Middle School, is amazingly organized and I feel, a great middle school. In my neighborhood in Haymarket, we have two houses on the market for around 280,000 to 300,000 but you get more than an acre, at least three bedrooms, two level, kitchen, dining room, living room, rec room etc. (twice the size of our leesburg SFH) and a super quiet neighborhood on a cul-de-sac road. Good luck.

I do not know much about Manassas, but I do live in Loudoun. If you are able to find a home that meets your needs in Loudoun, Ashburn is a great area, especially for children. You will find it to be safe and with lots of activities for the children. Our daughter is in taekwondo and soccer. She just finished a school program in Odyssey of the Mind and a swimming program at our local gym. In the past, she has also done yoga for kids and gymnastics (at a Sterling center). We hope to start her in Mandarin Chinese, aikido for kids and piano soon. All of these activities she has participated in meet / met in Ashburn or Sterling. As for the schools, Loudoun County schools are pretty good, I think. However, we are going to home school our daughter next year due to some issues she had relating to her social immaturity / size and differing ability level between subject areas. I would avoid Virginia Academy unless you want your children to learn that Robert E Lee was a great Christian patriot, etc.

Hi J.!

My husband works in Fairfax County and we live in Centreville.

We are just married, so I cant tell you about schools even there are some close by.

We moved here in September, we live in Centreville, and I thought maybe it would be a good option for you. My husband is 10 minutes from home to work, townhomes are nice and are in your price range. We considered Manassas but my husband didnt like the area that much even the homes are a lot cheaper and we didnt really looked down there, so I cant tell you a lot about it.

If you are interested to know more about Centreville please let us know, we looked around 50 or more homes in the area before we bought. And we are really enjoying our neighborhood, it has pool, tennis courts and basket ball courts and close to the main highways.

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I have never lived in Manassas and I live in Leesburg (Loudoun) and I love it. I lived in Ashburn (renting a condo) and I LOVED Ashburn even more than Leesburg. I have kept my children in Ashburn schools, they are great. If I had the income to move back to Ashburn I would. Ashburn is my suggestion, Leesburg if that's a little high in price. I live in Leesburg and work in Sterling so I can't help much on the commute part, sorry.

Good luck.

I lived in Leesburg for 3 years and have lived in Gainesville for the last 3 years. We moved out here because it was cheaper and we love it! I loved Leesburg as well, but hated the traffic. I have friends that commute to Fairfax and they don't seem to mind. My kids are not in school yet, but I here very good things about them.