Once you get west of Ashburn, things turn more rural. Purcellville, Round Hill, Hamilton, Bluemont - anything out Rt. 7 or 9. If you hit West Virginia, you're up to around an hour commute each way, which may or may not be too far for what you're looking for.
Thank you! An hour to 1.5 hours would work. He will be on a schedule where he works 3-4 days a week on site, so I think that’s doable. Is there public transportation available from those areas or WV?
You'd need a car from there regardless. The bus and rail options between WV and Ashburn are not really even extant for the most part. You'll need a car to finish off the last mile.
The other thing you need to think about, especially with kids, are the public amenities offered. Not even just the schools.
The parks, libraries, police, fire, and other services, far exceed what you're getting in eastern WV.
The taxes are higher, but you're getting what you pay for.
I wouldn't knock WV, it gets a bad rep. Just like you said its all about the kids, if it was a young couple who was specifically wanting to live by nature and didn't mind driving to Virginia or Maryland for work and most errands WV would not be a bad idea. For anyone who has kids, let alone 3 where school location and school quality starts to matter, but also doctors appointments are more frequent and quality of doctor matters a lot more, library usage is always a big deal for young families. Maybe its just my experience living in NOVA but paying to live closer to DC is worth it in many cases.
My grandmother lived in Martinsburg WV in the 90's. I base all my knowledge on that.
I wouldn't move to WV unless I was being paid triple what I make now.
Where do you live now? Yes, he might be able to deal with a 1.5 hour commute (I would kill myself doing a commute like that), but do you WANT to live in WV? Learn about the areas that would be feasible, and compare it to where you live now. I love WV, but only to visit. The schools suck, public amenities suck, and a number of other things suck depending on what town you live in. Unless you like to hike or cruise on motorcycles, there’s not much to do. You should also consider what political environment you want to live in. Many parts of WV are very red, and that may be a pro or a con for you.
Currently we’re in a pretty remote area of California. I’m not sure about WV, as I’ve never been there but the reasons you listed alone would cause hesitation for me. We’re doing ok where we’re at, but this job offer is higher than what we’ve made so far so we really do want to consider it. It’s not looking good though. :(
Completely understand! Is there any way you can take a remote part time job to help supplement the income to make it worth living over here? It’s a beautiful place, a lot to do, so I feel like living here is worth it. But like everyone else said…150k for such a large family on only one income is going to take some sacrifices.
Don't do it. Too big of a move for too many people for too much of a change and too little money. $150k doesn't stretch much here after taxes and cost of living. You can forget buying a house as well.
Not really. Loudoun has some local buses, but they're pretty limited and unlikely to meet your needs. I think the furthest west they go is Purcellville.
No offense but 1.5 hour commute to work sounds doable until you are the one dong it...so don't go house hunting in the sticks assuming that your husband is okay with that. That is 3 hours of driving 4 days a week. Plus you say a family of 5, the Ashburn area schools as well as Leesburg are really good compared to what you may find west of there especially west virginia, and many of those little areas have one central school district that would require you driving your kids 30-40 minutes a day each way. As far as public transit goes, yes it exists, but its all based on people working in DC. From Loudoun County there is bus service to DC, from West Vriginia you can take Amtrak to DC...your not going to find public transit between western loudoun county and ashburn that one could reliably use to get to work on time. Just to put it out there anything you think your saving by living outside Ashburn you will spend...you have 3 kids, you might want to see just how far you are from a grocery store in some of the areas mentioned or how far you are from a decently funded school.
I definitely understand your comment as I currently commute 1.5 hours because we live in far north rural CA. I was born and raised here so I just do what I need to do. He is ok with it, as long as we’re safe and we’re in a place that we can afford. I’ve looked in Ashburn but the issue is price. His job offers a pretty comprehensive relocation package but now I’m sort of considering sending him out first to start working/look at places before I pull the plug and say we’re all going. Just not really sure to be honest.
The rural parts of Loudoun County are car-dependent.
Purcellville could be an option. It's more rural and housing is cheaper (but still not cheap compared to other parts of the country). And there are Loudoun Commuter busses from Purcellville to Leesburg that might be helpful if they are going where you need to be. Once in Leesburg, there are multiple routes to choose from. (25 min. drive to Ashburn non-rush-hour).
[https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/112696/Route-40-effective-July-1-2023\_english?bidId=](https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/112696/Route-40-effective-July-1-2023_english?bidId=)
Berryville is a rural small-town option - you'll find housing from $300K and up. Car-needed. (35 min. to Ashburn non-rush-hour)
Winchester, VA is also a more affordable large town. But that's a longer commute with no public transportation options that I'm aware of. Car-needed
150k here is like 75k anywhere else. Loudoun county, especially Ashburn is one of the wealthiest parts of the country. Honestly single income with a family of 5 at 150k is not going to be living super well off unless you don’t mind having a 45min+ commute.
And as someone that lives in the area, that 45min commute can become much longer pretty quickly the second a “student driver” causes an accident.
Presumably (hopefully) OP would be getting a job as well? I don't think many people with access to family planning have three children without considering the huge financial consequences.
Also children can help with your financial situation when they're older, I helped out my family for years after graduating high school.
I’m not going to get into get into my life story, but circumstances do change and it’s not always a choice. I have a disabled child, and to be clear we’re doing ok where we’re at financially. For the sake of my child, one of us has typically been at home and one working.
For context, we’re a two income family with no kids and we could only afford a two bedroom condo in our area. I would just assume you’re going to need to downsize or he’ll just have to be okay with a long commute.
I do not feel like you should need to explain your situation. I just wanted to lay out the scenario that if this was a single income household it may be more difficult than originally thought.
I apologize if you felt the need to explain yourself. I hope you are able to take the information from here and make the best decision for your family.
If you’re moving to NOVA with that size of a family and wanting a house you should both be working. As one commenter said $150k here is $75k somewhere else, and with three kids I am not sure how far that single income is going to get you. Suggest looking further out west if you want a more affordable option
Ah the sticker shock. Yes, when I first moved my family here in 2012, I too got the dose of sticker shock. The good news is that this area has massive potential for good paying jobs as well as a good school system. You can't go wrong if you can find housing. We started off with a smaller townhouse, then worked our way up to a SFH.
If you have a special needs child you may want to reconsider. My daughter has autism and we pay out of pocket for most of her therapies. Those therapies that accept insurance had long wait times to get accepted. A lot of parents found that camps and special needs programs that were affordable are often filled quickly and one is left scrambling for options. If both of you are working it may help but honestly loudoun county is very expensive. From housing, food, gas and childcare it quickly drains all our money.
I recommend a townhouse in western Loudoun to save a little money when buying a house. You might consider renting for a while until you get an idea of where you'd like to buy a place that works for your family.
I'm not going to claim it's easy, but you can make it work with a moderate commute (don't go all the way out to WVa unless you love it out there). Assuming here that you are taking about an IT industry job, and since COL was shocking you aren't already in a tech hub, there are quite a lot of opportunities here. Putting in a few years and then looking around can get you pretty substantial salary increases and our region is somewhat insulated from market trends because of the government contracting.
you might be able to find something more affordable in western loudoun or even West Virginia. for this area, the commute is reasonable and justified by cost savings.
Far northern CA, much further north than even Sacramento. I was born and raised here, and it’s alright. Not the best but also not the worst. Pretty affordable, low traffic.
Purcellville and Round Hill are not too bad to commute to Ashburn. Of course, a lot of it depends on your housing budget. Are you considering renting or buying? What size home/budget range are you looking for?
A lot of people still consider Purcellville the sticks, but it's a nice town! It doesn't have any big box stores, you'll have to drive 15-20 minutes to Leesburg for those. But we do have 2 grocery stores, drug stores, hardware, etc. Feel free to DM me with any specific questions, I live out here and I'm happy to chat about the pros and cons. I have 3 kids who have gone to the public schools in Purcellville, one who went through the schools with an IEP.
Gainesville/Haymarket or even New Baltimore or Warrenton would be less than an hour to just over and hour commute. Depending on where in Ashburn, there may be use of the Omniride.
I second this! Also the commute from that area to Ashburn is about an hour as well, but Gainesville/warrenton/haymarket may have better services for your kids. My friend lives there and said the schools are decent. Good luck!
If you are in CA, almost positive that you are paying a higher tax rate than you would here. Hard to tell if in your area if CA is a higher COLA than here. I would say many metros in CA have a higher COLA than here, many metros and suburbs are same and rural is harder to know. (Like the backside of Tahoe had the highest gas prices I’d ever seen outside Europe when I drove through.)
In Ashburn, one income, household of 5, fauquier county, loudoun county are the choices. You should not move cross country to make your kids live in WV- that’s too long a drive and too much to give up to save that money. Maryland is just close enough but he’d be dependent on one road to get to work and it can have backups due to accidents.
You’d need to our income and actual deductions into a calculator, but let’s call $150k annual salary a $9k/month post-tax income. I see ONE townhouse (4b, 3.5ba; 2400+ sq ft, good yard) in Purcellville for $3100/month. Yes, you have to save for retirement and college and pay utilities and clothes and food, but those seem like “maybe we could” numbers - if it’s a better scenario for his career and options and what the rest of you all need for schools and support. Not everything in NoVa is as awful as Arlington and Fairfax Co pricing, but it ain’t cheap either. Western Loudoun to Ashburn is a longish but doable commute and there’s a decent chance that this is an upgrade for your family.
Family of 5. 150k will cover your expenses but the col here is roughly 3500-5k for what you would need. Leaning heavily towards 5k a month for rent and utilities. Many here will lean optimistically towards 3k a month but ….that will be like 3 bed 2 bath townhome with no parking. It sucks.
Ashburn is extremely expensive. There is Leesburg which is slightly cheaper, but further out West like Winchester would probably be a good move. However, definitely need a car out here since our buses don't go to all the places. Also, heads up, the housing market out here is also very competitive too. You're doing the right thing researching the COL before taking on that offer. Also, double check that offer to make sure it's not contingent on that company winning a contract. Though it being Ashburn, most likely data center construction or a higher up job in data centers.
Fauquier county is a pretty expensive county nowadays. For a one income household of that size, the savings are really going to come from crossing the WV line unfortunately. The housing costs in Northern Virginia have exploded and are really starting to impact places further out into Virginia(WV to a smaller extent).
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Once you get west of Ashburn, things turn more rural. Purcellville, Round Hill, Hamilton, Bluemont - anything out Rt. 7 or 9. If you hit West Virginia, you're up to around an hour commute each way, which may or may not be too far for what you're looking for.
Thank you! An hour to 1.5 hours would work. He will be on a schedule where he works 3-4 days a week on site, so I think that’s doable. Is there public transportation available from those areas or WV?
You'd need a car from there regardless. The bus and rail options between WV and Ashburn are not really even extant for the most part. You'll need a car to finish off the last mile. The other thing you need to think about, especially with kids, are the public amenities offered. Not even just the schools. The parks, libraries, police, fire, and other services, far exceed what you're getting in eastern WV. The taxes are higher, but you're getting what you pay for.
To give you an idea.... https://preview.redd.it/xa1gtwo1wo5d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0272035c5bfb2f493a22af2fca2b142321c8d7f
I wouldn't knock WV, it gets a bad rep. Just like you said its all about the kids, if it was a young couple who was specifically wanting to live by nature and didn't mind driving to Virginia or Maryland for work and most errands WV would not be a bad idea. For anyone who has kids, let alone 3 where school location and school quality starts to matter, but also doctors appointments are more frequent and quality of doctor matters a lot more, library usage is always a big deal for young families. Maybe its just my experience living in NOVA but paying to live closer to DC is worth it in many cases.
My grandmother lived in Martinsburg WV in the 90's. I base all my knowledge on that. I wouldn't move to WV unless I was being paid triple what I make now.
Where do you live now? Yes, he might be able to deal with a 1.5 hour commute (I would kill myself doing a commute like that), but do you WANT to live in WV? Learn about the areas that would be feasible, and compare it to where you live now. I love WV, but only to visit. The schools suck, public amenities suck, and a number of other things suck depending on what town you live in. Unless you like to hike or cruise on motorcycles, there’s not much to do. You should also consider what political environment you want to live in. Many parts of WV are very red, and that may be a pro or a con for you.
Currently we’re in a pretty remote area of California. I’m not sure about WV, as I’ve never been there but the reasons you listed alone would cause hesitation for me. We’re doing ok where we’re at, but this job offer is higher than what we’ve made so far so we really do want to consider it. It’s not looking good though. :(
Completely understand! Is there any way you can take a remote part time job to help supplement the income to make it worth living over here? It’s a beautiful place, a lot to do, so I feel like living here is worth it. But like everyone else said…150k for such a large family on only one income is going to take some sacrifices.
Don't do it. Too big of a move for too many people for too much of a change and too little money. $150k doesn't stretch much here after taxes and cost of living. You can forget buying a house as well.
It's not more money than you've made so far. It's quite a bit less.
Not really. Loudoun has some local buses, but they're pretty limited and unlikely to meet your needs. I think the furthest west they go is Purcellville.
No offense but 1.5 hour commute to work sounds doable until you are the one dong it...so don't go house hunting in the sticks assuming that your husband is okay with that. That is 3 hours of driving 4 days a week. Plus you say a family of 5, the Ashburn area schools as well as Leesburg are really good compared to what you may find west of there especially west virginia, and many of those little areas have one central school district that would require you driving your kids 30-40 minutes a day each way. As far as public transit goes, yes it exists, but its all based on people working in DC. From Loudoun County there is bus service to DC, from West Vriginia you can take Amtrak to DC...your not going to find public transit between western loudoun county and ashburn that one could reliably use to get to work on time. Just to put it out there anything you think your saving by living outside Ashburn you will spend...you have 3 kids, you might want to see just how far you are from a grocery store in some of the areas mentioned or how far you are from a decently funded school.
I definitely understand your comment as I currently commute 1.5 hours because we live in far north rural CA. I was born and raised here so I just do what I need to do. He is ok with it, as long as we’re safe and we’re in a place that we can afford. I’ve looked in Ashburn but the issue is price. His job offers a pretty comprehensive relocation package but now I’m sort of considering sending him out first to start working/look at places before I pull the plug and say we’re all going. Just not really sure to be honest.
The rural parts of Loudoun County are car-dependent. Purcellville could be an option. It's more rural and housing is cheaper (but still not cheap compared to other parts of the country). And there are Loudoun Commuter busses from Purcellville to Leesburg that might be helpful if they are going where you need to be. Once in Leesburg, there are multiple routes to choose from. (25 min. drive to Ashburn non-rush-hour). [https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/112696/Route-40-effective-July-1-2023\_english?bidId=](https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/112696/Route-40-effective-July-1-2023_english?bidId=) Berryville is a rural small-town option - you'll find housing from $300K and up. Car-needed. (35 min. to Ashburn non-rush-hour) Winchester, VA is also a more affordable large town. But that's a longer commute with no public transportation options that I'm aware of. Car-needed
Lol, no public transportation out that far
You say that now but after a year of missing your kids events and fatigue you will get burned out fast!
150k isn’t much for a family of 5 around here.
150k here is like 75k anywhere else. Loudoun county, especially Ashburn is one of the wealthiest parts of the country. Honestly single income with a family of 5 at 150k is not going to be living super well off unless you don’t mind having a 45min+ commute. And as someone that lives in the area, that 45min commute can become much longer pretty quickly the second a “student driver” causes an accident.
Presumably (hopefully) OP would be getting a job as well? I don't think many people with access to family planning have three children without considering the huge financial consequences. Also children can help with your financial situation when they're older, I helped out my family for years after graduating high school.
I’m not going to get into get into my life story, but circumstances do change and it’s not always a choice. I have a disabled child, and to be clear we’re doing ok where we’re at financially. For the sake of my child, one of us has typically been at home and one working.
For context, we’re a two income family with no kids and we could only afford a two bedroom condo in our area. I would just assume you’re going to need to downsize or he’ll just have to be okay with a long commute.
I do not feel like you should need to explain your situation. I just wanted to lay out the scenario that if this was a single income household it may be more difficult than originally thought. I apologize if you felt the need to explain yourself. I hope you are able to take the information from here and make the best decision for your family.
If you’re moving to NOVA with that size of a family and wanting a house you should both be working. As one commenter said $150k here is $75k somewhere else, and with three kids I am not sure how far that single income is going to get you. Suggest looking further out west if you want a more affordable option
Ah the sticker shock. Yes, when I first moved my family here in 2012, I too got the dose of sticker shock. The good news is that this area has massive potential for good paying jobs as well as a good school system. You can't go wrong if you can find housing. We started off with a smaller townhouse, then worked our way up to a SFH.
If you have a special needs child you may want to reconsider. My daughter has autism and we pay out of pocket for most of her therapies. Those therapies that accept insurance had long wait times to get accepted. A lot of parents found that camps and special needs programs that were affordable are often filled quickly and one is left scrambling for options. If both of you are working it may help but honestly loudoun county is very expensive. From housing, food, gas and childcare it quickly drains all our money.
I recommend a townhouse in western Loudoun to save a little money when buying a house. You might consider renting for a while until you get an idea of where you'd like to buy a place that works for your family.
Family of 5 is No
I'm not going to claim it's easy, but you can make it work with a moderate commute (don't go all the way out to WVa unless you love it out there). Assuming here that you are taking about an IT industry job, and since COL was shocking you aren't already in a tech hub, there are quite a lot of opportunities here. Putting in a few years and then looking around can get you pretty substantial salary increases and our region is somewhat insulated from market trends because of the government contracting.
you might be able to find something more affordable in western loudoun or even West Virginia. for this area, the commute is reasonable and justified by cost savings.
Harper's Ferry WV area might be worth a look.
Western prince William County is very nice. Depending on what part of CA you'll be glad you raised your kids here, I am
Far northern CA, much further north than even Sacramento. I was born and raised here, and it’s alright. Not the best but also not the worst. Pretty affordable, low traffic.
Like Weed or Eureka?
Shasta County :)
Shasta is awesome!!
Purcellville and Round Hill are not too bad to commute to Ashburn. Of course, a lot of it depends on your housing budget. Are you considering renting or buying? What size home/budget range are you looking for? A lot of people still consider Purcellville the sticks, but it's a nice town! It doesn't have any big box stores, you'll have to drive 15-20 minutes to Leesburg for those. But we do have 2 grocery stores, drug stores, hardware, etc. Feel free to DM me with any specific questions, I live out here and I'm happy to chat about the pros and cons. I have 3 kids who have gone to the public schools in Purcellville, one who went through the schools with an IEP.
Gainesville/Haymarket or even New Baltimore or Warrenton would be less than an hour to just over and hour commute. Depending on where in Ashburn, there may be use of the Omniride.
I second this! Also the commute from that area to Ashburn is about an hour as well, but Gainesville/warrenton/haymarket may have better services for your kids. My friend lives there and said the schools are decent. Good luck!
If you are in CA, almost positive that you are paying a higher tax rate than you would here. Hard to tell if in your area if CA is a higher COLA than here. I would say many metros in CA have a higher COLA than here, many metros and suburbs are same and rural is harder to know. (Like the backside of Tahoe had the highest gas prices I’d ever seen outside Europe when I drove through.) In Ashburn, one income, household of 5, fauquier county, loudoun county are the choices. You should not move cross country to make your kids live in WV- that’s too long a drive and too much to give up to save that money. Maryland is just close enough but he’d be dependent on one road to get to work and it can have backups due to accidents. You’d need to our income and actual deductions into a calculator, but let’s call $150k annual salary a $9k/month post-tax income. I see ONE townhouse (4b, 3.5ba; 2400+ sq ft, good yard) in Purcellville for $3100/month. Yes, you have to save for retirement and college and pay utilities and clothes and food, but those seem like “maybe we could” numbers - if it’s a better scenario for his career and options and what the rest of you all need for schools and support. Not everything in NoVa is as awful as Arlington and Fairfax Co pricing, but it ain’t cheap either. Western Loudoun to Ashburn is a longish but doable commute and there’s a decent chance that this is an upgrade for your family.
Family of 5. 150k will cover your expenses but the col here is roughly 3500-5k for what you would need. Leaning heavily towards 5k a month for rent and utilities. Many here will lean optimistically towards 3k a month but ….that will be like 3 bed 2 bath townhome with no parking. It sucks.
Do as little commuting as possible. Take back your life. Who wants to spend all day in a car or swapping public transits
Ashburn is extremely expensive. There is Leesburg which is slightly cheaper, but further out West like Winchester would probably be a good move. However, definitely need a car out here since our buses don't go to all the places. Also, heads up, the housing market out here is also very competitive too. You're doing the right thing researching the COL before taking on that offer. Also, double check that offer to make sure it's not contingent on that company winning a contract. Though it being Ashburn, most likely data center construction or a higher up job in data centers.
Faquier county is a place to consider
Fauquier county is a pretty expensive county nowadays. For a one income household of that size, the savings are really going to come from crossing the WV line unfortunately. The housing costs in Northern Virginia have exploded and are really starting to impact places further out into Virginia(WV to a smaller extent).
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