Every time I go home to New England (I'm from CT) I miss the weather, people, food, and I realize how much I hate living in the defense bubble that is northern VA. Don't get me wrong, I love love love the money, but I'd rather have quality of life over money. Obviously the selection of states is limited. Pretty much narrowed it down to Vermont. Some of the best gun laws in the country, awesome outdoor life, and not over populated. I would rather have a smaller more personal home with a fireplace, character, and 15 acres of land than a massive townhouse with neighbors in fart distance in every direction. I want to wake up and go hunt in my backyard or just let the dog run as he pleases. I'm sick of traffic and how it dictates when I leave my home. I want to actually have meaningful conversation with neighbors without the snooty, "ooohhh how much did that cost" bullshit. I actually want to build friendships on kindness and helping each other out.

As far as work is concerned, wife is finishing an MBA from Maryland, we're both cleared to the top and I have a degree in Intelligence to boot. Obviously that kind of work doesn't exist up there, but she'll have the MBA and experience, I plan to get my Real Estate license or use any of my other "skills". Again, it's not about the money as much as it's about the quality of life. Considering the Burlington area or maybe Montpelier.

Any feedback or suggestions.

I live here too. Always been home for me. And I don't even make that much money.

But the traffic sucks so much here. And it feels crowded too.

I really wish I could get a job out in Herndon or Chantilly. Buy a house in Loudon county and just drive in every day. Id' be close enough to Fairfax that I could visit when I want, but far enough away that it wouldn't feel like I'm fighting a million people to drive home.

Bye.

Yeah, I live in Leesburg and commute to McLean. I've had enough. Toll road, unjust taxes. I looked, same size house with 20 acres in VT is the same in property tax, oh except I don't have to pay tax on my fucking cars every year......or ever

Anything available at Mt Weather or Site R?  You still get the pay but you can live in the sticks.

I doubt Raven Rock has many available positions.  

It's like Déjà vu all over again.

Of?

This guy is thinking of doing the same thing.

There's nice things about being in town that you don't realize until you move away.

LOL. Yeah, getting some insight from those in the area. Using available resources.

Im pretty much in the same boat, except i lost my job and im not making any money. Ive applied to at least 100 jobs around this area, and whatever jobs i could find back up in NY and CT.

Sorry to hear that man, I personally love living here.  Traffic sucks but that's manageable for me, the cost of living is really the biggest negative overall IMO. DC is a cool city.  

RUN

ITS TOO LATE FOR US BUT YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELVES

Real estate is dying and is artificially kept afloat by the banks.  Some foreclosed houses are kept off the market because if they were on the market, it would flood the market and causes prices to drop even more.  The very upper end homes don't even get foreclosed on because its cheaper for the banks to have them occupied than have vandals gut the place.

Move because you want a better life for you and your wife.  Don't move because you expect to maintain the same income as you do in the Washington, D.C. area.

I lived in Fredrick, MD for about two years when I was stationed at Detrick....

It was nice to live there, but I only rented.  Driving anywhere east of there sucked.  
I only drove into DC twice.  Any other time I took the metro in.

HMMMMM

There's No Place Like Home. There's No Place Like Home. There's No Place Like Home

USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration) has some big offices in St Albans VT and the Burlington area.  Check USA jobs.  Maybe you could get some kind of intel related gig with them at around the GS-12/13 level.

I left the NOVA rat race earlier this year & never looked back.  Do it, you're only getting older.

Yeah, except I don't wear leather.

Will do, thank you