I'm still on my terminal leave (until around mid-July), and I haven't decided what I want to do after that.  
 
 NRA has a few positions available for people with a BA in Political Science (the position is "Legislative Aid"), and already expressed interest in my file for some higher positions.

 My question is: how is the area (Fairfax) to live?  I would be willing to commute (up to 1.5 hours) to NOT live in and raise my family in a liberal, crime-infested  cesspool.
 
 I already know about the ok class III and shall-issue CCW laws (although no reciprocity with FL) and some open carry, etc., and I like that already.  I've done some research here already, and most of you rated VA as a solid 9 out of 10 for gun issues.

 What I want to know is: 1) can I work at NRA in Fairfax and still have my home in a nice area, and not drive more than 1.5 hours? 2) is the cost of living up there any higher than suburban FL? 3) where should I [b]NOT[/b] even both to look for a nice home?  4) any other advice on moving and making the adjustment from FL to VA?

PS- I didn't post this on hometown because I wanted advice from VA residents, as well as folks who have lived in both states, and I did not want to make duplicate posts in the FL and VA boards.  
   

Fairfax is pretty nice, but EXPENSIVE.

I've often wondered about working for NRA, but I'm not sure how well they'd pay...

 
 That's why I know I'll need to commute- I've heard that it's pricey to live there, just like any large city.  

I used to live near there, in Winchester VA, which is within commutting distance.  Real estate is still pretty pricey, but within reason.  The bonus is that it is in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, and Blue Ridge mountains.  Of anyplace I have lived, I miss it the most.

The VA DC suburbs are lucky (or unlucky if you are anti gun) that VA has a preemption law prohibiting localities from passing gun ordinances that contradict the states.  They'd have'em if they were allowed to have them.

However the DC burbs have two issues!

1.  Expense!  To many people, too little real estate, and too many hight paying jobs have inflated prices big time!

2.  Traffic!  Enjoy being alone on the road every now and then, because you'll never be alone again in NOVA.  Your 1.5 hour commute max means you can't live very far from work.  I'm in Richmond, and live about 25 miles away from work.  It takes me 25 minutes to get here during rush hour.  No such luck in NOVA.

The NOVA locals will chime in, I'm sure.

Winchester?  How far is that from Fairfax, and how long does it take to commute?  I would probably be looking for an apt for the first year I'm there, and then a house (VA home loan).  

If you are in the NRA HQ you can probably live out in Centreville {where the condo was BTW} or as far south as Annandale for a total daily commute under 1.5 hours.

There are so many houses around here, but honestly the threshold for nice vs. skethy houses/townhouses is about $225K-$275K in Fairfax County.  You can get condos in the $150K-$180K range, 2 master bedrooms -- big, nice.

You need to do a recon here....

I have to agree with the other here, I love living here (in Richmond now) but housing, and property taxes can be high depending on which county.  And yes the commute can be a drag.  One way around that is get a motorcycle and hit the HOV lanes.  

Just stay out of Maryland!  Bad guns laws, bad crime, and high costs and taxes.

GunLvr

Relatively bad crime.  Not when compared to NYC or DC.  But yes, do not be tempted by the lower housing costs in the People's Republic of Maryland....my best friend is there I hate losing my rights by crossing a bridge....[rolleyes]

 MD, DC, and all other occupied territories are absolutely out of the question.
 
 I've been looking at Winchester, VA- and thanks for the other cities to check out. I'll do that now, online.  Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
 

IMHO-Anyone who lives in Winchester and chooses to commute to Fairfax is in for hours of boredom punctuated by moments of abject terror on the roads here.

Forgot to mention that around 280K is about the threshold for house prices, because of the VA homeloan program.  Glad to see that I can find a decent house in a good neighborhood there- now I just have to do some in-depth recon work.
 

My neighbor just sold his 3 BR, no basement w/1 car garage for 285K in Herndon...He sold it in 3 days.

Tip-Get a Pre-Approved Mortgage, and folks here don't bargain-they just say no and take the best offer.

The nice thing about the NRA Headquarters is that it isn’t too far into the congested areas of NOVA.  Also, it’s right off of I-66.  If you’re willing to do a 1 ½ hour commute, you should be able to get about anything you want.

You could easily live west of Fairfax County – which I would definitely recommend. The western areas are basically “horse country” and are beautiful.

Unfortunately, this whole area gets more congested almost by the day.  In a few years that 1 ½ hour commute will undoubtedly increase; I’d think about that before buying anything too far away.

Quite a few years ago, I knew a guy who worked for the NRA.  He didn’t care for a lot of the internal politics (and was ultimately fired).  The NRA seems to be in constant turmoil!  Still, maybe things have gotten better.

Incidentally, NOVA is liberal by Virginia standards, but we’re still not talking about DC or Maryland!!

I believe that the train goes into Fairfax. This should allow you to look all the way down towrds Fredericksburg, The very edge of southern society at this moment. A home can still be had in a nice neighborhood for under 400K down this way and townhomes are still below 200k.
Do some HW on the area first, traffic is horrendous in Norther Va and it takes my wife 40 min -1 hr+ to get from Quantico to Fredyburg wich is only 25 miles away during rush hour.
Prices in Fairfax are NOT comparable to anything but prices in Miami. I have an aunt in Florida and she would never consider moving up this way on her income.
So long for now, good luck in your decision.

I live near the NRA HQ in Fairfax.  The traffic in the area is truly horrible and housing prices are insanely high, but the area has a lot to offer.  

I would recommend you look at housing in some of the counties to the west (Loudon) and south (Prince William) of Fairfax.  Not only do they tend to be more conservative, but the housing is cheaper.    

If you can, try to arrange it so your workday starts around 7:00am and ends before 4:00pm.  I was able to do that for one job and my average commute time dropped by almost half.

Anything SOUTH of the Fairfax County line will be a NIGHTMARE to make it to NRA HQ...

Hell, anything south of Annandale/West Springfield will be a pain in the ass.

Of course my 28 years of living here probably have me jaded.

YMMV...