Northwest to North Virginnia

Hello-
My family of four have an opportunity to move to Manassas, VA. We currently live in the Northwest and would love to have a different adventure. What can people tell me about the possible move to Manassas? I have two children in elementary school. Thank you! Looking forward to reading your thoughts and insight.

We have been living in Manassas for 12 years and we love it. There is so much for children to do around in this area. Manassas is quite historical and Washington DC is only 30 miles away. We are 12 miles from Potomac Mills Shopping Center (the most visited site in Virginia) and there is shopping all around in Manassas. Most of our friends have school aged children, grade school through high school, and they are all happy with the school system here in Manassas. If you have specific questions feel free to ask.

I have heard very mixed reviews about the town. I am concerned about traffic and crime. From the research I have done it looks like homes prices have down quite a bit to make it more affordable. I am looking at living in the Zip Code 20110 or Bristow. I have been encouraged to research Fairfax County as well, but worried that it will be a long commute for my husband to get to work and back. We would really like to live close to where he will be working (Micron). We will be visiting next week to help us make a decision but would love more advice or thoughts.

Bristow is a family friendly area and would be an easy commute to Micron. The schools are good although a bit overcrowded. If you were in the Centreville area of Fairfax County, the commute would not be bad - your husband would be going opposite of traffic.

Schools would be better from Centerville than Manassas City. I don't know about Bristow schools. We homeschool, and an ever growing percentage do too that live in the county.

You need to understand Manassas City, Manassas Park and the county are three different governments. They are different from each other in many respects.

What are thoughts on Dale City, Fairfax, or other surrounding areas? From what I have read, Interstate 66 is very congested and perhaps it would be better to avoid housing near there. We would really like a walkable neighborhood with a school nearby (bussing is an option as well, but I would love my kids to be able to ride their bikes to school). I do really appreciate all the comments.

Fairfax is nice, but if your husband is commuting to Micron - he would most likely take 66 to get there. I don't know much about Dale City except that there are areas that you want to avoid. Not sure what the traffic would be like to get there. I think most of the neighborhoods would be considered walkable. As far as walking to school, you would just need to check out the neighborhood and where they are slated to go to school. If the kids aren't in walking distance, they would be bussed (at least in Prince William County). One thing to keep in mind is that in Prince William County, school boundaries do still change fairly frequently since there is still new construction.

I am visiting this week to see what the town is like. Any suggestions on things I should try to see if my very limited amount of time? I will be traveling with 2 kids. I am planning on looking at neighborhoods in Fairfax, Dale City, Centreville, Bristow and perhaps more.