Wednesday, March 15, 2006
3 Virginia Exurbs Near Top of U.S. in Growth
3 Virginia Exurbs Near Top of U.S. in Growth
Home Prices Extend Frontier of D.C. Area
By D'Vera Cohn and Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 16, 2006; Page A01
Some quotes:
The exurbs produced most of the region's growth last year, when the Washington area's population increased to nearly 6 million.
Those new residents are seeking lower-priced housing, bigger lots and less congested roads than established neighborhoods offer. Some are bypassing other fast-growing counties that imposed development restraints.
Many new residents commute through Washington area gridlock. Portia Cobb, 37, leaves home in Caroline County at 4 a.m. each day to drive her van pool 70 miles to the District, where she is a manager at a printing company. She used to live in the city, and now she takes about an hour to get there in the morning.
"This is the only way I could live comfortably and have some space and privacy," said Cobb, who paid $224,000 last year for her four-bedroom, three-bath, split-foyer rambler. "I went there to get away from the hustle and bustle and to get to easy living."
Meanwhile, the District [of Columbia] continues to lose population, according to previously released numbers.
For many years now, citizens of the Washington region have been lectured by advocates of dense urban living - that people in this part of the nation need to live in "compact" developments, preferably on top of rail stations, and that all new growth must be channeled to places such as the District of Columbia. These desired growth patterns are used to justify large and continued investment in rail transit lines, but a large majority of people that make their own private decisions about where to live are making choices that don't include D.C. and other close-in places.
Home Prices Extend Frontier of D.C. Area
By D'Vera Cohn and Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 16, 2006; Page A01
Some quotes:
The exurbs produced most of the region's growth last year, when the Washington area's population increased to nearly 6 million.
Those new residents are seeking lower-priced housing, bigger lots and less congested roads than established neighborhoods offer. Some are bypassing other fast-growing counties that imposed development restraints.
Many new residents commute through Washington area gridlock. Portia Cobb, 37, leaves home in Caroline County at 4 a.m. each day to drive her van pool 70 miles to the District, where she is a manager at a printing company. She used to live in the city, and now she takes about an hour to get there in the morning.
"This is the only way I could live comfortably and have some space and privacy," said Cobb, who paid $224,000 last year for her four-bedroom, three-bath, split-foyer rambler. "I went there to get away from the hustle and bustle and to get to easy living."
Meanwhile, the District [of Columbia] continues to lose population, according to previously released numbers.
For many years now, citizens of the Washington region have been lectured by advocates of dense urban living - that people in this part of the nation need to live in "compact" developments, preferably on top of rail stations, and that all new growth must be channeled to places such as the District of Columbia. These desired growth patterns are used to justify large and continued investment in rail transit lines, but a large majority of people that make their own private decisions about where to live are making choices that don't include D.C. and other close-in places.
Comments:
Post a Comment
