Are you thinking of moving to Stafford, Virginia, and you want someone to tell you the good, bad, and ugly of what it’s like to live here?

In this episode of#giveworkplay, I’m going to give you the pros and cons of living in Stafford. We’ll explore the top 3 reasons people love living here to see if this area is right for you.

Why People Loving Living Here

I get asked all the time, “why should I move to Stafford, especially if I'm working in DC?” To answer that, let’s talk about the top 3 reasons that people love living in this city. This will help you understand the pros of living here and why it might be the right choice for you.

More For Your Money

The first reason people love living here is you get more for your money. The further south you come from DC out the Beltway, the bigger the house and land you can get. In Stafford, not only can you get a four-bedroom house with a three-car garage and over 4000 square feet, but you can also be living on land on the water. You can even have horses.

To put it in perspective. If you took the same house from Stafford, Virginia and you moved it just about 45 minutes up north, you'd be paying twice as much. If you're interested in more information about what you can afford in Stafford, I'm happy to send you some more information.

Outdoor Living

The second reason people love living here is that you get a bigger backyard and can spend a lot of time outdoors.

There are all sorts of things you can do in Stafford to enjoy outdoor living, including many activities that you might not be able to do up in DC. For example, because we're right on the water, you can have a boat, keep it in the marina, and take it out for a ride during the weekend.

Do you want to go kayaking on a big lake or maybe paddle boarding? We have that too. And if you have kids and you're interested in outdoor activities and sports for them, we've got tons of trails. There are also lots of hiking places available. You can go jogging on Government Island, which is pretty cool, by the way.

Stafford also has a really big sports complex called the Jeff Rouse Center, which includes outdoor soccer fields, AstroTurf soccer fields, football fields, and an indoor swimming pool, and a 50-meter competition pool. If your kids are swimmers, no problem. They've got that too. As you can see, people love living in Stafford for all the great things they can do outdoors.

Wineries And Breweries

Lastly, people love living in Stafford for all its well-known wineries and breweries. There are a variety in the area, with Potomac Point Winery as one of the biggest in Stafford. These wineries and breweries also include all kinds of outdoor activities and fun stuff to do, sometimes for the whole family.

In Stafford, you can enjoy a great glass of something delicious, whether wine or beer. The city is known for its craft breweries, so if you like something specific, I'm sure they're probably brewing it. And if you love Oktoberfest, you need to visit in October for all the fun. One great place to visit is Adventure Brewing Company, with its super cool vibe and delicious beer. You can play games anytime of the year, and don’t forget to grab a snack at one of their food trucks.

Another brewery right here in town is called Barley Naked. The cool thing about most of the local breweries here is they have food trucks. So not only are we supporting the local economy by buying the beer and drinking it, but we're also helping out the food trucks as well. And the cool thing is, a lot of them have all kinds of activities and music outside, providing something for everyone to do.

One of the reasons why we love to support our local breweries and wineries is because we want to give back to those who gave to us. They're owned by retired military members, and the local community loves supporting these local breweries and the winery as well.

The Cons Of Living In Stafford, VA

While there are many pros to living in Stafford, you’ll want to consider the cons, too. If you’re really serious about moving here, these are things you need to know.  

First, one of the cons of living in Stafford, Virginia is that it doesn't really have a downtown area to hang out at. However, that’s okay for most people because it’s only about 15 minutes south to old downtown Fredericksburg. Of course, I don't want to scare you. We do have big box stores, some locally-owned restaurants, and shops. Stafford also just got a Wegman’s and we are working on our town center. But if you really want that quaint downtown vibe, I might suggest that you go a little further south instead of Stafford.

The biggest con of living in Stafford (in my opinion) is the traffic in Northern Virginia. It's just a matter of life, but in Stafford, you do have 95 to get north to DC—which is about 45 minutes of travel time, give or take the traffic. There are a couple of things that could help you get either north or south, and that's the hot lanes. I will talk about different commuting options in a later episode, but the hot lane is like the HOV lane. You can get a small transponder, and it’s an easy way for you to get north.

Is Stafford Right For You?

I hope this video gave you some insights into moving and living in Stafford, Virginia. I live, work, and play in Stafford and I love it. So if you want more information about living and working in the Northern Virginia, Stafford, and Virginia area, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to connect with you.

If you want more information about moving to Northern Virginia, Stafford, Quantico, or Fredericksburg, make sure to subscribe to my channel. Stay tuned for the next episode of Give, Work, Play to see what aspect of Northern Virginia living I feature next!