NYC vs Virginia

Hello friends! Welcome back to the blog! Things have been a little bit shifty when it comes to hosting, so I’m back on my original frontier. (I’ll probably talk more about this soon in a life update.) This past week, an idea occurred to me, and I was, at once, shocked, that it had not occurred to me sooner. Why don’t I compare living in Virginia vs living in New York City? I am perfectly qualified to do so. I am a New York City native, and have spent my last year here post-grad. I spent my college years in Charlottesville, Virginia, often venturing out to little towns that I have shown you on the blog: Culpeper, Quicksburg, Richmond, and probably more that I’m not remembering right now.

So now that I’ve told you my qualifications, let’s get this show on the road!

New York City

NYC is a dream! It’s a lot of people’s dreams. There’s so much to do and it can be inspiring to see so many different people hustle here and try to make their dreams come true. For me, it’s where I grew up and got to spend my formative years learning about the world. It’s as fun as a vacation spot or as exciting as a move into adulthood. 

Pros

• There’s so much! You can eat so many types of food and still always have places to explore. I love going to different neighborhoods and finding myself peering into the lives of people in a specific culture. Whether it’s the Jews that live in concentrated parts of the city like Brooklyn Heights or Eastern Europeans that live near Coney Island (there’s this Turkish bakery that was an absolute delight to try!), there’s absolutely a place for you to find something you love—whether it’s food or entertainment.
• Everyone loves to come here. This is me-specific one, but as someone who has moved back home, my friends are always making pit stops in New York and that means I get to see them. I even got to see my college mentor this Sunday, which was an absolute joy.
• It’s walkable! I love how unnecessary it is to own a car here. My parents own one, but I mainly use public transportation or walk where I need to go. I love that I can walk to the grocery store or my doctor’s office or to meet a friend. Nothing feels too out of reach for me and I love that. It also just contributes to overall well being because walking is activity and to be healthy, you’ve got to move!
• New York City has variety. If you don’t love the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan, you can live in the cool West Village. If you want a more laidback vibe, there’s Fort Greene, Brooklyn. If you’re longing for more of a suburban vibe, there’s always Staten Island. You get to choose where you’ll feel more at home.

Cons

• The cost of living is super high. This is an obvious one. Living in New York is expensive. I know that we’re all getting hit with higher prices because of inflation but it’s really concerning hearing what people are paying in rent. Groceries are expensive, and it’s not really sustainable.
• There’s too much here! This too is a con. I think it can be overwhelming to live here. There can be this pressure to do everything, to be everywhere because it’s right at your fingertips, and that’s exhausting. It also just causes decision paralysis where you can’t decide because there are too many decisions. On days I’m already overwhelmed, New York City can feel like too much too quickly. The crowds of people moving quickly can feel isolating instead of inspiring.

Virginia

As a UVA alum, I have a fondness for Charlottesville. I love riding the Amtrak and seeing the mountains in the distance, knowing Cvegas was close. I miss the mountains so much now that I’m back in the city. The sunrises were unbeatable. 

Pros

• Easy access to nature. Nature is just a quick drive away. The mountains were always in the distance wherever you looked. Charlottesville was filled with lush parks and trees, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is stunning. I’m jealous that people can live that close to a National Park. I remember hiking up Humpback for the first time (my first ever real hike with any distance–remember, I’m a city girl). One thing I did learn about hiking – if my mouth is full, I can’t complain. Snacks are the way to go!
• Charlottesville in particular had amazing food. I believe it has the most restaurants per capita (it’s currently #14 on that list). I loved Roots as every other college student did (2 meals in one salad bowl!). I got to try so many restaurants during my time there and loved it!
• Both the beach and mountains are close by. In my case, the mountains were closer, but we regularly took trips to the beach, North Carolina in particular. But if you think that doesn’t count, there’s still Virginia beach.
• Much more affordable than New York City. Charlottesville is still expensive. I know that Richmond, the state’s capital, is a lot more affordable for young people in their 20’s.

Cons

• The big con is of course, lack of reliable public transportation. This was huge for me and my family. It was kind of inconvenient to be in Virginia without a car, especially when visiting. I had lovely friends who always picked me up when I couldn’t walk everywhere, but Uber isn’t super reliable either. This caused a lot of frustration for me.
• Things to do are limited. This actually wasn’t a big deal to me. I actually appreciated that things were limited and that there wasn’t always much to do. However, I did feel like certain spaces should’ve been more expansive like Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, which is like four streets blocked off from cars. Amazing restaurants and a few movie theaters, but it shocked me how little there was to explore when I was first there.
• There’s a limited range of variety in lifestyles in Charlottesville. If you go beyond the one city, you can get more. But in Charlottesville, you have the students, either living in apartments or houses that are expensive. Charlottesville city and county residents living further out–some could be teachers at local schools, others are those who live on a farm. Everyone has a car and it’s most suburban/rural living. It would always make me laugh when people said Charlottesville was a city because, to me, it always felt like a small town.

I personally can’t choose which one I like more. I’m attached to New York City because it’s the place of my childhood and where my family is, and I love the experience of Charlottesville I got when I went to UVA. Longterm, I’d love to move somewhere more like Charlottesville, perhaps a tinier city or a place with a big city nearby.

What are your thoughts? Where have you lived and what do you prefer?

Signing off, 

Gigi