When not working, going for walks, or honing her photography skills, Terry explores Arlington on her electric scooter.
I was born on the west side of Chicago and I grew up in Schiller Park, a working-class suburb at the southeast corner of O’Hare airport. When I was a junior in high school, I was selected to participate in Presidential Classroom. I had never traveled before and I loved my school trip to Washington, D.C. I could not wait to visit again.
I returned to D.C. as a junior at the University of Illinois for a congressional internship. During my internship, I lived at Randolph Towers in Ballston and I had an action-packed semester. I did everything D.C. I possibly could.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, I could not find a path back to D.C., so I worked in the Chicagoland area. Then, after working for six years, with Craigslist having become mainstream, and with the help of a friend of a friend, I packed up my Honda Civic with two bicycles on my rooftop carrier and moved to the D.C. area. I lived with a random (and great) person in Alexandria who I found on Craigslist.
I lived in Alexandria for one year. In 2007, a decade after my congressional internship, I returned to Arlington. Again, a friend of a friend of a friend connected me to a housemate in Arlington Heights, near Thomas Jefferson Middle School, where I rented for over five years.
Terry’s roommate studies the Arlington snowfall.
I describe Arlington County as a large small town due to the connectedness and strong sense of community, yet urban because we can easily get around by car, metro, bus, bike, or on foot. And there is always so much to do! I enjoy the proximity to a world class city, the mountains, and the ocean. By contrast, Chicago is a world class metropolitan city, yet sprawling, and often requires a car.
Life in Arlington and the D.C. metro area is about the people I have met from all corners of the world who are intellectually curious and do and have done interesting things with their lives.
Living and working in the north suburbs of Chicago would have enriched my net worth with a higher paying private sector job and lower cost of real estate, but I would get in my car and drive five miles to work, work long hours, and then drive home. Arlington allowed me to discover my hobby of photography and my love of walking. I would not be able to ride a scooter in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Nor would I want to ride the commuter Metra line to work in downtown Chicago. I would only know a handful of people—my friends that I grew up with and went to school with and my co-workers.
Living in Arlington has given Terry many opportunities to engage with diverse people and to make pictures of interesting subjects.
I currently rent an apartment in Columbia Forest. I have a car, a bicycle, and I rent a personal scooter. Living in 22204, we are proud of our diversity. The diversity may not continue as some of the people who live here work two and three minimum wage jobs cleaning our homes and our offices, and cooking food in our restaurants. Even with services available to assist them, the cost of living is not sustainable. As a middle-income earner, I work less hours and not nearly as hard as my neighbors, yet I know first-hand the cost of living is too high even for middle income earners.
My apartment community has been invited to join but does not participate in Arlington’s affordable housing program. The management company has taken advantage of the rising rent opportunity. My rent will go up at least $100 per month if I renew as of today. My renewal is in May, so I don’t know what lurks ahead. Buying a place is out of reach for me. My friends who have bought homes in Arlington have done so with the help of their parents. In my 13 years here, some friends that I have made here have left due to cost of living and quality of life concerns.
Arlington is an exciting place to live if you have recently graduated and don’t mind having roommates. If you decide to build a life here, Arlington is a great place to remain if your household income is greater than $250K.
As a middle-aged adult, my priorities have changed. My life is no longer about having a fascinating career with a high income, but about enjoying life and having balance.
With my change in mindset, within the next year or two, I will be moving out of Arlington to find a place where I can work and afford to live. It is not a choice. It is my reality and a financially prudent decision.
Written by Terry B. for the Arlington For Everyone story series, which highlights the diversity of experiences in Arlington, Virginia.