When I moved to Centreville in 1992 it was a real nice place. Peace, quiet, and you could enjoy yourself without the police or Mexicans ruining your day. Fifteen years later, this place is a congested shithole. You could copy/paste it with any other suburb now (ATL, Miami, etc.) and it would fit right in. I grew up in CVILLE in the 1990s and graduated from CHS in 2000...best time to get out. AFter 2000 it was all downhill.

I've heard Lee County doesn't have too many non-whites. Consider moving there.

Centerville was still farm-like in the early 90's, but started going way down hill way before 2000. I moved out in 1999 and was simply sick of the endless development, rows of townhouses, strip malls, etc. Don't they still hold their 4th of July parade in a strip mall parking lot? Don't they have like a dozen grocery stores within a mile of Rt. 28/29...it's horrible.

Just when you think they couldn't build more, they find a a patch of grass to put up some new apt bldg. or townhouses. Very poor planning, which seems to be the norm in this area.

I still know someone that lives in Chantilly, and I'm suprised how nice his neighborhood has remained, though it too is starting to turn with rentals and flop houses. Quite a shame - next time you see someone like Tom Davis running around - thank him for all he's done for FFX CO.!

I had a nice house in C-Ville in 1991. I am typically resistant to much of the advice Realtors give, but I got to know one who made quite a bit of money investing his own money in real estate in the area. He was bailing out of his investment properties in C-Ville - too much headache for him with what he saw as the changing demographics, and persuaded me to sell my nice house for one in Oakton. I was a little chagrined at the time - felt I really didn't need to move - and was suspicious of his commission instincts - but my spouse was insistent. I in turn insisted on a new house we could afford with a 15 year mortgage - and looking back on it - I owe this Realtor fellow a great deal of thanks. He was right, and his prediction of both the demographic element and cultural factors was right on. This is not to say all of C-Ville is negative, or that there are not nice places to live - but given a choice.....it was the right move to make.

Was such a thing a license-loser or headache-causer back in 1991?

I remember Charlottesville a bit earlier in the late seventies and eighties. I remember the feeling of remoteness, the academic village, the corner. I lived then right near the corner in a house that is still there but has a big development behind it. It was Thomas Jefferson's Librarian's house and I remember Mrs Dryer, the land lady. Hi Hi she would say and offer you a bourbon and tell you tales of the civil war where her father served or China where she was a Christian missionary doctor. Charlottesville has some great memories for me.

if you think it was ok in the 90's you should of seen it in the 70's corn fields where the multi-plex is only 1 strip mall at newgate payne's was great goerges general store on clifton and 29 you could drve from ffx city to cville in 15 minoh what a life.

I lived here in the 70's and it was awsome. Almost no traffic, tons of open space, very few developments, very cool back-roads, and almost no trafic lights. You could actually drive from Fairfax City line to the Centreville boundary line in about 5 minutes. Speed limit on rt 29 was 55 mph. Heading out of Centreville on rt 29 you had a trafic light at Braddock Road and didn't have another until rt 50 in Fairfax City. As far as Georges General Store/Motel...George wasn't the most pleasant of people was he?

Where does 29 meet Braddock Road?

pgens, i believe back in those days the braddock road that is off of rt 28 across from walney connected in some twisty way to the one that goes from union mill to 495... if anyone else knows better, please help me with the correct info.

If wiki is to be believed, I am right:

Geography and layout

Although the original Braddock Road was unified throughout its length, many portions of the original road were transected, relocated or disjointed since the original path was defined (especially since the modern paved road system was constructed). Because of this, several cut-off portions of previous paths exist, which often generates confusion among motorists (for example, in Centreville, where there is a "New Braddock Road" which is unconnected to the "Braddock Road" which leads into the historical section of the town).

As the road leads into Loudoun County, the paved portion of Braddock Road ends but the road continues as a gravel road into rural areas of Loudoun.

Among the cities, towns and other landmarks traversed by Braddock Road are:

Braddock Road used to meet 29 just to the east of (directly Behind) the I HOP shopping center and just to the West of (directly in front of)The Mountain Veiw School (old Centreville Elementary). If you drive to this school today you will see a portion of (old) Braddock that I am talking about. On the west side of 29 (old) Braddock still exist and runs through the Centreville historic district. It is now blocked off from rt. 28. In the 70's you could cut through here and get on to 28 and take your first right and get onto rt.66 in no time flat. During Rush Hour you could get to Tyson's Corner from Centreville in about 15 minutes. If traffic was bad maybe 17 minutes.