relocating to work in Bethesda (Rockville, Chevy Chase: apartments, rental, house)

[gbggirl]

We are considering relocating from the Pittsburgh area because my husband has been offered a position at the NIH in Bethesda. Since I do not know where I will be working, we have decided to rent a home and then buy after we know more about the area and where I will commute to. We do not have children so schools are not a factor and are used to 30-40 minute commutes. We would like to live in a quieter area but like convenience and want to be able to use public transportation as an alternative method of getting around. We have no idea what areas to live in--Maryland, Virginia--where are the good values?

[Greenbird]

We ourselves just moved to Chevy Chase. It's a bit pricey but I love living semi-urban. Very close to Bethesda downtown and 20 min walking distance to Bethesda metro. Great restaurants in Bethesda downtown. Our family of 5 people has only one car mostly to drive kids around, but still walk a lot and use metro to D.C. My husband takes metro to his work in DC.

[bunky3301]

Chevy Chase would be a very nice area or even Bethesda. But can be pricey.

My wife is Navy and works at the Bethesda Naval Hospital which is right across Rockville Pike from NIH. We chose to live in Kensington and she has only a 4 mile commute to work. It's a very laid back community and found it to be very safe and family oriented. You can find a house to rent in the range of $ 1600 to $2500 for a decent house. There were other parts of Kensington that were only 1 or 2 miles from the Hospital , but we liked this house and found it still to be an easy commute.

There are plenty of ammentities around and depending on exactly where you live metro is not far away if that's still needed for yourself after you find work.

Just remember one thing here in the DC area is TRAFFIC. My wife leaves early for work so there is little or no traffic for her at all. But if you leave around 7:15 or later that same 4 miles can turn into a 20 to 25 minute drive at times. Traffic is very crazy here !!! Good luck on your search.

[Marilyn Emery]

I also live in Kensington and love it. Bethesda and Chevy Chase can be a bit more pricey but there are good rental choices in all three areas. Rockville is also a good option for renting. There is the new Rockville Town center which has good shops, restaurants etc and is close to the metro. Since there is a Metro at NIH it makes commuting pretty easy. There are both apartments and single family homes available to rent and it is less expensive than Bethesda, Chevy Chase or Kensington.