Need to find a place to live between Charlottesville and Washington Navy Yard in DC (Norfolk: for sale, rent)

[trunyon]

Please help! We are military and have just found out we will be relocating to Virginia in February. The problem is that my husband has been assigned a job that he will have to spend 2-3 days a week in Charlottesville and 2-3 days a week at the Washington Navy Yard. Obviously this is a nightmare for commuting as far as I can tell. I have been reading a lot of posts trying to get familiar with the area but am dumbfounded on where to live. I am considering the Centreville area since it is right off the highway that leads to Charlottesville and close enough to DC?? We have a 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old so family friendly is a must. We haven't completely decided to rent or buy a home but our budget is between 2700 and 3300 a month, good schools since my daughter will be starting school while we are living there, and safe. Need a 3 BR 2 bath with a bit of a yard for my kids to play in. Of course community pool, playgrounds, etc are great but may have to compromise. Not picky on the size or age of the house as long as it is kept up. My priority is finding a place where my kids can see their dad before they go to bed at night at least a few times a week. He has been serving in Iraq the past 2 out of 3 years and we need as much family time as possbile to reconnect. Thank you for any information you may have to help us with this dilemma.

Tracy

[vasinger]

There is Culpeper or Warrenton would be about halfway between Charlottesville and DC. Centreville is close to DC but its a lot longer to Charlottesville.


Culpeper would be more of a drive to DC but closer to Charlottesville.

Warrenton, however, is pretty equal distance between them both.

I would look around that area first.

All of those towns intersect Rt 29 that goes between DC and Charlottesville.

[jb124]

Wow that's a crazy assignment. On a good day you're talking about a 2.5 hour drive from one to the other. What the heck was the government thinking with that billet?

I agree with Culpeper or Warrenton (maybe Gainesville too). He might be able to commute to the VRE in Fredricksburg or Manassas that way to (possibly) make the commute less stressful to the Navy Yard. I'm sure the govt has commuter benefits he can use for the VRE/Metro as well.

[trunyon]

Thank you for your help. I will look into those areas. I was thinking that maybe we should live a little closer to DC instead of looking half way between the two since the traffic would be worse going into DC than Charlottesville. Does that make any sense or is the traffic going to be just as bad on 29 toward Charlottesville? Thanks again, Tracy

[Dorothy1960]

Trunyon I would suggest finding a nice place closer to Charlottesville... and maybe hubby can find a room to rent for those 2/3 nights he will have to go to Wash. DC. Maybe someone he works with would have an extra room. YES I know it wouldn't be great for you & the kids, but much better for his commute time and safety wise. Actually we know of a few people who have had to do this over the years. One friend's hubby was temporarily assigned to Norfolk... for 6 months... he lived in a friend's guest room during the week & came back up to Northern VA on the weekends. Cant' figure why the military does things that way. Hope everything works out!

[trunyon]

Thank you Dorothy1960. Your suggestion is one that hasn't even crossed my mind but does make sense, if I can bring myself to do that for 2 years. Thank you for your input. I need all the advice and suggestions I can get since I am completely unfamiliar with the area and have never lived anywhere as large as the DC area. Thanks again, Tracy

[4greatboys]

Check out Fredricksburg. Great small town feel within about 1.5 hours of both Charlottesville and DC (by VRC). The commute from Gainesville area would be at least 2 hours to each place. Good luck.

[militaryspouse]

Tracy:

As you may know, military housing allowances (BAH) vary depending on where you live. I am the spouse of an active duty officer living in Charlottesville. The housing allowance is over $800.00 more in Warrenton, VA than in Charlottesville (and over $1,000 more in Washington DC). I have found Charlottesville to be extremely expensive, yet the government doesn't recognize this fact with adequate housing allowances. Please find out, for housing purposes, what your husband will receive, and then make a decision.
Hope this helps and I wish you the very best!
militaryspouse

[trunyon]

Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate them. I didn't realize BAH was determined by where you live, I thought it was based on your main assigned duty station. That is good to know and will definitely help make a decision on where to live. Thanks again!

[youngcc]

Originally Posted by trunyon

Thank you all for your replies. I appreciate them. I didn't realize BAH was determined by where you live, I thought it was based on your main assigned duty station. That is good to know and will definitely help make a decision on where to live. Thanks again!

I think you are correct about the rate being based on your assigned duty station. At least that is my understanding of how it works. I would check with your husbands' financial department and ask them for the BAH rate for the duty station he is going to be assigned to. After you find out your rate it will make choosing a location much easier at least on the pocketbook. I would also do some searchs for homes for rent or sale in the areas you are looking at moving to see what the housing market offers. You also may want to look at militarybyowner.com site for homes for sale or rent.