Moving to Alexandria - best place to have a live-life balance (Arlington: apartment, rental)

[cdechantal]

Hey Everyone,

I am a 27 year old male and am moving to Alexandria starting September for a new job opporutnity there. I will be making about 51K and was wondering on the best place to live in the area. I am originally from the midwest and can't believe the rent out there. As such, I have a few questions about the cost of living:
1.) Where would be the best area to live with a good work/social balance.
2.) The office will be on Clermont Ave, I'm not sure how good/bad that is for trafffic. How long would a commute via road or rail take to that area on an average day?
3.) Besides the large monthly rent, what other expenses are "above average" for the area?


Thanks a ton for any advice which you all may be able to provide!!

Kind regards,


Chris

[robbobobbo]

Welcome to Alexandria!

1. Everything depends on how much you can spend on rent. And we don't know your preferences. I could say "Old Town", but that's assuming you like an urban environment. Maybe you don't, and you want to be within close driving distance of dining/entertainment, but not live in the midst of it.

2. Eisenhower Ave isn't bad for traffic. Van Dorn Street can be, though. I cannot tell you how long your commute will be without knowing your point of origin. There is a Metro station (rail) not too far away from Clermont.

3. I believe commuting costs for those who live far from work are one of the typical expenses in this area. I'm of the mindset that it's better to put the dollars into housing, and decrease the cost of commuting, rather than save on housing and spend more (time AND money) on commuting.

If you lived pretty much anywhere within the city boundaries of Alexandria, your commute to work by car would be easy. You would be close to Alexandria's nightlife and social hub, as well as close to Arlington (one of THE magnets for young singles), and DC.

You could spend less money by living in the Kingstowne or Franconia areas of Fairfax County, and still have a comfortable commute (but slower, because both Van Dorn and Telegraph can get heavy traffic). Or Springfield, and either drive or take rail.

Could you give more information about what you're looking for?

[pcity]

There are a couple of reasonably priced complexes on Eisenhower that would allow you to walk to work, and also to the Metro: Exchange at Van Dorn and Reserve at Eisenhower.

That would cut your commuting costs to zero and still be pretty convenient to fun stuff.

The negative is that there is absolutely nothing of interest around those complexes. It's a light industrial area.

[cdechantal]

Thanks for the warm welcome and info robobobo!

I suppose the more information the better. I am looking to share a flat for ideally less than $900 a month. Also, I guess I would prefer not to be in the midst of things as I enjoy the outdoors immensly but also I greatly appreciate culture/museums/nightlife. So my ideal situation would be about a 30 min or less commute by public tranpsort to work, maybe 20-30 minutes to social areas (old town, city center). I definately agree with you in that I'd be willing to trade commute costs for rent costs....if that evens out in the end. As I am just finishing up my MBA in Europe right now, expenses are a bit tight and so for the time being, cheaper is better!

I'm sorry for the confusing information and disjointed questions. I really have no idea about the area and am trying to learn as much as I can from across the pond before I move there.

Again, thanks for all the help!

[buildinginva]

Your budget is very small. Since you like the outdoors, you may want to consider renting out a private apartment in someone's house in a residential neighborhood. Many people to do it - rent out their basements etc., and some of them come with a kitchenette and separate entry. Check out craigslist.

[robbobobbo]

I'm trying to think of areas with public transportation that are both within your commute timeframe and also have some sense of "outdoors" or nature to them without being too urban.

You might want to look up the Belle View area. It is just south of the city of Alexandria, in Fairfax County, along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The GW Parkway runs along the Potomac River and there is a multi-use path (for joggers, cyclists, pedestrians) that parallels it, going from the Mt Vernon estate to Old Town and beyond, to DC. It is a popular path with picnic areas and park land.

Belle View has some apartment buildings and a sizable section of condos where you might be able to find a rental with a roommate. It's a fairly serene area, lots of trees, with a nearby small shopping mall with grocery store, and also nearby is a library and a recreational center with swimming pool, exercise machines, and ice skating rink.

The most likely public transportation would consist of taking a Metrobus to the Huntington Metrorail station, then taking the REX bus the rest of the way to Eisenhower Ave (and it goes by Clermont). There may be alternatives to that but I don't know. The Metro web site with route information is at:

Metro - Home page

Belle View on maps is here:

belle view alexandria - Google Maps

[Guamanians]

I was also thinking belle View would be a good fit for him. Here's my 2 cents on Belle View
1. Great area on the Potomac river, and just 2 miles south of old town. Not in the urban area, but close.
2. Convenience: shops, grocery, etc. right there in Belle View
3. Not bad for traffic
4. plenty of condo's for rent. Should have no problem finding a roommate, and keeping you W/I your budget.

If you don't want to be in the city or in the cookie cutter (I.e. walmart, Mcdonalds, etc.) burbs then Belle view is a great choice.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by buildinginva

Your budget is very small. Since you like the outdoors, you may want to consider renting out a private apartment in someone's house in a residential neighborhood. Many people to do it - rent out their basements etc., and some of them come with a kitchenette and separate entry. Check out craigslist.

I don't think the budget is small. He said he's looking to share a place. A 2 bedroom apartment should easily be found for less than $1800 in Alexandria.