place to live in Fairfax, Burke, Springfield, Manassas, Woodbridge, etc.

[zotmeister]

Kingstowne would be a good possibility as it is close to DC and near your work. It is safe and their are shops nearby...Khols, Walmart, etc. Burke would also be another alternative....more trees and lots of hiking and biking trails. This is also safe. Don't look at anything near the Springfield Mall, as that is not that safe of an area. You will be looking at rent around $1500 (you never mentioned bdrm #, schools, etc.). Your choices at $1100 will be slim and not be in a safe area. I would bring a GPS if you plan to drive around the area. No Va. roads can be tricky as most cities in VA are not grided very well due to the age of the city. Depending on where you are from just prepare for colder weather in the next month. An agent actually contacted me through this site and that is how I first found a condo to rent via Alexandria. I told her what I wanted and she gave me a bunch of listings. She drove me around that day and I found a place within a day. I paid nothing, like everyone else said! You can PM me and I can give you her name, she was a really nice realtor who is just getting started.....so she is trying to increase her potential buying client list by doing rentals first....that's usually how new realtors get started at a agency.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Some apartments around here will have a 6 month lease - might be a good idea to get to know the area yourself and be able to move after only 6 months