Feedback on which City & Neighborhood to live (Arlington, Alexandria: rentals, house)

[Texas007]

We are planning to move to the Northern Virginia area around June 2011. My husband will be working in DC (Near the Metro Center Station in DC), and I will be working near USPTO in Alexandria.

We are planning to lease a house (single family detached) in the area (Minimum - 3 bed & 2 bath) with monthly rent around $2500 - $3000.

Appreciate any feeedback based on the following criteria (I understand this is asking too much):

1) Excellent Public Schools (Elementary & Middle) - We have two
kids in elementary school

2) Walking distance to the Metro Station so my husband could take
the Metro to DC

3) Easy commute by Metro or Car to Alexandria (I will be working
close to USPTO in Alexandria).

It would really be helpful if you could be specific and point to neighborhoods so we could narrow down our search as we are new to the area.

Thanks !

[CaliTerp07]

What's an easy commute to you? Would your husband be willing to take a bus to the metro, or does the metro need to be less than a mile or two from your house? What are your standards for excellent schools? (There are plenty of sites out there to look up test scores, diversity metrics, etc).

I can think of several areas, but they all are week in at least one of your criteria.

1) My first thought was to stay in Alexandria City. It would give you a great commute, or the ability to pick up your kids from school easily if one gets sick during the day. Your husband probably wouldn't be able to walk to the metro (though he might, depending where you find a place), but buses run to the metro constantly. The schools are good, but they aren't the highly coveted fairfax county schools people demand. Anywhere else in the country, they'd be great--here, they're okay. Although I just skimmed a story about how TC Williams (Alexandria's high school) is in the spotlight currently for making some major academic strides and is doing really well.

2) Another option is to go into the part of Alexandria that is technically Fairfax County. You'll get the desired schools and you'll still have a pretty easy commute, but your husband won't be able to walk to the metro. You could probably drop him off on your way to work if schedules lined up, or again there might be buses.

3) Springfield will give you more house for the money, but your commute will be a bit longer, and again your husband won't be able to walk to the metro.

4) North Arlington will give you the ability to walk to the metro and good schools, but I don't think you'll find a house in that price range within walking distance unless you get lucky.

[robbobobbo]

A very logical choice would be Alexandria itself, considering your job locations. Alexandria is a great place to live. The public schools do not rate as high as Fairfax County or Arlington schools, and I think most people who move here looking for the best school districts wouldn't think of living in Alexandria. However, my child is in Alexandria public elementary, and I'm very pleased so far.

If you lived in the Rosemont neighborhood, your husband could walk to either Braddock Road Metro or King Street Metro (one or the other, depending where your house is). If you located closer to the King St station, you could conceivably walk to work, because USPTO is not far. Plus, Maury Elementary school is in the neighborhood, so your children could walk to school.

The highest rated Fairfax County schools are located in the western part of the county, and while there are Metro stations (Vienna, Falls Church, Dunn Loring), they are not an easy driving commute to Alexandria (and I think they'd be a long and roundabout rail commute to Alexandria).

[ACWhite]

Another possibility is the Aurora Hills/Addison Heights area (22202). The elementary schools have a more diverse student population, which affects test scores, than North Arlington. Not sure how you view that or how the schools would compare with Alexandria schools. But this area would likely meet all your other criteria, and has excellent family (and non-family) oriented neighborhoods. Cost would be similar to Rosemont.

[bmwguydc]

If your husband would not mind a short drive to Metro, you could live in the Canterbury Woods area of Annandale, off Braddock Road. The schools are good, and it's a convenient, family neighborhood that is close to The Beltway for a reverse commute to Alexandria (most days) or taking Braddock Road/Little River Turnpike (either one) to Alexandria. You should be able to find a single-family home within your budget in that area.

There is a Metro bus route that traverses the community as well, heading to the Pentagon, where your husband could jump on the Metro rail. The 29e and 29x are routed along Braeburn Drive, and per the time schedule get to the train in about 30-40 minutes. He would then take the Blue Line to Metro Center that should take about 15 minutes or so.

http://www.wmata.com/bus/timetables/va/29c-x.pdf

From Annandale, if he were to drive to Metro, it would be the Vienna-Fairfax or Dunn Loring stops, where he would take the Orange Line train directly to Metro Center. Living close to the Vienna-Fairfax Metro would be good from the standpoint of walking, but single-family homes are not as easy to find, and you would have more traffic with which to contend to get to the Beltway as Routes 29 and 50 are very slow, and I-66 E to The Beltway is a parking lot because of Tysons Corner traffic, and all non-HOV traffic must exit at The Beltway in the morning, and trucks at all times.

Dunn Loring could work, and it might not be a bad choice, but there is significant road construction in the area as Fairfax County's Mosaic project is underway to redevelop the Merrifield area that's just to the south of the Dunn Loring station. You would be able to get on The Beltway easier from Dunn Loring because you could take Gallows to Lee Highway, R on Fairview Park, take the ramp on the right to 495 S, and it's mostly a reverse commute to the Eisenhower Avenue exit.

After 395/495 interchange, The Beltway slows a bit due to merging traffic, but it's usually just a momentary delay. If traffic is at a standstill, it's because of an accident, so you can always exit at Van Dorn, take a L at the end of the ramp, and then a R at the bottom of the hill and follow Eisenhower a couple of miles east to the PTO/Carlyle area.

[ACWhite]

Dunn Loring has some nice areas. But IMHO, its feasibility may depend on whether your husband has flexibility in his work hours, because the Orange Line and Route 66 both get very crowded during rush hours. A friend who commutes to DC from Dunn Loring says driving via 66 "is a snap" - but he leaves his home between 5:30 and 6 AM! Dunn Loring is also pretty far from the USPTO in Alexandria - I think you can get closer than that - and it's not cheap.

Here's a 4 BR house that is for rent in 22202 for $3100 (but you might be able to negotiate on rents):

http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-AURORA+HILLS-ARLINGTON-VA-MRIS-AR7440498 (broken link)

When driving through, I've seen other signs up in the neighborhoods as well.

[FindingZen]

I second the idea of the Rosemont neighborhood in Alexandria. Your kids would likely be zoned for Mount Vernon Community School (next door in the Del Ray neighborhood) which, from my observation, has a lot of parent involvement. You could probably take one of a few buses on Del Ray's Mt. Vernon Avenue down to the King Street Metro, from which you could walk to the USPTO.

[FairfaxGuy73]

Originally Posted by Tone509

I second the idea of the Rosemont neighborhood in Alexandria. Your kids would likely be zoned for Mount Vernon Community School (next door in the Del Ray neighborhood) which, from my observation, has a lot of parent involvement. You could probably take one of a few buses on Del Ray's Mt. Vernon Avenue down to the King Street Metro, from which you could walk to the USPTO.

From the OP: "We are planning to lease a house (single family detached) in the area (Minimum - 3 bed & 2 bath) with monthly rent around $2500 - $3000."

So can you get a 2,000 or so sq ft SFH in Rosemont for this price? What kind of condition would it be in?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by FairfaxGuy73

From the OP: "We are planning to lease a house (single family detached) in the area (Minimum - 3 bed & 2 bath) with monthly rent around $2500 - $3000."

So can you get a 2,000 or so sq ft SFH in Rosemont for this price? What kind of condition would it be in?

You know, I'm not sure. But a quick search on a popular map engine using the term "house rentals Rosemont Alexandria" VA turned up at least a couple 3BR/2BA properties under $3000. I can't necessarily vouch for the condition of any of them as I'm not that familiar with their exact locations.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by FairfaxGuy73

From the OP: "We are planning to lease a house (single family detached) in the area (Minimum - 3 bed & 2 bath) with monthly rent around $2500 - $3000."

So can you get a 2,000 or so sq ft SFH in Rosemont for this price? What kind of condition would it be in?

There aren't millions of 'em, but they do exist.

2205 Valley Cluster, Alexandria VA - Trulia

I think expanding the search to the Taylor Run or Seminary Hill areas would give some more prevalent options though.