NOVA vs. Maryland (Arlington, Dale City, McLean: townhouses, job market, to buy)

[momandrn]

Hi, I am new to this post. I am currently interviewing for a job in Arlington, VA. I currently live in South Fla.

I am debating if I even take this job, where the best place to live would be? Arlington, another area of NOVA or Maryland.

We can spend up to $550k (though would like to stay around 500), and have 2 sons that I want to send to public school. The schools in Fla. are absolutely horrible (read..48th out of 50 in the US), so good schools are important. Also, we are Jewish, so I don't want to be in an area where there are no synagogues, etc...

Finally, with all the talk about commutes, I don't think I would want more than 45 min. each way.

Any suggestions, are appreciated.

[zenetanar]

I think that there is more of a Jewish population in Montgomery County -- I taught with two Jewish colleagues who both commuted from Maryland for this reason. I believe they both lived near Potomac, MD. Both Fairfax County and Montgomery County have very good schools. Commutewise, I would think living in Fairfax County would be better. They do have synagogues in the area: Synagogues In Northern Virginia (http://gunston.gmu.edu/hillel/synagogues.html - broken link)

[dullnboring]

Montgomery County is the traditional nexus of the Jewish population in the DC area, but I was surprised to learn from a link posted awhile back on this board that both the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax have very large Jewish populations as well (15-20% Jewish). Granted, it's Wikipedia, so although the source is cited so it's legitimacy is debatable, but I found it interesting nonetheless:

American Jews - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Were it not for the cost constraints, I would definitely recommend the city of Falls Church above all other places, but 500K would likely only be able to get you a townhome there, which if that isn't an issue for you, then I recommend it. Falls Church however has terrific public transit, is close to both DC and bordering Arlington, is incredibly safe, and has terrific schools. Schools across Northern Virginia are almost universally good and even the worst of schools in Northern Virginia is probably considered an average school in Florida. With that said however, the best of the best tend to be concentrated in Fairfax County, especially (but not exclusively) towards the west and north.

As loose of the criterion may appear to be, believe it or not, but single family homes for 500K within a 45 minute drive of Arlington in our notoriously bad rush hour traffic, may prove a bit difficult. In the nicer areas with the best schools, in places like Vienna, 500K may be able to buy you an older post-war one story rambler, which again may be fine, but I know a lot of people nowadays want a newly constructed home with all the latest amenities. If willing to settle for a townhouse, you'll have plenty of options.

The problem with commuting from Maryland is the fact that the closest Maryland communities to Arlington, and therefore the only ones likely to come in under a 45 minute commute, are among the wealthiest in the DC area so therefore, the housing costs reflect that. Arlington itself is fine as well, with the best schools concentrated in the northern parts of Arlington, but again, cost is an issue here as single family homes regularly go for upwards of 700K in many of these areas. I wouldn't rule it out altogether as there may be some choices here and there, but as a whole, I think Fairfax County is where you'd find the best compromise in terms of cost, commute and schools.

[claremarie]

There is a huge synagogue in the Falls Church area (Rodef Shalom), but there are many more synagogues in Montgomery County and DC (many of the DC synagogues draw from the Maryland suburbs) because Jews are a much higher percentage of the population there. When my sons attended public schools in Arlington and Fairfax County, very few of their classmates were Jewish, and their Jewish classmates tended to be "cultural" rather than practicing Jews. My immediate neighbors in McLean come from Mexico, the UK, China, Japan, India, but none of them is Jewish. The Montgomery County schools close for the major Jewish holidays; the Fairfax County schools do not.
Having said that, I should also acknowledge that, if you live in Arlington or Falls Church, you are within easy reach (under 30 minutes) of many Jewish synagogues in DC, Bethesda, or Potomac, so it's not as if the Potomac River is an impassable barrier. But it is definitely true that there is a much more visible Jewish presence in Md and DC.
Dullnboring has given you an accurate assessment of the housing options. Your commute will be much easier if you don't have to come from Maryland each day, so I would focus on townhouses in Arlington and the City of Falls Church. I have also seen townhouses in your price range in the Falls Church area of McLean.

[Love2LiveNCities]

Originally Posted by momandrn

Hi, I am new to this post. I am currently interviewing for a job in Arlington, VA. I currently live in South Fla.

I am debating if I even take this job, where the best place to live would be? Arlington, another area of NOVA or Maryland.

We can spend up to $550k (though would like to stay around 500), and have 2 sons that I want to send to public school. The schools in Fla. are absolutely horrible (read..48th out of 50 in the US), so good schools are important. Also, we are Jewish, so I don't want to be in an area where there are no synagogues, etc...

Finally, with all the talk about commutes, I don't think I would want more than 45 min. each way.

Any suggestions, are appreciated.

Definitely Northern VA. Maryland is not always the best. As far as schools they could go to the absolute worst one and it would stil be better then most across the country. VA is ranked 1 as far as hardest cirriculum and highest output. If in fact you want to be around a synagogue there is one in Prince William. that i know very well because my good friend is Jewish. Also market is slow so if you stay out of alexandria where a townhouse is a million. You can use that price for alot. There is little communities popping up on every blade of grass in Prince William as well as Fairfax. And most run about high 3's low 4's towards the backside of Dale City(newer section) hope this helps

[seldomseen]

As a whole I prefer NoVa over Maryland, however the northern, and some eastern regions of Maryland still offer some very nice places to live at a more affordable cost than NoVa. Maryland is actualy becoming a more up and coming state to live in too. However, the process of become such, will most likely be a "slow/steady" but progressive process. Unlike NoVa, where these things occur at light speeds! lol The job market in NoVa is also a lot strong, and more consistently solid than Maryland too.