Where to live in NOVA?? Commute to Bethesda and Alexandria (Arlington: real estate, apartments)

[metclubin]

What is the best place to live in NOVA if I commute for work to Bethesda and spouse to Alexandria.
We are looking to buy a townhouse at a location which would be better for commute to both places. We don't mind riding a Metro for 50 mins rather than driving. We currently rent in Falls Church 3 lights from Tysons and its a dream place.

We want to buy a townhouse and our budget is around 450k. Any ideas? Easy commute is our first preference, safe neighborhood, no kids so not very specific about schools. I heard all of NOVA schools are top class in the country.

We have found some townhouses in the following areas. Please provide any suggestions about the area.

1. West Village at Shirlington Arlington 22204
2. Sullivan PLace Alexandria 22312 Exit 2A of 395, Edsall Rd East to Bloomfield Dr to Harrington Falls Ln. What is the cloest Metro station to this?
3. Groveton Woods Alexandria 22306 I-495 to Exit 177 US 1 South towards Fort Belvoir ( 4 miles) to right on Holly Hill Rd.
4. Skyview Park Alexandria This one is close to Huntington Metro.

Waiting for some suggestions and info. Which zip codes of Alexandria are good?

Thanks,

[Tish Thompson]

Met,

My names Tish, I'm a real estate consultant. I'm required to tell that, I'm not just saying it for brownie points.

Since you and your spouse are currently using public transportation to get back and forth to work, you've found the best way to get around with the least amount of frustration. As far as a safe neighborhood? Your best bet is to get it straight from the source...the police. If you're looking in Alexandria City: Alexandria Police - Home Page
Fairfax County: Police Department - Fairfax County, Virginia
of the VA State Police: Virginia State Police

With the state police site, you can enter a property address to see how closely the nearest sex offender may be living to the address you're considering making a move to. As far as details about larceny/vehicle theft/burglary, you're probably better off calling the dispatch centers of the police departments to get the information you need.

There are other sites that you can visit to get info. about demographics, let me know if you need help finding one.

[dullnboring]

If commuting is the top priority, I would say that choice #4 would be your best bet. A commute from Huntington to Bethesda runs just under 50 minutes, and it is also the closest of all the four options to Alexandria. Well, that's assuming that your spouse will be commuting to the eastern Alexandria around Old Town. If commuting to the West End, then #2 or #3 may be quicker.

I think Shirlington is great, minus the fact that it is in a "hole" of Metro coverage so commuting out of there can be a bit of a pain. Otherwise, it's a really nicely contained little community.

There's actually a lot of variance within zip codes in Alexandria so it's not really the sort of place in my mind where you can say that one zip code is to be avoided and another not. It's more localized than that in my opinion but perhaps others feel otherwise. All of the communities you listed I'm sure are safe though. Locations #2 and #3 have the most potential for shadiness. I doubt with your budget that you yourself would be in the midst of a bad neighborhood, but it's just possible that once you leave your development, there's a higher likelihood given the general areas, that your surroundings may be a bit rougher. Nothing horrific though. This IS Northern Virginia after all.

Oh, and as for your question on #2, I believe that it is more or less equidistant from the Franconia/Springfield and Eisenhower Avenue Metro stop. Franconia/Springfield has more parking but it would be a bit of a backtrack to head back that way.

[The Dissenter]

#3 and #4 are a little more shadier when crime is involved but not exactly a stay away area like SE DC or inner-beltway PG county. The one i wouldn't do would be no. 3 mainly due to crime and making that trip up Rt. 1 to the metro. #2 also light crime worries but still not a no-go area but that may be your best option b/c of proximity to van dorn metro and you could take a bus to that station. You would change trains at King St i think b/c Van Dorn is a blue line train station. Also you may want to look at the 22304 (landmark, Alexandria City) zip code it is pretty affordable for condos and maybe townhomes also. So with your 4 choices i would do no. 2.

[metclubin]

Thanks guys for all the valuable information. I am planning to visit all these areas this weekend. Also, will checkout Alexandria Landmark. What does that mean exactly? Is it Alexandria City? Does it come in Fairfax county or is it like Falls Church City and Fairfax city which are treated differently although they come in Fairfax county?

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by metclubin

Thanks guys for all the valuable information. I am planning to visit all these areas this weekend. Also, will checkout Alexandria Landmark. What does that mean exactly? Is it Alexandria City? Does it come in Fairfax county or is it like Falls Church City and Fairfax city which are treated differently although they come in Fairfax county?

The city of Alexandria is it's own independent city with it's own school system and police force. Nothing to do with Fairfax County.

[rubytue]

My husband and I did the same thing for 4 years (me in downtown Bethesda, him in Old Town Alexandria). We lived in Lorton. Great for him, sucked for me. Metro was not a workable option for me due to having to ride all the way into town then back out on the red line.

I had a coworker who lived near Huntington, and she preferred to drive around the beltway to metro or GW parkway (due to the driving through old town). Another coworker lived in Shirlington, and she was generally happy with her commute to Bethesda. She was able to hop onto the parkway and hit the beltway just at the legion bridge, then hop off at Clara Barton and take back roads into Bethesda.

Bethesda and Alexandria is not a good combo of commutes Its hard to pick somewhere that works for both of you. If the Bethesda person is working close to the metro, then its really bad if you want to drive. Since you mention wanting to take metro, that will be ok. Unless there are the occasional days of driving.

[lchoro]

Landmark is close to the Van Dorn Street Blue Line station. On Duke Street, there's a major shopping mall called the Landmark Mall. If you turn South onto Van Dorn St. from Duke Street toward the Beltway, you'll find a lot of apartments in that area.

If work and home are all assumed to be close to the subway line, you're best living near an Alexandria or Arlington station that accomodates the Yellow Line. You'll cut about 15 minutes off of your commute to Bethesda since the Yellow Line allows you to transfer to the Red Line after fewer stops.

Metro - Metrorail System Map (http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/systemmap.cfm - broken link)

[metclubin]

I work in NIH so the Medical Center is right under our campus. Taking a Metro will be great for me. I don't mind a 50 minute commute by Metro. So I am exploring areas on Blue and Yellow lines.

Somwhere on this forum I read Huntington is not a great area. There are new townhomes construction very close to Huntington Metro. For my wife it would be great because she gets off at King Street station.

Any recos about the Huntington Metro area in terms of safety, shopping, etc.?

Thanks,

Met

[vabruin]

I live in the Kingstowne area of Alexandria (the intersection of Van Dorn and Franconia Rd) and it's a great location. The shopping center is convenient and there is a miniature "restaurant row" inlcuding our local movie theater - Kingstowne 16. The area is also very safe - you'll see people walking their dogs or running every evening. The area is midway between the Van Dorn and Franconia/Springfield metro stations.

The Huntington area, though only a few miles away, doesn't seem to be as safe or pedestrian-friendly. Good Luck!