Best place to live between Quantico and DC

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

How long of a Metro ride is it from Huntington into downtown DC?

Depending where you're going in DC, maybe 35 minutes? Could be more if you have to change trains and go a few stops.

[Carlingtonian]

I disagree with these recommendations. I work nearly as far as Quantico--Ft Belvoir--and commute from Arlington. It's 10 minutes to DC and 45 to Belvoir--probably an hour to Quantico. But Springfield to DC in rush hour is probably 2 hours or more. I see a long line of cars sitting there.

With luck and persistence, you can get a small SFH in S. Arl for your price range. But you could get a pretty nice TH. Good luck.

[Kembek]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

Thanks for the information thus far.

Kembek, how long is the commute from Springfield to Quantico?

Twenty-five minutes. I live in the 22153 zip code and worked at the cemetery.

[CAVA1990]

I'd recommend against Springfield. Live closer to the Potomac. You'll find the area nicer and the drives to DC and Quantico easier. You'll also find plenty of SFHs in your price range (unlike in Arlington).

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

So, why doesn't anyone recommend Manassas? It is a bit longer commute, but the housing is much more affordable. The schools seem to be good, depending on the specific school, so I am always curious why people appear to have a bias against Manassas. Can anyone comment? I have only been to the area once and thought it looked like a good option since the statistics (housing, schools, commute) indicate it would be a good option and I like history and unique shopping/restaurants (not all chain).

It's a nice area, but iffy commute to Quantico and terrible commute to DC proper. Manassas City schools are not the greatest, either.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I disagree with these recommendations. I work nearly as far as Quantico--Ft Belvoir--and commute from Arlington. It's 10 minutes to DC and 45 to Belvoir--probably an hour to Quantico. But Springfield to DC in rush hour is probably 2 hours or more. I see a long line of cars sitting there.

With luck and persistence, you can get a small SFH in S. Arl for your price range. But you could get a pretty nice TH. Good luck.

Hey, have any of the South Arlington middle schools made AYP yet? I understand some of them didn't even get fully SOL certified until last year/year before last. I also understand Alexandria City was threatened with a state takeover of the school system (or was it just TC Williams?)

I dunno, maybe I just lived in the wrong parts of South Arlington, but my experience there SUCKED.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Hey, have any of the South Arlington middle schools made AYP yet? I understand some of them didn't even get fully SOL certified until last year/year before last. I also understand Alexandria City was threatened with a state takeover of the school system (or was it just TC Williams?)

I dunno, maybe I just lived in the wrong parts of South Arlington, but my experience there SUCKED.

AYP? No clue what that is. I'm yet kidless and too lazy to Google right now.

The general lowdown on S. Arl. schools is that they're basically OK--way better than most of DC but worse than N. Arl. or McLean and most of FFX. The whole place is gentrifying super-fast, though. My general secondhand sense of it is that the schools there have a good number of ESL kids, a few AA kids from Nauck, and a growing portion of kids of young caucasoid parents who were a bit too late to swing N. Arl but still wanna live close in. I suspect that the quality of instruction is probably OK, if your kid can find a good group of nerds to hang with.

The other option I thought of for the OP was to buy a 1960s rambler somewhere in McLean--but anywhere near GWMP or Glebe Road (NE or east McLean) would be super pricey, even for a modest-sized, drab house. They're gonna have to cave on something--commute time, schools, price, or SFH vs. TH.

If the OP is only gonna drive to DC every blue moon, then I'd say bite the bullet and buy in FFX county Alexandria and just know that the commute's gonna be hellish when you have to drive to DC. Or drive in freakishly early on those days.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

AYP? No clue what that is. I'm yet kidless and too lazy to Google right now.

The general lowdown on S. Arl. schools is that they're basically OK--way better than most of DC but worse than N. Arl. or McLean and most of FFX. The whole place is gentrifying super-fast, though. My general secondhand sense of it is that the schools there have a good number of ESL kids, a few AA kids from Nauck, and a growing portion of kids of young caucasoid parents who were a bit too late to swing N. Arl but still wanna live close in. I suspect that the quality of instruction is probably OK, if your kid can find a good group of nerds to hang with.

The other option I thought of for the OP was to buy a 1960s rambler somewhere in McLean--but anywhere near GWMP or Glebe Road (NE or east McLean) would be super pricey, even for a modest-sized, drab house. They're gonna have to cave on something--commute time, schools, price, or SFH vs. TH.

If the OP is only gonna drive to DC every blue moon, then I'd say bite the bullet and buy in FFX county Alexandria and just know that the commute's gonna be hellish when you have to drive to DC. Or drive in freakishly early on those days.

AYP = Adequate Yearly Progress (under No Child Left Behind). Since 98% of schools are SOL certified these days (no idea whether there's been improvements made or the tests have been watered down), this may be a more useful indicator. OTOH, I've heard stories where 2-3 kids being absent means one group doesn't make AYP, then the whole school fails.

Agreed, I lived in a bad part of South Arlington, so my opinion of the whole South Arlington system is biased horribly. The biggest enrollment jump is in the Washington-Lee zone, though, so I suspect we'll see if the newbies can handle getting assigned to Wakefield.

I wouldn't rate the commute from the Fort Hunt area "hellish" (not like a commute from Stafford) and if OP can tolerate the demographics of Wakefield or TC Williams, he/she can tolerate West Potomac.

[roninsedge]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

Thanks for the information thus far.

Kembek, how long is the commute from Springfield to Quantico?

CAVA1990 and roninsedge, I have the same question. How long would the drive be from the Mt. Vernon area to Quantico? Also, if I had to drive into downtown at rush hour, how long would that take?

At the peak of rush hour the drive from Ft. Hunt to downtown Washington DC takes about an hour. If you are running on the early side of rush hour or on Fridays, closer to 30 min. Best part of being in the Ft. Hunt area is that you have 3 options to get to the city. GW Parkway, Rte 1 and the Beltway to 295. I have worked near 17th and K and currently work near 13th and L. If you want to take the Metro into the city you are looking at about 15 min. to the Metro and about 35 min. on the Metro depending on where in the city you are going.

As for the school situation, the West Potomac pyramid is middle of the road for FCPS which means pretty good compared to the rest of the nation.