Job at Ft. Belvoir , moving from Hawaii (Alexandria, Franconia: rentals, tax)

[slduvall]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Just speaking from experience, I think a single parent without a car at work in a different town is a really bad idea. Plus why you'd want to take a delightful and easy commute into something difficult and time-consuming is beyond me.

Previous Quote from CAVA "Not sure why you're suggesting Arlington or Kingstowne. The OP wants to live in a high rise in Old Town. That's an easy commute down the parkway and 235 to Fort Belvoir and back. Seems the most useful advice would be to find a 2-BR in a high rise in Old Town that can be had for 2,400 a month. I see quite a number of them on Craigslist that fit those criteria. "

Your two comments seem sort of contradictory - another poster suggested Kingstowne etc based on commute - trust me - there isn't an easier or more delightful commute than Kingstowne to Ft Belvoir.

That said since child care is an issue for this poster, that is something I would look at before apts. If you chose an area like Arlington - I would recommend daycare close to work i.e. Kingstowne and surrounding area. I haven't seen a daycare center in the Eisenhower area near Hoffman, but might be wrong, there might be some along Duke, but that is going to add to your commute. Drop off times can vary around here. So reporting time to work needs to be caluculated based on drop off time + commute. And daycare near work allows you to leave home, deal with traffic and then the daycare would most likely be open, vs one close to home. And the all important being close in case something happens and you have to pick up quickly!

But more importantly - why oh why would you leave Hawaii! We have been thinking about moving there! But at least you will be used to traffic.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by slduvall

Previous Quote from CAVA "Not sure why you're suggesting Arlington or Kingstowne. The OP wants to live in a high rise in Old Town. That's an easy commute down the parkway and 235 to Fort Belvoir and back. Seems the most useful advice would be to find a 2-BR in a high rise in Old Town that can be had for 2,400 a month. I see quite a number of them on Craigslist that fit those criteria. "

Your two comments seem sort of contradictory - another poster suggested Kingstowne etc based on commute - trust me - there isn't an easier or more delightful commute than Kingstowne to Ft Belvoir.

That said since child care is an issue for this poster, that is something I would look at before apts. If you chose an area like Arlington - I would recommend daycare close to work i.e. Kingstowne and surrounding area. I haven't seen a daycare center in the Eisenhower area near Hoffman, but might be wrong, there might be some along Duke, but that is going to add to your commute. Drop off times can vary around here. So reporting time to work needs to be caluculated based on drop off time + commute. And daycare near work allows you to leave home, deal with traffic and then the daycare would most likely be open, vs one close to home. And the all important being close in case something happens and you have to pick up quickly!

But more importantly - why oh why would you leave Hawaii! We have been thinking about moving there! But at least you will be used to traffic.

Regarding daycare in Arlington: My cousin bought house in Arlington last year and then had a baby. Infant daycare was VERY hard to find as well as other types. She said many people in Arlington use in-home nannies so the daycare options are not as plentiful as in the suburbs. Since the OP how has a 2 year old versus the single life when here before, daycare is a huge issue to resolve.

[hawaii-1234]

Thanks all. I can't stand the heat and the lizards in Hawaii. Of course there are more reasons but I don't wish to discuss them here. The working grade is a GS-12 in Hawaii so good luck on getting promoted! Most people retire as GS-11/12s. The education system is terrible, I personally don't want my child to start school here. There are not many intellectual people around and I feel as if I am trapped! I think it is called "rock fever" ??! I used to have a husband and now he is gone. I am a fairly young ivy league grad and the DC area seems like the best fit for now. I will be concentrating on the Kingstowne area then. I do appreciate your help. Mahalo!

[researchqueen02]

OP please check out Northern Va. Academy for your child as well as Little Acorn Patch -- depending on which end of Kingstowne you might like. My kids went to No. VA. Academy and they have a very stable staff (very unusual for day care centers). It is right outside the Telegraph Rd. gate to Ft. Belvoir. If you search for Va. Dept. of Social Services, you will find a site that allows you to put in a zip code and find all the state licensed centers/homes in that zip code. You can also see the inspection reports for each facility/home. It is very hard to have no violations, and you have to look at the type of violation -- there is a difference b/t hitting a child or losing a child vs. having an expired epipen or failure to do a fire drill in one cold month. You will see that some of the centers in 22310 and 22315 have MANY violations and they have far more inspections than they should have. Normally, a center is inspected twice a year. If it is 6-8 times a year -- that's a sign that something is very wrong at that center. Be afraid of it.

Good luck.

[hawaii-1234]

Thanks researchqueen. There is a CDC on base, next to the Kingman gate (DLA side). I will definitely check out the Nova academy. Thanks a million

[researchqueen02]

I'm sure it's much cheaper on base. Per week prices at most day cares in this area are about $250 for a 2 yr. old. I know you were thinking high rise, but IF you can flex to other options, I think you will really enjoy the amenities of the Kingstowne HOA. Note that there are other HOAs in the area, but they don't have as many pre-planned activites as the actual KROC (Kingstowne Residential Owners Community). We used to live in Kingstowne, now we are in a nearby HOA. We don't have a pool, and we don't have the special events that Kingstowne has (Easter egg hunt, Halloween party, etc.) Might not be so important to you with a 2 yr. old, but it's nice to have these events available as a child gets just a little older. TONs of young families/kids in Kingstowne and vicinity near Belvoir, easy to get to the things you need for daily life without fighting traffic and parking. Old Town is great too, the north end of Old Town has some higher buildings as well as the south end. I'm sure there are a lot of young families there as well. A bit more congested on the roads and finding parking. But it has a lot of charm. I can't say that Kingstowne has charm. It is less stressful b/c it is newer (wider streets, community parking built into infrastructure) and while densely populated, perhaps not as densely populated as Old Town.

Both areas could work.

[hawaii-1234]

That helps a lot. I don't know how to thank you all.

[researchqueen02]

I can't recall if you were looking for the long term (i.e. elementary school time) or just the next few years. There is a set of mid-rise condo buildings on Kingstowne Lake just off of south Van Dorn (just north of the Kingstowne Towne Center). Nice to have the lake to walk around (we go there just to do that at times), and you are walking distance to the Snyder Center pool (KROC HOA) and walking distance to the retail of the Kingstowne Town Center. That area goes to Franconia Elementary school and it's the closest to Little Acorn Patch. If you were looking more for the long term, I might advise you to look at Landsdowne HOA off of Beulah (just outside the Telegraph Rd. gate and very short drive to Kingman gate). It has a pool and some 2 bdrm townhouses. Great community with activities and a real "community" feel b/c there are so many kids/families, MANY military families. This area goes to Island Creek Elementary which is one of the best elementaries in this area (as well as Hayfield Elementary).

Neither the Kingstowne condos nor the Landsdowne townhouses have garages (FWIW).

[hawaii-1234]

I plan on purchasing a house in the next couple of years and sending her to the Potomac School so I guess I will have to move again. I will look into both areas. Thank you very very much!

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by slduvall

Previous Quote from CAVA "Not sure why you're suggesting Arlington or Kingstowne. The OP wants to live in a high rise in Old Town. That's an easy commute down the parkway and 235 to Fort Belvoir and back. Seems the most useful advice would be to find a 2-BR in a high rise in Old Town that can be had for 2,400 a month. I see quite a number of them on Craigslist that fit those criteria. "

Your two comments seem sort of contradictory - another poster suggested Kingstowne etc based on commute - trust me - there isn't an easier or more delightful commute than Kingstowne to Ft Belvoir. .

I was responding to her request for a high rise. I don't recall seeing any in Kingstowne (I could be wrong though). Depending on the gate she's going to wouldn't her commute from Kingstowne potentially involve joining the humongo line of cars waiting at the light at the FC Parkway/Route 1 intersection? The commute down the GW Parkway along the Potomac is a bit more scenic.