Relocating to Northern Virginia...

[florali]

What is important for me.....
Not a nightlife ( single mom type of style....with full time job) and no help...
My priority is a good school system,nice athmosphere...want to make friends....and gym ! You are probably laughting....this sounds boring.....I like to go to nice gym 3-5 x week....

well,this is my reality .I like to have DC close ,soif I feel like going for some concert or cultural event it is there in a reach ...like I have here around Fort Lauderdale.
I like to go skiing too...which looks like it is close by,I dont like croud very much so this is one of my concerns.....But I think I could find a local job....
I need to know if traffic in Manassas alone is also really bad and alos if I drive during a day ...how jammed it would be? I am thinking about
Centreville,but it may by not affordable due to more expensive housing...
I was there in DC in August,but it was vacation type of thing...not a relocation ...
I like newer community and ofcourse I wouldnt want to downsize....so this is another issue.....but it it quite expensive in South Florida also...

[florali]

more questions...

If I were to live in Centreville how bad is the traffic in there and if I would to travel for job to Manassas or Chantily or Reston or anywhere around...how bad it would be?

I am kind of scared with this traffic situation over there....but I live in South Florida....it is not great here either....
Beeing here over 10 years I kind of lerned where to go to bypass the worst.

[dullnboring]

Unfortunately, there's pretty much no way around the traffic around here. If you're going to live in the DC area, it's something that you just have to learn to accept; sort of grin and bear it, although that doesn't mean that you can't complain as everyone here does. We're always coming out near the top on national surveys of the worst traffic in the nation, anywhere from number two to four (LA is always number one, then DC, Atlanta and San Francisco jockey for the next spots year after year). You can minimize the traffic by living in DC proper and relying solely on the Metro for transportation, but that's not an option in the areas where you're looking to settle.

A commute between Centreville and Reston or Chantilly or Manassas would vary depending on where in those locales you were going and what roads you were using and the time of day and such. When I lived in Centreville, I worked in Chantilly, only five miles away and my afternoon commute would run nearly 30 minutes. Commuting and traffic is a very real problem in the outer suburbs which is why I recommend living as close as you can to where you work.

In terms of whether the specific Manassas/Centreville area would be a good fit for you, it seems to fit a certain amount of your criteria. I guess whether or not an area is crowded is subjective, and also depends upon where in the area you live. Basically though, the area is suburban. It has your basic suburban amenities with the chain stores and the shopping malls and such. There isn't really wild nightlife and it's quiet at night so I'd imagine you'd enjoy it. If you can afford it, I would advise to try to squeak into Fairfax County just due to the superior school system. Prince William County is no slouch in the school department but Fairfax is one of the best school systems in the nation, so it may be worth spending that extra amount, or downsizing that bit, to take advantage of it.

[bemn]

Hi.....I'd definately look in Centreville. In particular, I'd recommend looking in Virginia Run, there may be some homes in your price range and the schools are good. This is where we live and have been very happy. Prior to that, we lived in Sully Station in Centreville. That's very close and is funneled into the same high school....Westfield. Sully Station has a mixture of options ranging from single family, townhouses and nice apartment like town houses......again the schools there are good....also there's an older neighborhood that doesn't funnel into London Town Elementary, but I believe it's Deer Park school, very near a local country club and grocery store/strip mall. The homes are well kept and the neighborhood nice. Hope this helps, btw.....zip would be 20120.

[mswood]

If you are living in South Florida and can seem to get around traffic there, then you should not worry about traffic any where else being any worse. It is bad of course but no worse than what you have to deal with now. I am also a single mom looking for the same things and want to move as well. I lived in Southern Florida and LOVED it, but moved back north to go to school b.c that is where my family is from. So I am almost done and am looking for a place to move that would be similar to Southern Florida. We are both in the EXACT same position so let me know what you find out. Maybe between the two of us we could find something descent for ourselves.

[AJones]

Just moved to Reston....LOVE IT!! Shopping, great schools, JOBS, people. I am a Realtor and was looking for a condo in Fairfax near the Metro when I found this forum.
If you're thinking of moving here, come up and see for the weekend. Try to stay for a weekday or two. Centerville's great if you want to be between DC and Manassis. Or Chantilly. Prices are coming down...hopefully you can live close to your friends in Reston and McLean.
I'm in a group that has children of all ages. Each month we get together at someone's house and have lady's only night...just to talk...or play bunco. Then four times a year, we all get together for family fun. If you move and need help "mixing in" I'd be happy to welcome you!
p.s. Traffic's not that bad IF you don't HAVE to commute in/around it. I don't see how these people do it everyday into DC....you're looking at a 12 hour day!

[bikerbabe3939!!]

Help! I am relocating to Northern Va and would like to buy a townhome/condo. I will be working at Quantico Marine Base however, my boyfriend works up in Arlington so he'll have to commute. We have no children -we're just looking for a safe neighborhood that will allow a somewhat short commute to Quantico yet also be a short commute/vanpool to Arlington. Any suggestions would be really great, thanks.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by bikerbabe3939!!

Help! I am relocating to Northern Va and would like to buy a townhome/condo. I will be working at Quantico Marine Base however, my boyfriend works up in Arlington so he'll have to commute. We have no children -we're just looking for a safe neighborhood that will allow a somewhat short commute to Quantico yet also be a short commute/vanpool to Arlington. Any suggestions would be really great, thanks.

Just a tip. You may want to start your own post on this. When you have a question and it gets buried in one of these long (old) threads, you probably won't get a lot of responses.

I'd start a thread with something in the subject line giving readers a clue as to where you are working and what you are looking for.