small towns Near Alexandria (Arlington, Manassas: lease, condo, low crime)

[dangelmaybe]

My Husband and I are looking to relocate and he is looking at some jobs around the Alexandria or Arlington area (he's an Accountant, and is thinking about government jobs) We want to start a family so are looking for areas that have good schools, Low crime etc( a smaller town is better). He doesn't mind having to commute a little maybe like 30 min commute or even a commuter rail would be great! We are also looking for a place that is not extremely expensive. 250K - 300K would be great



any suggestions (does a place like that even exist in that area)

[NOVAEER]

There are no small towns near Alexandria.

[pcity]

Yeah, definitely not within 30 minutes.

[jmking]

I guess if he'll take the rail, look at Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg area, however as stated a bit farther than 30 minutes.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by dangelmaybe

My Husband and I are looking to relocate and he is looking at some jobs around the Alexandria or Arlington area (he's an Accountant, and is thinking about government jobs) We want to start a family so are looking for areas that have good schools, Low crime etc( a smaller town is better). He doesn't mind having to commute a little maybe like 30 min commute or even a commuter rail would be great! We are also looking for a place that is not extremely expensive. 250K - 300K would be great



any suggestions (does a place like that even exist in that area)

Not really.

I would rent a small place in one of Winchester/Front Royal/Warrenton/Manassas/Leesburg/Fredericksburg/Frederick/Annapolis, find some sort of temp/retail job, and begin a job search from there.

Once you find a job, grind it out for a few months, or pay the lease-break fee if you're able. Then, find something more "permanent."

Do you have family/very close friends in the area already?

In fact, the cities I mention, the edge towns of the Washington DC area, would be your best bet cost-wise and small-town wise, minus the 30 minute commute. Each have a separate history from the greater DC blob, which despite my calling it a blob, really isn't bad (for the most part).

Fairfax, Herndon, Falls Church, Vienna, Rockville, Bowie, and Gaithersburg (the suburban towns) all have managed to maintain their separate identities but are correspondingly more expensive.

Then there's the inner towns, VA doesn't really have any but there's scads in Maryland all adjoining the District itself.

[SmoothGuy]

Originally Posted by dangelmaybe

My Husband and I are looking to relocate and he is looking at some jobs around the Alexandria or Arlington area (he's an Accountant, and is thinking about government jobs) We want to start a family so are looking for areas that have good schools, Low crime etc( a smaller town is better). He doesn't mind having to commute a little maybe like 30 min commute or even a commuter rail would be great! We are also looking for a place that is not extremely expensive. 250K - 300K would be great



any suggestions (does a place like that even exist in that area)

Your not going to find anything with low crime, good schools, and within 30 minutes of the DC area within that price range unless your looking at a 1 bedroom condo. Bowie, MD in Prince George's county may be an option for you. It is a nice suburban town with relatively low crime... but their schools aren't that great.

[dangelmaybe]

it's not that he wants to work in DC. We are just looking for a smaller town to raise a family where he can get a job! It just seems like all the jobs are around there. So a commute to where ever he works is important and then safety and schools would be the next big thing... i know that in order to get those thing we are going to have to pay more . I'm just hoping we can find something not super expensive.

[snowdenscold]

Originally Posted by dangelmaybe

My Husband and I are looking to relocate and he is looking at some jobs around the Alexandria or Arlington area (he's an Accountant, and is thinking about government jobs) We want to start a family so are looking for areas that have good schools, Low crime etc( a smaller town is better). He doesn't mind having to commute a little maybe like 30 min commute or even a commuter rail would be great! We are also looking for a place that is not extremely expensive. 250K - 300K would be great



any suggestions (does a place like that even exist in that area)

To answer your last question: NO.

If you want a more small town/rural feel, you can look at VRE for a rail line and live down in Stafford, but his commute is going to be well over an hour (getting to train station + hour on train + getting to office).

For your housing: size, location/commute, price - pick 2. At your price range, that means either looking at something very small close in (condo or old, small townhouse), or an hour+ commute if you want a bigger TH or SFH.

[FindingZen]

A half-hour from Alexandria or Arlington will often get you no further than Fairfax County which is fairly high-density suburbia. With your price range, you would normally find a pretty good 1BR condo, an okay 2BR condo or (rarely) a TH/rambler that needs lots of TLC. If you don't plan to start your family for another few years, perhaps buying a condo or smaller TH may be a way to build up equity in the short run.

As others have suggested, small-town living (and housing costs) come with a compromise in this expensive area in terms of commute time and distance.

The good news is that with relatively rare exceptions, most all of NOVA is low crime.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by dangelmaybe

it's not that he wants to work in DC. We are just looking for a smaller town to raise a family where he can get a job! It just seems like all the jobs are around there. So a commute to where ever he works is important and then safety and schools would be the next big thing... i know that in order to get those thing we are going to have to pay more . I'm just hoping we can find something not super expensive.

Around DC is a nebulous term.

If your husband can find a job in Ashburn or Herndon, Leesburg becomes an option. Others have pointed out Fredericksburg is an option if you're willing to take VRE, but that'd be a longer commute.

Rent in one of the edge towns to get a feel for the area/find better paying jobs, and then figure out where to go from there.