Woodbridge/Lake Ridge or Burke/Springfield (Fairfax: rent, HOA fees, movers)

[Twinsane]

Woodbridge/ Lake Ridge OR Burke/ Springfield

We are comparing the two areas for our military relocation to Belvoir. So far the pros for each are fairly even, so maybe you can help us tip the scales. What are the commutes like to Belvoir from each? Any other factors we might need to consider? Any other areas we might consider?

Burke/ Springfield
- better schools (we have 3 school-age kids)

Woodbridge / Lake Ridge
- nicer, bigger house for our money (2500/ month)

[Bigfoot424]

If it were me and Prince William Co was the choice I'd choose Lake Ridge over Woodbridge. Schools are better and the neighborhoods are as well. There are some good neighborhoods in Woodbridge but most of the schools tend to have more problems VS Lake Ridge.

[ChristineVA]

Burke/Springfield would be the winner, hands down. Better school system, better commute. You will get less house but I'm not the kind of person who thinks the house is everything, so take that into consideration.

[ArtyGuy]

Twinsane-

FWIW, we just went through all of this. My movers will finish up today and we are off to Belvoir in the morning. In the end, we chose Woodbridge. Prices were a lot different (higher) north of Belvoir and a lot smaller.

My wife also looked for very good schools. Overall, they may be better in Fairfax but I'm not sure how much better. We have zero concerns our son is going to a bad school (Westridge Elementary).

Belvoir housing was a 12-18 mos waiting list (for me). I found them to be very small-- especially when you consider your BAH is going towards it.

I have several friends (military) who live in Woodbridge and work at either Belvoir, Myers, or at the Pentagon. They all said the commute can be tough-- depending on when you leave for work. As a general rule, they all said it was manageable because of the time at which they commute.

I would look at the military by owner website for homes. There should be a wide array of homes throughout the area and by type-- single family vs condo vs townhouse.

Best of luck.

[johnsonkk]

Moved from west springfield to lake ridge last year. For the commute, same, hopefully the job ad off set hours. Minimum housing in springfield is $400k for townhouse and hoa's and taxes are noticeably higher. Schools in springfield challenge the strong students more. A student son kept getting A's in lake ridge and B student daughter now gets A's and lot of the material was covered the previous year in springfield. We rented for two years and landlord kept raising rent due in part to rising hoa fees. Also, last summer was the bottom of the housing market in lake ridge. Pools in lake ridge are including in hoa. Springfield was $700 for the year. Gas, taxes, are less in PWC. When you house hunting, the neighborhoods dont have hidden surprises and you should get a good feel in a short amount of time.