Front Royal to Fairfax? (Reston, Centreville: find a job, college, to live)

[dogsarelov3]

I'm looking to move to the Front Royal area and I also recently started looking for jobs in the Fairfax area. I was wondering how bad the commute is from these locations. I'm a recent college grad and I moved to Virginia about a year ago.

Thanks in advance!

[FindingZen]

Really bad. A map search predicts a 54 minute commute to Centreville, just inside the Fairfax County line. Reality will be much worse, especially once you reach the commuters in Haymarket.

If it's the small town feel of Front Royal that attracts you, Haymarket may be a decent compromise as a bedroom community from which you could travel to FR on the weekends.

If it's the relatively inexpensive housing that appeals to your wallet, you may want to consider what thousands of younger professionals in NOVA do: find a roommate that is close to your employer (once you find out where you're employed, of course.)

[MSgal]

We live in FR and commute to Reston/Herndon area. We leave at 5:00 am and get to work for 6:15. In the afternoons, we leave at 4:00 and get in around 5:30. Now we have a hybrid and use HOV lanes, so that does make a difference in drive times. Traffic is heavier once you hit Haymarket (AM), however, there are times it is heavy all the way to/from FR. Your average speed outside of Haymarket is 75+, so it is not always a nice drive, as most have had a long day and want to get home! It is cheaper to live out here, but you spend more in gas. There are vanpools/carpools available depending on where you find a job. It is definitely a beautiful area, it gets colder in the mountains, and we tend to have snow more than the city. If you have to be at work when it snows it could be difficult to get to I66. Some things to think about! Good luck!

[stpickrell]

If you leave at 6am it's doable but I would not try working 8-5 from Front Royal unless you have family ties, etc., to FroRo.