Moving to NoVa (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax: apartments, to rent, crime)

[JETTER1982]

I am planning on moving to NoVa in Dec 2007 or Jan 2008. I am trying to understand the pros and cons of living in the beltway or living in DC. I am a single male, 25 yrs old have no children, I will be working at Bolling AFB, lastly I drive a 2003 small SUV (16MPG City / 22MPG Highway). I am not looking into purchasing a home just renting any advice or information anyone can provide me would be awesome. I like the city life but I'm open to what is obviously the soundest decision; to help further paint a picture my take home salary is around $6500 a month. I had looked at these three cities... Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church... But I am open to any and all suggestions.
Thanks for the help,
-R

[dullnboring]

Well your take home salary opens up pretty much every place to you. So with that in mind, considering the treacherous commutes in this region, if you are not averse to more city living, I see no reason to look further than those three cities you listed, or in DC itself. Lots of young people live in Arlington. They're in Alexandria too, and Falls Church to a lesser extent, but Arlington is really ground zero for young twentysomethings in northern Virginia.

As far as pros and cons of DC vs. Virginia, well, in general these suburbs in Virginia are for people who like city living but with less of the hassles and urban ills of being IN a major city like DC. In other words, crime is less, parking is easeier, taxes are less, buildings/apartments tend to be larger, newer and in better condition, there's more breathing room due to less density, schools are better; and things like that. There's a lot of red tape associated with living in DC that frustrates residents. With that said, pros to living in DC include better public transit, the ability to live without a car (in some places), generally quicker commutes, more round-the-clock vitality, walkability, more neighborhoody feel in spots, and just a general sense of being in the thick of it all, right in the middle of all the action rather than a Metro ride away.

Both have pros and cons. I think it depends on how much of a city person you are as to whether or not you want DC itself or one of the city-like suburbs.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by JETTER1982

I am planning on moving to NoVa in Dec 2007 or Jan 2008. I am trying to understand the pros and cons of living in the beltway or living in DC. I am a single male, 25 yrs old have no children, I will be working at Bolling AFB, lastly I drive a 2003 small SUV (16MPG City / 22MPG Highway). I am not looking into purchasing a home just renting any advice or information anyone can provide me would be awesome. I like the city life but I'm open to what is obviously the soundest decision; to help further paint a picture my take home salary is around $6500 a month. I had looked at these three cities... Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church... But I am open to any and all suggestions.
Thanks for the help,
-R

You know it's strange...there's a huge premium to live closer in (and all three towns you mention qualify as "closer in") when you buy a property. You really spend a LOT more do to so.

However, there really *isn't* a huge premium to rent closer in, versus renting further out in, say, Fairfax, or Loudoun or Prince William Counties. If I were you, I'd look strictly in Arlington, and be done with it. You can afford it, and for a single 20 something, Arlington is awesome.

Welcome to Northern Virginia!