Moving to DC-Northern Virginia Area (Arlington, Alexandria: cul-de-sac, rent, house)

[MovingtoDC1]

Hello. I am moving to the DC area in July and I am looking for some input about the area. I would like to be near DC, but not in the city. I would like to be near a metro or bus line for easy access to the city. I am looking for an area that has more single people than married. I am 32 years old, single, and I want to be able to meet and date easily. I am a teacher, so I don't make tons of money, but I can afford a rent of about 1200/month. I will be teaching in Prince William County in VA. I don't mind a 30-40 minute commute.

Any advice would be very helpful. Thank you

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by MovingtoDC1

I will be teaching in Prince William County in VA or Montgomery County in MD.

You should live close to where you work. Determine which of the two it is, and then look for a place to live.

[airjay75]

I'd figure out which place you'll be working before deciding on an area. In many parts of the country, the distance between Prince William County and Montgomery Count can be easily traversed, but in this area, traffic makes the distance between those 2 counties (as well as just within those two counties) much more significant. I think the recommendations for where to live will vary greatly both depending on which of those 2 counties you're working in and where exactly in those counties you are working.

[Bigfoot424]

With your budget you'll likely need PW County. You're within 45 minutes to DC but only during off hours. You can forget about living near DC on $1200 a month unless maybe you rent a bedroom in a basement or you get roommates.

[greekchampion04]

PWC huh?

I recommend living close to where you work and then just driving/metro/bus into a more "hip" area to meet people and hang out. It is much cheaper in PWC than anywhere closer to DC.

The VRE is good for getting into DC, but it is on a commuter schedule (into DC in the mornings, away from DC in the afternoon/evening ONLY) and will not be a good way for you to get closer into DC for socializing.

If you plan on driving into DC at rush hour, that 30-40 minutes will be more like 1 or 2 hours. Do not underestimate how crappy I-95 is.

[NOVA_guy]

If possible I would stay as close as possible to your job, you'll be thankful for it later. Or you could possibly go south of PWC, where it's a little bit cheaper (Stafford, Fredericksburg), and have a reverse commute but even then you may not be able to fully avoid traffic.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

If possible I would stay as close as possible to your job, you'll be thankful for it later. Or you could possibly go south of PWC, where it's a little bit cheaper (Stafford, Fredericksburg), and have a reverse commute but even then you may not be able to fully avoid traffic.

Okay, maybe I'm missing something but if the OP has a job in PWC and moves south of PWC (Stafford, Fredericksburg), how will that equate to a reverse commute? By my calculations, it actually puts the OP in the thick of things.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Okay, maybe I'm missing something but if the OP has a job in PWC and moves south of PWC (Stafford, Fredericksburg), how will that equate to a reverse commute? By my calculations, it actually puts the OP in the thick of things.

Lol oh wait you're right.

I'm just out of it today. When I was typing, in my head, I was thinking of the OP living in PWC but working in Stafford or Fredericksburg

[greekchampion04]

Yeah, do not go to Stafford or Fbg... You will then have to commute on what I consider to be the WORST stretch of 95. Both bottlenecks: 152 HOV merge and 143 town house exchange.

[stpickrell]

Where in PWC will you be teaching? If it's eastern PWC (say Dale City/points on east) you could probably get a roommate and live in Old Town Alexandria -- which skews a little older than Clarendon/DC anyway in terms of the "crowd." The commute would be a bit long but it's doable.

You could just leave at 6am, get there at 7am most days and give yourself an hour to decompress, read email, grade, etc., or get stuck in traffic.

If it's western PWC, you might consider Manassas which is not totally "dead." Maybe Fairfax City, which would probably require a roommate. The crowd there is probably a mix of older singles and families that can't afford North Arlington or Old Town Alexandria but don't to resign themselves to a cul-de-sac or HOA.

Good luck, and after a year of renting you may find you don't live it up as often as you think (or can't afford it), and then you can move closer to your job. Or you can look for teaching jobs in Arlington/Alexandria/DC.