Help me chose where to live please (Alexandria, Burke: apartment, rentals)

[militarymom]

My husband will be working at the washington navy yard, he'd like to take the metro in to work if possible although this is not our #1 need.

we want to stay in fairfax county in one of the better schools since my son has aspergers (high functioning autism).

Prefer a more suburban feel, conveniences close by (grocery, target etc) and a very safe, family friendly neighborhood with recreation, parks etc. I have no probs with cookie cutter homes, actually would prefer a "newer" home.

we can spend about max $2600/mo for rent and will be there for 2-3 years.

I have been told to look in Burke and springfield areas. Any other suggestions?

how long would the commute take into DC if my husband drove? We are in so cal and it takes him 45 min now. Would like to keep it at 60 min or less if possible.

[El General]

Try 22152, 22153--West Springfield. At 6 am it will take you 40 minutes to the Yard. You will have plenty of DOD in your neighborhood; so you may be able to carpool. At 8am, that commute time would increase to 1:15.

[irisheyes13]

The first time we were here we lived in Burke and were very happy with the schools there. Our kids were in jr high and high school at that time. This time, we live in Alexandria in the 22315 zip code. Our kids are out of school so I did not look very hard at the schools but we have many neighbors with elementary and middle school aged kids who seem to be happy with the schools. We drive to Bolling AFB which is very close to the Navy yard and it is about 25-30 mins in the morning and closer to 45 at the end of the day. We are less then 2 miles from the Springfield metro which may be an option for your DH. The area is has lots of the conveniences you may be looking for (google Kingstowne VA) and take a look. We do not live in the Kingstowne neighborhood but close by and we are also close to Ft Belvoir which is a huge Army installation. We are about 3 miles from their PX and commissary and not much farther then that to their hospital. Burke is great but this may also be an area you may want to take a look at.

[dullnboring]

Before I even read through your entire post, the first thoughts that came to mind were the Burke and West Springfield regions.

If you do choose Burke or West Springfield, there are public transit options which could ease commuting. Burke is located near a VRE (commuter rail) station. The trains don't run at the most convenient of hours (i.e. it's pretty much just during rush hours, so if there's the danger of working overtime, it may not be a good fit), but it's there should that be what you want. West Springfield isn't located all too far from the Franconia/Springfield Metro station (nor is Burke for that matter).

Another area to look into is around Vienna, Oakton, Dunn Loring and perhaps the city of Fairfax. I know that there are a lot of 3/4 bedroom townhomes in the area, some within walking distance to Metro, which rent for around $2000/month. You could find a good number of single family homes to rent within your price range as well in this area.

Honestly though, I think the Burke area is your best bet.

For commuting purposes, I wouldn't recommend venturing too far outside of the Beltway.

[militarymom]

You guys are awesome...

so will it be possible to find a single family home between 2200-2600/month out there in burke, west springfield or the other areas?

Is alexandria within fairfax public school district regions?

I was also told falls church area, but it looks like it isnt part of FCPS either..or is it?

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice!

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by militarymom

You guys are awesome...

so will it be possible to find a single family home between 2200-2600/month out there in burke, west springfield or the other areas?

Is alexandria within fairfax public school district regions?

I was also told falls church area, but it looks like it isnt part of FCPS either..or is it?

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice!

You can definitely find plenty of nice townhouses in that price range. As for single family homes, you can find them as well, but they will likely not be the newer McMansion types of homes, but rather a bit older, split-level ramblers, and that sort of thing.

With Alexandria and Falls Church, things get a little tricky. Both Alexandria and Falls Church are independent cities, meaning that they are not a part of Fairfax County. However, there are parts of Fairfax County that have an Alexandria or Falls Church mailing address. Sometimes these labels are purposely used to market a home or apartment in an area to make it seem more desirable than it is, as some of the areas that are labeled as Falls Church or Alexandria but not within the limits, can be a little rough and both cities have generally good reputation (Falls Church much moreso than Alexandria which in the city itself has a few rough spots). Not all of the areas who falsely advertise are all that bad, but some are, and it's something to be aware of when looking for a place to live, especially when you take schools into account. Some of the "faux" Alexandria communities are Lincolnia, Hybla Valley, Groveton, Belle View, and Mount Vernon. Some of the faux Falls Church communities are Baileys Crossroads, Seven Corners, Jefferson and Merrifield.

So if you are living within the city limits, you will be zoned into the city schools, but if outside of the city limits, then you will be zoned into Fairfax County Public Schools. It's also worth noting that the schools that are in the "Alexandria section" of Fairfax County, are among the worst performing in the district.

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by militarymom

so will it be possible to find a single family home between 2200-2600/month out there in burke, west springfield or the other areas?

You can find SFH for rent in your price range in Burke and West Springfield and THs in probably all these areas, including Vienna and Oakton. Check out militarybyowner.com, the Washington Post, and Craig's list.

You've gotten great advice on where to live. If you choose to be in the Burke/West Springfield area, I would also suggest looking at homes in the 22032 zip code (e.g., Kings Park West, Middleridge, etc.).

[militarymom]

thank you all!

[Gabriela-mil]

Hi Military Mom,
We are a military family that just moved back to the area of Falls Church. The schools our children attend (Sleepy Hollow) has one of the magnet programs of the Fairfax schools, specifically serving children with Autism. The commute is not bad--there are two metro stops relatively close but your husband will have to drive to them or catch a metro bus about 5 blocks away.
Burke seems far to me and it is not as convenient metro-wise. He would have to drive to the metro stops and I believe only Springfield has enough parking spots.

We rent a SFH for $2800, it has 3 bd/2.5 bths, split level with basement, family room, office, enclosed porch and big yard with swing set. There are other houses in the area for rent and I am quite sure you can get something decent for $2,600.

The zip code here is 22044, it may help in your searches. I know of several families that found their rentals through militarybyowner.com

Good luck.

Originally Posted by militarymom

My husband will be working at the washington navy yard, he'd like to take the metro in to work if possible although this is not our #1 need.

we want to stay in fairfax county in one of the better schools since my son has aspergers (high functioning autism).

Prefer a more suburban feel, conveniences close by (grocery, target etc) and a very safe, family friendly neighborhood with recreation, parks etc. I have no probs with cookie cutter homes, actually would prefer a "newer" home.

we can spend about max $2600/mo for rent and will be there for 2-3 years.

I have been told to look in Burke and springfield areas. Any other suggestions?

how long would the commute take into DC if my husband drove? We are in so cal and it takes him 45 min now. Would like to keep it at 60 min or less if possible.

[militarymom]

Thank you, I will look into this area as well.

It looks like the springfield metro is 6 miles from burke though right? How long would the metro take to get to the navy yard? It looks like blue line-yellow line--green line. Should I just be looking somewhere close to a metro stop no matter where it is?