Relocating for work: two job locations: Arlington and Manassas (Alexandria: apartment, foreclosure)

[no1sgrly]

Hi everyone. I need your advice. My boyfriend and I will be relocating within the next few weeks. Actually we are going down to look at places to live this coming weekend (I just found this website)

According to SmerkyGrl, I should give you guys the following details to assist you in assisting me (thx SmerkyGrl)

I will be working in Arlington - Ballston to be exact, my boyfriend will be working in Manassas.

We can spend $1500-$2000/month on housing. We would prefer a townhouse-type apartment but any two-bedroom would do.


We both could tolerate a one-hour commute (factoring in traffic). I would probably be taking the metro at some point during my commute. He will be driving out to Manassas. Actually, he will be working 10-12hr shifts 7a-7p most likely and his shift will also change from day to eve every four months.

We'd prefer maybe a small town feel or suburban-type atmosphere (green grass – we have a large dog)

We are in our 20’s with no kids. Not much of drinkers.

We would maybe prefer just a safe neighborhood with grass and trees. No tall buildings everywhere like Rosslyn.

He is willing to travel further if we can find a really nice place to live.

If you could get back to me soon, that'd be great. We're flying down to check places out on Friday 1/11/08

P.S. SmerkyGrl - We both prefer cake….

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by no1sgrly

Hi everyone. I need your advice. My boyfriend and I will be relocating within the next few weeks. Actually we are going down to look at places to live this coming weekend (I just found this website)

According to SmerkyGrl, I should give you guys the following details to assist you in assisting me (thx SmerkyGrl)

I will be working in Arlington - Ballston to be exact, my boyfriend will be working in Manassas.

We can spend $1500-$2000/month on housing. We would prefer a townhouse-type apartment but any two-bedroom would do.


We both could tolerate a one-hour commute (factoring in traffic). I would probably be taking the metro at some point during my commute. He will be driving out to Manassas. Actually, he will be working 10-12hr shifts 7a-7p most likely and his shift will also change from day to eve every four months.

We'd prefer maybe a small town feel or suburban-type atmosphere (green grass – we have a large dog)

We are in our 20’s with no kids. Not much of drinkers.

We would maybe prefer just a safe neighborhood with grass and trees. No tall buildings everywhere like Rosslyn.

He is willing to travel further if we can find a really nice place to live.

If you could get back to me soon, that'd be great. We're flying down to check places out on Friday 1/11/08

P.S. SmerkyGrl - We both prefer cake….

Welcome to NoVA! I live in Manassas and work in Ballston. I take the OmniRide bus - PRTC - The Ride That's Right For You - from about a mile from my house, and it dumps me at West Falls Church Metro, where I metro two solitary stops to Ballston. I catch the 6:57am bus in Manassas, and I'm in Ballston by about 8:10-8:20am. In the evening, I catch the 5:35pm bus at West Falls Church, and I'm back in Manassas at about 6:15pm. It's totally stress free and I have gotten good use out of my new iPod.

Now, that would leave your hubby with a dream commute, and you'd be toward the lower end of your budget - you would likely be able to get what you want for a little UNDER $1500 if you did that. You might also be able to swing a single family rental on the other side of Sudley Manor Drive - those are 70's split levels and while there's been higher-than-average foreclosure rates over there, it's quite safe and some of the properties have been nicely updated.

Some of the nicer areas of Manassas are close to I-66, off Sudley Manor and north of Sudley Manor, as long as you don't get too close to the Coverstone development.

If you want somewhere in between, like in Centreville or Fairfax, you'll want to investigate public transportation options. I-66 inside the beltway is HOV ONLY until 9am, so if you drive single passenger to Ballston, you'll have to go I-66 E -> I-495 S -> Route 50 E -> Seven Corners -> Wilson Blvd E. Simply miserable. If you do wind up going that Centreville/Fairfax/Falls Church route, though, check back and I'll give you the best option for public transport.

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

His commute will be easier than yours, you know, "against traffic" so I'd split the difference and live closer to Arlington (but not close to Arlington). Some possible options include Falls Church, Vienna, Oakton and Fairfax. (Of those, Falls Church would still give him a significant commute, but *might* come closest to fitting your criteria; Oakton is mainly single family homes, but I'm sure there are townhouse options). There are some parts of Fairfax you would love and some you probably wouldn't like (can be new and glitzy).

I mapped the route from Arlington to Manassas on mapquest, which is how I elminated things like Burke, Reston, Bethesda, etc., etc.

[no1sgrly]

Thanks for the info. What do you guys think about all the negative threads about Manassas have been about? Is it really being overrun by illegal immigrants???

We are thinking Arlington and Falls Church and Fairfax City (since it's close to the metro). My hubby's commute isn't actually as easy as it seems because we just remembered that when he switches to a 7p-7a shift (which will happen every 4 mos) he will be getting out of a 12hr shift and heading towards DC in the middle of the morning commute! Ugh! We just figured that out.

I need to look more into Manassas to get a better feel for the area.

I am thinking of using Long & Foster RE to show us some of the condos for rent in Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church. Any comments on them?

Also, I read in a thread that there's an area of FC to stay away from - Bailey's Crossing??? due to MS-13 Gang activity??

Thanks to both of you for your timely responses! I'm actually flying down tomorrow night so I'm trying to get prepared!

-Heather

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by no1sgrly

Thanks for the info. What do you guys think about all the negative threads about Manassas have been about? Is it really being overrun by illegal immigrants???

We are thinking Arlington and Falls Church and Fairfax City (since it's close to the metro). My hubby's commute isn't actually as easy as it seems because we just remembered that when he switches to a 7p-7a shift (which will happen every 4 mos) he will be getting out of a 12hr shift and heading towards DC in the middle of the morning commute! Ugh! We just figured that out.

I need to look more into Manassas to get a better feel for the area.

I am thinking of using Long & Foster RE to show us some of the condos for rent in Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church. Any comments on them?

Also, I read in a thread that there's an area of FC to stay away from - Bailey's Crossing??? due to MS-13 Gang activity??

Thanks to both of you for your timely responses! I'm actually flying down tomorrow night so I'm trying to get prepared!

-Heather

That's a *huge* can of worms.

First - I would stay away from the 22309 zip code of Alexandria, and *some* of the 22043 zip code of Falls Church - which is known as Bailey's Crossroads, although they don't have an official postal designation for that. Both have substantial MS-13 and other gang activity. Careful on the 22043 - it's not all part of Bailey's Crossroads, and it's not all bad.

(sidebar - the name Bailey's Crossroads originates with the Bailey family of Circus fame - Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for more info - the Circus wintered there. I have a theory that the reason Bailey's took so long to gentrify is 'cause it's built on elephant poop!)

Now, on to the landmine. There are parts of Manassas that have very high percentages of first-generational immigrants - as to what percentage of them are here legally, that's anybody's guess and there are no reliable statistics. The same thing is true of numerous other areas in Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun counties as well as the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax; however Prince William County (where Manassas is) has taken the most umbrage with the situation, and so Manassas and Woodbridge get the most attention on this issue as they're the two population hubs of the county.

As long as you stay out of the Irongate, Coverstone, and Georgetown South neighborhoods, and *generally* clear of the Liberia Avenue corridor, you should be fine. As I said, there are neighborhoods close to I-66 off Route 234 and Route 234 Business which are quite nice, safe, and comfortable.

Hope this helps!

[Azmordean]

I'd consider Vienna. Vienna is as far west as the Metro goes at current, so for your commute, you could like park & ride the metro straight into Ballston. Absent traffic, Vienna to Manassas is a straight shot down I-66, about 30 minutes or so. The only problem would then be his being possibly "in the rush" when his schedule flips. Not sure what can be done about that though, if his schedule flips every 4 months, he's bound to be stuck in it wherever you guys live.

Vienna is also supposedly very nice, if a bit on the costly side.

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

My only reason for not recommending Manassas to you is because I think you could negotiate the commute a little bit better - like I said in my post, if you sort of divide the commute from Ballston to Manassas in half, I'd look for something nudging closer to Arlington.

Manassas is a somewhat large town and on this board everyone tries to narrow it down to one thing. Now, this is not going to be a fair analogy, but let's say I came here and said "is Chicago a nice place or not a nice place?" (Manassas, of course, is not that big, but bear with me). Some people live in nice parts of Chicago and some live in bad parts, and so the answers would be all over the place.

Likewise, there are some lovely parts of Manassas - cape cods in Old Town, sprawling tudors in Robnel, gorgeous homes on acreage, etc. But there are some areas that are not so nice. Now, overall, the people I met there are not as educated as the people I met in DC and Fairfax. But I met some very well educated, very informed, very interesting people in Manassas. And I met some who weren't as educated, but who were wonderful in other ways. I really come to these boards and find that Manassas is not getting fair treatment - in part because everyone is trying to say "Manassas is x" (and again, I think Manassas is many things).

[seysoldTD]

First, his commute to Manassas will be brutal if you stay in the 66 corridor pass Tysons Corner, having said that and looking at your rental budget you have several options: City of Falls Church, Tysons Corner, Burke, Vienna (close to the metro). Since you and him are at total opposites working sites, the areas I have mentioned give you access to Metro, he on the other hand must drive to Mannassas, a long trip perhaps but he will go against traffic. Centreville might be another option, your metro stop would be Vienna.

Good luck