New Job in Herndon / McLean. PLEASE help! :) (Richmond, Arlington: for sale, rent)

[shawc2]

Hi there!

I am from Richmond VA and I was just offered a job in Herndon off Herndon Parkway. I was told that they will probably close that office at some point and move everyone to an office in McLean. I am looking for a decent 1 bedroom that is someone in-between those two locations. I will be making between 65 - 70,000 and would like to spend around 1,300 - 1,500 for rent (if that is realistic, if not please let me know!). The recruiter recommended Clarendon, but I would like more opinions. I've also heard Arlington and Alexandria are great places.

A little about me - I am 23 just out of college. I like to go out but definitely not every day of the weekend - I am not a huge drinker but I do enjoy sipping on some craft beers. I love going to concerts, dinner with friends and any activities that is outdoors. I really do want to be in a fun area where I can walk out my door, grab a bite to eat and get home quickly. It would be ideal to live near people my age but it doesn't have to be smack dab in the middle of everything since thats probably expensive.

I have a car but I do NOT want to have an hour long commute with tons of traffic - so it would be great to live in walking distance of a metro or have the ability to drive less than 30/45 minutes there and back. Can anyone shed light on the commute (car and Metro) to Herndon from Clarendon/Alexandria?

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by shawc2

Hi there!

I am from Richmond VA and I was just offered a job in Herndon. I was told that they will probably close that office at some point and move everyone to an office in McLean. I am looking for a decent 1 bedroom that is someone in-between those two locations. I will be making between 65 - 70,000 and would like to spend around 1,300 for rent (if that is realistic). The recruiter recommended Clarendon, but I would like more opinions.

A little about me - I am 23 just out of college. I like to go out but definitely not every day of the weekend - I am not a huge drinker but I do enjoy sipping on some craft beers. I love going to concerts, dinner with friends and any activities that is outdoors. I really do want to be in a fun area with people my age but it doesn't have to be smack dab in the middle of it.

I have a car but I do NOT want to have an hour long commute with tons of traffic - so it would be great to live in walking distance of a metro or have the ability to drive less than 30 minutes there and back. Can anyone shed light on the commute (car and Metro) to Herndon from Clarendon?



Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

If I were you, I'd move to Tysons or Reston. Not sure if your budget works there, but it would be against traffic to Herndon and a better commute should they move the office to McLean.

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by shawc2

Hi there!

I am from Richmond VA and I was just offered a job in Herndon. I was told that they will probably close that office at some point and move everyone to an office in McLean. I am looking for a decent 1 bedroom that is someone in-between those two locations.

Congratulations! Reston is in between Herndon and McLean.

Originally Posted by shawc2

Hi there!
I am looking for a decent 1 bedroom that is someone in-between those two locations. I will be making between 65 - 70,000 and would like to spend around 1,300 for rent (if that is realistic).

You will be able to get a 1 bedroom in one of the older complexes in Reston in your budget. I just checked on Homes for Sale and Rent in DC, Maryland, Virginia | MRIShomes.com and there are four different complexes with 1 bedrooms between $1200 and $1300.

Originally Posted by shawc2

Hi there!

The recruiter recommended Clarendon, but I would like more opinions.

You can't get a one bedroom in Clarendon for your budget. Your only option for living in Clarendon is to find roommates.

Originally Posted by shawc2

I am not a huge drinker but I do enjoy sipping on some craft beers.

Reston - World of Beer | The Finest Craft Beer Experience

Originally Posted by shawc2

I have a car but I do NOT want to have an hour long commute with tons of traffic -

Reston to Herndon -- about 10 - 15 minutes
Reston to McLean -- about 20 - 25 minutes (using the toll road)

[shawc2]

Thank you for your detailed response JfromReston! I have heard that Reston has a lot of older folks and families, is this true?

[Middlin]

Ahh, to be 23 again. Old folks? Yes, Reston is full of families and people not in their 20's, but it offers an area that has a collection of shops/restaurants that many age groups like to frequent. Since the Reston area is the Dulles tech job corridor, many people live there in order to be in close proximity to their jobs. Depending on the importance of how much rent you want to spend, alone or roomates, commute time to job, etc depends on whether you think being in Arlington is worth it for someone that doesn't go out a ton. Reston also has a new metro stop so getting to Arlington or DC and not driving is definitely a possibility. Check out Reston Town Center and if you search on this page, you will tons of pictures of Reston, it's trails, amenities, etc. I would cross Alexandria off your list. Too far, and the demographics lean older anyway.

[shawc2]

Well, I would like a 30 - 45 minute or less (taking the metro or driving), I want to live alone and I definitely want to live within walking distance of a Metro if I can't be in a place like Arlington/D.C. Overall, I do not want to be stuck in a suburban/commercialized area

[tysonsengineer]

You can find places in Tysons/Falls Church for that price, look at older units along Route 7. If you want to have the nightlife component, I'd suggest craigslisting or otherwise finding a roommate. 1Brs are arbitrarily expensive in this area, typically starting around 1600 for newer 1brs, especially near metro. But 2brs near metro can routinely be in the 2000-2300 range, which means splitting it would be only 1000-1150 and it would be a nicer location most likely.

Arlington is doable, its not that bad to Herndon since its largely reverse direction, and its breeze to McLean (I assume by Mclean that means Tysons since the two get mixed up a lot), which would mean if the office did move and you live in Arlington, you could take the Silver Line there if you didnt feel like driving.

You can also look in DC btw, sometimes rent there is actually cheaper than in Arlington.

[stpickrell]

You'd need to go on Craigslist to find someone's basement/spare room or live w/ a roommate.

Maybe you might find something in walking distance of Wiehle Avenue Metro (in Reston) for your budget, but it might be a stretch.

If you live in Arlington and do the reverse commute, avoid I-66 WB before Glebe Road, stick to 29.

Parts of DC cheaper than Arlington might have some more crime, only you can decide if that's for you.

BUT, you'd have to drive out through DC to even get into VA, the parts of DC closer to VA are even MORE expensive than VA.

[shawc2]

Thanks everyone! I was told that if I live in the beltway then I would be going against traffic both ways. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? He also recommended living in Court House or Rosslyn.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by shawc2

Thanks everyone! I was told that if I live in the beltway then I would be going against traffic both ways. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? He also recommended living in Court House or Rosslyn.

Wrong. If you live in Arlington there is definately traffic headed west on 66 in the morning and east on 66 in the afternoon. Once you get outside the beltway (Tysons area), you would have the benefit of going against traffic the whole way to Herndon.