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Old 06-16-2015, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Virginia Beach
522 posts, read 1,852,754 times
Reputation: 272

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Good morning,

If anyone was following my previous threads I was contemplating taking a job in Falls Church; well I have accepted and will be in the NOVA area in September. The agency will be covering me for temporary lodging till I find a permanent place to live.

One of my worries is traffic because we want to live further out (more land/scenic and i believe less costly housing). So I have heard of the VRE and Metro bus. The closes stop is the
"Rt 7 Leesburg PK & S Jefferson St "

I have been looking at the Orange/Silver lines and the one that comes up from Fredericksburg. I'm somewhat new to all this and trying to figure out what's the best way to map out a commute.

But the real issue is trying to find a place to live that I can take advantage of mass transportation. The areas my family and I were looking at is Front Royal, Warrenton, Culpper, or spotsyvania/fredericksburg area.

We probably dont want to spend more than $300K, want at least half an acre, and I'd like to be able to use mass transportation. If this is not doable please let me know; im thinking it is but when I use google maps some of the commutes is like 2hrs from Fredericksburg. So trying to gauge reality with what google map says. Thoughts?
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Old 06-16-2015, 10:10 AM
 
Location: West Hollywood, CA from Arlington, VA
2,768 posts, read 3,517,239 times
Reputation: 1575
Your job is in a horrible location for mass transportation. Its miles away from the closest Metro and VRE stations which means you would be looking at like a 2 hour commute if you took VRE to Alexandria and then got on a bus. That would also be very expensive so it would probably be best for you to drive which you will hate.

You should seriously reconsider. If you dont want a commute that will make you homicidal, either dont take this job, or get a townhouse much closer with a tiny yard. Your job simply isn't conducive for a long transit commute because of its location.
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Old 06-16-2015, 11:04 AM
 
8,983 posts, read 21,116,894 times
Reputation: 3797
Quote:
Originally Posted by gomason View Post
Your job is in a horrible location for mass transportation. Its miles away from the closest Metro and VRE stations which means you would be looking at like a 2 hour commute if you took VRE to Alexandria and then got on a bus. That would also be very expensive so it would probably be best for you to drive which you will hate.

You should seriously reconsider. If you dont want a commute that will make you homicidal, either dont take this job, or get a townhouse much closer with a tiny yard. Your job simply isn't conducive for a long transit commute because of its location.
This. You'll have to make a compromise between price, housing amenities and commute. You may succeed at acquiring two but not all three unless you increase your budget by at least $100K (although $200K would be better) or if you are very handy at home improvement.
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Old 06-16-2015, 11:12 AM
 
Location: Town of Herndon/DC Metro
2,825 posts, read 6,875,303 times
Reputation: 1767
you are from VaBeach? Driving from Front Royal and the other towns you mentioned are like trying to drive from Williamsburg to VB via 64 on a summer Friday rush.

If your job is in Falls Church, there is no VRE service. VRE only runs during rush hour anyhow. It does not run all day, in the evenings/nites or weekends.

There are several orange line Metro train stops that touch Falls Church Metro trains run 5 am to midnite, 7 days a week. Those 3 stops are Dunn Loring; East Falls Church and West Falls Church. If your job is at the base at Arlington Blvd/Fairview Park drive, you will need to get off the train at Dunn Loring and hop a 1C bus to work.

My friend lives in Warrenton and drives to Annandale for work. He leaves at 5:30 in the morning to get to work at 7am. Then he drives home at 3 pm to get home around/about 5pm.


Townhomes 3 bed/2 bath with a small mat of grass start around 380k in 22042 (thats the base zip)
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Old 06-16-2015, 11:56 AM
 
Location: New-Dentist Colony
5,759 posts, read 10,696,695 times
Reputation: 3952
Alas, the three things you want--large piece of land, low cost, and proximity to transit--are mutually contradictory.

The MARC train does run from F'burg to DC and beyond, so perhaps if you can find parking down there, you could live in the countryside, drive and park at the MARC, ride to Alexandria, and then take a bus to Rt 7/Jefferson (Skyline).

Also: On the off chance your new job is with DoD, you can take Metro to the Pentagon and then a free DoD shuttle to the Mark Center. There are Metro (WMATA) buses that go down Seminary to Skyline.
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Old 06-16-2015, 12:11 PM
 
2,189 posts, read 3,307,384 times
Reputation: 1637
You've already accepted the job you said, so your best course of action is probably to just rent somewhere as close as possible to Falls Church for the time being. Who knows, you may not even like the job. I normally don't tell people not to undertake a bad commute, because everyone's tolerances are different, but the one you're considering is crazy. Rent for awhile and save up.
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