Looking to relocate to Northern VA (Arlington, Alexandria: 2015, to rent, houses)

[jernnj]

Hello all!
An original east coaster here, currently living in Denver CO; have been here for 5 years and do feel it’s time for a change, I also miss that east coast “vibe” along with family & friends, and think VA would be a great place (location wise) to relocate to. Anyway, no job prospects yet, (IT support), but will diligently start that search, I’m not interested in a loud night life party scene, I’m a very active outdoors person, so access to parks, trails, greenways state parks, would be great, not all the familiar what the burbs of Ashburn, Herndon, Sterling are like but feel one of these towns might be an ideal location, aside from only being a 4 hr. drive to NYC.

With that, looking to rent – and then eventually find a definite place I want to call home. I know this is rather vague and repetitive but would appreciate any and all feedback!

[HB2HSV]

How old are you? If you are under 40, live in Rosslyn. Only a bridge walk over to the waterfront near Georgetown.

[spencgr]

Get your job first and then focus on a location. I don't want to insinuate you will have difficulty finding a job here, but it makes most sense to live as close to work as possible. If you move to Reston and then find your job in Silver Spring, you might end up wanting to kill yourself.

[gomason]

Yeah, get your job first before you worry about looking for a place to live. However, if you get a job somewhere out off the Toll Road or close to a Silver Line stop, Ashburn/Herndon/Reston/Sterling would be a good area to live in right off the W&OD Trail which is like 40 miles long between Alexandria and Leesburg (and connects to the Custis trail which goes into Arlington and DC).

[Major Barbara]

Good advice so far. Find the job, then live as close as you can to it. There are lots of nice places to live in NoVa, but none of them will seem nice if they come attached to a terrible commute.

Did the drive to North Jersey for many years. It's not really bad unless you try to go the day before Thanksgiving or something foolish like that. Amtrak is also an option that I chose from time to time.

[Fredesch]

Don't come to the DC area if you like the outdoors. We rarely go to the Blue Ridge anymore because of traffic. Unless you can do all your outdoor activities very locally, the traffic will take away any pleasure you get from weekend activities.

[Major Barbara]

Fortunately then, there are typically many outdoor activities to choose from locally no matter where you live, but other than during "Fall Foliage" season, massive traffic on the way out to the Blue Ridge is not really a thing.

[Mnseca]

This is not a good area if you are outdoorsy. Aside from traffic and somewhat limited options for that kind of recreation, the weather just isn't conducive. The summers are hot and humid and the winters long and wet with a lot of ice. I find probably about two thirds of the days in a year are really suitable for anything outdoors.

If you have to move here, I agree that living on the wo&d trail is a good idea, especially if you bike (there are really no other safe, long-ride bike options here for road bikes). You might consider something a bit toward the west along the trail, since most hiking and outdoor options will be in that direction, but it's about an hour drive to the closest real outdoors.

Further in, Alexandria offers limited kayaking and a trail along the river (and a highway) that is semi-bike friendly. Old Town is very walkable, which is nice for a person who likes to walk instead of drive everywhere. Although it's one of the most city-like areas, it is also one of the few places where you can walk outside your house and do something besides get in the car. Housing is pricey though.

[JfromReston]

I disagree about this being a great place for outdoorsy stuff.

I just found these articles that have a few of my favorite close by places to find wilderness - Great Falls (both VA and MD sides have great hiking and don't miss Difficult Run on the VA side) and Rock Creek Park. The C&O Canal is a great bike path in addition to the W&OD already mentioned.
Best Hiking Trails in the Washington DC Area (DC, MD & VA)
LocalHikes - Hikes and trails near Washington-Baltimore, Washington, DC
Best Hiking trails in Washington, DC
Take a Hike: Good Outdoor Walks for Fall | Washingtonian
Dayhiking in the DC Metropolitan Area
7 Underrated Hiking Spots Around the DMV
Take a hike, Washington: The D.C. area has endless options - The Washington Post

My favorite place to get out in the woods when I only have a few minutes is my backyard - Reston's Walker Nature Center. 70 acres of woods with paved and natural trails. The paved trails connect with Reston's 50 miles of trails.
https://www.reston.org/Portals/3/201...Map%202013.pdf

[blindside]

Eww.. Why leave Denver? You at least have a natural resource (mountains! wide open space! can see for miles!) which NoVa has none of. Honestly, the biggest asset NoVa has is probably housing and jobs. Anything west of Fairfax county (Loudoun I'm talking about you), the open space parks disappear and you're left with privately owned golf courses or private land.

Stay far away from Ashburn, it's commuter bedroom community for DC. The best part about Ashburn is that it's close to an international airport (IAD). I would describe it as the movie "Pleasantville" before color. The nearest comparable city in Denver would probably be Highlands Ranch (oversized houses and HOAs).

What's the east coast "vibe" ?

The previous poster is right about there being very few road bike routes here.. at least none where you won't fear for your life.

Our governor had to install signs outside of the airport to remind people that they are actually in Virginia instead of DC.

When I lived in Boulder and you asked what people did on their weekend it was a mix of hiking, mountain biking, mountaineering (14ers), skiing, or some sort of out door activity. I ask the same thing of people here, it's either talking about the Nats (Nationals), or something on TV.. or they were out of town (good thing that airport is close by).

In Colorado, friends and family visited me more often because I lived in vacationland. In NoVa? I couldn't possibly think of a reason of visiting this place if my job wasn't here.