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Old 06-22-2016, 11:14 AM
 
17 posts, read 24,422 times
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My Husband accepted a job in Fairfax and we will be moving to the area the end of Summer. We're originally from a small town in Maryland but currently live in Houston, TX for his job. We're both "small town" people but have learned to like certain conveniences the city provides & the warm weather here. Other than that, it's expensive, crowded & the traffic is worse than we anticipated. From what I've heard about Fairfax it sounds like the living expenses, overcrowding & horrendous traffic won't be any better. However, it's a better job opportunity & allows us to be about 2 & 1/2 hours from our hometown. We are in our early 30's & have 2 large dogs. We are pretty low key. Spend most of our time at home w/our dogs but enjoy going out to dinner and grabbing a few drinks. We're aware of how expensive homes are in Fairfax & know we will be renting. Any suggestions as to an area/apartment complex that offers/is connected to a park or trail to walk our pups? We would be looking for a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom w/a in unit washer/dryer and walk-in closet. Other than that our only others concerns would be a safe area & trying to stay around $1500/month for rent. We are open to other areas near Fairfax (as he has a flexible/early work schedule & will not be doing an 8-5 shift). Wondering if this allows us to be outside of Fairfax (maybe somewhere a little more of a "country" feel without it being too much of a commute for him). He currently drives 45 minutes to an hour to & from work on an off shift & if there's an accident make that 2-3 hours. Also, we are trying to determine whether I will need to work part time. if you have a general range of what a couple should make to live comfortably in this area what would that amount be ? Any suggestions/info would be appreciated!
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Old 06-22-2016, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,228,369 times
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There are options for you in Reston and your dogs will love the 50 miles of trails and the wooded open space. The commute would be 20-30 minutes. Here are some options in Reston in your price range.

12001 Market Street #61, RESTON, VA 20190 | MLS FX9693927 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11609 VANTAGE HILL RD #2A, RESTON, VA 20190 | MLS FX9693208 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11760 SUNRISE VALLEY DR #805, RESTON, VA 20191 | MLS FX9664995 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
1425 NORTHGATE SQ #11A, RESTON, VA 20190 | MLS FX9690632 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
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Old 06-22-2016, 11:40 AM
 
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Wow, thanks! I love the second option. It's below our rent budget, isn't a high rise & has all that grass for the pups! We will def look into this area. Thanks again!
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Old 06-22-2016, 12:38 PM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,228,369 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sreeves63 View Post
Wow, thanks! I love the second option. It's below our rent budget, isn't a high rise & has all that grass for the pups! We will def look into this area. Thanks again!
It is walkable to:
Reston Farmers' Market - A Place Where Friends Meet
Reston VA Shopping | Lake Anne VA | Downtown Reston VA

Here is a map with all the Reston facilities, including the 50 miles of trails that I mentioned in my previous post.
https://www.reston.org/portals/3/Wha.../RSA_Map_2.pdf
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Old 06-22-2016, 08:13 PM
 
406 posts, read 616,942 times
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Can you be more specific as to where in Fairfax?
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Old 06-22-2016, 08:56 PM
 
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12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035
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Old 06-23-2016, 05:25 AM
 
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There are a lot of apartments in the areas of the work address, but I'm not sure 1500 will be enough. Also, not much for dogs. If he doesn't mind a 20-30 minute drive, and doesn't have to do that in traffic, Haymarket/Gainesville are much cheaper areas and there are a lot of trails and dog parks out there. Just walking in the neighborhood is easier, because there are not so many cars as there are in Fairfax.
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Old 06-23-2016, 07:54 AM
 
1,159 posts, read 1,280,354 times
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I would say the closest small town feel would be Clifton or Warrenton. Clifton is heavily wooded and hasn't seen the crazy development that other areas have.

Warrenton will be a hike. We looked at a similar commute, and it's 40 minutes on a great day.

Northern Virginia is infinitely more walkable than Houston. Almost every neighborhood has safe walkable areas that are often with wooded. Personally, I'd get as close to work as you can afford.
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Old 06-23-2016, 08:51 AM
 
1,526 posts, read 2,249,006 times
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I agree, I would go with Reston or something in the Fair Lakes area. If you would consider something 40 minutes + away in non rush hour and factoring gas, wear/tear on your car, you would be better off staying close to work and maybe paying a bit more. The opportunities in Reston and the Fair Lakes area would offer a lot more choices if looking for a PT job.
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:54 PM
 
17 posts, read 24,422 times
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I'm seeing now that $1500/month isn't really do able in the general area of his job & there isn't green/park space for our pups. I'll check out the areas you all suggested. Thank you for your help, I appreciate you're taking the time to reply!

Last edited by sreeves63; 06-23-2016 at 10:06 PM..
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