What's the hippest place to live out of Ballston/Claredon/Arlington/Alexandria? (Falls Church: rent)

[bpatel27]

Hey everyone!

My boyfriend is starting a job at the Inova hospital in Falls Church, VA this summer. I will be moving up by the end of the year. We're in our mid-twenties, so we're looking for a place that is fun, hip, relatively new, shopping, going out, and all of that jazz. We're looking at between $1200-$1500 monthly rent including utilities.

He will have to drive to work, as there does not seem to be an easy public transportation options to the area. I will be getting a job in DC so we will need to stay near a metro stop. I'm assuming none of the routes are bad at 4/5am?

Thanks in advance for any help/direction you can provide!

[juniperbleu]

Probably Ballston/Clarendon. You'll get the bars, restaurants, shopping, and it's newer. Beyond that, I don't really know that area well.

Alexandria is great, I loved living there. Old Town has a lot going on, and is just adorable, but it's historic so the buildings there will be older. Also, Alexandria's crowd tends to be about 30s and up, while Arlington is mid-twenties +. Those areas are only about a 15-20 minute drive from each other (outside rush hour), so it's not too far to check both out.

The rent might restrict you, but if you don't need the metro, look outside walking distance and it'll be cheaper.