please recommend a suburb to live...... (Arlington, Alexandria: townhome, safe area, buying)

[mama2va]

Husband taking a job in downtown D.C. We are looking for a 3 bedroom townhome for no more than 650K. Need to have a driving commute of no more than 30/45 minutes. Would prefer to live in Virginia, but open to Maryland. Also, we need to have access to good public schools (arlington or fairfax county, I assume).

Please provide zipcodes for the good/safe areas. I already know to look at the Arlington zips ending in odd numbers.

What about Mclean, Fairfax, Vienna, Reston?

Thanks.

[KellyAnn08]

If you can make the drive, Ashburn is a wonderful place to move. We lived there for several years, before moving a bit further west. It is right off 267/Dulles Toll Rd. which at the right time of day, can easily get you to DC in under 45min. The market is ripe for buying and you could easily find your choice of TH's or SFH's for that price. Also, I have worked in and around Reston, McLean, Arlington, etc. I never liked being inside the beltway and that close to the hustle and bustle of the Regan Nat'l airport, etc. McLean is expensive, yet comes with very high ratings for community, good schools, etc. Also, I have family in Vienna, which is very close to DC - 15 mins, and you can also find a variety of homes (tends to be pricey like McLean) yet there are great amenties, etc. It is a bit congested and busy, however, that is the case most places when you get closer to the city. I am happy to help with any other info that you may need.

Originally Posted by mama2va

Husband taking a job in downtown D.C. We are looking for a 3 bedroom townhome for no more than 650K. Need to have a driving commute of no more than 30/45 minutes. Would prefer to live in Virginia, but open to Maryland. Also, we need to have access to good public schools (arlington or fairfax county, I assume).

Please provide zipcodes for the good/safe areas. I already know to look at the Arlington zips ending in odd numbers.

What about Mclean, Fairfax, Vienna, Reston?

Thanks.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by mama2va

Husband taking a job in downtown D.C. We are looking for a 3 bedroom townhome for no more than 650K. Need to have a driving commute of no more than 30/45 minutes. Would prefer to live in Virginia, but open to Maryland. Also, we need to have access to good public schools (arlington or fairfax county, I assume).

Please provide zipcodes for the good/safe areas. I already know to look at the Arlington zips ending in odd numbers.

What about Mclean, Fairfax, Vienna, Reston?

Thanks.

Really, with a budget of 650k for a TH, you have most of Northern Virginia open to you. Commutes within 45 minutes include Alexandria City, Arlington, McLean, Fairfax, Reston, Vienna, Annandale, Falls Church, Oakton, and Great Falls though I think Great Falls is entirely single family houses. All school districts in those areas are good to great, with the exception of Annandale HS which is shaky. Even then, a portion of Annandale (zip 22003) is in the W.T. Woodson school district, which is considered excellent.

You might check Falls Church City - their schools are considered legendary and the commute would fall under your wishes.

Welcome, in advance, to Northern Virginia!

[fcurev]

Hey knoplfer,
How long do you think it would take to get from Falls Church to Great Falls in the morning taking route 7?
How long do you think it would take to go back to Falls Church after work taking Route7?

[claremarie]

Vienna is more like 45 minutes, not 15, from downtown DC.
If you must have a commute no more than 45 minutes, during normal commuting hours, you should probably stick to neighborhoods that are inside the Beltway -- Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, parts of Annandale and Vienna.

[saganista]

Vienna is 15 minutes from Falls Church. Even the Metro is 25 minutes from Vienna to anywhere in DC, and that's just counting the time on the train itself. I do the commute from the Vienna/Oakton area to the Farragut/McPherson Square area and it's 50-55 minutes door-to-door on a good day (which is most days). To be within 45 minutes, you would indeed need to be inside the Beltway, and that's assuming a K Street/Downtown destination, not something on Capitol Hill, which is 10-15 minutes further on. A firm 45-minute rule would eliminate Vienna, Fairfax, and Reston. Not to mention Ashburn. That leaves Falls Church, Arlington, and Alexandria and not too much more. Schools in Falls Church and North Arlington are quite good, and 650K for a 3-BR TH would get you something at least quite nice in those areas.