help me read between the lines (Arlington, Alexandria: rentals, crime, daycares)
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I have been digging though these forums and others for some time now and even though I see partial answer to some of my questions I am going to ask in my own way nevertheless.
I live in a quiet typical North Carolina town called Clemmons in a very nice home. I am considering moving to the DC metro area where I would work in either DC proper or Northern Virginia. I hear a negative and positive for just about every placce on the map. One minute I am walking quaint streets then next I am dodging machete wielding gangs.
Are there any decent towns that one would commute to either DC or Northern Virginia and feel satisfied their kids are in a good school and they will arrive home safely each day? A place where one can feel comfortable walking about? I notice the prices of homes (especially new ones) are dropping faster then you can almost keep up with, my range would be max $350k or rent a single family home for $2,500ish or less.
Anyway, any towns with commute times/paths fitting the parameters noted above would be very helpful.
ps. When I browse homes, etc I usually look at Prince William County, Loudon County, Manassas area, Vienna, Front Royal. I also look in Maryland, Frederick County (town of Frederick), Gaithersburg, considered Southern Maryland area (Lexington Park/Leonardtown) but really turned off by crime problems.
First I always try to tell a newcomer that public transportation in this DC metro area is extremely important; and try living near transit. On that point, where do you plan on working. You can easily spend 3-400 on train fare or gas per month commuting to work. So even if you do a 300k house or rent, you could be making a huge financial mistake.
If you have more info post it here, and we'll try to point you in the right direction.
I live in Loudoun (Ashburn) and I love it. I feel very safe here. Good schools. Fun things to do. People will often mention Sterling when referencing the "bad" part of Loudoun, but there really isn't a bad part. I would say some of Sterling is a little undesireable, but you just steer clear of "that section." COuntryside, Lowes Island, Potomac Falls, Cascades are all wonderful parts of Sterling. Ashburn is very nice and it contains Ashburn Farm, Village, Broadlands. There is also Brambelton which is a new community. Leesburg also has its undesireable parts, but I find most of it lovely. I really enjoy living in Loudoun. It is kep very nice. I don't know about your commute since not sure exactly where you would be going to. My neighbor commutes from Ashburn to DC daily and hates the commute. My husband goes into Vienna and doesn't find it bad.
I can't speak to other areas as I can only comment on what I know. I love Loudoun. As for housing...you won't find new construction single family homes in Ashburn for $350, but probably a nice townhome. There are a few resale singles in that price, but they probably need some work. You could rent a single family for about $2500 and it should be a fairly nice home.
Good luck.
I certainly wouldn't think of commuting from Front Royal or Frederick (although there is nothing wrong w/them, I like visiting for shops, etc. it's really WAY too far out for a reasonable commute) - it really depends on the job location as to the other areas. If DC, you want to be close or at least have some kind of decent public transportation options. I have no ideas of rents, but I don't know that you could get a house w/in the local: Arlington/Alexandria, I'm in Alexandria City so I'm prejudiced, I think this is a great area, plus we've been here for quite awhile, so prices have certainly changed.
You would most likely want to find somewhere that is a "reverse" commute from the worst of it.
Your questions leaves alot of options and questions.
I am just starting to get my (and my families) feet wet with the idea of moving from here to DC area. It would be for career reasons. I am a federal employee currently but would be making a change to do something that I am schooled in and want to do, unfortunately the bulk of that is in the DC or Northern VA area. I probably wouldn't want to buy a home because I would want an exit strategy if we just don't like it.
Areas I believe I would be working, downtown DC, Suitland, Alexandria or Langley area.
I feel comfortable working with a mid 2k rent and really would need to have a single family home in a kid friendly neighborhood.
I have also thought about renting a small 1bedroom or studio for a while and just be a weekend warrior traveling home on the weekends.
Sorry if I am all over the place. This is virgin territory for me and I am trying to pound it out with little hands on. I did want to make sure the nuts and bolts of what we want would work before I actually attain the job which should be the least of my concerns.
A concern would also be hospitals. My wife is a Labor & Delivery RN. Any RN's in the area would be a great help if any "inside" information could be shed on what to expect as an RN in the area, common shifts, pay, etc. My wife would need 8 hour day shifts and most of what we saw was 12 hours up there.
Also, down here the public schools have before and after school care from 7am til school starts and from the end of school til 6pm. Is that available there as well?
Thanks again and if anyone want to ask questions I will certainly answer them fairly quickly.
There seems to be lots to rent in the mid-2K range. Mostly houses that people can't sell though some committed rentals. I live on a nice street in Reston with good sized 4 & 5 bedroom houses and we have a rental on our street that goes for about $2500.
Since traveling from home to work is such a big issue here you should find your work location before you start seriousy looking for a rental. I agree with the previous poster who said Front Royal and Frederick are just too far. Do some looking around to get a feel for the market, longandfoster.com has rental listings and craigslist is a good source too.
Fairfax hospital has the best L&D around - I don't know anything about working there but I have been very satisifed with the service I received there. I really didn't like FairOaks hospital (and the strange thing is that they are run by the same company Inova).
look in Potomac Falls (20165), Ashburn (many zips - gorgeous communities) both of these are in loudoun county - great schools, mostly new. Reston is okay - I still its starting to show its age. stay away from manassas and front royal - way too far out. closer to the beltway gets more expensive and crowded.
look in Potomac Falls (20165), Ashburn (many zips - gorgeous communities) both of these are in loudoun county - great schools, mostly new. Reston is okay - I still its starting to show its age. stay away from manassas and front royal - way too far out. closer to the beltway gets more expensive and crowded.
Stay out of Manassas????? We have the VRE!!! The problem with Ashburn (and Loudoun County in general) is there is 1 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPTION,.. the BUS, "Loudoun County Transit."
Also you will spend a lot of time on rt 7 and the toll roads to get anywhere. I highly suggest staying out of Loudoun. Loudoun is a bunch of communites built around a bunch of Starbucks.
As for school age child care, it is very full in most areas. I'm told the waiting list at my daughters elem school is very long, and she might be in middle school before it will open up. Of course this is for Fairfax county, but you will most likely find it the same everywhere around here. Because of commute times and the need for both spouses to work here, the need for before and after care is greater than some other communities. What you will find here are daycares that provide transportation to/from the schools. They go up to age 12. There are 4 within 5 miles of my dd's school. Also they are needed by the FFC schools because they close early EVERY Monday, right before lunch.
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