Yet another Quantico housing question... (Richmond, Arlington: apartments, rentals, crime)

[NinjaJet]

I know it's been asked before (I've read 'em, I swear!) but mine's a little bit different. I'll be moving to Quantico in the coming months and need to find a place to live off base. I'm female, mid 20s, have a dog, and am looking for a rental between 1000-1800. I've read apartment reviews and they've all been terrible. So, I'm wondering.. where do most base people live? What's the liveliest area? I've read the suggestions for Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, and Dale City on other threads but are these more family areas or what? Also, what about stafford? Is there a reason that noone suggests it yet there are heaps of rentals there? Any help is much appreciated!!!!

[tgbwc]

You probably won't find a "lively" area. Most will be family areas. How about a small townhome?

[Newk]

I don't think anything Quantico or near Quantico is considered lively. Where are your fellow Marines living?

[American Arrogance]

Apts near Quantico are horrible. Im former Army and I stayed in Dale Forest apts. Alot of military stated there or the apts across from them....Stone something...They looked nice. They are off Minnieville Rd.

Further down you can stay in Lake Ridge area...Dominion Ridge I think is the name of one place.....

[NinjaJet]

Originally Posted by Newk

I don't think anything Quantico or near Quantico is considered lively. Where are your fellow Marines living?

No idea, I'll be a civilian employee. I've never lived anywhere other than California and abroad so maybe I'm in for a bit of a shock...

Well, if it's not lively, would it be worth it to go closer to DC? Is the reverse commute smooth sailin'? Probably a stereotypical question.. but which area has the best shops? Is it nuts to enroll in an MA program at Georgetown and have to drive there a couple nights a week?

I guess I'm just looking for somewhere that's safe, people are friendly and outgoing, and you have all your amenities. But, when I say safe, I've lived in some pretty ghetto places so I'm not sure how crime compares to San Fran/LA?

Thanks for your help guys because I'm definitely lost when it comes to Virginia, let alone the east coast!

[Newk]

Originally Posted by NinjaJet

No idea, I'll be a civilian employee. I've never lived anywhere other than California and abroad so maybe I'm in for a bit of a shock...

Well, if it's not lively, would it be worth it to go closer to DC? Is the reverse commute smooth sailin'? Probably a stereotypical question.. but which area has the best shops? Is it nuts to enroll in an MA program at Georgetown and have to drive there a couple nights a week?

I guess I'm just looking for somewhere that's safe, people are friendly and outgoing, and you have all your amenities. But, when I say safe, I've lived in some pretty ghetto places so I'm not sure how crime compares to San Fran/LA?

Thanks for your help guys because I'm definitely lost when it comes to Virginia, let alone the east coast!

Areas in NOVA that I would consider lively are the Arlington/Clarendon/Ballston area. That is pretty much it, honestly. Fredericksburg has Mary Washington University, which has a college crowd, but it is a small school. Commuting to Quantico everyday from the Clarendon area would be hell.

For shopping, sorry no haute couture here. Ha, but Tysons Corner has a lot to offer, although it is usually a traffic nightmare. Great restaurants there too. Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden... There is this really good Italian restaurant off Leesburg Pike I believe, called Da Domenico. That place is money, and you get an authentic Italian singing every 45 or so minutes. I have gone to the Tiffany & Co. store for my fiancee.

Leesburg Outlets have a lot of great places, and is relatively cheap, but it is an hour minimum west of DC.

For commuting, generally it is not bad driving down 95 South(North of Quantico) in the morning and driving 95 North in the afternoon.

If you are into the artsy, local music, scene, emo stuff, Richmond might be more your style.

Gobs and gobs of people live in Prince William County and work in DC, so they sit in the parking lot that 95 North becomes in the morning.

[LuisaREA]

One interesting place to live is Occoquan, VA and there are some places available within your price range. I wouldn't call the town lively, but it is a nice historic town with lots of shops, coffee shops, and it is a great place to take your dog for a walk. If you go to the post office, they will know you by name and people there are generally very friendly. Before we had our baby, my husband and I truly enjoyed living there. The town has come out in a couple of magazines as a great place to live. You can go to their website to find out more Occoquan Today - Welcome to Historic Occoquan, Virginia

Luisa Rodriguez

[mielcre]

Yes. Occoquan is beautiful. Especially in the morning! My daily nightmare commute is around 3 hours and looking at occoquan over the bridge makes me feel alive! If i was single, I would definitely live there, in a heart beat! If you like shopping, FairOaks mall is nice. Its in Fairfax. (i love shopping too). If you want restaurants, go to DC, old town Alexandria on the weekends. During the week, you wont have time anyway. My husband works at marine corps university and if it was not for him, I would not live in Stafford. Its a super safe place, i live 1 mile away from the TBS door, 3 miles away from the backgate. But, if you are like me, who loves to do fun things, shopping, restaurants, walking around, do not live around here! Its fantastic for families with kids, but for a single person its boring.

I will start doing my PhD at Georgetown, when i went to information session after work, all i thought about was getting home, and going to bed. It may not look that far on the map but after you get into that horrible traffic, you just become an unhappy person.

Just keep looking, and consider all the things you want to do while you live here. Do not get an apartment in stafford. I do not know how other apartments are, but while we were looking for a house to buy, we lived at Carriage point, villages of aquia dump for two months. And it was disgusting.

Anyway, let me know if you have more questions. Good luck!!!

[NinjaJet]

Originally Posted by mielcre

Yes. Occoquan is beautiful. Especially in the morning! My daily nightmare commute is around 3 hours and looking at occoquan over the bridge makes me feel alive! If i was single, I would definitely live there, in a heart beat! If you like shopping, FairOaks mall is nice. Its in Fairfax. (i love shopping too). If you want restaurants, go to DC, old town Alexandria on the weekends. During the week, you wont have time anyway. My husband works at marine corps university and if it was not for him, I would not live in Stafford. Its a super safe place, i live 1 mile away from the TBS door, 3 miles away from the backgate. But, if you are like me, who loves to do fun things, shopping, restaurants, walking around, do not live around here! Its fantastic for families with kids, but for a single person its boring.

Thanks mielcre! Do you have any opinions on Woodridge and Lakeridge? It's also good to know your opinion on Georgetown commuting.. I'm not looking forward to working a full day and spending 3-4 hours commuting/in class! So I'll definitely consider your experience! As for Occoquan, what size city is it? I love that it has cafes and is unique etc.. but are there places like target, borders etc? Also, do you know anything about doggy daycare places? . So would you basically suggest anywhere north of Quantico, rather than South? I was also looking into those aquai terrace places so I'm glad you said they are terrible! Have you heard any positive reviews about any apt complexes, even if they are in less lively areas? Thanks!

[mielcre]

Aventine at Courthouse Square is nice. (in Stafford) We had friends who lived there for 6 months and they loved it. There is a huge pool, a nice gym, clubhouse, and the apartment looked bright and nice. It will take you about 25-30 minutes to get to work tho. Stafford has a nice mall area. You will find Borders, Target, Lowes, Panera Bread, etc.. However, it will be far to commute to DC for school.

Lake Ridge is very nice. I would stay away from the Woodbridge part. There is always something happening there.

Have you considered Springfield or Lorton? You would not have to deal with traffic and all that nonsense, and also you would be really close to DC. Saratoga Square is very nice in Springfield. Springfield is 20 minutes from DC, 20 minutes from Quantico.

Occoquan is really really cute! Fall and Spring Craft Shows, Town Ordinances - Historic Occoquan, Virginia take a look at the pictures.

I am sure you will drive around and get a feel for the area. Let me know if you have more questions. Good luck.