Fairfax county to Fort Meade commute (Arlington, Alexandria: rent, house, to buy)

[IHaveabellybutton15]

Good evening!

Long story short, we are looking at settling in Fairfax County, which would involve me commuting to ft Meade for a few years. We love fairfax county and really don't care for Maryland or D.C. (Lived in both before).

Ive done the commute before (from south county) a couple years ago by driving. It was pretty bad, but I wanted to see if there were any outside the box recommendations that I might be overlooking (best places to live within the county to make this commute, public transit or rideshare, etc).

We are expecting a child soon so schools are a factor for us in terms of location.


Thanks a million.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by IHaveabellybutton15

Good evening!

Long story short, we are looking at settling in Fairfax County, which would involve me commuting to ft Meade for a few years. We love fairfax county and really don't care for Maryland or D.C. (Lived in both before).

Ive done the commute before (from south county) a couple years ago by driving. It was pretty bad, but I wanted to see if there were any outside the box recommendations that I might be overlooking (best places to live within the county to make this commute, public transit or rideshare, etc).

We are expecting a child soon so schools are a factor for us in terms of location.


Thanks a million.

UGH! I just had to look up Ft. Meade on a map. There is not going to be any "good" Fairfax County locations. If you are set living there, I would say as close to a highway as possible to eliminate extra time on back roads.

[IHaveabellybutton15]

Lol thanks. Good advice for sure!

[johnsonkk]

What is it that you like about Fairfax county?

There might be some areas in Maryland that meet your needs as some areas have really improved (Bethesda area)

Realize this is a NOVA forum and I'll deny ever writing the above comment.

[robbobobbo]

I used to commute by car from Alexandria to Greenbelt. It was not great but (if I remember correctly) wasn't as bad as when I used to commute from Arlington to Rockville. If you lived in eastern Ffx Co, like the Fort Hunt area, you could cross the Wilson Bridge and take 295 to the BW Parkway. From what I've read, people don't rate the schools there as highly as those in other parts of Ffx Co, however.

[IHaveabellybutton15]

Good question. Kind of just has a better feel when compared to Maryland, plus the great amenities like the parks and rec centers. And like I said, schools. But above everything, the kind of house we want to buy (large, with a fair amount of land and minimal renovation) seems more prevalent in fairfax than elsewhere. Ideally we would buy in Mason neck and I'm not sure that sort of place exists in MD (well maybe across the river in fort Washington).

[IHaveabellybutton15]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

I used to commute by car from Alexandria to Greenbelt. It was not great but (if I remember correctly) wasn't as bad as when I used to commute from Arlington to Rockville. If you lived in eastern Ffx Co, like the Fort Hunt area, you could cross the Wilson Bridge and take 295 to the BW Parkway. From what I've read, people don't rate the schools there as highly as those in other parts of Ffx Co, however.

Thanks!!

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by IHaveabellybutton15

the kind of house we want to buy (large, with a fair amount of land and minimal renovation) seems more prevalent in fairfax than elsewhere.

ok, so you have a huge housing budget...I'm sure you can find something you like closer to work.

[dkf747]

Schools won't be an issue for several years. Of course, if you're looking to move once and that be where you will stay when the kid(s)get to school age, then it's important now. You could rent for a year and look for the right place during that year if you wanted.

There is no place in Fairfax County that is good for a commute to Ft. Meade. You're painting MD with a big broad brush. Different areas are different. MD has plenty of good places to live. Have you looked at Howard or Anne Arundel County schools? I really think you should take another look at MD. The only way Fairfax County makes sense is if working at Fort Meade is temporary.

[IHaveabellybutton15]

Good points, thanks. I guess I should mention the other factor being my wife's job; she's at the Mark Center, so that seems to put us in a position where one of us is likely to have a bad commute, and since we prefer fairfax county that may fall to me.