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Where in DC? -- I will be near the Capitol for the job.
I worked on Capitol Hill for 35 years (I retired one year ago today), and for 28 of those years, I commuted from Prince William County (Dale City). The best method of commuting that I found - it worked for me, anyway - was a carpool.
There's public transportation, but it tends to get a little pricey. There's a train option (VRE). The closest Metro comes is Springfield. There are commuter buses. And there are many vanpools.
I found that a carpool offered the fastest, cheapest, and most enjoyable (if that word can be used to describe commuting!) way of getting to work. And the number one reason that a carpool worked best for me was that I was able to find several people living in the same area who worked in the same agency, and since we formed a carpool, we were eligible for an agency parking place.
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Originally Posted by wingman7000
As far as price range, I know that the closer you are to the city, the more expensive it is. That is why it doesn't bother me to be a bit further out if I can get more for the money. I guess my question is, where can I get the best bang for the buck as far as housing is concerned?
Looking just at housing, there are places available in Prince William that, given the size/features/quality of materials and size of lot, would cost considerably more in Fairfax. But there are so many other factors to consider as well, and other locations would offer generally better schools, more varied restaurants, etc. Prince William has a lot more to offer than it did 28 years ago, but the areas closer to town have even more to offer.
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Originally Posted by wingman7000
Work Hours -- I know there is a flex schedule option, but what exactly that entails I'm not fully sure. I know the HR rep said he works from 6:30-2:30. If I could do something like that, it could help I think, but again that's why I'm here asking ya'll.
A flexible work schedule helps a great deal in this area, no matter where you're commuting from.
We always worked the earliest possible schedule - it made the drive easier. And when the HOV lanes were extended to their current length, we adjusted our schedule to hit the HOV lanes after 6:00 AM (when non-HOV traffic is supposed to be out of there).
Our average commute from Dale City to Capitol Hill and back (that is, no snow storms, no overturned dump trucks, nothing like that) was 45-50 minutes.
I live in Woodbridge and I work in DC. I agree with everything GreenGene says about commuting.
I work 6:00 - 2:30 and, really, my commute is a breeze for the most part. I don't even carpool. I leave home at 5:20 and I am at my desk at 6:00AM.
A few years ago, when I had to leave a bit later due to the kids schedules (I left my home at 6:15), I made use of the slug system and picked up two riders each morning. I was at my desk at 7:00 a.m.
Carpooling is really a great option and I did that for years too!
Having said all that, yes, I *do* wish that I lived closer in to DC but when I was purchasing my home, I had to balance out what I needed for a home and the prices at closer in locations against what my budget would allow. While Prince William was not my first choice, it has really been fine and I'm pretty happy here. There is just about anything here you could want (with the exception of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods!) and I find that driving around and doing my errands in Woodbridge is a whole lot more pleasant than when I've had to do some errands up in Fairfax. I think the local roads within Woodbridge (with the exception of the ancient Rt. 1 corridor) were planned out better so they are much wider and traffic flows easily in Woodbridge than some of the other places I've visited on weekends. That's also an important thing to consider.
Is "we" a couple or a family with children? -- its just my wife and I right now, but we may be looking to add to it in the not-so-distant future. That is why we want an affordable and safe area with a good schools.
Check whether your employer offers a subsidy for taking public transit. -- Yes they do.
GreenGene,Thanks you very much for your input. I had actually been looking a bit a Dale City, but didn't know exactly what to expect as far as the commute was concerned. In general I have seem some pretty good prices out there for houses. I also like the carpool idea, but I'll have to look into that once I get there.
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Originally Posted by GreenGene
There's public transportation, but it tends to get a little pricey. There's a train option (VRE). The closest Metro comes is Springfield. There are commuter buses. And there are many vanpools.
Is there a park and ride in Springfield or Fairfax? Would it be worth driving to a park and ride lot and then taking the train or is it more hassle than what its worth?
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Originally Posted by GreenGene
But there are so many other factors to consider as well, and other locations would offer generally better schools, more varied restaurants, etc.
Are you saying that the schools aren't that great there in Dale City? Where are the good schools?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenGene
Our average commute from Dale City to Capitol Hill and back (that is, no snow storms, no overturned dump trucks, nothing like that) was 45-50 minutes.
I live in Woodbridge and I work in DC. I agree with everything GreenGene says about commuting.
I work 6:00 - 2:30 and, really, my commute is a breeze for the most part. I don't even carpool. I leave home at 5:20 and I am at my desk at 6:00AM.
A few years ago, when I had to leave a bit later due to the kids schedules (I left my home at 6:15), I made use of the slug system and picked up two riders each morning. I was at my desk at 7:00 a.m.
Carpooling is really a great option and I did that for years too!
Having said all that, yes, I *do* wish that I lived closer in to DC but when I was purchasing my home, I had to balance out what I needed for a home and the prices at closer in locations against what my budget would allow. While Prince William was not my first choice, it has really been fine and I'm pretty happy here. There is just about anything here you could want (with the exception of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods!) and I find that driving around and doing my errands in Woodbridge is a whole lot more pleasant than when I've had to do some errands up in Fairfax. I think the local roads within Woodbridge (with the exception of the ancient Rt. 1 corridor) were planned out better so they are much wider and traffic flows easily in Woodbridge than some of the other places I've visited on weekends. That's also an important thing to consider.
Your commute doesn't seem to be that bad and I do like what you say about the wider local streets there.
Knowing what you do since buying in Woodbridge, where do you "wish" you lived? I think Alexandria would be a nice area, but it may be out of my range. Maybe I can find a foreclosure or something along those lines.
It would be helpful to know a bit more info (such as are schools important, SFH or TH okay and how large of a place you need) but from what you have posted so far, I would suggest areas of Springfield or Alexandria with a focus on access to the metro. Not as expensive as the closer in places but easy access to the blue line from Van Dorn and Franconia and not far from the yellow at King Street..
The metro homepage has great maps and a trip planner to give you some ideas of time and expense for your commute.
Welcome, it is a great area..
We want a single family home, but may consider a TH. We're pretty tired of sharing walls and hearing neighbors stomp around.
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Originally Posted by irisheyes13
Welcome, it is a great area..
Thank you very much, we're pretty excited about it.
Varies a great deal from year to year. The last few years have been mild. This year there was hardly any snow at all. Other years we've had one major storm after another.
Your commute doesn't seem to be that bad and I do like what you say about the wider local streets there.
Knowing what you do since buying in Woodbridge, where do you "wish" you lived? I think Alexandria would be a nice area, but it may be out of my range. Maybe I can find a foreclosure or something along those lines.
I like the Burke/Fairfax/West Springfield area. I like that it's far enough out of the hubbub of the Fair Oaks area but close enough to get to the malls and restaurants. It's not as outrageously priced as some areas of Fairfax. I think there are good commuting options and the schools are decent. If I were to move, that would be the first place I'd look.
GreenGene,Thanks you very much for your input. I had actually been looking a bit a Dale City, but didn't know exactly what to expect as far as the commute was concerned. In general I have seem some pretty good prices out there for houses. I also like the carpool idea, but I'll have to look into that once I get there.
Dale City is arranged alphabetically, A-...T? The oldest homes are closest to I-95. The best deals are probably with the older homes, but I think you'd be looking at more costs in terms of renovation, upkeep, etc. And frankly, some of the older neighborhoods, especially TH communities, are a bit run down.
The newer homes are for the most part towards the end of the alphabet, and would generally offer more in terms of overall size and quality.
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Originally Posted by wingman7000
Is there a park and ride in Springfield or Fairfax? Would it be worth driving to a park and ride lot and then taking the train or is it more hassle than what its worth?
There's Metro (and here I'm talking about the subway), and then there's the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). Metro does not come as far south as PWC - VRE does. The closest Metro stop to the eastern part of PWC is Springfield, and yes, there's a large parking garage/lot there. Both Metro and VRE have very enthusiastic supporters, but I suspect even they would admit that they both get pricey.
The absolute cheapest way to get from PWC to DC is using the slug lines.
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Originally Posted by wingman7000
Are you saying that the schools aren't that great there in Dale City? Where are the good schools?
I think that generally the schools in PWC are fine, but most people in the area would rate the schools in Fairfax somewhat higher, and I can't argue with that. Both of our kids attended public schools in PWC (admittedly a number of years ago), and we were happy with their experiences.
There are good schools and not-so-good schools throughout the area. When you narrow down your choices and are looking at specific areas, people on the forum may be able to offer their thoughts on specific schools.
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Originally Posted by wingman7000
How much snow do you get there?
I used the snow shovel once this year ... a storm where we got maybe 6-7" on our street. And less than a week later, the temperature hit 60! We've had big storms in the past - 20 inches or more - but it's been a while.
About us choosing Dale City ... when we moved here 28 years ago, our son was 3 and our daughter was an infant. We were living in Maryland, working in DC, and couldn't find anything in MD that we could afford that was larger than the apartment we were in. We had a friend at work who lived in Dale City, so we looked there and found many places that were just what we were looking for.
Had we been able to afford to live closer to the city, I think it likely that we would have done so. That said, I don't regret a day we've lived here, and we elected to stay here long after our income would have allowed a move closer to DC.
The nice thing about Northern Virginia is that there are any number of good areas, and you're going to have a lot of options to look at.
I just wanted to add to GreenGene's post about Dale City. The "true" Dale City does run with "alphabet" neighborhoods all along Dale Boulevard. These homes were built by C.D. Hylton and is still going strong.
I also live in Dale City and connect into their sewer system and have the same zip code, but I am not in a Hylton home/neighborhood and am not on Dale Blvd. There are some independent neighborhoods that also are now included in "Dale City" and most of them are off Cardinal Drive and Minnieville Road.
You might also look in other areas of Woodbridge (Dale City is a sub-address within Woodbridge) along Old Bridge Road and the Prince William Parkway.
As for schools, I think most people are very happy with all the elementary schools in Prince William. Really, they are pretty good. Things get a bit murky at the middle school level (middle schools are notoriously odd all over the world I think!), and the high schools aren't too bad. There is one or two I would not send my kids to, but that's it. Some kids have done phenomenally well coming out of PWC schools.
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