Best area to live for a recent college grad? (Arlington: apartment, lease)

[hockeynyr35]

I got a job in Chantilly, Va and I'm currently debating where to live. I'm graduating college in may and looking for an apartment within 15 miles of Chantilly. What's a good area for a recent college grad to live in? Or if anybody can tell me what areas to stay away from that would be helpful as well.

[CaseyMac]

If your job is in Chantilly, you will want to look in Chantilly, Herndon, Reston or Centreville. Yes, you will have to drive to DC and Arlington for social activities on the weekends, but around here, you want to be as close to work as possible. It's much better to drive far once or twice a week for social stuff versus having to have a long commute each day, day in day out, to and from work.

Just my opinion, though. Many young people who have Dulles area jobs live close to DC and drive out there every day. Good luck to you!

[aristotlenova]

Chantilly, Herndon and Centerville are as boring as watching paint dry. While that's ideal for some people, someone just out of college may want some nightlife and a good peer population in the area. Reston Town Center might be good, but I would have a look at Ballston if I were you. Getting out to Chantilly would be about 20-25 minutes each way, so not that bad of a commute. And you get all the benefits of Ballson/Clarendon nightlife and socializing. Also puts you MUCH closer to the city.

[ScranBarre]

I, too, am an upcoming college graduate and just signed a 1-year lease today for a place at an Archstone community very near to the Reston Town Center (RTC), so hopefully I can provide you with some insight as well. From what I could tell considering this prior weekend was my first real taste of "NoVA Life," the RTC is the place to be for people our age in the Dulles Tech Corridor Area (Herndon/Reston/Chantilly/Sterling/Ashburn). There were all sorts of ethnic restaurants, upscale shopping, a movie theater, and enough high-rise condo complexes to give Reston a pretty dense skyline for your typical booming suburb. Traffic is terrible in Northern Virginia, so while it may be tempting to get a roommate and shack up in Ballston, it would NOT be recommended by me if you intended to commute out to Chantilly daily, even with the advantage of a reverse-commute.

I looked at numerous complexes this weekend, and I think the area between the RTC and Lake Anne, where I chose to settle, is a good fit for someone like us. As an avid runner I'm close to the W & OD Trail System, I'm within walking distance to the RTC (yuppie hangout) or to Lake Anne (quiet village-like setting around a small lake), and my workplace is within two miles as well from the community I chose (which, at $1100/month was a BARGAIN for the convenience and park-like setting adjacent to a country club!)

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by aristotlenova

Chantilly, Herndon and Centerville are as boring as watching paint dry. While that's ideal for some people, someone just out of college may want some nightlife and a good peer population in the area. Reston Town Center might be good, but I would have a look at Ballston if I were you. Getting out to Chantilly would be about 20-25 minutes each way, so not that bad of a commute. And you get all the benefits of Ballson/Clarendon nightlife and socializing. Also puts you MUCH closer to the city.

The problems with this would be:

1.) The very high rent prices, even for 1-bedroom units, in a place like Ballston would NECESSITATE a roomie for someone fresh out of college. After dorming you may want to break free and assert your independence some more WITHOUT being tied down with a needy or nosy roommate when you've just had a stressful day at work.

2.) Your only true commuting options would be the uber-congested Route 7 or paying a few bucks everyday to take the Dulles Toll Road (which would add up considerably over the course of a year). I'd peg the guess from Ballston to Chantilly at more like 30 minutes each way, factoring in traffic.

Why, oh WHY wasn't the Metro extension that is currently being designed to service this area planned BEFORE everyone moved here?! LOL!

[Tone509]

Your best alternative would be Reston, the closer to its Town Center, the better. As others have said, while you'll find the most 20-somethings in Arlington, traffic would make the commute would be unbearable.

Looking at a map search site, you'd spend most of your commute on a 4 1/2 mile stretch of the Fairfax County Parkway. I've never rode that stretch so I'll leave it to others to say how backed up (or not) it gets during rush hour.

[terrence81]

Yeah I'm going to second the other folks. Get a place in Chantilly or Reston. It's cheaper and newer than Arlington. Just drive into the city for fun. There will be some in the city that'll give you crap for living in the burbs. I say I live in a place that's twice as nice for half the price. If I tried to live in the city I'd have no money for going out or enjoying the city except of course the museums and the zoo.

[aristotlenova]

I think you ought to try the commute, because the difference between being in Ballston and RTC is fairly significant in terms of access to DC. When I was much much younger, there is no way I would've been able to deal with a ride back to RTC from DC after a long night of festive debauchery. And from Ballston to Chantilly, the biggest part of your commute would be on 66. I've done from Rosslyn westward on 66 in the mornings every single day for the past 2 years. Takes me about 15 min most mornings to get from Rosslyn to Dunn Loring. And after Vienna/Dunn Loring, there is even less traffic going further west bound. Now granted, the ride back is probably a bit worse most days, but even then from Vienna to Rosslyn usually took me about 20-25 min max in the evening rush hour. Chantilly is certainly a bit further out, but not THAT much further.

[hockeynyr35]

First of all thank you all for your insights.
How are the areas around Fairfax, Falls Church?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by hockeynyr35

First of all thank you all for your insights.
How are the areas around Fairfax, Falls Church?

Both are very nice communities that are positioned just west of Arlington. Falls Church is located right along the Metro line for easy access into the city via the Orange Line at one of two stations (West Falls Church/East Falls Church), and it is in closer proximity to the "younger" areas of Arlington with a slight price advantage for not quite being "in" the action. I might also recommend Vienna, the furthest suburb that still has direct Metro access, assuming you could afford it, as from my understanding Vienna is one of the more affluent communities in the region.

Don't take the traffic comments lightly though, and remember that Mapquest doesn't take traffic congestion into consideration (nor does a GPS for that matter, as we learned). Our family hit long back-ups even on a Sunday, a day we assumed would be free-and-clear because we assumed most people in NoVA would spend their Sunday lounging around and relaxing as they do here in NEPA. Apparently that's not the case though.

Once again I must reiterate that I really truly wish the Metro ran a line northwestwards paralleling the Dulles Toll Road from Tysons Corner on up through Reston, Herndon, the airport, Sterling, Ashburn, Chantilly, Lansdowne, and Leesburg. The primary reason why traffic is so HEINOUS in that area during rush-hour is because there are NO mass transit options at a time when thousands upon thousands of people continue to move into that area on an annual basis. Telling me "just be patient; it will happen in seven years" is of little comfort if I'm going to be adding yet ANOTHER vehicle onto your already over-taxed roadways when I head into the urban areas for some photo tours.