Reston to Manassas Commute (Arlington, Leesburg: cul-de-sac, apartment complex, to rent)

[leeboo]

I'm a soon to be recent college grad and have a job in Manassas. I have looked at apts in Manassas and liked Battery Heights but am worried about lack of nightlife. Have checked into posts about Reston and think that might be a better option for young people and bar scene. Any thoughts about how the commute would be from Reston to Manassas?

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by leeboo

I'm a soon to be recent college grad and have a job in Manassas. I have looked at apts in Manassas and liked Battery Heights but am worried about lack of nightlife. Have checked into posts about Reston and think that might be a better option for young people and bar scene. Any thoughts about how the commute would be from Reston to Manassas?

If you work what's considered normal working hours you'll generally go against traffic making your commute relatively easy compared to most people. Depends on where exactly but Reston to Manassas won't be bad compared to going from Manassas to Reston.

[ScranBarre]

As a soon-to-be resident of Reston myself, welcome to NoVA!

[normie]

Those two towns aren't very close, I wouldn't recommend that commute.

You get my sympathy. Manassas is a tough town for commuting and not much to do for young people.

My suggestion would be to live near the Fairfax County Govt. Center. Seems to me a lot of young people like that area, and the commute seems more doable. (Still not great, though.) There are a lot of restaurants and places to get a drink there, so I'd presume it has an ok nightlife. But I'm no expert on the area. What do you guys who live near the Govt. Center think?

[fdeitz]

I used to commute from Manassas to Reston, which wasn't too great. Going from Reston to Manassas would be better as it would be against traffic. However, probably as Normie said the Fair Lakes area might be a better choice. From there it is only 10-12 miles to Manassas and would make a lot better commute.

The Battery Heights apartments, my brother lived there for one year back in 1994 - they were not that great then. Although now that area has developed in a huge way and there's lots of shopping centers and restaurants within walking distance. That said, for young people, Manassas isn't exactly the most happening place.

[ScranBarre]

As a younger college graduate I would recommend moving somewhere that you would be happy based upon your priorities. I'm paying roughly $100/month more to live in an older complex with an outdated kitchen with no community "perks" (i.e. pool, gym, etc.) in order to live within an easy walk of the Reston Town Center. To me I'd rather pay more and not have some features in an apartment complex in order to be very near to other young professionals so I can network, socialize, and hopefully date, and since I can't afford Arlington I assumed that the Reston Town Center area would be the next best thing. As luck would have it the complex I picked will also be within walking distance to a new metro station along the proposed Silver Line, so don't forget to think about the future of the location you pick as well! A former co-worker of mine here in Pennsylvania who grew up in Loudoun County URGED me to check out Leesburg because you "get a lot of bang for your buck." My new boss told me to check out Ashburn and Sterling for that very same reason. However, what good would a larger square footage do for me if I felt like the only single young professional on a cul-de-sac with all families?!

[nwlv]

I lived in Manassas for a while and would not recommend the reston commute. Even during non-rush hour, it is a bear. An hour under most circumstances, and some tolls. Night life isn't horrible in Manassas, and if your walkable to Old Town; few worries. 40 hours a month extra in traffic? to pay more in rent? to pay 5 bucks for a beer in reston, where they've been known to arrest people in bars, who weren't even driving.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by nwlv

I lived in Manassas for a while and would not recommend the reston commute. Even during non-rush hour, it is a bear. An hour under most circumstances, and some tolls.

If Manassas, according to another member, is not an exciting place for younger people to live, then are there any areas nearby that the OP may find to be more suitable? I can't believe I almost made the mistake of selecting a more modernized community in Herndon that was rather isolated when I would have become unhappy in the long run having all of my friends and peers so much further away from me. I would NOT advise the OP to rent in Manassas simply because it's close to work. Is there a good compromise that would ease his/her commute AND be nearer to "the action?"

[nwlv]

IMHO, if you worked in DC, it would be crazy to live in Manassas. If you worked in Manassas for say, LMT, you could have a great quality of life in Manassas.

Scran, that metro stop isn't going to be completed for years. I would say between 6 and 12.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by nwlv

IMHO, if you worked in DC, it would be crazy to live in Manassas. If you worked in Manassas for say, LMT, you could have a great quality of life in Manassas.

Scran, that metro stop isn't going to be completed for years. I would say between 6 and 12.

That's fine by me. I may very well still be living in the same complex by then.