What Areas Do You Recommend For 30something Singles? (Arlington, Reston: appointed, apartment)

[normie]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

Azmordean,

My area of expertise is development.

You're in development? By any chance, do you know any of the details about http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...mic-model.html I'm thinking of going if it's free.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

ScranBarre, I will definitely take a look at Reston Town Center. Of the areas in the Tech Triangle, can you or anyone else give a quick comparison, particularly Fairfax, Centreville, Herndon, Reston, and anything else in that area I left out?

I would advise against Centreville. A friend of mine from my office whom I treated to dinner yesterday to celebrate her first day (my own first day isn't long off) was flustered at how hectic her commute into Herndon was as she had left around 7 and didn't get to work until 8! An hour to go such a short distance is madness (although to be fair I don't know what route she may have taken that traffic was crawling the whole time). Also from my experience Centreville seems to be more of a "family-friendly" area and is not exactly "hip" for single younger professionals. My friend was jealous of me for living right near Reston Town Center when she had to drive quite a ways for "fun."

I think Herndon would be a close second behind Reston. The racists will call Herndon "Herndondez" because it has a very high Hispanic population, but diversity never killed anyone. There may indeed be a problem with illegal immigration in Herndon (I haven't lived here long enough admittedly to argue this point one way or the other), but I'd assume that's just confined to particular "pockets" of Herndon and not the entirety of the town, as I've now eaten and visited Herndon many times and have yet to see the throngs of day-laborers milling about that some warned me I should expect (perhaps the town has started cracking down on this?) I ate an Asian place called Pei Wei the other night, and the surrounding area of Herndon seemed very nice (I'll have to see if I can remember the name of the shopping district). Downtown Herndon (albeit the size of a thimble) is very pleasant with a couple of great restaurants, a few blocks of older homes ("old" in this part of NoVA, mind you, is 1950), and proximity to the W&OD Trail. I'd advise you to check into this "illegal immigrant epidemic" a bit more carefully first before giving you the green light for Herndon. Otherwise the town has MANY great ethnic resturants, is convenient to shopping (with a Kohl's and K-Mart right along Elden Street), and is right near many of the tech employers.

I'm not familiar with Fairfax, but I'd assume it would be a bit more expensive for rent there given the presence of GMU and its closer proximity to Vienna for the Orange Line metro station for an easier commute into the city. All things considered Fairfax might be a good choice---maybe even better than Reston---as you could easily get to Vienna to hop the train into Arlington or DC for nightlife or could drive to Reston/Herndon for work without too much difficulty. I'll leave that up to those who are "in the know" about Fairfax though to help you out a bit better.

Reston is split roughly in half by Route 606 (Baron Cameron Avenue). Everyone told me when I was moving (stay north of 606; South Reston is a dump), but having spent time in South Reston I don't see what's so "scary" about it? I don't know if some of that illegal immigration problem from Herndon spilled over into there or what.

[pgwiz1]

I'd also suggest reston. Lots of IT work there, many of my single friends have bought places in reston (since it's too expensive closer in to the district), and you'll be able to hopefully find an apartment/townhome for rent for the budget you're hoping to stay within.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by pgwiz1

I'd also suggest reston. Lots of IT work there, many of my single friends have bought places in reston (since it's too expensive closer in to the district), and you'll be able to hopefully find an apartment/townhome for rent for the budget you're hoping to stay within.

Somebody finally agrees with me on an issue! Praise the Lord!

[ck90211]

Ballston to Clarendon area would be my suggestion. You can get on 66 going west (on Fairfax) towards the Dulles corridor quickly in the morning and no HOV restrictions, and you can still hop on Metro and go into town from your doorstep, so you can go for jobs either in DC or towards Dulles (or points north or south). Social/nightlife for singles are plentiful, and plenty of trails, parks, etc.. Rent isn't cheap, but $1500 for a nice 1br is no prob.

Alexandria isn't bad, but takes longer time getting onto 66 going westward.

[frogbiscuit]

You shouldn't have any problem because you are single, and after all you are...


Denny Crane.

[snuffy1968]

I would check into either Arlington/Ballston/Clarendon area or Reston (near the town center).

Have you been to DC area before? If you live in Arlington...the commute will not be that horrible to either DC or Tyson's area. Not sure how bad it would be to Dulles Corridor but I would guess under 45 minutes.

[seiketsu]

For $1800, you could easily rent a 3br townhouse and maybe even a detached house in Reston and Herndon. If you also work in that area, it's a no-brainer. I lived in Reston for several years and would have been willing to stay there forever because it's such a pleasant community, but the commute to DC (an hour and a half by bus and metro, including a ten-minute walk to the office) sucked the life out of me. I was so envious of my neighbors who could roll out of bed at 7:30 and waltz into work at Reston Town Center by 8:00. I was waiting for the bus at 6:15 to make it to my desk on time.

Please avoid the Clarendon/Courthouse corridor in Arlington unless you are 23, wear J. Crew, and your parents are subsidizing your rent (or you are a guy who wants to pick up blond chicks who fit that category.) It's the hip/trendy wannabe place for all the urban dwellers who are too afraid or too preppy to actually live in the District. But unless you consider Pottery Barn and Starbucks to be the true measure of trendiness, you will feel ancient as a 30-something walking those streets.

I think Alexandria, particularly Old Town and Del Ray, would fit your demographic quite nicely. If you find a job in Arlington, Alexandria, or DC, then the commute wouldn't be bad. But if you get a job in the Dulles area, definitely Reston or Herndon for quality of life and bang for the buck. Those 23-year-old "I can't BELIEVE you live so far out, I would NEVER live further out than Ballston" will be joining you in a few years when their parents quit paying their rent and/or all of their roommates move out.

After typing all of this, I can't remember whether you have a dog, but if you do have one or are planning to get one, it's much easier to find dog-friendly housing the closer to Dulles you get. By dog-friendly, I mean both apartments or individual landlords willing to rent to people with dogs and space (maybe even your own yard) for dogs to play.

[jaamkie]

While personally I'm not a huge fan of Reston, I have to agree it sounds like it would suit your preferences- it is generic suburbia with newer cheaper condos, plenty of tech jobs, and the W&OD trail for your dog.

On the other hand, Arlington is not only about clubbing bratty yuppies (that description reminds me more of Georgetown, though yea along the Orange Line there are plenty of slightly-less-cool wannabes). I'm a single tech-worker (with a job in DC), and I rent a very cheap room in a house in south Arlington along Columbia Pike. I'm not much into bars/clubs (though I'll go occasionally), but I love the older buildings, the less sterile/"planned" feeling, the much greater diversity and ethnic restaurants, and the better mass transit and walkability (I rarely need to drive anywhere, though sometimes I do for convenience). I also enjoy running aimlessly through the neighborhoods and trails in Arlington, while out in Reston I feel you have to stick to a few known routes or you'll quickly end up alongside a highway without a sidewalk. But if those things don't appeal to you, then sure, live out in Reston- there are certainly plenty of jobs out that way (though there are also many in DC).

One other option is possibly Maryland- I believe there are quite a few tech jobs along 270, and (outside of Bethesda) Maryland can be cheaper and more boring-suburban while still being near a metro line for the occasional trip into DC (or if you switch jobs and end up working in DC).

Finally, if you're going to move first, find a job second, I'd recommend looking around Vienna/Fairfax/Merrifield (particularly I know there's new construction near the Dunn Loring metro that they converted from apartments to condos and are still having trouble renting, so you might get a deal). Vienna/Merrifield is close to the beltway for commutes to MD, close to metro into DC (probably with a free shuttle from most apartments), and close to route 7 and the toll road for commutes out toward Reston etc. I have a 30ish tech worker friend who lives there while working near Dulles, and thinks it is a good compromise between commuting and "having a life" with other singles and events in Arlington/DC.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by jaamkie

I also enjoy running aimlessly through the neighborhoods and trails in Arlington, while out in Reston I feel you have to stick to a few known routes or you'll quickly end up alongside a highway without a sidewalk.

Yep. This is one of many things I plan to comment on tomorrow night at Lake Anne Elementary School where there will be a session in regards to drafting up the community's next long-range plan. I'm going to ask why our "sophisticated" planned community doesn't have many sidewalks, forcing me to run in increasingly busy streets What's so "hip" and "progressive" about that?