Calling NoVA Experts! Young Professional moving to work in Herndon! (Arlington: apartments, lease)

[manosteel00]

Hi Everyone,

I've been researching things for weeks and haven't been able to come to a solid conclusion. I'm moving from Chicago and am not a huge fan of cities where I can't park my car and have to deal with scumbags. I'll post a few things about me and would appreciate it if you could point me towards what areas would be best.

To date, I've looked into Arlington, Reston, Ashburn, and Leesburg but I'm willing to consider anything. Any advice would be HIGHLY appreciated.

*I'm a 24 year old, white, straight male.
*I’m a conservative (more libertarian) and Christian.
*I’ve never done drugs nor like being around them.
*I can afford rent but don't enjoy spending $1500 a month for something I don't own.
*Almost all of my friends are in Chicago, so my priority is meeting new buddies.
*I like to stay in shape and workout 5-7 days a week
*On weeknights I workout, play ice hockey, read, or hang with friends.
*On weekends, I enjoy going out and having some beers with friends…but try not to get crazy. I often go target shooting on weekends (usually tactical weapons) and spend time outdoors.
*I like any outdoors activity; Hunting, Fishing, Kayaking, Camping, Hiking are all things I love to do.
*I plan to start a business soon on the side.

[VRE332]

You can live over in Prince William County, but generally your commute would be 40+ minutes each way in bumper to bumper. Deciding where to live depends on your willingness to commute, but then it will cost you in gas and wear/tear on your vehicle.

$1500/month is a necessary evil, so I would say just live in Herndon until you do your research on housing. After a good year of research you can get to know the area and move.

[JfromReston]

You should be able to find a nice 1 Bedroom apartment in Reston or Herndon for around $1200.

Here is where people play hockey in Reston.
SkateQuest Reston

[normie]

Arlington should be ruled out. Nasty commute. IMO, Leesburg is not a fun commute either. I'd live in Herndon or Reston and walk to work as part of your workout.

*I'm a 24 year old, white, straight male. I’m a conservative (more libertarian) and Christian.

Plenty of people like this in both Reston and Herndon. However, be aware that all of NOVA is very diverse, so while you will find plenty of other libertarian Christian white males, you will also find people of every political, racial, and religious POV.

*I’ve never done drugs nor like being around them.

I don't think Reston/Herndon are particularly druggie, but you might end up with neighbors who smoke pot. Or you might not. Like I said, the entire region is very diverse, every community has a little bit of everything.

*I can afford rent but don't enjoy spending $1500 a month for something I don't own.
I think you can find a place in Reston/Herndon for that amount.

*Almost all of my friends are in Chicago, so my priority is meeting new buddies.

Should be no problem, seems like a lot of young people are moving to Reston/Herndon right now. Maybe you could even hook up with some of the people who post here on city-data.

*I like to stay in shape and workout 5-7 days a week

Lots of people like that here. Plenty of gyms, and as I said before you could probably find a place close enough to walk to work.

*On weeknights I workout, play ice hockey, read, or hang with friends.

Several gyms and rinks around here. I hear Ashburn Ice House is a good rink.

* I often go target shooting on weekends (usually tactical weapons) and spend time outdoors. I like any outdoors activity; Hunting, Fishing, Kayaking, Camping, Hiking are all things I love to do.

Kayaking and hiking are very big here. Lots of places to camp, but we get ticks in the summer so camping is not as popular. I see a lot of people fishing in the Potomac, especially near Riverbend. Not sure how good the fish is here, though. Places for hunting and shooting are going to be more difficult to find. I suppose you could go over to Maryland for that.

*I plan to start a business soon on the side.

Well, it depends on what sort of business you want to start, of course. But in general, IMO, NOVA is a good place to start a business. Local regulations are relatively small-business friendly, and the economy is relatively strong so people are open to buying your service/product.

[normie]

By the way, I assume you already have a definite job offer. If you don't, do not move here assuming you will find a job. Too many people are doing that right now and they end up with sad stories. Even though there are a lot of jobs here many people are finding out the hard way that it can take months or even years to find a job if you come here without one.

[mlv311]

I agree with the PP. Scratch out Arlington from your list--bad commute, very likely to have a lot of people who don't share your political views (it has become increasingly liberal over the years), and it won't offer as many opportunities for the outdoor sports/activities you enjoy.

As far as where to live, I would focus on Reston (1st choice) and parts of Herndon (2nd choice). Leesburg may be a possibility. I have a friend who lives there and she says she can get to Reston in 20-30 mins. While I like Ashburn, I get the feeling that many people living there are families so I'm not sure how great it would be for a young, single professional. You can meet new friends through church, work or even different organizations. It will be easier to go somewhere closer to the city for fun on evenings/weekends than to live there and commute to work in Herndon every day.

[manosteel00]

Thanks, everyone. Your replies are extremely helpful and I've narrowed my search down to Reston.

With that said, I think living near Reston Town Center would be a lot of fun. Are there any apartment buildings you would suggest? I'm debating renting vs. buying a condo/townhouse. What would be a better idea in this area? I would like to avoid paying over $300k.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by manosteel00

Thanks, everyone. Your replies are extremely helpful and I've narrowed my search down to Reston.

With that said, I think living near Reston Town Center would be a lot of fun. Are there any apartment buildings you would suggest? I'm debating renting vs. buying a condo/townhouse. What would be a better idea in this area? I would like to avoid paying over $300k.

I'm 22 and live in Archstone Charter Oak, which is within walking distance to Reston Town Center and Lake Anne and is a quick and easy drive to the toll road or to Route 7, and overall I'm happy here. There are a few complaints I have (i.e. the neighbors keep walking their dogs by and are looking in my windows while their dogs sniff stuff, there's a lot of random screaming and cussing on Saturday nights from the drunk parties, there's a lot of spiders, etc.), but overall no major complaints. I pay $1,135/month for a 1-BR unit that is nearly 1,000 square feet and backs up to a private golf course. I can walk painlessly to Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Starbuck's, Macaroni Grill, Harris Teeter, etc. (I just found a cool pedestrian tunnel beneath Reston Parkway near Parc Reston). The location of my neighborhood is unbeatable in Reston, but there are some drawbacks. For example, a couple of weeks ago we had a police chopper hovering over our complex because some of the low-lives from adjacent areas were doing "smash-and-grabs" from vehicles in our parking lot. I generally feel safe here, but there are some shady-looking people milling around. For the largest VA suburb outside the beltway crime here is really rather low.

Other nearby complexes that I'd highly recommend would be The Sycamores or Parc Reston. Fairway Apartments is also nearby, but they seem VERY desperate to lease; they even pay some guy to stand at the intersection of Temporary Road & North Shore Drive and twirl a sign around on the weekends pointing people towards the complex (my guess would be rumors of a major mixed-use center taking over the site are scaring people away from Fairway).

Something good to note is that in several years this neighborhood will be within a quick walk of a new Metro station, so property values should rise significantly (i.e. if you look into buying a condo at Parc Reston you may be pleased with your return on investment in 5-7 years). I have a friend (potentially more than that, but we won't go there), who owns a condo in Northpoint (the "high-falutin" part of Reston), and he purchased his condo right before the recession started so now he's "upside-down" (he paid more than his condo is now worth). I think now would be a good time to look into buying, so if you COULD swing buying a cheap condo within walking distance to Reston Town Center (which will hopefully continue to expand) and the upcoming Metro station, then you SHOULD see a good appreciation. Look into the 20190 zip code of Reston, which is the neighborhood around Reston Town Center, North Shore Drive, and Lake Anne. Lake Anne Plaza is the "historic district" of Reston (I still laugh at what people in this town call "quaint"), and while the lake itself is nice the surrounding plaza is quickly-vacating and in need of a makeover. Still it's nice to walk around though---I've been meaning to check out the used book store there.

I'd pick Reston over Herndon for our demographic. There is a more youthful vibe here whereas while I also like Herndon I don't get quite the same aura. There are a lot of more family-oriented areas there (but housing is cheaper in Herndon if that's a consideration). I believe the median home value in Reston was somewhere around $450,000, so bear that in mind.

[normie]

Originally Posted by manosteel00

Thanks, everyone. Your replies are extremely helpful and I've narrowed my search down to Reston.

With that said, I think living near Reston Town Center would be a lot of fun. Are there any apartment buildings you would suggest? I'm debating renting vs. buying a condo/townhouse. What would be a better idea in this area? I would like to avoid paying over $300k.

First things first, if we haven't already said so--welcome to the area! Getting to your question, IMO it's best to rent until you know for sure that you like the town. There are a number of good apartments, personally I hesitate to recommend one because everyone's taste is different. But if you come out for a visit I'm sure you'll find something you like.

[manosteel00]

Does anyone know about St. John's Wood Apartments in Reston? Looks like a great fit for me.

Also - let me know if you're interested in getting a place together! I'm open for finding new friends before I head out there.