where in northern va? (Arlington, Alexandria: mortgage, home, neighborhoods)

[limesublime]

hello, my family and i are thinking of moving to northern va. my husband would work in D.C. so we would like a place that is close, commutible by car or train, however we would like a small town... not really a big subarb. are we asking to much? please anyone with any helpful info let me know! thanks

[teleblazer]

Originally Posted by limesublime

hello, my family and i are thinking of moving to northern va. my husband would work in D.C. so we would like a place that is close, commutible by car or train, however we would like a small town... not really a big subarb. are we asking to much? please anyone with any helpful info let me know! thanks

Are you really locked into Virginia or would anywhere near DC that fits your criteria work? If so you may want to look at Southern MD. If you're looking for a Single Family home you will find your buck goes a little further than many of the hot spots in Virginia.

You'll find the MARC railway, and of course the METRO rail systems going through Virginia, Maryland and DC. The closer you are to the city (as a general rule) the more of a premium you'll pay to live in a home there.

Depending on where you are moving from you had better brace yourself for "sticker shock" on the cost of housing, and general cost of living in the DC Metro area. It's far from cheap, and even a good salary gets stretched to it's limits.

Good luck...

John

[dullnboring]

There aren't really any small towns in the traditional sense anywhere within a reasonable commute from DC in Northern Virginia. There are some older urban neighborhoods that still exhibit some of the characteristics found in small towns (longtime residents, neighbors who know one another, kids playing in the street, walking distance to mom and pop stores) in DC, Arlington and Alexandria, although even those are being increasinly bulldozed over. The closest examples of what I think is "small town life" within Northern Virginia, would be living within the city/town limits of either Vienna (15 miles outside of DC with a Metro station that will take you into DC in 30 minutes) or Falls Church (8 miles outside of DC with two Metro stations right outside it's borders; a little over 20 minutes via Metro into DC). Of the two, I'd prefer Falls Church which has always seemed a bit more unique and more well-preserved than Vienna to me. There is a good description of Vienna in the Vienna/Fairfax thread in this forum. There are tiny older downtown sections of places like Herndon and the city of Fairfax but generally, Northern Virginia outside of Arlington and Alexandria is homogeneous suburban sprawl with all of it's trapping of cookie-cutter subdivisions, generic strip malls, big box stores, mile-a-minute growth, few longtime residents and where there is little sense of community. The sprawly and transient nature (few people have lived here their whole lives, and few intend to stay for the rest of their lives) of Northern Virginia is what greatly diminishes the small town atmosphere and strong sense of community found elsewhere. There are more traditional small towns further out in Virginia but those areas are simply a nightmare to commute into DC. I think within Northern Virginia, Falls Church and Vienna would be your best bets although I think they too would perhaps be lacking in quite a few areas of what you'd expect in terms of small town living.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by limesublime

hello, my family and i are thinking of moving to northern va. my husband would work in D.C. so we would like a place that is close, commutible by car or train, however we would like a small town... not really a big subarb. are we asking to much? please anyone with any helpful info let me know! thanks

dullnboring told it like it is, I agree fully.

We lived in No VA for 31 years, escaping only a year ago for Colorado, as soon as retirement would let us.

To be pretty honest, there are NO small towns in No VA. Its a big sprawl from DC on out at least 40 miles. People commute from 100 miles out, a few even more. Traffic is horrendous. Getting to DC from No VA is a nightmare of commuting and crowded subway lines.

Closest thing to small towns are the old centers of Falls Church, Herndon, Vienna, Leesburg, Fairfax, Manassas or Clifton. All are expensive.

I'd say to look at MD instead. For "affordable" housing, go as far away as you can from DC but stay on a MARC rail line, although some of the VRE lines in VA may allow you to live way out and be able to afford a home, but I'd still go with MD.

Wish I had good news for you, but the area is so pricey that I cringe at the thought of anyone moving there for a job.

Look at available housing on the realtor website, figure what a mortgage in the DC area would cost you, then look at what you're paying now, and see if the new job actually leaves you less money to spend or more. If its less, ask yourself if its really worth it, is it a huge career boost or just a change of venue. No sense going backwards financially, especially if you're reasonably satisfied with your current location.

s/Mike