Tell me where you would live (Alexandria, Burke: real estate, 2011, homes)

[EternalNomad]

Currently my husband, 3 children and I live in PA.
But, we may be moving to VA/DC area around 2011.

I would be looking for a job around Ft. Belvoir. He could maybe work at Andrews Air Force Base.

Where would you live? Consider commutes, schools (my kids will be 11, 9, and 6 at the time) and real estate cost. I dont really want to live in a crowded area.

Lets just say that price doesnt matter (for now). Where would be the best places to live?

[worldtravelermsk]

First, I feel obligated to say the following: if your husband ends up going to Andrews AFB, I would seriously consider living in MD. The commute to Andrews from anywhere in VA is horrible. Traffic is usually awful on I-95, 495 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I'm not too familiar with MD communities, so I'm assuming that Charles County, MD would be good; specifically Waldorf, MD would be relatively good option as it's a bedroom community for those that work at Andrews. I definitely would post something in the MD forum to get better information regarding MD.

However, VA is the best option if your husband goes into Ft. Belvoir. Looking at your criteria, I would look into select communities in Prince William County along with areas around the city of Fredericksburg. There are a lot of posters here from PWC that can give you great insight into what communities to avoid and where the best school systems are located.

Best of luck in your search!

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by EternalNomad

Currently my husband, 3 children and I live in PA.
But, we may be moving to VA/DC area around 2011.

I would be looking for a job around Ft. Belvoir. He could maybe work at Andrews Air Force Base.

Where would you live? Consider commutes, schools (my kids will be 11, 9, and 6 at the time) and real estate cost. I dont really want to live in a crowded area.

Lets just say that price doesnt matter (for now). Where would be the best places to live?

Buy a home in the West Springfield HS district in FFX Cty.

[VRE332]

In my opinion, I would tell you to stay where you are. You will be in shock with the amount of traffic, commuting times up the roof, and the uncompleted Fairfax County Parkway horrendous to get into Ft. Belvior.

[CaseyMac]

I would look at Kingstowne in zip 22315. Homes in 22307, 22308 and 22309 would also work. (All o these zip codes are Alexandria). Virginia will have much better schools than those of Prince George's County, Md., where Andrews AFB is. Also the commute going from VA to MD in the AM and MD to VA in the PM is better than the opposite.

Good luck to you.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by worldtravelermsk

along with areas around the city of Fredericksburg.

Why did you choose Fredericksburg? I would not recommend this. When the op has us not considering cost, it is quite a ways out and skips over so many other areas.

[ChristineVA]

I live in Prince William County. If my magic genie showed up and gave me a chance to move, I would go to Fairfax County and I would probably move to the Burke area or West Springfield right off of the Fairfax County Parkway. It would be a great commute for you to Ft. Belvoir. Commuting to Andrews is not horrible but not the best.

I used to live in Maryland fairly close to Andrews. Don't do it. The schools suck, there is significant crime, and I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by EternalNomad

I dont really want to live in a crowded area.

Last I heard, the DC metro area had 7 million people. Can you be more specific about what you mean by crowded?

[worldtravelermsk]

Why did you choose Fredericksburg? I would not recommend this. When the op has us not considering cost, it is quite a ways out and skips over so many other areas.

I chose the area around Fredericksburg/Stafford County given the OP's criteria of not wanting to be in a crowded area. The OP could easily find Fairfax County, and even PWC as a matter of fact, to be crowded.