Relocating from SoCal for job in McLean, what is good place to commute/live? (Arlington: fit in, affordable apartment)

[donita76]

My husband will be working in McLean and I'm a Child Development Specialist for at-risk/developmentally disabled children.

1) Where is a good place to start living? We are planning to rent for the first 1-2 years as we get to know the area. We like urban but not too suburban, we're in our early 30's. Budget is $1100 - $1500, either for 1bd or 2bd apt. Preferably near a YMCA or a decent gym, bookstores, library, restaurants, reasonable grocery stores (Trader Joes?)

2) We have 1 car, hoping for my hubby to commute by metro/bus to get to work and I could take metro once I find a job out there.
I'm looking at jobs for myself in Rockville, Silver Spring MD, maybe Bethesda.

3) I plan on attending Univ of MD for Grad School to get Speech Langauage Pathology degree.

4) We have no kids, but family and friends will come to visit and stay to enjoy the area with us.

Please help with any suggestions you might have. Traffic is horrible in SoCal, but I hear that it is even worse in DC Metro areas. What are we to expect?
Thank you!

[claremarie]

Assuming that "McLean" means the Tyson's Corner area:

1. Metro will not be in Tyson's for several years. Unless you live within walking distance of your husband's workplace, he will either have to drive or take a bus (or Metro/bus combination) to get to work. The vast majority of those who work in the Tyson's area commute by car.

2. It is extremely difficult to commute from the Tyson's area to Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda and especially the University of Maryland by public transportation. You will almost certainly need a car if you will be working and/or attending school in Maryland. I would strongly suggest NOT working in Maryland if you will be living near Tyson's, and looking into graduate programs at other area universities, such as George Mason.

3. Tyson's Corner is located in one of the most expensive housing markets in the area. You will probably have to settle for a 1 BR apartment. There is a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods on Route 7 in Falls Church, about a mile or so from Tyson's Corner Mall. There are also some reasonably affordable apartment complexes in that area (especially near Idylwood Road). There are lots of stores and restaurants, but walkable it is not. You really need a car to get to most of these places.

[normie]

Where do you live in So Cal? There are quite a few Californians on this forum, so we might be able to help you find a (somewhat) similar area if we know where you're coming from and (more importantly) what you're looking for.

Be aware that whatever community you choose, Virginia is not California. Sometimes Californians have a hard time adjusting to life here. I'm from California (Redondo Beach and Sta. Barbara) and I love it--but not everyone from California feels the same way I do. People will probably seem aggressive to you. You may not like the weather or the insects here.

The best bet is to live as close to work as possible. Other than that, here are a few thoughts: If you like suburban living, most of the Californians I know seem to like Reston or the towns in Loudoun County. They have a little bit of a "California" feel to them. If you like urban areas, Arlington or Alexandria might appeal. McLean and Falls Church are two other places where I know a lot of Californians. If you're looking for a town like Venice, you're not going to find anything remotely like that in Nova. Nova is mostly upper middle class suburbia--equivalents would be Torrance or maybe Northridge. It also reminds me a bit of Palos Verdes, or in some places, Beverly Hills.

BTW, welcome to Nova! It may take a while to adjust but lots of people realy love it here.

[donita76]

Claremarie & Normie, thank you both!

We've lived now in Ventura, CA 8 years. My hubby's from CA, I'm originally from small town in Texas. I think I should be able to adjust to NoVa OK, I actually miss having seasonal changes and thunderstorms, and southern hospitality. But, I'm also a "western thinker" (as opposed to Midwest), independent and wholistic in my nature. Meaning, I like how Californians are big into healthy eating/organic and natural alternative medical care. I have bad scoliosis and completely manage my pain through Yoga/Pilates and low impact cardio rather than pop pain pills or go for surgery. Its very important I'm near a gym with a variety of classes and friendly people.

Claremarie, I was wondering if commuting from NoVa to MD would be accessible by metro. Thanks for clearing that up, I'll need to research other grad programs like you said. I just remember my visits to the UnivMD campus in the past and liking it a lot. But, with my scoliosis, I don't wanna be lugging around heavy packs with books on the metro. Hmmm, more research...

Normie, I like your suggestions for where most Californians have moved to in NoVa. That helps a LOT!

So, I understand for sure that my hubby will have to take metro/bus combo to get to Mclean/Langley area. Before we settle in Nova, should we consider MD? I keep hearing Nova is more down to earth compared to MD? Any feedback on that? Thanks!

[claremarie]

If by Langley you mean the CIA, there are many buses that serve that facility. But it is not within easy reach of the Metro. Many people do live in Maryland and commute to Tyson's or the CIA, but since you are starting from scratch there is really little point to making his commute more difficult than it needs to be. There are far more similarities between northern Virginia and Maryland than differences, with the exception that there is a much higher Jewish population in Maryland. So if you want to live near a synagogue or kosher butcher, you'll have a lot more choices in Maryland than in most parts of northern Virginia.
We lived in Virginia and my husband worked at U-Md; the commute was not fun and I would never recommend it to a newcomer. Also, the College Park metro stop is not actually on campus -- it's kind of a hike and not particularly convenient for many commuters. And, of course, if you live in Virginia you will be paying out-of-state tuition at Maryland.
There aren't many YMCA facilities in northern Virginia compared with other Metro areas, but there are many health clubs and gyms, and Fairfax County has a terrific network of recreation centers that are accessible to residents for reasonable fees (also open to nonresidents at higher rates). The Spring Hill Recreation Center is closest to the Tyson's/Langley area. Spring Hill RECenter, Fairfax County Park Authority

[michgc]

Hi and welcome to NOVA! I've lived on both sides of the river - Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, and College Park in Maryland and Falls Church and Vienna in Virginia - each state for 10 years. And I went to grad. school at U. of Maryland. And I had a roommate many moons ago who got her masters at UMD in Speech Pathology. And my job until I became a SAHM was in Rockville, so I can share a bit about the commute. I will try to help anyway I can. If you are set on going to U of Maryland then definitely one of you is going to have a big commute. Assuming your hours might be more flexible (not during rush hour) it might be better if you are the one who commutes. If that's the case, then Falls Church might be a good option for you. It is close to McLean, has a Trader Joe's, is close to the beltway to drive into Maryland, and is not too suburban in nature. I used to live right on Leesburg Pike (Route 7) near Marshall High School, and it was pretty convenient to commute to Rockville for work. Commuting to Bethesda would be even easier. College Park will be a hike any way you look at it. Allow 45 minutes to an hour to get to College Park from that area of NOVA in non-rush hour. If you choose to live in Maryland, Bethesda is a great urban city but is uber expensive. It wouldn't be too bad of a commute to McLean, but your dh would still have the nasty traffic getting over the bridge into Virginia. It would be slightly easier for you to get to College Park than from Falls Church or elsewhere in NOVA. And as someone else mentioned, you'd have the benefit of in-state college tuition, which would be a great thing!

The differences between NOVA and Maryland aren't too great. Maryland is a bit more liberal - politically. The Jewish and Black population is greater in Maryland. The hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern population greater in NOVA, I believe. So if you belong to one of those groups, that might be a consideration. I think property taxes and income taxes are higher in Maryland. But they do not pay a personal property tax on cars there like we do in VA. I worked in the same job and lived in Maryalnd and then moved to Virginia and didn't notice a huge pay increase, however, so I'm not sure how great the tax differences really are. Overall, coming from California, it will probably all seem different to you. Personally, I like NOVA better than Maryland. It seems more laid-back and less competitive to me.

When I was in grad school in College Park, there was a woman in my program who commuted from NOVA. I remember thinking at the time that it seemed kind of far, but you do what you have to. The hard part will be getting together for group projects or doing clinics or whatever it is they do. If they are near the campus, you will have to factor in traveling there quite a bit.

Good luck on your decision. And if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.

[Leroy Brown]

I'm a little unclear about what you will be doing. Will you be attending grad school and working at the same time? Are you definitely attending the UMD program this year, or are you planning on working for a while and then hoping to go back to school and the Maryland program is exactly what you're looking for? Will you husband actually be working at the CIA, in Tyson's or something in McLean?

You don't have to answer these questions publicly in this form, but the answers make a big difference in the advice I would give you. As other have said, Tyson's Corner is basically completely inaccessible to public transportation at this point in time. You can take a bus from the West Falls Church metro station or Dunn Loring metro station to Tyson's, but this commute would take forever and generally would be inconvenient. Unless your husband is actually working at the CIA headquarters, you guys are going to need to get a second car.

If your husband is actually working for the CIA, I believe there are several shuttles he could take to work. There is nothing in your post that actually indicates this, but just as an FYI no one really refers to the area around the CIA as Langley.

If you are going to be working in Montgomery County and going to school in College Park at the same time, I think you are going to have near your job. Trying to live in Virginia and then commute to different parts of Maryland for work and school would likely be completely unmanageable. If you lived and worked in say Silverspring, you and your husband's commutes would both be ok.

Do you have to work in Maryland because of licensing reasons? Otherwise why are you focusing on jobs in Maryland and not closer to your husband?

If you are only going to be working at first then you have a lot more options. Falls Church, Reston, Tyson's, Silverspring, Rockville should all be options for you too.

You could also consider living in DC. I think there are a number of neighborhoods in Northwest DC that would meet your requirements, be reasonable commutes to both Silverspring/Rockville and Tyson's. If you were more specific about what you wanted I could recommend specific neighborhoods. It depends on how much you value diversity, nightlife, safety, and value. For instance, Columbia Heights is a fantastic neighborhood to live in - but might be too "gritty" for some people.

If you are just going to school in College Park, living in DC would make sense too, but probably different parts of the city.

[donita76]

To Leroy Brown, thanks for the questions and feedback.

Ok, so my husband will be needing to commute to Mclean for his Govt job. I've done more reserach which narrowed down our understanding of options.

1) I can't go to UMD, their Master's program require full-time studies committment and I need part-time, because I HAVE to work as well and we're planning a child soon (I'm 33). We have law school loans and credit card debt to pay down.
Also, it seems if we tried to live in MD on one income so that I could go to UMD full time that it would be just too difficult with the high cost of living and taxes. Plus, it may be too much of a commute for my husband to go from MD to Mclean.

2) So, now we have two remaining options to consider. And YES, I would work a year in order to gain in-state residency. UDC has a choice of either full or part-time grad program in Speech and Language Pathology and my areas of interest. I plan to work in pediatrics or become school-based SLP, maybe work for non-profit.
GWU has an SLP program, but not my special interests.

If we were to live in DC, near Connecticut Ave...what should we expect in living quarters/cost and commute for my hubby to Nova? We value diversity but also safety. It could also be that in the 3-4 years of grad school that we'll have a young child. Would we be satisfied and find family friendly areas in NW DC area? How would my husband's commute be from NW DC to Mclean?

The finaly option would be for me to work/gain in-state residency living in nova for UVA (correspondence course) in Speech and Language Pathology. Are there extension campuses in Nova? I was quite surprised that such a broad and important field of SLP, that none of the northern VA colleges offered the program.
We aren't certain we'd like Tyson's Corner because of congestion but rather we like Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church. Should we consider Reston, even though there's no Metro line?

Thanks again everyone for your help!

[anonymous703]

Originally Posted by donita76

2) So, now we have two remaining options to consider. And YES, I would work a year in order to gain in-state residency. UDC has a choice of either full or part-time grad program in Speech and Language Pathology and my areas of interest. I plan to work in pediatrics or become school-based SLP, maybe work for non-profit.
GWU has an SLP program, but not my special interests.

UDC doesn't have the greatest reputation. I would hesitate before suggesting you seriously look at schooling there.

The finaly option would be for me to work/gain in-state residency living in nova for UVA (correspondence course) in Speech and Language Pathology. Are there extension campuses in Nova? I was quite surprised that such a broad and important field of SLP, that none of the northern VA colleges offered the program.

Supposedly there is a UVA extension campus or something near the Vienna metro stop, but I don't know anything about it. You'd also have to figure out if that specific campus would even offer you what you need.

We aren't certain we'd like Tyson's Corner because of congestion but rather we like Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church. Should we consider Reston, even though there's no Metro line?

Thanks again everyone for your help!

Reston will easily be in your price range with the amenities that you want. If you would consider Alexandria, then you definitely should consider Reston -- your commute will be much better. Arlington will likely be out of your price range.

[normie]

Sounds like you are going to fit in well here. The others have already given good advice, so I'll just say welcome to Virginia!