Help-Housing in the NOVA area (Arlington, Alexandria: rent, condominiums, high crime)

[Leerinsmom]

Hello,

My husband and I will be moving to the NOVA area soon. We are not sure which city best fits us. My husband will be attending George Washington University and would like to ride the train to and from. We are looking for a nice small city where we can rent an affordable dog friendly townhouse or duplex. We are hoping to find a city where there is shopping and restaurants close by. Any suggestions?

[jb124]

Originally Posted by Leerinsmom

Hello,

My husband and I will be moving to the NOVA area soon. We are not sure which city best fits us. My husband will be attending George Washington University and would like to ride the train to and from. We are looking for a nice small city where we can rent an affordable dog friendly townhouse or duplex. We are hoping to find a city where there is shopping and restaurants close by. Any suggestions?

GW is on the Orange Line if I recall correctly (Foggy Bottom Metro stop), so I'd recommend Arlington. Arlington has some nice mini-cities (like Ballston, Clarendon, and Courthouse) that have lots of shopping/restaurants and Arlington is very dog-friendly in general. You'll likely have trouble locating an affordable townhouse close to the Metro stations though. I'll take a wild guess and say something along the lines of $2500-3000 a month rent is what you're looking at for a townhouse within walking distance of a Metro in Arlington.

How long of a commute is your husband willing to endure? Is he willing to take a bus to a train? If you extend out towards the end of the Orange Line (like Dunn Loring or Vienna) you'll have more options. Stops along the Blue Line in south Arlington and/or Alexandria are an option too, but they involve a transfer in Rosslyn, which gets decently crowded in rush hour.

[Leerinsmom]

I would say no more than a 30 min. commute one way.

[claremarie]

There aren't any "small cities" within a 30 minute commute of GWU.
However, the City of Falls Church, which is a close-in suburb right on the Orange Line, would meet your basic requirements. Lots of dogs, a bike path, farmer's market, shops and restaurants within walking distance of many neighborhoods, and an easy commute to GWU.
The catch is that it is not cheap, particularly on a student's income. Particularly if you need to house a dog.
Arlington has more affordable options, but the most inexpensive housing is in South Arlington, which is not a 30 minute commute by rail.

[Leerinsmom]

Are there any suburbs or neighborhoods I should stay away from due to high crime etc?

[saganista]

You don't need to change trains on the Blue Line to get to GWU. Just like the Orange Line trains, they leave Rosslyn to go under the river and the next stop is Foggy Bottom/GWU. The station is at 23rd & I Streets, directly across the street from the Medical Center along the west edge of campus. So you might consider the Franconia/Springfield/Kingstowne area as well. It may have more and cheaper housing options available, but it's 30 minutes on the train alone to do the commute. Townhouses in the actual Ballston Corridor will be difficult to come by. The dominant theme there is high-density development, so condominiums will be more the thing. I liked the idea of Falls Church myself. There are some nice townhouses there, and also in nearby surrounding areas. The commute times would be a little shorter as well. Time on the train to Foggy Bottom is 22 minutes from Dunn Loring, 18 minutes from West Falls Church, and 15 minutes from East Falls Church.

[ashbrn4]

So, what do you consider affordable? Everyone wants cheap and affordable, but no one ever says what they think that is which makes it hard to suggest a suitable place to look. I can tell you almost anywhere along the subway line is going to be expensive. Anywhere that isn't, you probably wouldn't want to live. And other posters are correct, there are no small "cities" that are within a subway ride. The subway is strictly the DC metro area, which consists of the city and suburbs. As for the question of high crime, that varies between communities in the same suburban area.

[Leerinsmom]

Is it reasonsable to think that we can rent a 2 bedroom townhouse within the $1400-$1600 range?

[DavidS827]

Finding a two bedroom townhome on a commuter line will be difficult, but I'm sure it can be done. If you are open to a condo, then you may have better luck.

[5stones]

what size of Dog? small little aptment size or bigger that would need more space.
There aren't too many 2 bedroom TH (most I've seen are 3) A condo 2 bedroom condo for around 1500 should be doable.