McLean Advice (Arlington, Alexandria, Reston: 2013, apartments, houses) - Northern Virginia - Virginia (VA) - City-Data Forum

SouthTexKid · 03-01-2010, 12:37 PM

Hi new poster here. I'm 23 years old and recently accepted a job offer in McLean that will begin early this July. I currently live in So. Texas (Kingsville) and this will be a HUGE move for me. I have already begun doing a bit of research on McLean and I am bit taken back by how expensive appts are compared to here. A 1bd 1bth here averages about 400-600/mo and according to apptguide.com, the same in McLean runs nearly triple that. My question is, Do most young single people who work in McLean live there? or do they live in D.C, MD, Arlington, Faifax, etc? I've never lived in a metro area and I'm trying to get as much info as possible. Appartment reviews seem to be largely negative in McLean but then again they are all negative for were I live to so I'm taking that with a grain of salt.

Any tips/help would be much appreciated. Thank you

Claire2900 · 03-01-2010, 01:26 PM

Search this forum for Arlington, read and then come back with some specific questions

Stephen 81 · 03-01-2010, 01:54 PM

I'd second the Arlington recommendation, assuming you like going out to bars and think you would enjoy living somewhere where you primarily use mass transit and your feet to get places. Arlington is full of young people living in high rises near the Metro (< 1/4 mile) and group houses slightly farther away, but it's quite expensive, and if you're coming from a small town in Texas you will find people to be very cold/unfriendly.

If you think you'd rather live somewhere a bit more suburban, where there are more chain restaurants, traffic is less chaotic, and rents are slightly lower (i.e. you can get a nice one bedroom for $1300 instead of $1600), I'd suggest Reston. It won't really offer you a taste of city life, but there are still a lot of young people living there who work in Tysons Corner (most people who work in "McLean" really work in Tysons Corner) or the Dulles Tech Corridor. Reston has a lot of restaurants and is a very reasonable commute to Tysons (by the area's standards).

Definitely do not live in McLean/Tysons. It may become slightly more desirable in 2013, when you'll have direct Metro access into the city, but right now it's #1 advantage (and probably only advantage, from my standpoint) is that you'll be within a mile or two of your employer. If you were to change employers, though, that advantage could disappear in a flash.

claremarie · 03-01-2010, 02:16 PM

Most folks like you end up living in Arlington -- in the Ballston/Clarendon corridor or Shirlington -- or even DC. If you can find a roommate or two, as most recent college grads do, your budget won't be hit quite so much by the high housing prices in the area. But, even with a roommate, you're not likely to be paying $400 per month, so put that figure out of your mind, unless you're willing to live WAY far out (with a commute of well over an hour each way) or in a dangerous neighborhood. Don't even consider living in Maryland, which will make your commute a nightmare. And keep in mind that you will pay a premium for apartments close to DC and/or Metro -- if you are driving to work at Tyson's, you won't be getting much of a benefit from that price premium.
Good luck!

SouthTexKid · 03-01-2010, 02:53 PM

I've been looking up info on Arlington as you suggested and from the sound of it, its seems like a perfect place for someone in my position. I do seem to keep hearing negative things about living in D.C so I'm placing that idea on the backburner for now. I know this might sound like a very subjective question; but can someone making 50k/yr live there reasonably comfortable in your opinion? (i.e used car, single bedroom appt., very little debt.) I've been researching the statistics on the area but just wanted to get an honest opinion.

claremarie · 03-01-2010, 04:15 PM

You can definitely live on $50K, especially at age 23 with little debt. There are lots of recent college grads living on much less.
But you won't be living as well as you would in your current location at that salary. Many newcomers to DC have difficulties when they keep making that comparison. So long as you don't fall into that trap, you should be fine.

SouthTexKid · 03-01-2010, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claremarie

You can definitely live on $50K, especially at age 23 with little debt. There are lots of recent college grads living on much less.
But you won't be living as well as you would in your current location at that salary. Many newcomers to DC have difficulties when they keep making that comparison. So long as you don't fall into that trap, you should be fine.

Thanks. Yeah 50k here in So. Texas would put me in the upper echelon of income earners easily. I guess I will need to prepare to start living a more frugal lifestyle than I am know. Still I'm excited to be moving to an area of the country with much more opportunity for college grads.

Guamanians · 03-01-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthTexKid

Thanks. Yeah 50k here in So. Texas would put me in the upper echelon of income earners easily. I guess I will need to prepare to start living a more frugal lifestyle than I am know. Still I'm excited to be moving to an area of the country with much more opportunity for college grads.

I would recommend looking for a roommate or 2. Of course it's nice to know them before you move in, but you might not have that luxury. If you like living close to the city, but not necesarily right in the action then Alexandria might be a good option. Generally the thoughts are that Arlington is the best place for singles in their 20's and Alexandria in their 30's. Thats somewhat true, but Alexandria isn't far from the action, and its a little cheaper than Arlington. Plus, you won't be tempted to go out every night

If you are a party animal then Arlington is the clear choice on the VA side of the Potomac.

novaman · 03-01-2010, 06:05 PM

ALso check out Falls Church.

SouthTexKid · 03-01-2010, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guamanians

I would recommend looking for a roommate or 2. Of course it's nice to know them before you move in, but you might not have that luxury. If you like living close to the city, but not necesarily right in the action then Alexandria might be a good option. Generally the thoughts are that Arlington is the best place for singles in their 20's and Alexandria in their 30's. Thats somewhat true, but Alexandria isn't far from the action, and its a little cheaper than Arlington. Plus, you won't be tempted to go out every night

If you are a party animal then Arlington is the clear choice on the VA side of the Potomac.

Thanks for the insight. Im definitely not a party animal but I do enjoy the occasional wild night

. I need to focus on my new career but still want to be in a city were there is plenty to do. I'll admit Im a little hesitant about the idea of a roomate(s) but it does seem like a good idea seeing as how I would at least know one person there. Not that I agree with stereotyping; but generally what are the people like in Arlington from your experience?

I ask because I have an friend who lived in southern Virginia and she tells me people from No. VA (McLean, Arlington specifically) would come down to were she lived and think they were all backwards hicks. I acknowledge however, thats just one persons judgement and she could be totally misleading. Are the young professionals snobby, cocky, all about partying? or are most people there pretty laid back? I know its still months away but I'm already excited/nervous about this move.