Fredericksburg to Reston commute (Manassas, Lake Ridge: credit, house, buy)

[e2ksj3]

I recently got a job offer in Reston, so I should be moving to the area finally within the next few weeks or so. I want to take advantage of the housing tax credit and buy a home, but a lot of the places around Reston are out of my price range. I've been looking in Prince William and Stafford counties and Fredericksburg. I really like Fredericksburg because it nice and affordable, but worry about the long commute. I maybe able to swing it, because I would be working at night a lot going against traffic. Has anyone attempted this long commute? I know it's probably brutal during rush hour, but how is it during off peak hours?

[oneasterisk]

Just be aware that even on the weekends there is traffic on the highways around here. I personally wouldn't do it...

[normie]

Oh man, that sounds terrible. Horrible. Awful. Nasty. Yikes, don't do it, man.

[bmwguydc]

That's a very long commute. If you're looking at Reston, you're better off looking to the west, or southwest of Reston. It's easily 60 miles each way from Reston to Fredericksburg, and there is sometimes night construction on the highways that can snarl traffic, not to mention summer travel on the I-95 corridor.

Some places that are a bit more affordable would include Charles Town to the VA/WV line, and Charles Town is about an hour to Reston, with little chance of heavy traffic during off-peak hours. Also, adjacent areas of Frederick County, MD, for example, Brunswick, while a smaller town, offers proximity to Leesburg, VA and Frederick, MD for areas that are similar to Fredericksburg. Even Winchester, VA to Reston, while a little over an hour each way, is not going to have the same traffic risk as Fredericksburg to Reston, though the winter weather between Winchester and Reston can cause significant delays.

[stuntmonkey]

No amount of money is worth that commute. If you really want to live a bit out there, look toward Loudoun County, not Spotsylvania. The toll road will at least make life bearable with that commute.

[Teebyrd86]

Originally Posted by stuntmonkey

No amount of money is worth that commute. If you really want to live a bit out there, look toward Loudoun County, not Spotsylvania. The toll road will at least make life bearable with that commute.

Have you looked if Faquier county? The Warrenton area is really nice, I am moving there in the fall.. Can't wait! You should go check it out and see if it may be right for you. Warrenton is about 35 min. to Reston.

[e2ksj3]

Thanks all for advice. I figured it be a rough commute judging from Google maps either way. I thought about Charles Town, but the retail isn't there like with Fredericksburg and driving through the mountains during the winter months might be an issue. Fauqier County and Winchester might be worth checking out. Loudoun seems to be kind of on the expensive side, so I think I may just stick with Prince William County.

[bmwguydc]

Prince William is not a bad commute, overall, to Reston, especially off-hours. Manassas and Gainesville are an easier commute to Reston than Lake Ridge or Montclair because you don't have to depend on I-95. You can take 123 from eastern PWC (Occoquan/Lake Ridge) and come through Fairfax, which will allow you to avoid I-95 on bad days, but just factor a bit more time once you get into the Fairfax-Oakton area because of the traffic lights and lower speed limits.

[Mr.Cat]

It shouldn't be that bad.
I commute from Fredericksburg to Rockville, MD. I get off work at 6pm and it usually takes me an hour and 15 mins to make it home.

[ngadude]

I commute from Gainesville to Reston and it isn't that bad if I do it on the edges of the weekday commuting times. But that means I leave the house around 5:50 AM and I get into work at 6:30 AM, then try to leave work no later than 4 PM.

I personally wouldn't want to even think about or attempt to commute to Reston from Fredericksburg! That's way way too far! It would just be awful no matter what time of the day.

Someone mentioned Faquier County and Warrenton - that might not be a bad option for you and is similar in ways to Fredericksburg. It will however maybe be as much as an hour commute depending on exactly where in Faquier County you are coming from.

Some other posters mentioned some other options, all of which sound much better than Fredericksburg. That is a nice place, but is living there worth the awful commute? I think not, but that's just me.