Moving to NoVa from Richmond (Gainesville/Haymarket/Warrenton?) (Reston, Centreville: lawyers, home builders)

[VaBrianJ]

Hi all, my family and I are considering relocating to Northern VA from the Richmond area. My company has an office in both locations but Fairfax is the HQ and I'll need to be there to really move up. I lived in Fairfax/Reston/Herndon for several years after college before heading down to Richmond and now we want to go back - we have more family and friends in the area and feel better about job prospects for the future.

We have 2 sons (age 3 and almost 1) and they will be the driving force behind our search. Like I said my job is in Fairfax (close to where Waples Mill and Rte 50 intersect in the Fair Oaks area) but we're primarily thinking about Gainesville and those surrounding areas. Schools and community will be the top focus, and we want to have a nice 4BR+ house with a yard - something I know would be near impossible much closer to Fairfax on our budget (up to around $425k). My wife is a stay at home mom, and I'm prepared to wake up super early for the commute. My job is flexible so I can work from home on occassion too.

So my questions are - what times would I need to leave in the am/pm to make the commute tolerable? How long of a drive am I looking at? And any suggestions on where to live? We're thinking between Warrenton, Bristow, Gainesville and Haymarket might work but I'm open to other suggestions. The shorter the commute the better for me, but we have to have a safe community with top schools with my oldest getting closer to kindergarten age. We're hoping to find a place to stay throughout their school ages. Thanks for any advice!

[ngadude]

A commute from Gainesville to Fairfax down I-66 would not be bad leaving at 6 AM in the morning. Similarly leaving Fairfax at 4 PM is not bad now that I-66 is widened in the westbound direction out to Gainesville.

I commute to Reston, but when I take I-66 I go as far as Fairfax County Parkway on I-66 so have experience with most of that commute, and those are the times I would get to I-66 in the morning or evening.

It takes me 35 to 45 minutes to get to and from Reston at those times, so I think it should be a bit shorter to Fairfax at Rt. 50. This is going to Gainesville off Linton Hall Rd. - times from other places may be a bit different - Warrenton would be longest obviously.

[Claire2900]

Search the forum for Gainesville (usually is combined w/ Bristow, Haymarket) for a wealth of information.

[ShannonMilligan]

I used to work in that same area...right behind the NRA building. I live in Ashburn. I would leave at 7:20am and usually get to work by 8AM. I would take Ashburn Farm Parkway (AKA: Waxpool) to 28, then 28 to 50 and then would just take 50 down to Waples Mill. It wasn't bad. I would leave every day at 5PM and would get home by 5:45. Sometimes it would be later with an accident or something.
One thing that attracted me to Ashburn was that I was a SAHM at the time when we moved and it seemed like a family friendly community which I have found it is. (One tip-I joined the Moms Club and it was great. No matter where you move your wife could probably find a club like this)

Reston is nice as well but a different feel. I would imagine your commute wouldn't be bad from there. (I would sometimes take that way home. Back road of Waples to Lawyers to Reston Pkwy)

I can't really comment on Gainesville or Haymarket as I have only visited there once or twice. BUT I can say I was doing some research on new home builders there today for my boss and I thought many of them sounded nice.

Your best bet is to come for a visit and get a feel. Find a realtor who will take you out to some target areas and get an idea.

Good luck! I have 3 year olds and I know what it is like to move with little ones...But I also know it can be fun, lol!

[Tish Thompson]

I live in Bristow near Victory Lakes, so I'm partial to the Bristow, Gainesville, Haymarket area. You'll be able to find a very nice home in these areas in your price range. The commute isn't too bad from Western Prince William, traffic starts to back up around Centreville but it's tolerable. My experience is if you leave earlier, you're better off, preferably at or before 7 AM. I've also found that Friday's are a breeze on the ride in to work, but if you leave work after 1 or 2 PM, traffic is a beast. Although you will have to contend with traffic, our traffic is nothing like the traffic on I-95...at least ours moves.

Originally Posted by VaBrianJ

Hi all, my family and I are considering relocating to Northern VA from the Richmond area. My company has an office in both locations but Fairfax is the HQ and I'll need to be there to really move up. I lived in Fairfax/Reston/Herndon for several years after college before heading down to Richmond and now we want to go back - we have more family and friends in the area and feel better about job prospects for the future.

We have 2 sons (age 3 and almost 1) and they will be the driving force behind our search. Like I said my job is in Fairfax (close to where Waples Mill and Rte 50 intersect in the Fair Oaks area) but we're primarily thinking about Gainesville and those surrounding areas. Schools and community will be the top focus, and we want to have a nice 4BR+ house with a yard - something I know would be near impossible much closer to Fairfax on our budget (up to around $425k). My wife is a stay at home mom, and I'm prepared to wake up super early for the commute. My job is flexible so I can work from home on occassion too.

So my questions are - what times would I need to leave in the am/pm to make the commute tolerable? How long of a drive am I looking at? And any suggestions on where to live? We're thinking between Warrenton, Bristow, Gainesville and Haymarket might work but I'm open to other suggestions. The shorter the commute the better for me, but we have to have a safe community with top schools with my oldest getting closer to kindergarten age. We're hoping to find a place to stay throughout their school ages. Thanks for any advice!