Alexandria (Arlington, Springfield, Fairfax: real estate, apartment complex, leasing)

[JennOSU2008]

I just looked the Carydale East Apartments up on Apartment Ratings and that place is just...wow. Ghetto and so not safe. I'm not being racist/elitist...I can't be, since I'm a minority myself.

[JennOSU2008]

How does it compare to DC? I'm trying to decide if I want to live in Alexandria or the District.

[DWS43]

When I lived in Alexandria I always rented a condo from a private owner. Often they are nicer and the rent is reasonable. Just a thought.

D

[wrightflyer]

It depends on the neighborhood. If you can find something close to, say the King Street Metro (and Old Towne), that had a reasonable rate, I'd take it. But that's what I would do.

[DWS43]

I cannot speak to specific neighborhoods as I left in 1998, but I can say I rented two condos one near Pickett St and one near Reynolds in the West End. That area had newer condos back then. I am sure Alexandria has changed quite a bit since, but I always found renting from condo owners usually allowed me to have a nicer place for less than renting an apartment where the trunover was much higher. Good luck in your search.

D

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by DWS43

I cannot speak to specific neighborhoods as I left in 1998, but I can say I rented two condos one near Pickett St and one near Reynolds in the West End. That area had newer condos back then. I am sure Alexandria has changed quite a bit since, but I always found renting from condo owners usually allowed me to have a nicer place for less than renting an apartment where the trunover was much higher. Good luck in your search.

D

i concur. my family rents from a condo owner, we have a great 2-br high-rise condo for $1350 on the west end close to a lot of bus lines (for alexandria, that is a bargain). the condo is in good shape and private owners are much more sympatheic to credit problems and emergency moves. try homesdatabase.com you may find a lot of private rentals there. if you still want a good apt suggestion you may want to think about winsdor at arbors on duke st. really nice looking apts that may not be too expensive for you.

[seldomseen]

Alexandria is just like any other medium sized city. While most the of Alexandria is very safe, and pleasant, some of the areas off of route 1 in South Alexandria may have more crime than North or West Alexandria. But in reality South Alexandria isn't even bad either! lol

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by seldomseen

Alexandria is just like any other medium sized city. While most the of Alexandria is very safe, and pleasant, some of the areas off of route 1 in South Alexandria may have more crime than North or West Alexandria. But in reality South Alexandria isn't even bad either! lol

When you mean South Alexandria and Route 1, I assume you aren't talking about the area around Old Town and are talking about the area around Huntington Metro and south? I only stress that because there seems to be a difference between "South Alexandria" as in Old Town which is in the southeastern part of city proper and "South Alexandria" in areas like Huntington/East of Springfield Mall with an Alexandria postal address. The latter being a part of Fairfax County with its schools and more suburban atmoshpere.

[roboticfrydispenser]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

I know this isn't exactly on topic, but we are staying at the Hilton right next to the King Street Metro. Is this area safe? Walkable? The hotel site says it is right next to or at the end of old towne Alexandria on King Street. Is this true or is it a few blocks till you are actually in Old Town? If so, is there shops and restaurants nearby (King Street Metro)?

Yes, it's fine. I live very close to there. It's a short crawl across the street to the metro. Be sure to walk down King Street (away from the metro, towards the water) while you're there. You'll find some great restaurants (Majestic, Vermillion, Eamon's Dublin Chipper, etc.) and shops. Walk to the waterfront, explore the artists galleries in the torpedo factory and wander the blocks and blocks of late 1700 and early 1800 homes. Old Town is one of the neatest areas around DC. Enjoy.

[roboticfrydispenser]

Originally Posted by JennOSU2008

Hi there,

I'm planning to move to the DC metro area in a year or so, for grad school and my first post-college job. I have a couple friends in the Alexandria area, who are already grad students at GW. They enjoy the area and say the Metro is pretty convenient for them (work full-time during the day, take classes at night), but they have one thing I won't have, for awhile after moving: cars. My main concern is safety, considering that I'll be following the same path they're taking right now. I'm just trying to be cautious, considering I'll probably have to take the bus home late at night from the Metro station, whereas they can just drive home. Is Alexandria a relatively safe area for this, or should I consider another area?

Old Town, near the King Street metro is a nice place to be, and safe. I love it. West Alexandria is stripmallsville and not as nice. Consider the following areas near the metro in Arlington: Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square, and Ballston. There are a number of places directly on top of the metro stops so you would have a short walk in well traffic'd areas. But, why not look in the area around GW?