Burke VA (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax: real estate, apartments, mortgage)

[NY2Cairo]

Whats Burke VA like? And Alexandria VA. First few words that come to mind.

My husband and I (young couple, no kids) need to get out of Tucson and go someplace more cosmopolitan. We feel the job market would be a lot better in DC (I have degree in mideast studies). All small cities have pockets of bad areas, however we do want to avoid hellholes (aka newark nj type places). Are there any other small cities outside DC? Are the taxes really that much higher in MD?

Alexandria is bigger than Burke, and we want more of a city feel but without the impersonal feeling.

Thanks!

[NOVAmtneer82]

Although Burke is a very nice area, I really wouldn't suggest it to a young couple without kids, it's just a very family oriented suburb. I think Arlington and Alexandria are the best places for a young couple wanting the cosmopolitan DC area life, especially areas around the metro stations although you will pay dearly for it. It is quite common for 1 bdrm apartments in North Arlington to go for $1400 p/month. If you want a small city feel I would suggest taking a look at Falls Church VA, it has 2 metro stations and you can walk to a variety of shops and restaurants. I really can't suggest much more though without knowing where your jobs are and what price range you can afford.

[NY2Cairo]

Originally Posted by jfronz

Although Burke is a very nice area, I really wouldn't suggest it to a young couple without kids, it's just a very family oriented suburb. I think Arlington and Alexandria are the best places for a young couple wanting the cosmopolitan DC area life, especially areas around the metro stations although you will pay dearly for it. It is quite common for 1 bdrm apartments in North Arlington to go for $1400 p/month. If you want a small city feel I would suggest taking a look at Falls Church VA, it has 2 metro stations and you can walk to a variety of shops and restaurants. I really can't suggest much more though without knowing where your jobs are and what price range you can afford.

Thanks for the info. Our price range? Low. My husband is new to the country from Egypt, still searching for his niche employment-wise. We are currently supporting ourselves solely off his paycheck, and he is a waiter at a hotel--- a fancy hotel, but a waiter nonetheless. Im a recent grad student of Middle East Studies having a midlife academic crisis not knowing if I want to continue on to get my PhD but feeling the call of working with some sort of NGO or charity institution.

That said, we are not spendthrifts and we currently occupy a 420 sq ft apartment and consider it very nice by our standards. We can make do, but we dont want to make "ghetto." We've very much a starting-out couple, we dont have high living expectations (we dont even have cable). We just want a small clean place to lay our heads until we find jobs/sort out our academic midlife crises. I figured DC would be the place to get our feet in the door, since we are both international minded people, but everytime I look at the apartment prices, I think of my poor husband and wonder if this is a bad idea.

[NOVAmtneer82]

well as far as careers go the DC area is hard to beat, unemployment rate of around 2-3% = many companies can't hire enough people (as long as you aren't in real estate/mortgage industry at the moment) There are only a handful of places in Northern Virginia that can truly be considered "ghetto" but still it's hard to compare them to the ghettos that exist right across the river in parts of DC or in a few ares of suburban Maryland.

You're young, want something different I say go for it, that's exactly what I did several years ago moving here and I absolutely love it. The diversity here is almost unmatched anywhere else not to mention world class museums, restaurants, shopping, etc. However the only disadvantage is that it comes with a VERY large price tag, some people don't think its worth it, however I couldn't see myself living anywhere else. (except in a hut on an island in the South Pacific). If you have any other questions just ask.

[goldenmom7500]

Hi,

I think jfronz has given you good advice. Just going back to your original question, Burke always seems like a happy, neighborly place. I think it's fair to say that it's family-oriented, but there are also people with grown children, people with no children, etc. All of the people I know there (different neighborhoods) are all very involved with their neighbors - big neighborhood gatherings, etc.

So the adjectives that come to my mind are ... friendly, suburban, slightly older construction overall, not as $ as some nearby suburbs (Clifton, Fairfax Station), but upscale. Also, lovely environmentally, nice parks, etc.

It may or may not fit your criteria, but it's a nice place.