Taking Job at Bolling AFB; Please Need Advice! (Bowie, Clinton: appointed, apartment complexes)

[PrairieDweller]

Greetings everybody!

I accepted a position with the DIA at Bolling AFB and would like to solicit opinions for a good place to live. I'm presently in Illinois. I'm greatly disappointed to learn that Bolling is in such a horrible neighborhood, so I'm going to focus my housing search on nearby communities.

I have two main criteria, in this order: (1) I want to live in a relatively safe area and (2) I want to live close to Bolling, as I don't like long commutes. I don't have a strict idea of what I want to spend, but I really do not want to have roommates, although apartment living is fine. I suppose I'm thinking of something in the range of $1,000 per month, although it appears I'll have to spend more then that in order to be in a good neighborhood and close to Bolling (I'll be a GG-12 at DIA).

I'm not really interested in buying; renting is okay. I have a preference for public transportation, but driving is fine if it makes more sense. Also, I'll be moving alone and do not have kids, so things like the quality of the local public schools are really irrelevant to me. I'm mainly looking for safety and close proximity to Bolling. I have a preference for living in Virginia if possible, but it seems that living in Maryland might be more feasible with the constraints I mentioned.

I'd love to hear from the locals with any housing location advice.

Thanks!

[MBruno]

Cheer up. Fort Washington is near by, probably 15 minutes away with no traffic. 30 to 45 min. in traffic. The county is building a new harbor close by National Harbor Home Page. Should be fun for a single professional. $1000 bucks will get you a 1 bedroom 1 bath.

[PrairieDweller]

Thank you MBruno!

The National Harbor development looks fantastic! However, the housing seems to be almost all condos. Do you or anyone else happen to know if these condos are available for rent? Or if I decided to go ahead and buy, does anyone know about how much a small condo in National Harbor would cost me?

Thanks!

[lscalder]

My neighbor last night told me he saw a sign at the Harbor that the condos are starting at $1million dollars.

Upper Marlboro,Clinton,Fort Washington,Brandywine Bowie are all close to AAFB and are all nice/safe as well.

Two of my neighbors work at AAFB and one of my close friend lives in Bowie and also work at AAFB.

[PrairieDweller]

Thank you so much for your observations Iscalder!

One million dollars for a condo is, needless to say, way out of reach for a GG-12, but I'll check out the other suburbs/neighborhoods you mention.

Thanks again.

[bunky3301]

PrairieDweller,

Bolling AFB is in S.E. Washington , DC and the area is not great as you said. But once inside the base you'll have no worries.

I'm going to be completely honest with you. There are not very many desireable areas you'd want to live and have a easy commute to Bolling AFB. Lets face another fact too....there is really no easy commute in the DC area.

If I were you I'd bite the bullet and try to find a place in Virginia, like in Alexandria. Yes you'll have to deal with the Wilson bridge but as a single person I think you would enjoy that area much better than living anywhere in PG Maryland, and I grew up in PG county. I think you'd get more bang for the buck there (might have to pay alittle more for housing) and more of a night life as well. Just my opinion...hope it helps.

[PrairieDweller]

Originally Posted by bunky3301

PrairieDweller,

Bolling AFB is in S.E. Washington , DC and the area is not great as you said. But once inside the base you'll have no worries.

I'm going to be completely honest with you. There are not very many desireable areas you'd want to live and have a easy commute to Bolling AFB. Lets face another fact too....there is really no easy commute in the DC area.

If I were you I'd bite the bullet and try to find a place in Virginia, like in Alexandria. Yes you'll have to deal with the Wilson bridge but as a single person I think you would enjoy that area much better than living anywhere in PG Maryland, and I grew up in PG county. I think you'd get more bang for the buck there (might have to pay alittle more for housing) and more of a night life as well. Just my opinion...hope it helps.

Thank you very much for your insights Bunky. Indeed, your exact sentiments have been privately expressed to me (via e-mail) from some other forum participants. These past couple days I've studied Alexandria and it really does seem like a much nicer place to live, although the housing costs are shocking. Right now I live in a community where you can rent a small house in a good neighborhood for $400-500; a 1-bedroom apartment in a nice complex in Alexandria starts at $1,300!

Gosh, it's so disappointing to learn that the community located real close to Bolling is essentially uninhabitable for law-abiding citizens, so it looks like I'm going to be stuck with a commute over the Wilson bridge. Even though DIA is going to start me at a pretty good entry grade (GG-12, step 3), this is actually going to be a substantial pay cut for me after factoring the differences in the cost of living. I suppose that's part of the price tag of fulfilling my dream of joining the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Thanks again!

[fjennell]

Even though you specified you didn't want roommates, if it's just you - you may consider something along those lines - a basement for rent, etc. That may save you some money and put you in a nicer area. The commute from Charles County MD to Bolling is pretty easy via 210 but Charles is less desirable than Alexandria, but not too bad. It really depends on what you are used to. Where are you moving from?

[PrairieDweller]

Originally Posted by fjennell

Even though you specified you didn't want roommates, if it's just you - you may consider something along those lines - a basement for rent, etc. That may save you some money and put you in a nicer area. The commute from Charles County MD to Bolling is pretty easy via 210 but Charles is less desirable than Alexandria, but not too bad. It really depends on what you are used to. Where are you moving from?

Thanks for the info Fjennell. You make an interesting point about renting a basement or some similar non-traditional housing. This is a possibility. Plus, it's my understanding that rental rates from private individuals are usually cheaper then renting from a big company that owns apartment complexes.

I just took a look at the Charles County area. I'm concerned because it seems once you get south of Fort Washington down Route 210, the commute time can get quite large many times of day. I'm leaning toward renting in Alexandria, as crime seems to be much less of a concern, but I sure don't look forward to having to drive over the Wilson Bridge everyday, and if something pans out on the Maryland side that would be great! Oh yes, I'm moving from central Illinois (where the University of Illinois is located).

Thanks!

[fjennell]

Originally Posted by PrairieDweller

Thanks for the info Fjennell. You make an interesting point about renting a basement or some similar non-traditional housing. This is a possibility. Plus, it's my understanding that rental rates from private individuals are usually cheaper then renting from a big company that owns apartment complexes.

I just took a look at the Charles County area. I'm concerned because it seems once you get south of Fort Washington down Route 210, the commute time can get quite large many times of day. I'm leaning toward renting in Alexandria, as crime seems to be much less of a concern, but I sure don't look forward to having to drive over the Wilson Bridge everyday, and if something pans out on the Maryland side that would be great! Oh yes, I'm moving from central Illinois (where the University of Illinois is located).

Thanks!

Yes, I think VA is a better fit for you. It takes me 45 min to get from 228/210 to Capitol Hill which is past Bolling so it's not too bad of a commute time for this area. You may experience the same trying to get over the bridge. Just and FYI. A lot of people rent basements and have other alternatives around here because the cost of living is so high. I rent out my basement and when I have had people come to look at it they say its bigger than the apts they have been staying in so you may be able to find something like that. And mine is not like a dungeon or anything, its a walkout with windows and patio doors in an upscale community with a full bathroom, bedroom, living, washer/dryer, kitchen so take a look into things like that. Good luck. I also pm'd you.