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My husband has been offered a position SE of D.C. (just W of Andrew's AFB) & we are looking for an apartment within 30min of that area.
We are moving from central Texas, where cost of living is MUCH lower (our current 2bed/2bath 900sf apt is ~$700) & we are admittedly suffering from a bit of sticker shock.
We'd like to find a 1br/1ba apartment (not a studio) for under $1000/mo in a safe area. Being near a metro isn't important, & we don't have children so neither are schools.
However, we are not your typical 20-something party types - we prefer parks, cafes, & museums to bars & dance clubs.
Safety & low crime are of very high importance to us, as I will be home alone regularly.
We absolutely are not interested in having roommates.
I have found a few promising locations in Woodbridge, VA & Oxon Hill, MD but know nothing of the areas, so any information there would be especially appreciated.
Woodbridge is quite safe I believe. Oxon Hill is sketchy in some parts, but its neighbor Fort Washington is nicer. You might also consider something in the Bowie area (the town of Bowie is a bit more like 40 minutes away, but the Bowie mailing address covers a lot more than the town itself).
You probably won't be near cafes and museums if you're looking for something at 1000/mo.
Woodbridge is quite safe I believe. Oxon Hill is sketchy in some parts, but its neighbor Fort Washington is nicer. You might also consider something in the Bowie area (the town of Bowie is a bit more like 40 minutes away, but the Bowie mailing address covers a lot more than the town itself).
You probably won't be near cafes and museums if you're looking for something at 1000/mo.
That's very helpful, thank you! I know museums won't be down the street or anything (I wish! hehe) my point was just that we prefer quiet, family-friendly, educational entertainment & natural areas to the crazy nightlife & bar hopping many of our single peers tend to prefer
You might also consider Charles County, MD. It's rather safe, a lot of people who work at Andrews AFB live there, and rent is cheaper than in PG County. It'd be pretty far from DC, so museums etc would be a weekend thing.
Expand your living range and up your price to about 1500 dollars for something nice. The word on the street is the lower the price, the more likely its a dump, so too much below 1500 dollars and you'll have "ROOMATES" if you get my drift.
Also, this site helped me a great deal: apartmentratings.com In fact someone on this board recommended it to me and it was tremendously helpful. Go on there, put in your city and it will give you a list of places in that area. Then read what the residents have to say. Helped me so very much.
Good luck on your move and your search. Also, if you can afford it, live near a Metro, I do and I like it. Very convienent (sp?)
Yes teachers misspell things, its hot outside, my brain is fried. LOL!!
$1000/month in the DC area won't get you much beyond a rundown dump in a skeezy area of town. to compare, a 1br/1ba 900 sqft apartment here is easily $1800 - $2200/month in a decent part of town.
It's ok, we've all been there (I'm from Florida and lived in TX)
If you don't mind me asking, it would help if you gave us more details. West of Andrews; would that be the Suitland Federal Center? Will he be a fed or private industry? Also what will you be doing while he's at work?
One other thing: the states here impose income taxes and some jurisdictions tax personal property (usually vehicles). you'll need to factor these costs into your budget.
For what it's worth to you, any apartment complexes with the address "OXON HILL" would have almost all minority-race tenants -- mostly African-Americans, with smaller numbers of Hispanics and Filipino's. I lived in Oxon Hill for much of my long life, and know the area very intimately. One new unusual feature in Oxon Hill, however, is http://www.nationalharbor.com .
Woodbridge, VA has a more balanced racial diversity. The "Woodrow Wilson Bridge" (Beltway crossing the Potomac River) was widened in 2008 (at tremendous cost) and traffic now moves much better than before on the bridge. However, traffic in the Woodbridge area will greatly worsen later this year, due to the sudden BRAC addition of 12,400 new jobs to Fort Belvoir-Springfield, which has no public transportation and is already severely overtaxed as it is.
The previous poster mentioned a personal property tax. Virginia imposes a tax on vehicles, but MD and DC do not.
Last edited by slowlane3; 05-31-2011 at 09:04 PM..
Smoke - I really don't see how my husband's position or my own would matter, as our budget has been set accordingly & I mentioned both our neighborhood "niche" preferences & a fairly specific location. I don't feel comfortable giving out further details in that regard.
Hurricane: I've been searching in that area, but haven't found a thing! Why is it that there are no listings for any apartments South of the Waldorf/St. Charles area? Would my husband & I have better luck looking for an in-home apartment??
Waldorf - St. Charles, MD is a good possibility for you. It's a full-service "bedroom type" planned commuter city with every conceivable shopping, dining, and other convenience available - even a new baseball team. To answer your question, further south beyond Waldorf- St. Charles, is just "open country" except for the county seat of LaPlata, MD which is growing steadily, quite attractive, and has some apartments but mostly single-family homes.
Bowie or Crofton, MD are also possibilities. They are also "full-service" planned cities and are conveniently located to many things like major shopping, higher education, and scenic waterfront areas like Annapolis.
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Just my advice
