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I've read a bunch of topics on the forums + the sticky thread, but I still feel the need to start a new post on what appears to be a very common question.
I am contemplating taking a job in Arlington, VA. I currently live in Kennewick, WA which has a very low cost of living. I am going from roughly 71k a year to 100k a year in salary, but I am not convinced this will be enough to offset what a decent house looks to cost in the area.
I am married and have a 9 month old daughter. We are not "fun" people by any means so anything as far as nightlife and stuff like that is very much irrelevant. I am willing to commute about 1 hour either by car or Metro, whichever results in being able to live in a good, quiet, suburban neighborhood.
I have never had to move since coming out of college, so I am just a little bit at a loss as to where to start or how to go about doing my homework on what the best place(s) to raise a family are. I don't know as far as taxes and such whether Maryland or Virginia are better, but my #1 priority is being able to live in a 3 bedroom house in a safe neighborhood.
So, long story short, for a young family with ~$100k annual income, which of the neighboring cities around the DC area would provide the best combination of commute + decent housing prices? I basically want to live as far away from DC as possible while keeping my commute at about an hour.
If you're working in Virginia, all other things being equal Virginia would be better than Maryland so you don't have to worry about going over bridges which become traffic bottlenecks.
Check out Burke, Lorton, Woodbridge, Manassas VA, and all the little towns in that area. If you're working in Arlington, i'd first look for options in VA instead of MD. Getting from the MD suburbs to the VA suburbs would be a pretty gnarly commute unless the Metro rail was convenient to you on both ends of your commute. But then again, if you're close to the Metro then you're not all that far out from DC.
While looking at places, I would recommend having as short a commute as possible. Many times people do not take into account the full cost of buying a bigger house further out from the city. You have to factor in gas, wear and tear on your car, and time spent commuting vs. time spent with family. Just my two cents. Good luck!
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
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Just a word of advice: you may be willing to commute 1 hour now but that can change quickly when you're actually doing that commute. I have done long commutes in other cities I've lived before but something about driving in this town will rob your soul.
I put 15,000 miles on my brand new car in a matter of months and found myself worn down, depressed and exhausted JUST from the commute (cushy office job, no reason to be that worn out at the end of the day). And keep in mind I was doing the reverse commute out from DC to the suburbs, I can only imagine how horrendous it is for the suburbanites coming in to DC day in and day out.
I have driven across the entire country several times and LOVE to drive... now I feel like I have some weird DC road PTSD and dread getting in the car.
It may not be a bad idea to rent first and buy once you are settled just so you can experience it first hand and not get stuck somewhere you'll be hating in a few months.
If you are wondering which would be the best place to raise a family, knowing what I know of the DC area, based on your salary amounts I would venture to say the best place for you is Kennewick, WA. And I don't know squat about that place. Is there something about Kennewick you are unhappy about that makes you want to leave? Is your current job at risk? 100K won't go that far here, but, if it might lead to something better, so I suppose you could consider it. The grass is not always greener. Have you checked the salary comparison web sites to see how the different salaries compare at each location?
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