Commuting from Norfolk, VA to Washington, DC

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Quenlen

I am thinking about doing a commute from Norfolk, VA to Washington, DC for employment with the federal government, because the salaries are much better. Is there anyone doing a commute from Norfolk, VA to DC? If so, I would like to hear how you are managing the commute.

What are you a masochist? No, absolutely not.



Maybe from Richmond, but even that is unsustainable, IMHO.

Your best bet is Fredericksburg, Arlington, or some other city that you can at least connect to DC by Metro. And even that (Fredericksburg) is an hour and a half.

You should be able to find an apartment in Northern Virginia that is at a similar price to something you can find here. Northern Virginia is not that much more expensive than Hampton Roads, which is not that much cheaper than Northern Virginia. The problem people run into up there, and in DC proper, is trying to purchase a home, condominium, etc. If you're renting you can get something as low as $1,200, which you should be able to afford on a DC salary. Another issue, is similar to what people moving to NYC run into; their ego. There are plenty of properties that are available that are not in the fashionable, designer lifestyle parts of town that are safe, clean, and affordable. But everyone wants to live in Ghent, Hilltop, Town Center, Downtown Norfolk, Fort Norfolk, Larchmont, etc. Until they can't afford it, then they want to move across the street next to the Blacks and minorities who aren't supposed to be able to afford to live in proximity to those places, and are then in disbelief when there is no drama and no one gives them any problems. They could have lived there all along.

People complain about DC and Virginia but they have to walk before they can run. First, make sure you even want to live in or around either. Second, get your credit right. Until you can do those two things just rent like everyone else and see how it goes. You might save a few hundred living here in Hampton Roads. That is not worth the mind numbing, caffeine and stimulant addiction commute you'll endure just to stay awake for four hours. You could have just taken those savings and found something comparable in Northern Virginia, or spend another three to five hundred and stay in DC itself. You're just chasing your own tail making that commute.

[Pyroninja42]

We're all too unified here. It's sickening.

Go for it, OP. You got this. Do it!

[goofy328]

Originally Posted by Pyroninja42

We're all too unified here. It's sickening.

Go for it, OP. You got this. Do it!

Well this one isn't a science project. But to each their own the OP has to do what works best for them. I wouldn't do it, but that's just me.

[808subaru]

I hated bridge traffic from the penninsula to southside. I couldn't even imagine driving near 400 miles a day. But yeah, look at a GPS and plug in your routes at the times you will be travelling. I had a boss who drove up to Arlington a few times a month. One way sometimes it would take him 7 hours from VAB to Arlington. No amount of money would make me do it, unless I had a jet or a heli, then, maybe.

[Mtnluver8956]

Don't do it. Think about it. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 260 days a year. That's almost 86 full days of driving a year. Money isn't everything in this special case.

[meeshee1]

Originally Posted by Pyroninja42

That's not a manageable commute in anyway whatsoever.

11000000% agree. It would take you HOURS to get there and HOURS to get back. Definitely not do-able considering the horrific I-64 & 95 traffic.

[Spazkat9696]

I'm guessing the OP is never going to post an update.