job at Walter Reed - where to live? (Columbia, Silver Spring: apartments, rentals)

[Mom21]

My niece will be finishing her Army training as a nurse and will be stationd(?)/assigned to Walter Reed. The Army has given her no advice at all on housing, so she's pretty much on her own. She is 20 years old and grew up in the South so she really doesn't know much about city life.

She will have a housing allowance of $600 - 800.00. Is there anywhere she could find safe housing, studio, 1 br for that amount? I haven't checked yet to see if there is a metro near Walter Reed, but she will be looking to purchase a car right away, so a reasonable commute is acceptable also.

I live in Charles County and I told her that she could live with me but her commute will be a bear. Do you think she's better off doing that (closest metro is Branch Ave) or will she be able to find any thing safe and decent in reasonable commuting distance? thanks for any help! (I posted this on DC thread also).

[7th Direction]

Columbia is a good place to look.

She can take the Commuter Bus (or drive) from Columbia to Walter Reed painlessly. There are even express buses that connect the Columbia Mall to Silver Spring (most of the way to Walter Reed).

http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/commuterbus/schedulesSystemMaps/915CommuterLineForWeb2.pdf (broken link)

http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/commuterbus/schedulesSystemMaps/929CommuterLineForWeb2.pdf (broken link)

Rent anywhere in Maryland near DC is more than $600-800 a month (and if it is that, it would be in an unsafe neighborhood). Perhaps she can pay the difference or share costs with a roomate.

I used to live in Columbia and I paid $1300 a month for a one bedroom apartment with a den and a view ~ but it was a really nice complex.

I've heard there are nice, less expensive rentals in Columbia, but she will probably find that the going rate is around $900-1000 a month for a small apartment.

There are also apartments in Silver Spring/DC, but once again, the safe ones can be even pricier than in Columbia.

[titaniummd]

She can live in Kensington, MD which is low key and relatively safe. There are a lot of condo/townhouse communities in Silver Spring, MD - especially a little bit north of the Beltway and north of Wheaton. She can also try Gaithersburg/Rockville/Germantown.

I lived in Rockville and it was not a bad commute.

[Mom21]

thanks for the suggestions! we found out that her housing allowance is actually 1300 for this area, so that is SO much better!