Communting from Fredericksburg to downtown DC - Northern Virginia - Virginia (VA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

5stones · 06-27-2007, 08:05 AM

I am going to offer a bit of sage advice...

with a new baby your life is going to be stressful enough, lack of sleep adjusting to someone needing you 24/7. DO NOT HAVE you husband commute that is over an hour. It will seriously stress your marriage more than you know.
(I have 3 kids and the commute my hubby does is a big stress for the kids leaves at 6am home at 7-9pm) but we knew this going in.

Try to find a TH (most have yards of decent size) closer in. your budget is very tight for this area and you are going to have even more new expenses you never had before with a new baby.
Look in fairfax, Reston,Falls church Arlington etc... yes it will be older and probably need work but location here is key! (I'd kill for a 3 bedroom 1960's house in Mclean!!) consider this your "starter house"

Is your husband govt? I know that alot of the offices have great carpools from Ashburn into the federal bldgs. (hey cuts the overtime issue!)
Ashburn would be a place to consider if you have a carpool (it averages an hour using the toll and 66 with a carpool)

I will also say Gainsville is MUCH better than Fredericksburg. (I love fredericksburg...but would never consider the commute to DC... just too long!!)

saganista · 06-27-2007, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5stones

(I'd kill for a 3 bedroom 1960's house in Mclean!!)

Don't know about McLean, but there are a few of those over on the south side of Vienna in the low 500's...

5stones · 06-28-2007, 09:07 AM

^ yeah but now we are in a house in Leesburg that we paid more for than we can sell at the moment.... (should have put the move off by 6mo!!)

Yankeesfan · 06-28-2007, 10:57 AM

I'll second what 5stones said. A new baby will bring you incredible joy (congratulations, btw!), but there will be a lot of days when you are so tired that you'll be counting the minutes until your husband gets home. And this will happen in toddlerhood too!

Have your husband check with his new employer about whether they offer any kind of transportation subsidy and/or what the parking situation is. My husband has had free parking in employee lots in a few jobs in DC, but those are rare. At another job his employer paid for parking in a commercial parking lot. After a while he switched to Metro for convenience and less stress and paid it all himself. His current employer doesn't provide parking or pay for it, but they have some kind of partial subsidy for Metro.

So find out what will and won't be available -- it might affect where you choose to live and also will help in planning your budget. And if he is going to take Metro, finding out which line the office is located on may also factor into which part of NVA you move to.

Ittybitty24 · 06-29-2007, 08:54 AM

I live in Stafford and used to commute to K - Street in D.C. I would leave my house at 5:45 and get to the metro by 7 A.M. and that would usually put me there around 8 AM.

seldomseen · 06-29-2007, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ittybitty24

I live in Stafford and used to commute to K - Street in D.C. I would leave my house at 5:45 and get to the metro by 7 A.M. and that would usually put me there around 8 AM.

That's one damn ugly commute!! Spending nearly 5hrs each day commuting is a monster! How long have you been doing this commute for?

kellyava1 · 07-04-2007, 09:57 PM

I would suggest Woodbridge. I grew up there and there are some nice houses for sale in my parents neighborhood. It's a great neighborhood. The houses are all approx. 20 years old but all kept nice and on nice lots. It's off Minnieville Road. You can PM for more info if you like. Actually my parents will have their house on the market soon! They're retiring to NC like everyone else and their mother. I currently live in NC, due to the military, and am about to move to Pittsburgh area. Thank you Marine Corps. lol. The commute from Woodbridge can be 45 mins. give or take if on a vanpool. Not too shabby. Best of luck.

djhoover1952 · 07-15-2008, 08:58 AM

I live in Gordonsville, right outside of Charlottesville and work downtown DC (GW University area). I leave my house by 0330 and usually get home around 7pm. If anyone knows of a vanpool that leaves from Orange, VA or near the intersection of Routs 3 and 20 please let me know. Right now I drive to the VRE, take the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walk 5 blocks to Columbia Plaza.