Moving to DC Area, Where to live?? I'm working in Tyson's Corner & spouse working in Bowie, MD (Arlington: condos)

[blaney]

Hello all - I hope you can help. My spouse is getting relocated to the DC area and will be working in Bowie, MD. I accepted a position with a company in Tyson's Corner. What's the best location for us based on our commutes?

[Veronique Trusal]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your situation is going to cost you or your wife a lot of cummuting time... Tyson's Corner and Bowie are at (almost) opposite ends of the beltway (495), and traffic on the beltway at rush hour has just been rated as the 3rd worst city for traffic (behind L.A. and Atlanta). There's no Metro to Tyson's yet and no Metro to Bowie, so the only way to get there is either bus transportation or automobile (anywhere between 1 hour to 1:45, depending on the weather, and traffic).

Housing is much more affordable in Prince Georges County - Bowie). You can cut through town (DC) from Bowie to Tyson's to avoid the beltway, but it all depends on the time of the day you'll be traveling. Can you telecommute once in a while (Monday mornings and Friday evenings are extremely difficult commuting days)? Do you have children - what ages?

Good luck!

[claremarie]

How much can you spend on housing? Are you looking to buy or rent? Do you have children who will be attending public schools? Do either of you have flexible work schedules, or will you be required to commute during the peak traffic periods?
PG County does indeed have more affordable housing than other parts of the DC metro area, but there is a reason for that. The public school system is mediocre, there is more crime, and there are fewer upscale shopping and restaurant venues.
Without knowing more about your situation (see questions above), I would suggest looking in neighborhoods near the Beltway in Fairfax County VA or Montgomery County MD. The Tyson's area is extremely congested and will become even more so when a five-year construction project begins as soon as this fall, so you might consider locating closer to Tyson's than to Bowie. There is less traffic on the Beltway heading towards Bowie in the morning rush hour.

[blaney]

Thanks for the quick responses.

My husband usually goes to work early (7-730 AM) in Bowie and I will be working more traditional 9-5 hours. We were hoping to buy a townhome in the 550 - 600 range, but can pay more if it dramatically improves our commute, schools, quality of life. We don't have any children yet, but are planning some in the next few years. We do have 2 dogs, so we were hoping to get a backyard that we can fence in (condos out of the question). My husband is open to more of a commute than I am due to his hours. We have lived in the Ashburn area, so are relatively familiar with the area, but haven't ever commuted past McLean.

We have targeted Alexandria and Bethesda in our searches, but have no idea what that will do to his travel time to Bowie. Arlington appears a bit to urban for us and the whole Potomac/Bethesda area is very expensive. Alexandria appears to be the best overall (when looking a pricing, mileage, etc.), but we were looking for other opinions.

Thanks.

[1973 Forced Busing]

Bethesda to Bowie would be your best bet.