Where to live? (Arlington, Reston, Chantilly: how much, salary, living in)

[krapht]

Hey,

I'm a new graduate who has received an offer to work in the Northern Virginia area. The catch is, my potential employer wants me to split time between their office in Chantilly and another office in Arlington. I don't really like driving my car very much, so my goal when choosing a place to live is minimum commute time.

Where should I live? Looking at the map, it looks like I should look for something around Dunn Loring. Seems like it would be an easy 15 minute metro trip into Arlington, and maybe a 45 minute reverse commute into Chantilly? Am I on the right track?

Thanks!

PS.

If it would help at all, I can ride a motorcycle, if the I-66 HOV lanes aren't too crowded. I've heard that's a good way to get pancaked, so I'd only do it if it would save me lots of time - if it would save me time compared to the subway.

[vermonter16]

Dunn Loring would be a great place to live! I second that! I'm sure there are other places and everyone will chime in and maybe give other ideas as well. Is Dunn Loring in line with your budget?

[stpickrell]

Depends on how much of a value you place on socializing, and the exact split of your Chantilly-Arlington assignment.

If you place a great value on socializing, then I wouldn't recommend Dunn Loring. I'd recommend Fairfax City, Reston, Falls Church City, or even Arlington itself (if you're only going out to Chantilly 1 day/week.)

Of course, your budget may end up dictating everything. What's your budget?

[goozer]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Depends on how much of a value you place on socializing, and the exact split of your Chantilly-Arlington assignment.

Agreed. You should ask your employer what they realistically anticipate in terms of how often you will be working in which place. The biggest drawback to living in NoVa is the traffic IMO. You would be well-served to try to minimize your commute by living as close as possible to where you will primarily be working. Good luck.

[krapht]

Socializing is a non-factor for me - I'm perfectly fine cooking my own meals and reading a book on weekdays if I have nothing else to do. I can also pretty easily just linger in Arlington after work, on the days that I'm inside the Beltway. My work assignment will be an exact 50/50 split for (at a minimum) 6 months. My main concern is minimizing the time I spend commuting.

Budget no object - I have a professional salary, and I'm willing to live with roommates if that's what it takes.

So is Dunn Loring the consensus choice?

[ACWhite]

What part of Arlington? It could be a good plan for anything in No. Arl., especially the western part. May not be as good for other parts of Arl.

[krapht]

Balston, specifically.