Need Help Finding the Perfect Place to Live in Northern Virginia Without Needing to Commute to DC! (Arlington: apartment, rent) - (VA) - City-Data Forum

SushiBean · 02-14-2012, 02:07 PM

I have read several forums and looked up many statistics on different towns in Northern Virginia and still have lots of questions unanswered. I will be looking for a teaching job in one of the counties in Nova for next year, which means where I live does not depend on the commute to DC. So, is it worth living in Northern Virginia if I don't need to get to DC?

I am looking for...

-Safety. This is most important to me. I have always lived in safe areas and this is not something I want to be concerned about at all. I understand that things can happen anywhere, but there are certainly areas bad things happen much more often and I'm trying to avoid those.

-Something not too expensive. I don't want to pay more just because it's an easy commute to DC. I know it won't be cheap anywhere in that area, but is there any area that's not in the middle of nowhere but people wouldn't necessarily live there for DC's proximity?

-Has things to do. I am in my late 20s, kind of growing out of the bar scene so don't need this too much but maybe a few places to go at night would be good. I'd also prefer good restaurants, close grocery stores, a movie theater, and just easy access to necessities. I'd love to find a place that is close to outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and a lake or river for power boating would be ideal.

-Good schools. I have heard most schools in Nova are good but I still wanted to throw it out there.

I know this might be asking a lot, but any recommendations on what areas might be close to what I am looking for would be great! I am planning on taking a trip to explore Nova in a few weeks, so any suggestions on where to look and maybe where to avoid would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

VRE332 · 02-14-2012, 02:16 PM

do you have a budget?

Caladium · 02-14-2012, 02:31 PM

It depends what you consider to be inexpensive. In general, this is a pricey area. The lowest rents can be found in towns that are pretty far from DC, such as Winchester or Fredericksburg. I don't know how easy it would be to find a teaching job that far out, however. (It might be--I just don't know.) I never recommend moving here without a job. Even though jobs are relatively easy to find here (compared to other cities) we have been affected by the recession too. It might take longer than you think to find a job and in the meantime you have to pay the rent.

sonnymarkjiz · 02-14-2012, 02:32 PM

Yeah, what's your budget? Fairfax has great schools, but it seems like its only on the East side of the county (towards McLean). Reston and Herndon are on the west side, but the schools are worse

SushiBean · 02-14-2012, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caladium

It depends what you consider to be inexpensive. In general, this is a pricey area. The lowest rents can be found in towns that are pretty far from DC, such as Winchester or Fredericksburg. I don't know how easy it would be to find a teaching job that far out, however. (It might be--I just don't know.) I never recommend moving here without a job. Even though jobs are relatively easy to find here (compared to other cities) we have been affected by the recession too. It might take longer than you think to find a job and in the meantime you have to pay the rent.

I will not move there until I definitely have a job. If I get one, I would probably not move until August right before school starts. I don't know if I will get one, but there seem to be a lot more teaching jobs there than anywhere else I have looked so I am hoping it works out.

I don't know what my budget is... I guess I am just trying to get an idea of the area first and then I will check rent prices and see what I can handle. But this is not my biggest concern so I don't want to limit answers based on this. I'd probably get roommates to make it cheaper, which is why I am not going to worry too much about it yet but still don't want it to be outrageous.

Do you know what Fredericksburg is like? I should have also mentioned, while I don't need to be close to DC so much, my family and friends are in NJ, PA, and MD so I don't want to be too, too far from that.

Thanks for your replies!

sonnymarkjiz · 02-14-2012, 02:50 PM

Fredericksburg is like 45 miles south of dc. If you wanna be closer to md and jersey, I'd suggest stayin up north past Woodbridge at least cause traffic can be a nightmare on weekends in that corridor of 95.

I'd suggest somewhere like Reston/Chantilly/Ashburn. It's much further north and a nice, growing area.

SushiBean · 02-14-2012, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonnymarkjiz

Fredericksburg is like 45 miles south of dc. If you wanna be closer to md and jersey, I'd suggest stayin up north past Woodbridge at least cause traffic can be a nightmare on weekends in that corridor of 95.

I'd suggest somewhere like Reston/Chantilly/Ashburn. It's much further north and a nice, growing area.

Can you tell me much about crime/safety in those areas? I have seen statistics that look pretty good but I have read some forums that have a lot of negative things to say about Reston and Ashburn (haven't seen much about Chantilly), is that just in comparison with the best areas around? What about parks and places to do things outside?

Caladium · 02-14-2012, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SushiBean

Can you tell me much about crime/safety in those areas? I have seen statistics that look pretty good but I have read some forums that have a lot of negative things to say about Reston and Ashburn (haven't seen much about Chantilly), is that just in comparison with the best areas around? What about parks and places to do things outside?

Crime is very low in both Reston and Ashburn. Rents, however, are not low. If you do see an apartment listed for an unusually low price, be wary.

CaliTerp07 · 02-14-2012, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caladium

Crime is very low in both Reston and Ashburn. Rents, however, are not low. If you do see an apartment listed for an unusually low price, be wary.

That. You really get what you pay for here. You can easily find safe with good schools, and it's only a 20-30 minute drive to get to parks with hiking or lakes (dunno about power boating), but you'll pay a pretty penny for that. Honestly, I would wait to see where you get hired, and then scramble to find housing. You could find the absolutely perfect location, but if it's in Loudoun and your job is in Arlington (or vice versa), the commute won't make it perfect anymore.

choff5 · 02-14-2012, 03:59 PM

It's good to get to know the area but truthfully, focus now on getting a job. Once you know where that is, then start looking for an area near there to live. You could get hired by Fairfax County and look for housing in Chantilly/Reston, etc but have a job down in the Alexandria area of the county. The school divions are large. If you are looking near Fredericksburg be sure to look at both the city school system and Spotsylvania County as well as Stafford county to its north. Good luck on the job hunt, then go house/apartment hunting.