If relocating to DC (Union Station), where is a good place to live (Arlington: affordable apartments)

[ssmssm]

I prefer to live in VA (lower income tax), where to find a cheap apartment(small is fine, as long as it is in a safe area)? I can drive to work or take metro. Not sure about trafic.

Thanks.

[spencgr]

Nowhere close will be safe as well as cheap. What are you looking to spend?

[Carlingtonian]

Traffic on 395N into DC will be horrendous, and I-66 is HOV only during rush hour. Which means you'll be taking Metro (unless you can find a rider going the same way).

Anywhere near a rail station will be expensive. So I would focus on apartments near the bus lines. Look at the west end of Lee Highway, the western end of Wilson Blvd, by Eden Center (both in N. Arlington), or Columbia Pike. Or other locations in South Arlington and Falls Church.

Buses from VA to DC are all safe and reliable--just a bit slow and occasionally crowded (though no more so than the rail cars).

Cheapest of all would be living somewhere way south (like Woodbridge) and taking VRE into town; it goes straight to Union Station.

[Samoi137]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Traffic on 395N into DC will be horrendous, and I-66 is HOV only during rush hour. Which means you'll be taking Metro (unless you can find a rider going the same way).

Anywhere near a rail station will be expensive. So I would focus on apartments near the bus lines. Look at the west end of Lee Highway, the western end of Wilson Blvd, by Eden Center (both in N. Arlington), or Columbia Pike. Or other locations in South Arlington and Falls Church.

Buses from VA to DC are all safe and reliable--just a bit slow and occasionally crowded (though no more so than the rail cars).

Cheapest of all would be living somewhere way south (like Woodbridge) and taking VRE into town; it goes straight to Union Station.

Living near a train station is expensive? Never heard that.

You wll be working near Union Station but actually hope to relocate to NOVA, right? What kind of commute can you tolerate? What is your budget ("cheap" is a rather vague, subjective term)? Driving or public transportation? I'd certainly prefer to use Metro rail vs. a bus, but you can end up paying more to be near a Metro rail station. You're getting blanket responses here, of course. Have you started looking at ads, Web sites, checked with a property management company (deals with ren tals )etc? I lived in Silver Spring and commuted by Metro rail to Southwest DC for a few years. I was on the Red Line, so had a straight shot to Union Station, and would not have had to pass through downtown to get there (once, when Metro rail was stopped due to an accident, I took a MARC commuter train to Silver Spring). Arlington would be a bit closer, but I think it would be more expensive. Western end of Lee Highway could take you fairly far away, I would think.

Knowing your exact budget could narrow down the choices.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by Samoi137

Living near a train station is expensive? Never heard that.

I think it was meant to be metro, which is absolutely true. If you are in a TOD area you will pay a premium, but you save the same amount in not having to drive and your returned time.

[bmwguydc]

The VRE train from Burke or Springifield would place you within proximity of more affordable apartments, when compared with less expensive apartments closer to the city. Do you mind a suburban atmosphere? If not, then living within 5-10 minutes of these stations, in West Springfield and Burke will provide for a safe living environment. Downtown Springfield, closer to the Franconia station, however, has some apartment communities that, while comparatively inexpensive, are not the greatest. However, neighboring Kingstowne has apartments that are a bit less expensive than Arlington and parts of Alexandria, but are not the least expensive options in the area.

A projected rent and apartment size desired can help to narrow areas for you to consider.

[brooklynborndad]

I would ask in the DC forum - if your income is so low that you need someplace so cheap that NoVans dismiss it as unsafe, your income tax probably isnt that high anyway, and the transport savings can be significant. folks in the dc forum will have better details on safety in DC, which changes from year (for the better for the last few years) and is generally not as bad as NoVa people think.

If for whatever reason you insist on the suburbs, I would second looking near a commuter (not metro) rail station, if you work right by Union Station. that could well work for you. In Virginia that would be VRE (you could also look at MARC stations in Maryland)