Former Virginian considering move to NOVA (Arlington, Reston: 2013, apartment, to rent)

[cityhopper]

Originally Posted by leighland

When are you moving?
2013

Where are you coming from?
Atlanta

Why are you moving?
Be closer to family

Where will you be working?
Transfer with my current company

Have you been here yet?
Short visits several years ago and I lived in central and eastern VA.

Will you buy or rent? If renting, are you looking for an apartment or a townhouse? How much can you spend?
Renting. Apartment. Prefer (and not happy with) $1500

Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?
Unsure

Are you married or single?
Single

Do you have children?
No

Do you have pets?
I may in the future (< 25lbs).

Do you want or need a yard?
Being around a nice park would do!

Are you keeping a car?
Absolutely and likely 2!

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
Prefer living calm and quiet but near bustling activity

What do you want to be closest to?
My work will require travelling to clients but the main office will be in McLean. So my preferences rank basic services, subway stations, shopping, nightlife.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Prefer diversity

Coke or Pepsi?
Agua

Thanks to Tone/Philly forum for the list.

I'm thinking Clarendon - Courthouse area but I welcome the locals opinion. Thanks!

[FindingZen]

Not "bumping" this thread...just updating as it was moved from the General Pointers thread.

[cityhopper]

Thanks!

[stpickrell]

If you absosmurfly must live w/o a roommate, the only thing that'd work would be Reston.

$1500 won't get you much in Orange Line Arlington but you might get some guy's basement off of Craigslist or the such.

[cityhopper]

stpickrell, I could afford up to $2300 or so but accepting that amount to rent a <1,000 square foot apartment is difficult. Are their any all inclusive communities in the price-point of $1,800 - $2,400? Although, per the advice of another thread, I was thinking about seeking to rent a condo; the price point could be better.

What city would be an option on the Orange line that may be slightly further out but cheaper?

[CaliTerp07]

The orange line will also strictly limit you to one car. You'll pay extra for the single parking space, but I didn't find a single community that allowed you to have more cars than bedrooms (i.e. the only way to get 2 parking spaces was to rent 2 bedrooms).

If you're willing to go up to $2000, you should have your pick of communities along the orange line. Dittmar company include gas/water/electric in their places. I had a lot of friends in Quincy Plaza in Ballston my first couple years out of college.

[cityhopper]

I needed to update the original post a bit to reflect the current circumstance. My relo will take place this year and I'll initially be rooming with a cousin who is relocating to the area. We are both coming with jobs but only intend to be roommates for a short period of time (max = 9 months).

This will be a permanent move for me. Overall, I'm excited about this opportunity but have a few concerns based on my researching the area. While, I do know there are cons to living to a large metropolitan area, I do not want to find myself miserable. My greatest concerns revolve around three areas: meeting people / making friends when I do not have roots in the area and general quality of life based on transportation/safety issues and COL.

I would not consider myself a social butterfly but I'm not a hermit. Should I expect it to be difficult to meet and befriend people when I did not grow up or attend school in the area?

I am looking forward to being less car dependent but I have some concerns about safety in the Metro. Due to my line of work, I'm normally equipped with a phone, computer, and occasionally a tablet. How safe is the Metro during non-peak hours? Are incidences more likely inside or outside the station? How well patrolled is the Metro?

I understand that housing costs in Arlington are insane. However, when it comes to other amenities (general services, utilities, groceries, dining and entertainment), are these costs just as high?

[vermonter16]

I can tell you that just because you didn't grow up here in NOVA, don't feel like you're going to be left out. Most didn't grow up here and relocated from somewhere. You'll find lots of things to do and people to meet.

I don't think general services are high...utilities and groceries, etc. As for dining....it can get as expensive as you want it too. I know you like the Arlington area - those restaurants are generally going to be a bit more than other places because it is known as being a bit more upscale - specifically Clarendon. You will find lots of entertainment, concerts galore...you can find tons of free stuff, low cost stuff, or really expensive stuff. If you like baseball you can get Nats tickets for cheap if you don't have to be right on the baseline. Same goes with basketball and soccer.

I would have no problem riding the metro at pretty much any hour.

[stpickrell]

If you find you don't go to bars as often as you think you will, consider Falls Church or Reston after your first year, *especially* if your job is in Tysons or points west. Falls Church is on the Metro, Reston will be next summer. Both have nightlife although it may skew more families with kids and high school students than Orange Line Arlington.

I will freely admit having been taken for most of my adult life, so the life of an Orange Line single is beyond my ken, but when people under 30 are automagically told "Go to Orange Line Arlington" it can be a bit one size fits all. I do remember thinking while on the Orange Line listening to some 25-30 year old women talking about one of their number getting married ... "Yep, I'll make sure there's a place in Ashburn for you." OTOH, living near a downtowny area is more important for me at 36 than for most 30-something families. So maybe my coolness dropoff curve is less step than most people's.

Meeting people: church, meetup.com, Craigslist, etc. Try them all, see what works for you. Remember you get what you give, so sometimes you'll just need to make the effort to reach out.

As for safety: I'd be putting everything in a bag so it's not in the open. Most Metro crime is on the Maryland side, in Prince George's County to be specific. If you're a male, that's bonus points for safety there (I assume you're not going to be running with MS-13 or the such.)

[brooklynborndad]

I feel very safe on the metro at all hours - but then I don't flash expensive portable electronics around. The young people do, and I daresay every once in a while someone relieves them of said expensive portable electronics.

Swamped by phone thefts, police call on cell providers to allow remote shutdowns | | The Bulletin

I would at least try to be aware of my surroundings when utilizing expensive electronic products on the metro, even in NoVa.