New job was in the McLean area, now in Springfield and trying to figure out where to live. (Arlington: vs., commuting)

[GustavoFring]

Originally Posted by elpiochnb4

Thanks for all the help so far, def more of a response than I expected. So far it looks like Alexandria is looking like a winner.

What is the difference between living in the Old Town area vs the Kingstowne Area?

Kingstowne is a one of a million suburb centered around chain restaurants and strip malls, but it is one of the nicer versions of this that exist in the Alexandria area of Fairfax county. Old Town is actually a historic district that has become very urban and in some places can feel like an extension of the City. It also has metro access, is walkable, and has a ton of different non-chain restaurants, stores and even a water-front to explore.

Kingstowne is great for families with children due to larger homes, better schools (probably) and cheaper living options. Old Town is for empty nesters, and or young couples/singles. The school systems are not ideal and the housing is cramped, so you don't find too many people with school-aged children living in Old Town proper.

[FCNova]

Cab rides from Tysons to Arlington and back are going to get old if you plan on enjoying the Arlington nightlife alot. There's a reason why so many young people live in the orange line corridor, it's not because they enjoy wasting large amounts of money. If you really do plan on doing the nightlife thing very frequently I'd live in Arlington, you'll have a blast. And if you decide it's not worth it then move to a cheaper area after a year.

I'm not that familiar with Old Town but I think its got some decent nightlife, albeit with an older crowd than Arlington. Kingstowne area has no nightlife. You may as well live in Tysons if you're going that route.

If all you care about are a couple of decent bars and restaurants and good metro access live in the City of Falls Church. Specifically around the route 7/route 29 intersection. This actually may fit your needs perfectly. You'd be walkable to East Falls Church metro and there's a handfull of really cool bars in the area. There are a bunch of condo buildings around there that you should be able to find a rental no problem. I used to live right there FYI from my mid 20s-30. After living in Arlington.

[tysonsengineer]

Originally Posted by FCNova

Cab rides from Tysons to Arlington and back are going to get old if you plan on enjoying the Arlington nightlife alot. There's a reason why so many young people live in the orange line corridor, it's not because they enjoy wasting large amounts of money. If you really do plan on doing the nightlife thing very frequently I'd live in Arlington, you'll have a blast. And if you decide it's not worth it then move to a cheaper area after a year.

I'm not that familiar with Old Town but I think its got some decent nightlife, albeit with an older crowd than Arlington. Kingstowne area has no nightlife. You may as well live in Tysons if you're going that route.

If all you care about are a couple of decent bars and restaurants and good metro access live in the City of Falls Church. Specifically around the route 7/route 29 intersection. This actually may fit your needs perfectly. You'd be walkable to East Falls Church metro and there's a handfull of really cool bars in the area. There are a bunch of condo buildings around there that you should be able to find a rental no problem. I used to live right there FYI from my mid 20s-30. After living in Arlington.

Couple of things for correction here.

I literally go out to Arlington or DC once per weekend. The 5A is perfect for it and already is in operation at the transit center. If you hate that you can take the 23A also or a dozen other buses from the Tysons region. Also you can always cab it from WFC if you hate buses (10 bucks). Also in a year its all moot because of the silver line. And finally also there are plenty of good sports bars (as asked for) in Tysons

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

Couple of things for correction here.

I literally go out to Arlington or DC once per weekend. The 5A is perfect for it and already is in operation at the transit center. If you hate that you can take the 23A also or a dozen other buses from the Tysons region. Also you can always cab it from WFC if you hate buses (10 bucks). Also in a year its all moot because of the silver line. And finally also there are plenty of good sports bars (as asked for) in Tysons

How is that a correction? Everything I said is true. Nobody wants to bus to and from a bar on a Friday or Saturday night. And when I said 'very frequently' I meant more than once per week. Most people who pay the money to live in Arlington are going to partake in the scene alot more than that, otherwise it's not worth it.

If the OP just wants a sports bar to hit up once a week I suggested Falls Church City around the route 7/29 intersection. That would have everything he needs, good restaurants, a few good bars, walkable to metro, ok commute to Springfield. I've lived in FC City and now live in Tysons/Merrifield, FC City is better in pretty much every way IMO. Only problem is real estate there is more expensive to purchase than Tysons/Merrifield but if OP is renting it shouldn't be a big difference.

[cowherjaw]

Originally Posted by GustavoFring

Kingstowne is a one of a million suburb centered around chain restaurants and strip malls, but it is one of the nicer versions of this that exist in the Alexandria area of Fairfax county. Old Town is actually a historic district that has become very urban and in some places can feel like an extension of the City. It also has metro access, is walkable, and has a ton of different non-chain restaurants, stores and even a water-front to explore.

Kingstowne is great for families with children due to larger homes, better schools (probably) and cheaper living options. Old Town is for empty nesters, and or young couples/singles. The school systems are not ideal and the housing is cramped, so you don't find too many people with school-aged children living in Old Town proper.

Everything said here is pretty accurate. A few additions for OP's consideration:

- Your commute will be about at least 15-20 minutes shorter from Kingstowne than Old Town, but it really does depend on where in Springfield you work so we can figure out what roads can get you there. Kingstowne directly neighbors Springfield while Old Town is on the opposite (east) end of Alexandria.

- If you are a nightlife person, Old Town has it, and is closer to the other areas that have it, than Kingstowne. Kingstowne has a couple of places, and you'll need your car to get to them whereas you'll have more choices with more action and many walkable options in Old Town.

- You will get more living space and more bang for your buck (per sq ft) by a wide margin in Kingstowne; however, most places are more than one person needs (I haven't actually done the apartment game in Kingstowne but it is more family oriented).

- Old Town is smaller and yet expensive. They are knocking down old buildings and putting up new condos from $300k to townhomes from $600K on the north end of town. You have to be careful with your selection in Old Town because of this evolution. You will find a block of new $750K townhomes and find a less visually appealing older neighborhood across the same street, so you must go physically look. However, it is also possible to find a place above a shop and be right in the middle of everything.

Hope this helps, LSS: if I were young and single making decent bank, Old Town would be the choice of the two. I still don't think you rule out Arlington though. You can probably find good places in fun areas for less $$ than OT.

[elpiochnb4]

Is there a major difference in commute time from Arlington compared to Alexandria?

I feel like living in Alexandria will keep my commute shorter while giving me plenty to do. Also, it should be easy to get to Arlington and DC via metro if I feel like going out in those areas. That is my understanding of the situation. As always, let me know if I am wrong here.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by elpiochnb4

Is there a major difference in commute time from Arlington compared to Alexandria?

I feel like living in Alexandria will keep my commute shorter while giving me plenty to do. Also, it should be easy to get to Arlington and DC via metro if I feel like going out in those areas. That is my understanding of the situation. As always, let me know if I am wrong here.

I don't know how much difference you define as major but yes parts of Alexandria are closer to Springfield than Arlington is. Depending on where in Springfield you work and where in Alexandria you live that could be a really short commute, since Springfield and Alexandria pretty much border each other. If you're talking about Old Town Alexandria though there may not be a big difference. Do a search on google maps of 'Springfield VA' and zoom out and you can kind of get an idea of the locations of all these areas we're talking about and distance to Springfield.

[GustavoFring]

Alexandria would be a much easier commute to Springfield. Alexandria is a metro ride to DC, but you'd have to change trains in Rosslyn to get to the "nightlife" areas of Arlington, so that's a consideration.

[cowherjaw]

Originally Posted by FCNova

I don't know how much difference you define as major but yes parts of Alexandria are closer to Springfield than Arlington is. Depending on where in Springfield you work and where in Alexandria you live that could be a really short commute, since Springfield and Alexandria pretty much border each other. If you're talking about Old Town Alexandria though there may not be a big difference. Do a search on google maps of 'Springfield VA' and zoom out and you can kind of get an idea of the locations of all these areas we're talking about and distance to Springfield.

Originally Posted by GustavoFring

Alexandria would be a much easier commute to Springfield. Alexandria is a metro ride to DC, but you'd have to change trains in Rosslyn to get to the "nightlife" areas of Arlington, so that's a consideration.

Agree with them on both counts. Google maps is your friend and will lay out the towns for you so you can get a feel for the relationships. Since you're not being extremely helpful with an approximate location in Springfield, stick with our generic advice. Your choice is essentialy going to be between a good work commute or a good social commute. Depending on what you do with your spare time, only you know what's more important to you there.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by elpiochnb4

Is there a major difference in commute time from Arlington compared to Alexandria?

Here are two routes from "Arlington" vs. "Alexandria" to "Springfield":

"Arlington" to "Springfield"
23rd St S to Metropolitan Center Dr - Google Maps



"Alexandria" to "Springfield"
N Pitt St to Backlick Rd - Google Maps