Looking for some info on Triangle VA (Arlington, Alexandria: to rent, condo) - Northern Virginia - Virginia - City-Data Forum

trh1013 · 10-07-2007, 07:43 AM

I will be moving to either NOVA or Maryland area next spring. I was wondering if anyone can tell me about Triangle VA. I was looking at a subdivision called Stonewall Manor on the Internet and they seem to have reasonably priced homes than Fairfax County. My last child will be graduating from high school before we move there so I'm not as concerned with schools, but I do believe an excellent or fairly decent school district usually is an indication of what type of town or community is a good area to live in. As far as Triangle is it just a town made up of homes? Is anything there or will I have to leave the town for everything such as shopping, church, restaurants, etc. If so, are there things close by. My husband and I don't have jobs yet, but I'm expecting we will be traveling towards the DC way for employment. I haven't found many areas that appeal to me in Maryland yet. Especially with fairly decent home prices. I really like the builder Craftmark Homes. They also are building in Gainsville at Morris Farm. Any info will be appreciated.

jaywallace · 10-07-2007, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trh1013

I will be moving to either NOVA or Maryland area next spring. I was wondering if anyone can tell me about Triangle VA. I was looking at a subdivision called Stonewall Manor on the Internet and they seem to have reasonably priced homes than Fairfax County. My last child will be graduating from high school before we move there so I'm not as concerned with schools, but I do believe an excellent or fairly decent school district usually is an indication of what type of town or community is a good area to live in. As far as Triangle is it just a town made up of homes? Is anything there or will I have to leave the town for everything such as shopping, church, restaurants, etc. If so, are there things close by. My husband and I don't have jobs yet, but I'm expecting we will be traveling towards the DC way for employment. I haven't found many areas that appeal to me in Maryland yet. Especially with fairly decent home prices. I really like the builder Craftmark Homes. They also are building in Gainsville at Morris Farm. Any info will be appreciated.

The new homes in Triangle are very nice, however, they are surrounding by a high crime high drug area (Dumfries/Williamstown etc.). Go with Gainesville,much nicer.

trh1013 · 10-07-2007, 10:12 PM

Would Loudoun County be better?

knopfler · 10-08-2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trh1013

Would Loudoun County be better?

Perhaps - part of the allure to Loudoun, though, is the school system which is generally considered a plum of the region. Since that's not of crucial importance to you, there's no need to spend more to get it.

And that'll be the case - Loudoun is more expensive than Prince William county, generally.

My advice is to try to hold off on buying a place until you know your commute - even if that means renting for 6 months in Northern Virginia until you are able to figure that out. If you wind up buying in Triangle and then one of you gets a sweet job offer in suburban Maryland, you will HATE your commute.

trh1013 · 10-08-2007, 06:27 PM

Thanks for the info. We don't plan on buying until we secure jobs. Right now I'm trying to find out as much info about the areas.

knopfler · 10-09-2007, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trh1013

Thanks for the info. We don't plan on buying until we secure jobs. Right now I'm trying to find out as much info about the areas.

Well then, here's the deal - you don't save very much money by renting further out in the suburbs than by living closer in. I don't understand why that is, but it is what it is. There's a *huge* difference in cost when you buy in say, Manassas versus Falls Church. The difference in cost to rent between those areas is only a couple hundred dollars, though. If you're going to rent, do it "closer-in" - think Falls Church, Alexandria, Fairfax, Reston, Arlington, Vienna, Annandale - so that your job offer availabilities aren't constrained by your rental. Then you can make a better determination, after the jobs are secured, about buying. Sound like a plan?

trh1013 · 10-09-2007, 08:21 PM

Thanks. Sounds like a plan

jaywallace · 10-11-2007, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trh1013

Would Loudoun County be better?

Loudon as a whole is better. It'll cost you though.

Dorothy1960 · 10-12-2007, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrovic

The new homes in Triangle are very nice, however, they are surrounding by a high crime high drug area (Dumfries/Williamstown etc.). Go with Gainesville,much nicer.

I live in Triangle and have never had a problem... so I don't think you know too much. My neighbors are all professionals with families....Lots of former military, FBI agents (the academy at Quantico) and other government folks. The area to which Nitrovic refers to is a very small part of the Dumfries/Triangle area. As for Gainesville, we have friends who moved from Gainesville area to Montclair because the neighborhoods were not all that great in Gainesville...

An opinion is just that, unless you live there and have first hand experience, merely an opinion.

My neighborhood is about 20 years old... the last house that was purchased here in June sold for about $440,000.00 4 BR, 3 full baths, finished basement and a nice lot, close to 1/2 acre.
Stonewall Manor is nice... but the houses are SO close together. Garrison Woods is brand new and also very nice. The one nice thing about living here is that you can take the train from Quantico station if you work in Alexandria or DC.

Montclair is also a nice area. Get the job first and then base where you are living on your job... so much easier.

koko61 · 11-06-2007, 12:36 AM

Dorothy1960 is exactly right. Some of the comments here are nothing more than opinions based primarily on rumor, speculation and reputation. However, if people would refrain from posting such negative opinions and comment only on first-hand experience, the reputation of this area wouldn't be nearly as bad as they seem to think....and definitely not any worse than any other area in Northern Virginia.

I have lived in a well-established, older neighborhood in Dumfries (directly across Route 1 from Williamstown/Graham Park Road) for more than 10 years and I love it here, as does every person that I have spoken with in this neighborhood. Everyone that I've met is very friendly. If I'm outside and someone is out for a walk, they usually stop to chat or at least say hello, whether they know me or not. I usually get a wave from almost every car that passes, again whether they know me or not. There have been a few deaths of elderly people since I've been here, and practically everyone in the neighborhood attended their funerals....yet again, whether they knew them or not. You don't have to be on a first-name basis with someone to express your condolences....you can simply be caring neighbor....and that is what makes up the majority of my neigborhood.

My next-door neighbor is a local pastor. He and his family have no pets and yet, whenever he is outside, he always has treats in his pocket to share with my dog over the fence. I know him only as a neighbor and have never even set foot inside his home, but still I know that he would be there in a heartbeat if I or my family ever needed anything. Not because he is a pastor, but because he is my neighbor. That's what a quality neighborhood is all about and there are many neighborhoods like mine throughout Dumfries and Triangle.

So whatever you do, please do not base your decision on the opinions of people who do not live here. Go out into these neighborhoods and see for yourself. Take a walk through Prince William Estates some afternoon when many people are out working in their yards or spending time with their families, and stop and chat with some of them. Drive through at night with your windows down and pay attention to the peace and quiet. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised.