Relocating from Germany to Virginia Jan 2013. Need Help!!

[ICS67]

One thought: while Lorton and Burke are definite possibilities for you, you should also check out Reston. You can probably find a decent townhouse in your price range, although the commute to Arlington will be longer, even when the Metro Silver Line extension to Wiehle Avenue opens in early 2014. The main reason I am suggesting this area, though, is that there may be some good job prospects in the Reston-Herndon corridor for your wife if she wants to capitalize on her bilingual German-English ability. VW has its American headquarters in Herndon, as does EADS North America and Airbus's military division. The German military office for the United States is headquartered in Reston. Given all this, I'm pretty certain that there is more of a German expat community in the Reston area than either Burke or Lorton.

[kevbros]

Originally Posted by ICS67

One thought: while Lorton and Burke are definite possibilities for you, you should also check out Reston. You can probably find a decent townhouse in your price range, although the commute to Arlington will be longer, even when the Metro Silver Line extension to Wiehle Avenue opens in early 2014. The main reason I am suggesting this area, though, is that there may be some good job prospects in the Reston-Herndon corridor for your wife if she wants to capitalize on her bilingual German-English ability. VW has its American headquarters in Herndon, as does EADS North America and Airbus's military division. The German military office for the United States is headquartered in Reston. Given all this, I'm pretty certain that there is more of a German expat community in the Reston area than either Burke or Lorton.

I think the German community here is pretty spread out. We have Germans here in Old Town, there are a lot German-connected people down at Ft Belvoir, there are students at Mason, and Arlington has a good number of Germans, too, along with the famed Heidelberg Bakery. Maybe the biggest critical mass in the local area is the German School in Potomac. People who want their kids to speak German in school try to live close, and this includes Arlington and McLean.

To the OP, we moved here from Germany about 10 years ago. The traffic here is much more frustrating than it is in Germany. An hour driving in Germany is a relatively pleasant experience (people follow rules and the volume is less) compared to an hour driving here. In short, live as close to work as you can reasonably afford. Oh, and there is hope for your wife. I have a German friend who works in HR near Tyson's. the company loves her.

[Jenjen391]

Currently, parking isn't difficult at the Franconia-Springfield Metro garage. I don't think I have ever seen it full over the past year, even in the late mornings.

It is $4.75 per day, and government subsidy won't cover parking, so that's something to factor in.
You can park at the Macy's and take a 10 minute walk to the station for free, though.

[claremarie]

One caution on the VRE from Burke -- a friend who for years used to take the train from the Rolling Road station in Burke to downtown ended up switching to the Springfield Metro a year or so ago because the VRE trains were so overcrowded that there were never any seats by the time they arrived at her station. Might not be a problem if you are leaving really early in the morning, or could get on at a different station, but it was a definitely a problem for her.

[Novabound2013]

I wanted to thank everyone that provided feedback. This forum has provided my wife and I tons of information on NOVA. I relocate on 25 Jan.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Novabound2013

I wanted to thank everyone that provided feedback. This forum has provided my wife and I tons of information on NOVA. I relocate on 25 Jan.

Good luck with the move! Where'd you choose to live?

[Novabound2013]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Good luck with the move! Where'd you choose to live?

I will be relocating friday and my wife will join me in June. I will be staying in a hotel on Ft. Belvoir for about 60-90 Days. This will provide me ample opportunity to survey the area as to where we will live. We are strongly considering Old Town Alexandria, Burke, or Springfield.

Doing online searches and speaking to our realtors cannot really give us a feel for the area, so I will need to get a lay of the land before we decide on whether to buy/rent and where to live.

[eli250]

I say rent in Del Ray or old town for a year, enjoy the amenities and 5-10 minute commute and use some of that spare time to explore the more suburban areas before committing to anything