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I just accepted a job that will have me working on Boling AFB. I my wife and I are in our late 20's, no kids (unless you count a 50lb Coonhound that sleeps all day as a kid ) and are really torn about where to live. We want to have a SFH or townhouse that has a fenced in yard (doesn't have to be a huge yard). We're looking to stay right around $2,000, but could swing a little more ($2,200-2,400) if we found "the" place. I currently own a 3 BR/2 Bath house in Texas that is approximatel 1750 sq ft and would need a place big enough to fit that. I'm looking at something no smaller than 1600 sq ft, but would prefer bigger.
We'd like to live in a "safe" place. Not necessarily a gated community, but I don't want to have to worry about our safety or our belongs.
We like to be active (bike, hike, kayak, snowboard, swim, etc) and we also like to go out from time to time. We don't go to clubs, but do enjoy going to bar's and listening to music and just hanging out from time to time.
I know with these considerations i'm going to have a commute. I should be able to commute at "off peak" hours so that will help considerably.
My questions are:
1) Other things being equal, is it an "easier" commute coming from the south around Montclair/Dumfries or to come from the west on 66 from the Centreville/Manassas direction?
2) I've looked in Centreville, Chantilly, Manassas, Montclair, Dumfries, Springfield, Alexandria (springfield or alexandria would be great, but i'm not sure i can find what i want in those areas for the price) and am really unsure about what would be best. From my experience up there (somewhat minimal) and what I can find online, they all seem to be pretty nice areas, with Fairfax county being better for schools (which could come in handy in a few years when we have kids). Are any of these better or worse, aside from schools, than the others? Are they all relatively safe?
3) What's the deal with woodbridge? I've heard that there are some nice areas, and i've heard there are some areas that I should definitely stay away from. Is it like a neighborhood by neighborhood type thing, or is it like "the east side is the better area, the south is horrible" type of deal?
4) Never really lived in a place that requires so much public transportation. I've taken the metro before, but not the VRE or any of the bus system(s). How does that all work? If I want to take the VRE, do I have to buy a VRE and Metro pass and a bus pass? How does the park and ride work?
I think that's all i have for now. I appreciate any help!
1) Other things being equal, is it an "easier" commute coming from the south around Montclair/Dumfries or to come from the west on 66 from the Centreville/Manassas direction?
I live just outside of Montclair and I work with several people who live in both Centreville and Manassas. Hands down, Montclair/Dumfries is "easier". Do anything you can to avoid 66. It's worse than I95 and not getting better.
2) I've looked in Centreville, Chantilly, Manassas, Montclair, Dumfries, Springfield, Alexandria (springfield or alexandria would be great, but i'm not sure i can find what i want in those areas for the price) and am really unsure about what would be best. From my experience up there (somewhat minimal) and what I can find online, they all seem to be pretty nice areas, with Fairfax county being better for schools (which could come in handy in a few years when we have kids). Are any of these better or worse, aside from schools, than the others? Are they all relatively safe?
They are all relatively safe. Some parts of Manassas are very sketchy. I'm not a big fan of Manassas but there are some very nice parts to it also. I just find commuting from there into the DC area to be the worst so I would not move there if DC was my end destination. I feel the same way about Chantilly/Centreville. You have the FFX County Schools there but it's a rough commute DC--even on off hours.
3) What's the deal with woodbridge? I've heard that there are some nice areas, and i've heard there are some areas that I should definitely stay away from. Is it like a neighborhood by neighborhood type thing, or is it like "the east side is the better area, the south is horrible" type of deal?
I live in Woodbridge and I actually really like it. The only downside for me is that I do work in DC and I'd *LOVE* to be farther north. I work from 6AM - 2:30PM and never hit any traffic. However, if, say, I lived in Springfield, it wouldn't be so catastrophic if I had to work late. Right now, if I work late, I make sure I pick up "slugs" so I can get home using HOV and that's worked out well. Woodbridge has a phenomenal "slug" setup. The route 1 corridor of Woodbridge is the only area to avoid. It is the original area of Woodbridge and is very old; hence, very affordable housing; hence, low income folks (did I say "hence" enough!!) Other than that, I really enjoy all the amenities here that I can get to within 10 minutes and I feel that at most times the roads, locally, are well planned and wide open. The two local areas that are hard to navigate when busy are Route 1 (old) and the area off the Prince William Parkway between Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The lights can't handle all the traffic. After that, I move around well. That's something that DOES not happen in Fairfax. That place has everything too; however, it's more condensed and more heavily populated. Driving around on a Saturday can be very frustrating.
4) Never really lived in a place that requires so much public transportation. I've taken the metro before, but not the VRE or any of the bus system(s). How does that all work? If I want to take the VRE, do I have to buy a VRE and Metro pass and a bus pass? How does the park and ride work?
If you are working at Bolling, I'm not sure that these are going to be viable optons for you. Coming in from either the west (Centreville/Manassas) or the south (Woodbridge area), you would use the VRE or drive to a Metro station. The VRE would get you to Union Station. From there you would transfer to the Green Line Metro to the Anacostia Station and, I believe, Bolling offers a shuttle from there. At some point, public transportation becomes too much, and this, my friend, is one of those situations. Yo are talking a LONG public transportation commute. There is slugging that (which is free carpooling) from the south and that can get you to L'Enfant Plaza metro and you could go from there. That would be your quickest method. You would buy passes to any of these transporation systems and use them independently. The Park and Ride is essentially parking at a Metro station and then getting on a bus or subway. You would pay for the parking portion also.
Since driving seems to be your best bet to Bolling, I would honestly look at places that are closer in but not horribly expensive. You should look in the Mount Vernon area for rentals in your price range as well as around the Huntington area. The Hungtingon area is going to be more urban so it may not be what you want but it's worth a look. I just think your commute from most of the places you listed (except Springfield) is going to be bad. You'd definitely do best going in at very off hours and driving yourself.
Thanks for the info Christine! You said you work those "off peak" hours, and 6-230 is something that I may be doing...how long does it take you to get into D.C each way (on average)?
I'm glad to know i should probably avoid 66. I was thinking as much, but I just wasn't 100% certain.
I live in Woodbridge, in an area referred to as Lake Ridge. There are no problems in this area.
I am stationed at FT Belvoir and I head to work a little after 6am. I95 N is already busy at that hour but the HOV lanes are zipping right along . I can't HOV it to Belvoir so I am stuck taking Rte 1. I am willing to bet that if I were taking the HOV lanes to the Pentagon, which is 10'ish miles north of Belvoir, I could be there before I get to Belvoir. Moral of the story-- HOV lanes are your friend. So you certainly want to entertain the Slug option if you are looking at Woodbridge/Dumfries.
If you're headed out of the city around 2:30, you'll be fine heading south. If you leave at 3:30 , you'll start to flirt with grid lock. I can't even imagine how painful it would be to leave Boling at 5PM and try to make it to south on I 95 in the non HOV lanes. You couldn't pay me enough to have that as a daily commute option.
Dumfires has some nice areas and is certainly going to be cheaper than areas north- A LOT cheaper compared to the locations right outside DC.
A lot of people are going to tell you avoid living this far south but I assure you, plenty of people live this far south and work in DC. I'm surrounded by neighbors who all work in DC. As long as you can get in the HOV lanes, it is tolerable.
Thanks for the info Christine! You said you work those "off peak" hours, and 6-230 is something that I may be doing...how long does it take you to get into D.C each way (on average)?
I leave my house at about 5:10 a.m., drive down the street to pick up my neighbor (we ride together), and get going. So I probably am really leaving about 5:15. I drive up I-95 (I actually stay in the regular lanes until I get to Newington as they generally move faster at that time) and then I cut into the HOV there. It is still open to all at that point. I am approaching the 14th Street Bridge at about 5:40. From there, my speed slows down. I take the 6th Street exit to the Navy Yard, meander through one or two DC streets, proceed through the guards, and then into my parking garage. With all that I am STILL seated at my desk, booting up the computer at 5:55. So 40 minutes I would say.
On the way home, I walk out a 2:30. It's probably closer to 2:40 before I actually get out of the Navy Yard. I am pulling into my driveway at 3:15. It's very fast.
I have had to leave at 3:30 before, actually a few times. It's slow but not horrible (provided nothing happens). That's about a 1 hour commute.
Usually, though, when I stay late, I stop at one of the slug lines and pick up an extra person so I can make use of the HOV.
A lot of people are going to tell you avoid living this far south but I assure you, plenty of people live this far south and work in DC. I'm surrounded by neighbors who all work in DC. As long as you can get in the HOV lanes, it is tolerable.
I agree. Although, I will say, IF you can afford it, always stay as close in as you can. But if you find that the balance in life is down here, it's not tragic. If you have your mind set that you are going to be a single driver and you can't get yourself out of bed--well--it will be bad.
I have one lady who works with me who is not a "morning person." She lives in Dumfries. She stays up half the night and then can't get herself going. She refuses to leave her house before 6:30 AM and she won't carpool. Her arrival times vary anywhere between 7:30 and 9:00AM. Mostly she gets in at 8:00AM so that's an hour and a half. She'd rather sit in that then get up a little earlier. To each his own.
I have one lady who works with me who is not a "morning person." She lives in Dumfries. She stays up half the night and then can't get herself going. She refuses to leave her house before 6:30 AM and she won't carpool. Her arrival times vary anywhere between 7:30 and 9:00AM. Mostly she gets in at 8:00AM so that's an hour and a half. She'd rather sit in that then get up a little earlier. To each his own.
I dont have any qualms about getting up early. I did 6 years in the Army and was up before 5:30 every day for over 6 years. I especially dont mind getting up early if I'm able to leave earlier in the day.
I appreciate your insight. Basically, if i stay north of 95 in woodbridge i'd probably be in a pretty good location (neighborhood wise)?
I second Christine's Mount Vernon suggestion. It also has the added bonus of being close to the river for kayaking and biking. You might occasionally even find a house in Fort Hunt (22308) which might fit the bill. The downside is houses up here will probably be at the upper end of your budget, but the drive to Bolling will be a relatively fast and pleasant commute, which should not be underestimated!
I also recently lived in Lake Ridge and didn't mind it as far as location. It was close to all the retail and restaurants around the Potomac Mills area and the newer Stonebridge area (with the Wegmans) but still far enough away from it to be a quiet neighborhood setting. We moved for better commutes to our current jobs (my husband and I both had different jobs when we moved to Lake Ridge than we do now).
Are you looking to buy or rent? You state your budget in such a way I would think you're talking about renting, but you say schools could be important a few years down the line, which implies you're thinking of setting up a more permanent camp.
As far as buying, we bought a home earlier this year in Sterling. We'd considered staying in Lake Ridge and just upgrading to a SFH from our TH, but certain things are just more convenient for us from Sterling (such as that we have friends in Herndon, Ashburn, Fairfax...none close to Woodbridge). We paid about $310k for our SFH (about 1850 square feet); putting 10% down, that brings our total monthly escrow (mortgage + interest + taxes + insurance) to a bit under $2000.
Most places around here have both good and bad areas as far as schools, crime, upkeep/appearance, etc. Manassas and Woodbridge are handy examples of places with pretty easily identifiable good vs. bad areas, but the same can also be said of Alexandria, Fairfax, Herndon, Falls Church, Sterling...you'll need to narrow down more specific areas to more of a neighborhood level for good feedback on what's safe, bad commute, etc.
Yea I'm talking about renting for the time being. I own a house in San Antonio that I will keep and rent out so I wont be able to buy right away. I also know that, if we do end up buying, I want to wait and figure out where I want to live in the area.
Right now my biggest concern is living in a "nice" area and not having a HUGE commute. Like I said originally, I should have the ability to go in at 6 and get off at 2:30/3:00.
Is the Franconia area a good area? I've stayed in springfield before and been in that area, but never really saw the resdential areas.
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) and are really torn about where to live. We want to have a SFH or townhouse that has a fenced in yard (doesn't have to be a huge yard). We're looking to stay right around $2,000, but could swing a little more ($2,200-2,400) if we found "the" place. I currently own a 3 BR/2 Bath house in Texas that is approximatel 1750 sq ft and would need a place big enough to fit that. I'm looking at something no smaller than 1600 sq ft, but would prefer bigger. 
) Other than that, I really enjoy all the amenities here that I can get to within 10 minutes and I feel that at most times the roads, locally, are well planned and wide open. The two local areas that are hard to navigate when busy are Route 1 (old) and the area off the Prince William Parkway between Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The lights can't handle all the traffic. After that, I move around well. That's something that DOES not happen in Fairfax. That place has everything too; however, it's more condensed and more heavily populated. Driving around on a Saturday can be very frustrating.
