Help with where to move please: one works in Ashburn, the other in Laurel (Richmond: rentals)

[Althea99lynn]

We currently live in Reston. I work in Ashburn but my husband works near Laurel MD. His commute is horrendous. He leaves at 5:30am and sometimes he doesn't get home until 7pm.

We are trying to figure out where would be a good spot to live (rentals) that would make our commutes more equal. We are also expecting and thinking about daycare issues. I work noon to 10pm Sunday-Wednesday. So living somewhere more central to a drop off and pick up for daycare will be ideal.

We looked at Arlington but the rentals are out of our budget with a little one on the way. Need to find a good spot that is under $1800/month for more than 900 sq feet of space.

Any ideas??

Thank you!

[CaliTerp07]

Maybe I'm wrong, but if you're going to have a little one in daycare, would it make sense to keep one of you close to home (and baby) in the event of an emergency? That is, have one of you have the sucky horrendous commute while the other is able to get baby from daycare when he/she is suddenly sick, take care of all household tasks before commuting spouse gets home, etc? We do not have a child, only a dog...but this situation worked out much better for us than having both of us gone for extended periods of time.

Otherwise, what about something like Rockville/Bethesda/Silver Spring, MD? You're commuting at off enough hours that your drive shouldn't be horrendous, and he'll be much closer.

[finalmove]

Originally Posted by Althea99lynn

We currently live in Reston. I work in Ashburn but my husband works near Laurel MD. His commute is horrendous. He leaves at 5:30am and sometimes he doesn't get home until 7pm.

We are trying to figure out where would be a good spot to live (rentals) that would make our commutes more equal. We are also expecting and thinking about daycare issues. I work noon to 10pm Sunday-Wednesday. So living somewhere more central to a drop off and pick up for daycare will be ideal.

We looked at Arlington but the rentals are out of our budget with a little one on the way. Need to find a good spot that is under $1800/month for more than 900 sq feet of space.

Any ideas??

Thank you!

It's simple. Your husband needs to change jobs. His commute isn't practical. And moving to Maryland would not make sense as their oppressive laws and taxes have begun an exodus.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by finalmove

It's simple. Your husband needs to change jobs. His commute isn't practical. And moving to Maryland would not make sense as their oppressive laws and taxes have begun an exodus.

Yes! So very simple to do!

[Althea99lynn]

My husband has been looking for a better location for work but it's slim pickings and the company he is working for is a global company so we are hoping to be relocated at some point. We have no idea when that could be. It could be years. He is a water resource engineer.

I hope it's sooner than later that we get relocated.

I grew up in western Loudoun when it was still the boondocks. Moving back here after a decade away... I barely recognize it! The traffic is awful. I use to drive to DC all the time for fun but now it often seems like too big of a hassle with the nasty traffic. We have lived up here for almost three years and between work and commutes we haven't had a whole lot of time to socialize. We have yet to find some good friends to hang out with. We try to talk to the people in our condo community but no one seems interested. Feels pretty unfriendly after three years. We try to get out and meet folks. We are in our early 30s. We live near the Reston Town Center but we never have any luck with folks in the Town Center. Folks in there definitely have a snooty air about them. Once I was asked what company I worked for before they asked for my name. I have seen more stupid bar fights in the American Tap Room than I care to recall. UGH.

I lived in Richmond for ten years where it was pretty easy to meet new people and make friends so I guess I was spoiled. The city was smaller and beautiful. Lots of fun stuff to do... art, food, music. We have a ton of friends we left behind. It was a bad decision to move back up here but here we are.

Anyways, we are trying to make the best of it. The commute is making my husband really hate it up here though and I don't blame him at all. We would love to move back down south and be done with all this mess!

[stpickrell]

Given your (apparent) preference for smaller-town living ... have you given any thought to Mt. Airy, Damascus, or anywhere in that area where HoCo, MoCo, and FredCo all meet up?

Damascus to Laurel would be 45-50 minutes with no traffic. Damascus to Ashburn would be a shade over an hour with no traffic.

I will argue (and I say this from personal experience) that it is bad having a short commute but neighbors you don't really like. Then again, it is bad having a lengthy commute.

[dkf747]

The most equally distant commute wise is probably Bethesda or North Bethesda in Maryland.