Woodbridge Townhouse: In a safe neighborhood? (Lake Ridge, Occoquan: for rent, school districts, living)

[kww]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

They aren't really the same neighborhood but both off of Rt. 1. The Powell's Creek area is more south toward Dumfries. The home that the OP linked was farther north, in the Featherstone area.

The map posted in the craigslist ad is incorrect. The townhome listed is a couple hundred feet from the intersection listed in the news article.

[kww]

Originally Posted by jillybean720

If you are looking for safe in Woodbridge, I recommend Lake Ridge. I rent out a 3 br townhouse in Lake Ridge for $1,550/month, so I'd think you could find something in our price range.

agreed. There are a handful of townhome rentals in Lake Ridge under $1,500. That'd be the first place I'd look (if I could deal with Old Bridge traffic)

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

It's nowhere near Featherstone. It's back towards Dumfries. Georgetown Village area.

You guys are correct. But click on the link to the place in the OP's post. On my screen, a Craigslist map comes up and shows that it is off Featherstone. When I actually put the address into Google Maps, it comes up off of Rt. 1 near the Georgetown area. Sorry for the confusion.

[NOVA_guy]

If possible I would stay in the 22192 and 22193 zip codes. 22191 has some decent to nice neighborhoods, especially around Potomac Town Center since they've been building it up the last few years but it still has quite a few sketchy neighborhoods as well. And when I say sketchy I mean Northern Virginia sketchy, not Detroit or Miami sketchy.

[Leaving4Ca]

Please do not rent in or near Georgetown OR off of Featherstone on Route 1.

Disagree with NovaGuy, there are some pretty scary and unsafe places in 22191 AND 22193. 22192 is pretty good throughout, but you still must be careful. Woodbridge is pretty much a city these days.

22192 is Lake Ridge. You can find something nice over by County Center, Ridgefield Road. You can actually walk around outside at night and feel ok about it. There is a Ruby Tuesday's there - just check out the area a little bit.

Did you look in the little town of Occoquan?

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Leaving4Ca

Please do not rent in or near Georgetown OR off of Featherstone on Route 1.

Disagree with NovaGuy, there are some pretty scary and unsafe places in 22191 AND 22193. 22192 is pretty good throughout, but you still must be careful. Woodbridge is pretty much a city these days.

22192 is Lake Ridge. You can find something nice over by County Center, Ridgefield Road. You can actually walk around outside at night and feel ok about it. There is a Ruby Tuesday's there - just check out the area a little bit.

Did you look in the little town of Occoquan?

The only problem with that area now is that the Old Bridge commute has become soul-crushing and you are getting pretty far off the beaten path for access to I95. I think that's something to keep in mind if you are pushing yourself down south for better rents. Try to find some happy balance between being reasonably close to 95. My parents live off Old Bridge pretty far up and, in their opinion, it's become quite bad. It can be a very long drive just on that part.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

You guys are correct. But click on the link to the place in the OP's post. On my screen, a Craigslist map comes up and shows that it is off Featherstone. When I actually put the address into Google Maps, it comes up off of Rt. 1 near the Georgetown area. Sorry for the confusion.

Go sit in the corner.


OP. This neighborhood is more quality of life issues VS being a true slum or crime ridden neighborhood. But given a choice I would look elsewhere.

[SophieDaphne]

Thank you all, for your insight. It's really appreciated.

We've only been in the area for a year and a half (and 90% of that time we were in Leesburg and I was in school full-time) so we don't know much about the area, unfortunately. We've shared with roommates up until this point (our lease ends in March) and we're trying to figure out where to go to keep our monthly rent on the lower side so I can pay off my loans. We CAN afford more and if that's what it takes to get us in a better neighborhood, we'll splurge (haha).

Right now, I work in Fairfax and he works in Franconia. Basically anywhere close to either of those are way too expensive, but we're open to living someplace else that's fairly reasonable.

Thanks everyone

[Grsz11]

Stick to 22192.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by SophieDaphne

So I came across this posting on craigslist:

16728 Chowning Ct

Is this townhouse in a safe neighborhood?

We're at a point where we don't want to share with roommates anymore, but don't want to spend too much, so it looks like Woodbridge is basically the price range we're looking for.

Any recommendations for other apartments in the area? Our max budget would be $1500/month, pet friendly. Also, what neighborhoods should we look for/avoid?

Thanks as always!

Sophie

I live in Lake Ridge. I can say Old Bridge is bad but there are other roads (i.e. Dale Blvd) that are just as bad. Woodbridge has a lot of traffic period. The rule of thumb is the times you commute. If you go out early and come home early 3-4ish, your commute won't be awful. I agree that Lake Ridge is the most desirable part. There are a couple of townhouses in my neighborhood available for rent and they are at or around your price range. You should also consider Glen Oaks neighborhood and Old Bridge Estates. They are both in the 22192 zip code and have some nice places to rent.