Moving to Woodbridge. working in Arlington

[dj5000]

Originally Posted by Flamingo13

Not sure if that budget for a 3-bedroom will fly close in - possibly but it will be tight.

If you're responding to me, there are indeed several apartments with 3 bdrm ~ $1500 near the Woodbridge and Rippon VRE. I guess my main question is whether these areas are decent? I'll be walking around them quite a bit and eventually will be raising a small kid there ... for a while at least

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by dj5000

Hi,

I find myself in a similar situation location-wise. I'm going to be working in Crystal City, and I'm looking for a 3 bdrm apartment for $1500 or less per month ... have landed on Woodbridge as the prime location. I see some of the complexes offer free shuttle to a Metro or are within walking distance to a VRE; I'm looking at these because I will not have a vehicle for a few months.

Any nudges to or away from apartments or areas would be greatly appreciated. I have a small kid so would want to be in a moderately safe area (most parts of Woodbridge seem ok to me).

Thanks!

That's a tall order to want a 3 bedroom for 1300
1500 but you might find some townhouses for rent near Minnieville and Old bridge rd. Consider that you won't have a car, there is a grocery store and other essentials in the strip mall at that intersection. The schools will be better in east Lake Ridge near the VREs. A small single family home off Colby could be a quick walk to that strip mall. The commuter lot has direct bus service to Crystal city for much cheaper than the vre. Also slugging can be an option. I've seen for rent signs but i don't know the price and these are not apartment complexes. I'd steer clear of those for a variety of headaches.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by dj5000

If you're responding to me, there are indeed several apartments with 3 bdrm ~ $1500 near the Woodbridge and Rippon VRE. I guess my main question is whether these areas are decent? I'll be walking around them quite a bit and eventually will be raising a small kid there ... for a while at least

I'm sure there are people that walk that area and feel perfectly fine with it, but I would not feel entirely safe walking alone and as a female. Most of the crime in Woodbridge occurs in in that general area along Rt. 1.

[dj5000]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

That's a tall order to want a 3 bedroom for 1300
1500 but you might find some townhouses for rent near Minnieville and Old bridge rd. Consider that you won't have a car, there is a grocery store and other essentials in the strip mall at that intersection. The schools will be better in east Lake Ridge near the VREs. A small single family home off Colby could be a quick walk to that strip mall. The commuter lot has direct bus service to Crystal city for much cheaper than the vre. Also slugging can be an option. I've seen for rent signs but i don't know the price and these are not apartment complexes. I'd steer clear of those for a variety of headaches.

Thanks! Can you please point me in the direction of the commuter lot you speak of? I'm not familiar with the area.

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by dj5000

Thanks! Can you please point me in the direction of the commuter lot you speak of? I'm not familiar with the area.

It's called "tackets mill" commuter lot. It's at the corner of Old Bridge rd and Minnieville. It's a slug parking, commuter lot as well as being on the PRTC bus route that takes riders to both Crystal city (Pentagon buses) as well as downtown DC (state dept marked buses).

In effect you can get by without a car for a while but I don't think forever like you might be able if you lived in Crystal city.

[dj5000]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

It's called "tackets mill" commuter lot. It's at the corner of Old Bridge rd and Minnieville. It's a slug parking, commuter lot as well as being on the PRTC bus route that takes riders to both Crystal city (Pentagon buses) as well as downtown DC (state dept marked buses).\

Thank you! Are the latter buses you mention whs shuttles?

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by dj5000

Thank you! Are the latter buses you mention whs shuttles?

I'm not sure what a whs bus is but the prtc will show up easily when you search. Just type in "prtc, schedule, lake ridge". There are AM and PM schedules for Woodbridge, lake ridge, Dale city, etc.

[Oldhag1]

Woodbridge is cheaper than north of the Occoquan River, and not just in housing costs. Groceries, child care, and gas are generally a little to a significant amount cheaper too. However.... I would never consider Woodbridge a good area to be without a car. You might be able to do it but it is not near as easy as in other parts of Northern Virginia and most of the better parts of Woodbridge do not have easy access to public transportation. The nearest bus stop to my home is over 3 miles away. My daughter used the Omnibus to go to DC but to do so she first had to drive to a commuter lot.

On another note, my husband does the far west end of Old Bridge Road to the Pentagon commute. He leaves a little prior to 6:15 and it takes between 40 minutes to an hour. It takes him about 45 minutes to get home when he leaves around 3:15, although there have been Fridays in the summer where it has taken over 2 hours.