Where would you live in NoVA if job is Union Station? (Arlington: renting, crime)

[musman]

I shall be starting soon at my new job at Union Station. I have considered Lorton but commute(~70 min'ish) is too damn long?
My budget allows me to spend 2k for 2-3 bed townhouse. What other areas I should look into to have commute under 30-40mins?
Family oriented and safety is my primary need.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by musman

I shall be starting soon at my new job at Union Station. I have considered Lorton but commute(~70 min'ish) is too damn long?
My budget allows me to spend 2k for 2-3 bed townhouse. What other areas I should look into to have commute under 30-40mins?

Can you drive and park, or do you have to rely on public transit? If you can drive, there are townhouses in Springfield renting from $1750-2000/month. Google maps says that driving is 35-45 minutes in the morning if you leave at 6 AM. Otherwise it is 65 minutes by public transit. Also try Annandale, Burke, Fairfax, etc and test the commute (using Google maps) from places you can afford. I know Google maps can be off by a factor 2, but you should get some more ideas of acceptable compromises.

[weezycom]

Try North Springfield and use the VRE to commute

[Carlingtonian]

I wouldn't live in NoVA. Truly. I've turned down job interviews near there because I realized how bad that commute would be. It's either the slow crawl of 395N or fighting through downtown DC from Route 50. I do have a neighbor here in Arlington who works near there, but he rides his bike most of the time. I have no idea what routes he uses on the days he drives, but I know he goes in super-early.

[boyd888]

Do you have your heart set on NOVA? Union Station is pretty far into DC and the red line doesn't go through NOVA. Even a place walking distance to the metro in Rosslyn could be 30 mins if you are changing trains every day.

Something along the red line might be better for you unless you are working kind of close to union station and could walk from the blue line. Otherwise I agree that something close to the VRE where you only have get on the train once would make more sense.

[musman]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I appreciate all the inputs. I would like to rely on trains rather than driving. I thought of Silver Spring Md but area is kind of sketchy and if I go on the other side of red line where I can afford(Rockville, Gaitherburgs) commute increases.
As most of you guys have mentioned that living in NoVA would be challenging so I am looking in Rockville, Gaithersburg areas. I am also considering Odenton area.

[musman]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Can you drive and park, or do you have to rely on public transit? If you can drive, there are townhouses in Springfield renting from $1750-2000/month. Google maps says that driving is 35-45 minutes in the morning if you leave at 6 AM. Otherwise it is 65 minutes by public transit. Also try Annandale, Burke, Fairfax, etc and test the commute (using Google maps) from places you can afford. I know Google maps can be off by a factor 2, but you should get some more ideas of acceptable compromises.

Originally Posted by weezycom

Try North Springfield and use the VRE to commute

I will research springfield and other areas mentioned.

[gomason]

You simply can't get a 30-40 minute commute with your budget in NOVA. I don't think in Maryland either. You either need to up your budget or be more realistic about your commute.

North Springfield seems like it would be ideal for you. Free parking and about an hour door-to-door. Keep in mind that VRE Trains usually run 3-5 minutes quicker than the schedule says.

[musman]

I did some research and found that Burke, VA is hidden gem. I didnt see anything bad about Burke city, except for the bad traffic. Crime rate, schools and 30-40 min VRE ride to Union Station. It would be great if something can shed some light.

[dkf747]

It's usually 30 to 35 minutes from Shady Grove to Union Station, but then you have to factor in time to get to the station. I'm thinking it would be similar on VRE, so either area would work. (Rockville/Gaithersburg or Springfield/Burke.)