Should I avoid the commute or not? (Richmond, Arlington: apartment, rentals)

[IsThisNameTaken]

I have a job offer in Reston, Va and will have to relocate. I'm a recent college graduate and would like to live close to the city. I have looked into some towns suggested to me in another thread I created in the D.C. forum but I'm not sure about the commutes. I have spent a great amount of time researching the silver spring, MD area and really like it there, I am also very interested in being a Maryland resident for in-state tuition if I chose to go to graduate school (I love University of Maryland). I've considered moving to Arlington, Va or Mclean, Va as well but I am concerned about the commute.

Just wanted some opinions on whether I should extend my commute by trying to live closer to the city or if I should just find housing in the Reston area. For a young person will Reston be an exciting place to live? How bad of a commute would I be looking at should I choose to move to Silver Spring, Arlington or Mclean?

Also, what time of day would be best to commute to avoid the traffic? 7am? 7pm?

Thanks in Advance!

[gomason]

I would not consider Silver Spring at all. That would be crazy.


Driving to Reston from Arlington or McLean would be pretty easy as that's all against traffic (30 mins for the former and 15 mins for the latter -- more like 40 mins on the way back to Arlington in afternoons though). By McLean, I assume you mean Tysons Corner. I don't personally think it would be worth moving there and I don't think it's any more exciting for young people than Reston. Depending on where your employer is, you could take Metro to work (and save money if they give transit benefits).


Ultimately you have to decide -- is it worth having a longer commute to live in a walkable area with good nightlife? If you like to drive everywhere and are more of a homebody, then you should just get a place in Reston.

[Fallout Zone]

Silver Spring to Reston would be pretty awful.

One question is what do you think your social circle will look like. If you are coming here without knowing anyone, then it is likely that your immediate group of friends will probably grow out of your colleagues, so being somewhere closer to Reston would be advantageous. However, if you know people and think that you want to be closer to the DC social scene, that changes the calculation. Maybe the first step would be to rent in Tysons. Easy commute via car or Metro to Reston, but you are also connected by Metro to the popular Arlington areas (Clarendon, etc.) and can get to DC without driving. If you decide to go back to school, you can move to MD and establish residency there in the future.

[Erin12345]

Personally I would avoid living any place that requires you to use the Beltway to get to work and back (which would include anywhere in Maryland) unless you're working very much off hours. Reston has a bit of reputation for being a boring suburb, but Reston Town Center has a lot of restaurants and things happening there, especially in the summer. Arlington would be a reasonable commute (I work in Reston and have a coworker who does that without any issues), but take into account that unless you can metro, you're going to be driving way out of your way to take Rt. 7 or paying tolls every day to use Rt 267.

Think about it this way, unless you're the type who goes out on the town every single night, you're going to be driving to work way more often than you drive anywhere else. It's worth it to cut the work commute and add a little time to your socializing commute (speaking from experience). And as an added bonus, Reston is a cheaper rent-wise than Arlington or even Tyson's Corner. I don't know where you're relocating from, but cost of living here is a shock for a lot of people, so take that into consideration too.

[NOVA_guy]

Originally Posted by Erin12345

And as an added bonus, Reston is a cheaper rent-wise than Arlington or even Tyson's Corner. I don't know where you're relocating from, but cost of living here is a shock for a lot of people, so take that into consideration too.

I was just helping a friend look for an apartment and Tysons and Reston are about the same now, at least rent-wise so it really more or less comes down to which a person prefers between the two because you'll be essentially paying the same.

Also OP, as it has been said, Reston to Silver Spring would be beyond a nightmare. My advice, move as close to your job as possible even if that puts you in a 'boring' suburb. Traffic here is no joke and it will consume parts of your life if you move too far from work.

[IsThisNameTaken]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

My advice, move as close to your job as possible even if that puts you in a 'boring' suburb. Traffic here is no joke and it will consume parts of your life if you move too far from work.

Yup that's my fear . Starting to feel like there isn't any ideal situation for me. I think living in the burbs would be good for work but it would be a terrible idea for me. I know how I can get stuck in places and i'm almost certain that I will never leave the burbs i'll probably just spend more time at work. However, I don't know if the traffic is worth it since the majority of my time will be spent at work which means 5 days a week of horrible traffic.

Well thanks for all of the advice everyone. Suddenly I am a lot less excited about this new journey in my life.

[Middlin]

Reston has plenty of places for socializing, it's not ALL families with tot lots. The other poster hit the nail on the head, if you don't know a lot of people here, you are more likely than not to hang out with co-workers and going somewhere after work AROUND the office in Reston than going to DC. Trust me, living in Reston for a year while you get your bearings is not a fate worse than death.

[JfromReston]

Give Reston a try - the night life in Reston has dramatically improved in the last few years as more young people are moving into the Reston Town Center area.

12001 MARKET ST #327, RESTON, VA 20190 | MLS FX9544732 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

[jmking]

You could move to what I call the crossroads. That is Springfield, VA. Here you have major highways--495,95,395 and not far from the Fairfax County Parkway. Want to go to DC, 395 north. Want to head straight away to Maryland 495 east or north, want to go to Reston, FC Parkway. Richmond, Va?---95 south. Other than heading towards Richmond, the other areas mentioned are not far from Springfield. As mentioned by others, try to avoid long commutes---TRAFFIC.

[IsThisNameTaken]

Originally Posted by Middlin

Reston has plenty of places for socializing, it's not ALL families with tot lots. The other poster hit the nail on the head, if you don't know a lot of people here, you are more likely than not to hang out with co-workers and going somewhere after work AROUND the office in Reston than going to DC. Trust me, living in Reston for a year while you get your bearings is not a fate worse than death.

My company is fairly small, and my coworkers are all much older than I am with families so socializing with coworkers is highly unlikely.