Family friendly area close to DC (Arlington, Alexandria: for sale, apartment, rentals)

[MrsStorr]

Good evening all,

My husband has recently been offered a job opportunity in D.C. and it will require him to drive in daily so are looking for nice family friendly areas as we have a 1 year old son.

We are relocating from the UK so don't want to be too far out. I have been looking at Vienna, what are thoughts?

We will be renting for the first year - probably a nice apartment - while we find our feet and become familiar with things.

Any information would be great, thank you in advance x

[JfromReston]

A drive from Vienna to DC will not be an easy. It could easily be over an hour much of it idling down the George Washington Parkway. I-66 is HOV only in to and out of the city during rush hour. If you are going to look at Vienna you should consider taking Metro into the DC. Vienna is a very nice place to live. Renting for the first year to get a sense of where you want to live is a smart move. Try to rent the kind of housing that you see yourself buying in a year. Here is a search engine to look for rentals and houses for purchase.

Homes for Sale and Rent in DC, Maryland, Virginia | MRIShomes.com

[MrsStorr]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

A drive from Vienna to DC will not be an easy. It could easily be over an hour much of it idling down the George Washington Parkway. I-66 is HOV only in to and out of the city during rush hour. If you are going to look at Vienna you should consider taking Metro into the DC. Vienna is a very nice place to live. Renting for the first year to get a sense of where you want to live is a smart move. Try to rent the kind of housing that you see yourself buying in a year. Here is a search engine to look for rentals and houses for purchase.

Homes for Sale and Rent in DC, Maryland, Virginia | MRIShomes.com

Thank you so much for your response. Are there any other areas close to DC you would recommend? Unfortunately the job does require my husband to drive and at least for the first year we would like this to be as painless as possible for him (although I know this may not be possible from what I have read so far).
But then my son and I need to feel safe when we venture out exploring or new neighbourhood X

[PK12]

How much are you able/willing to pay in rent monthly?

[ersatz]

MrsStorr

Any driving commute into DC from Northern Virginia is likely to be painful, that's part of life in NoVA (and Maryland). Will your husband have flexible work hours? Many local commuters are able to shorten their commutes considerably by arriving at work by five or six am and finishing before the main rush hour begins (usually around 3:30 pm). Early work hours would make a commute from Vienna or Fairfax City reasonable.

Example: I used to commute between Alexandria and Tyson's Corner. Usually, I worked 8-5, M-F, though I would occasionally have to work on the weekends. Distance: 13.2 miles

Normal commute time (7 am): 50 min
Commute on Sunday Morning: 20 min
Commute during bad days (weather, bad accidents): up to 2.5 hours

If moving work hours isn't possible, the closer in that you are, the better. The Arlington (Rosslyn/Courthouse/Ballston) corridor is mostly apartment living. These are the most popular with the "twenty-something" single crowd and have active businesses to support them. But, judging by the number of strollers and baby backpacks on the streets, there are a lot of families with young children there too. Traveling around on public transport is very easy and there are many local activities to interest and educate a toddler. Since you plan to rent, why not make it as easy as possible for your young family? If you plan to remain in the area, renting for a year or two will allow you to thoroughly investigate the communities you like the best for more permanent living arrangements.

If you don't care for the more restaurant/bar-heavy Arlington area, Alexandria Del Ray is a quieter area popular with young families.

Del Ray and Arlandria | Alexandria, VA Neighborhoods

As PK12 points out, the commute is not the only factor. The closer you live to the city, the higher the average rent. A difference of 15 miles can drop a typical apartment rental by $500 a month.

[leavingwash]

I have family that lives in Fairfax and one of them works in DC. Fairfax seems to be a good area for families as well.

[Ffxdata]

Vienna and Fairfax are both wonderful for families. They are not wonderful for driving into DC during normal business hours.

Del Ray is full of families with young children. There are many community events there and in nearby Old Town Alexandria. It's much closer than Vienna.

Arlington also has many things for families. Avoid the south side. Arlington is also closer to DC for aomeone driving.

Have you looked into DC neighborhoods at all? There are safe neighborhoods in the district though you will have to ask on a different board about them.

[ACWhite]

Welcome! If I were you, given the age of your child and job location, I would rent in DC the first year. The time you don't spend commuting can be spent looking for a more permanent home, getting to know the area and making friends.

[HomesForAllVA]

Hello!

You got some good info so far... To reduce the commute, I would stick with Arlington or even Crystal City - especially if you renting for a year. DC is a great city but it isn't the easiest city to live in - especially if you have a car. (They LOVE to tow cars there.) Since you will have a car, you would need to find a rental with parking and prices can get pretty high in the city. Northern VA has a lot of great options if you try to stay close in. As someone else mentioned, you will pay a higher dollar for rent but the reduction in commute may be worth it to you.

Feel free to message me if you have additional questions!

[MrsStorr]

Thank you so much everyone. You have all helped guide me and we are looking into all options.
I do have a question - the company my husband will be working for has said that many people get t early and do their hours and finish early to avoid rush hour traffic. What times in a morning and evening would you rush hour is at its worst? I'm under no illusion in sure it's a long time but just to help us plan X