Where should we live? - running & getting into DC (Arlington: appointed, for sale)

[Poopy00]

Hi all

Hope you can help. We are moving to NOVA before Xmas from the UK and have a few requirements.

My husband will be working in Manassas but can work from home a lot.

I wont have a car and would like to experience all NOVA and DC have to offer during the day so good public transport is a must.

Bars and nightlife not our top priority but would like to be somewhere we can make new friends (have no kids and dont attend church so those ways are out).

From what I understand Americans in general aren't big on walking places so no sidewalks in suburban areas but I do a lot of jogging so would need an area I could do that safely.

We would be renting a house hopefully (sorry i'm not sure what the American term for that is SFH? townhouse?) as in no one above and need oudoor space of some sort as we have cats.

Is that too much info? Does anyone have any recommendations?

[FindingZen]

From what others have shared here, Falls Church jumps out at me first. It would be a reasonable commute for your husband via I-66 and you would be able to take the Metro into Arlington and DC. I don't know enough about Falls Church to give you specific recommendations but I'm sure others here will. It will also help if you can tell us your preferred price range for renting.

[Poopy00]

Originally Posted by Tone509

It will also help if you can tell us your preferred price range for renting.

I'm not hugely bothered as the company will be paying for the first 6 months but probably between $1500 and £2k. Is that realistic?

[akorosdc]

How many bedrooms are you looking for? You could probably get a 1 bedroom place for about $1500, but a 2-bedroom will probably be over $2000 if it's near a metro station.

In general, you'd probably want to aim for N. Arlington, Falls Church, or things out in that area. I love Alexandria, but it's farther from Mannassas, so probably not good for you. People often mention the Clarendon, Courthouse, and Ballston areas in Arlington as being good areas. You could probably find something within your budget there.

[saganista]

Particularly with the bar/nightlife scene not such an important factor, I'd take points away from the Ballston Corridor and head further west. Manassas is a bit of a hike, even aginst the traffic. No sense prolonging the trek needlessly. No kids takes the schools factor out of the equation as well. Jogging makes one think first of the W&OD Trail, a 45-mile stretch of paved surface that is insanely popular with joggers, bikers, and roller-bladers. It runs adjacent to the East Falls Church Metro station, then right through the heart of Falls Church, out through Dunn Loring, and again through the middle of downtown Vienna. Housing prices near the East Falls Church Metro are pretty steep. Better at West Falls Church, but both the supply and prices get more reasonable at Dunn Loring and Vienna. The former will have more SFH's nearby, the latter more TH's. To me, an area like Dunn Loring Woods would sound close to ideal. Both it and neighboring Stonewall Manor are large neighborhoods of smaller, older (1960's) homes on smallish, wooded lots. Particularly the eastern half of those is within walking distance of both the W&OD Trail and the Dunn Loring Metro. You could even use the sidewalks that are found throughout all of both. They are convenient to all kinds of shopping, and via some traffic-free back roads, access to 66-West to reach Manassas (a speed-limit drive, even in the rush hour) is easy. Only problem there would be finding a place to rent. There are plenty of places for sale at the moment, but I'm not sure how common renting would be in that area. Pricewise, $1500-2000 may be a little on the low side, particularly the former, but I would think that there would be some nice stuff available starting at around the latter...

[slduvall]

One thing to consider is your cats. You stated that they needed to go outside. I used to live in the UK and I know that is how it is done there. But over here the tendancy is to keep them inside, it can be safer. If you live in one of the areas w/i walking distance of a metro you are looking at major vehicle traffic. I live in Kingstowne, and my street has about 80 Townhouses, and I only see one cat. And you will find plenty of people who like to walk, we choose this area because of access to walking paths and trails. Cheers and enjoy!

[saganista]

Ah, yes...good point re the cats. As they are wonderful and intriguing creatures, we have five at the moment, but even in a semi-rural area with plenty of what would once have been thought of as ideal turf for them to roam about and mark as their territory, they are indoor cats with the exception of adult-supervised outdoor adventure periods of an hour or so a few times per week, weather permitting. These are within a significant but still fenced area, all of which can be seen from one of two (appropriately appointed) human observer lookout stations. Despite this, we have had two females hit by cars and lost one of them, but cars are not the only concern. The other is coyotes which are present in the area in significant numbers, and while perhaps prefering rat to cat, will not hesitate to make a quick meal of Fluffy should the opportunity present itself. Coyotes are almost entirely nocturnal, so they are mostly a concern after dark and at pre-dawn hours. Though now remodeled out of existence, a former screen porch allowed us to put a cat door in an interior window. That gave them 24/7 access to a semblance of that other world while still providing them with protection. Our experience is that males adapt perfectly well to such conditions, as do about half of the females. The other half will be driven by some stronger call and these are apt to take any advantage at all toward finding a way over that fence. Such girls bear particular watching and are an impetus toward some regular brush clearing and branch pruning...

[Poopy00]

Thanks both.
I didnt know that about coyotes. My poor babies They will be having day time fun only!