Moving to the DC area with toddler and puppy.. suggestions? (Arlington: townhomes, safe area)

[AngMar01]

Hello and thanks in advance for reading my post. My husband and I plan to relocate to the DC area with our toddler, and 10 month old puppy. We love Arlington and Alexandria, but have had a bit of "sticker shock". Cameron Station seems to be a nice little community, very kid and dog-friendly, but it doesn't seem to be the most convenient location to DC. My husband will also be working in the Bethesda area, so commuting convenience is key. We will probably be spending in the $650-$750k range. Any other advice for neighborhoods/areas is much appreciated. We also looked at Vienna, which is nice but seems a bit commercialized, and McLean, which is nice but doesn't seem to have much of a downtown area. Biggest keys are convenience to the metro, nice/newer townhomes or sfh with an area or park nearby to walk our dog, and it must be a safe area. A big plus is a community that attract younger families. We are VERY new to the area, so our insight could be totally off.. which is why I'm here! thanks in advance

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by AngMar01

My husband will also be working in the Bethesda area, so commuting convenience is key. We will probably be spending in the $650-$750k range.

Please look closely at Maryland - Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, Kensington, or Silver Spring. It will be much better for your family (and the area as a whole) if your husband doesn't have to commute across the American Legion Bridge.

[Ashburnite]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

Please look closely at Maryland - Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, Kensington, or Silver Spring. It will be much better for your family (and the area as a whole) if your husband doesn't have to commute across the American Legion Bridge.

I second that. I love Virginia, but if your husband will be working in Bethesda and convenience to work is important to you, stick with the Maryland suburbs with Metro access.

[FindingZen]

As much I would like to promote NOVA, I'd have to "third" the sentiments of the previous two posters that there are MD suburbs that would be more convenient to Bethesda with communities in your price range.

Is there a reason you're choosing to live in VA instead of MD?

[AngMar01]

Thanks! He will actually be commuting between downtown DC, Vienna and the Bethesda areas, DC being his main hq.. I hear commuting in DC can be a bear!

[AngMar01]

Thanks Tone509, we are very new to the area, friends have just recommended the Arlington and Alexandria areas, but we're not ruling anything out at this point. My husband's job will be housed in downtown DC, Bethesda, and Vienna, so we're hoping for something somewhat convenient for those locations, which may be very difficult to find!!

[FindingZen]

Ah well that makes sense. Alexandria and Arlington would be the most central location to all of your husbands' job sites.

Take a look at the Del Ray section of Alexandria. Its Mt. Vernon Avenue is a neat "main street" and you just might find some SFHs there, albeit smaller and older. It's definitely popular with young families who want to maintain a sense of "hipness".

[AngMar01]

Wonderful...Thanks a bunch

[Ashburnite]

I think the key here is to find a place close to good public transportation for him. Are the Vienna and Bethesda office locations close to a Metro station? If not and he'd still need to use a car, then Metro access is less of a concern.

[michgc]

Falls Church seems like it would be a good option as well. I commuted from there to Rockville, which is farther than Bethesda, and it wasn't too bad. The commute to Vienna would be a piece of cake. And the commute to DC wouldn't be bad either. Alexandria to both Bethesda and Vienna seem a bit far to me, but then again, I am not too familiar with Alexandria. Just my 2 cents.