Moving to Northern VA (Vienna Area) (Arlington, Alexandria: 2013, apartments, rentals)

[SusieQ321]

I am looking at taking a new job located in the Vienna area and was wondering where some of the best places to live are.

I am a professional who isn't looking to buy but rent and would like something that is reasonably priced, safe, and comfortable. I am in my late 30's and would like to be in a city like area with things do. I own a car so parking is a an issue for me and have no problem driving on my commute or taking transit. Schools aren't an issue for me it is all about being in a place I will enjoy and feel safe without spending everything I am making on housing.

Any advice is welcome
Thank you
Susie

[Stephen 81]

I think a few more pieces of information will help us give you a better picture of what to recommend.

What do you consider reasonably priced? Is $1500 for a one bedroom too much? A townhouse for $2200? At or slightly below those price points you could find a place in a city-like (but not technically urban) location like Arlington or Alexandria. Arlington would involve a shorter commute than Alexandria, but tends to have a lot more twentysomethings. The City of Falls Church is also a good option, but is not as dense as the other places I mentioned.

What's the most amount of time you'd be willing to spend commuting on a given day? I think you might prefer some neighborhoods in upper NW DC to any places in VA, but the commute to Vienna will be longer than it would in Arlington.

Finally, do you know if you'll be working in the Town of Vienna (22180) or in the part of Tysons Corner with a Vienna mailing address? I ask, even though the two places are only a few miles apart, because the roads involved are slightly different, and one of them has Metro right now whereas the other won't until 2013.

Unfortunately, unless you are coming from California or NYC (or Hawaii, from what I hear), prepare yourself for some sticker shock.

[SusieQ321]

Thanks for your response.

I am moving from Toronto area. I would prefer a place with things to do and enjoy, local restaurants and not chain food heaven, something hopefully where from home I could walk to a local pub. As I mentioned safety is a consideration for me since I would prefer to live alone but willing to consider a room mate in the right conditions. I would prefer a place where the crowd is a little closer to my age which is late 30's rather than a bunch of 21 year olds going out and partying is not the top of my list but enjoying life is.

I am maintaining my house in Toronto so I would prefer to pay less rather than more and I do not need a ton of space since my furnished house will remain in Toronto and this will be a new place in addition and it is only me without pets. I am hoping to pay less than 1500 per month but I understand that may not be possible.

The commute is something I have been considering the round trip in Toronto is about 3-4 hours in regular traffic with 6-10 lanes of road space going east and another 6 to 10 lanes going west to Downtown. I was thinking I might not mind a reverse commute living closer to DC and heading to Vienna and it might be shorter. I would like to try and keep my commute to less than an hour one way if possible.

The office is located in the 22182 zip which puts it in Vienna as far as I know. I have just started my research on the area for housing etc. Thanks for your tips

[bmwguydc]

You might like the Town of Vienna itself. Your office is likely going to be in Tysons Corner, which has a Vienna zip code, but is in Fairfax County, not the Town of Vienna. In Vienna, there are condominiums, townhouses, and single-family homes and it's not a 20-something locale. There are many families in the area, attracted by good schools, and a relatively easy commute -- the Vienna/Fairfax Orange Line Metro Station is the end of the line, so getting into DC is a breeze if you want to take transit.

The City of Falls Church would also be a consideration, and it attracts many of the same people that you would find in Vienna, and is to the east of Tysons Corner, so your commute would be pretty easy by car, using Route 7. You would not want to be in the Falls Church zip code as this area extends to the east around Bailey's Crossroads and the traffic can be heavy just to get to Tysons Corner, which is only a few miles away.

I would also look at Fairfax, but the area you describe would be the City of Fairfax, since it has a downtown with a few local restaurants, and a couple of chains like Panera in the downtown core. You would want to be in the City of Fairfax, most likely, to have the town atmosphere.

I would also check out McLean, though sometimes apartments are not within walking distance of the downtown area, which is off Old Dominion & Chain Bridge Road. It's a short drive, however, from Tysons Corner and from much of the McLean area where there are apartments to get to the downtown. There are some apartments near The Galleria and Tysons Corner Mall, and there is a pub in Tysons I on the lower level, but it's not a neighborhood-style place.

[Stephen 81]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

You might like the Town of Vienna itself. Your office is likely going to be in Tysons Corner, which has a Vienna zip code, but is in Fairfax County, not the Town of Vienna. In Vienna, there are condominiums, townhouses, and single-family homes and it's not a 20-something locale. There are many families in the area, attracted by good schools, and a relatively easy commute -- the Vienna/Fairfax Orange Line Metro Station is the end of the line, so getting into DC is a breeze if you want to take transit.

The City of Falls Church would also be a consideration, and it attracts many of the same people that you would find in Vienna, and is to the east of Tysons Corner, so your commute would be pretty easy by car, using Route 7. You would not want to be in the Falls Church zip code as this area extends to the east around Bailey's Crossroads and the traffic can be heavy just to get to Tysons Corner, which is only a few miles away.

I would also look at Fairfax, but the area you describe would be the City of Fairfax, since it has a downtown with a few local restaurants, and a couple of chains like Panera in the downtown core. You would want to be in the City of Fairfax, most likely, to have the town atmosphere.

I would also check out McLean, though sometimes apartments are not within walking distance of the downtown area, which is off Old Dominion & Chain Bridge Road. It's a short drive, however, from Tysons Corner and from much of the McLean area where there are apartments to get to the downtown. There are some apartments near The Galleria and Tysons Corner Mall, and there is a pub in Tysons I on the lower level, but it's not a neighborhood-style place.

Yeah, these areas all minimize your commute, and are not filled with partying 21 year olds.

They're not very city-like, however, so if you want to live in a place where you can walk to restaurants, bars and shops, but not have to deal with 21 year olds, I'd suggest the City of Alexandria. Neighborhoods like Old Town, Del Ray (or generally anything in the eastern half of the city) have a lot of independent stores, lots of people in their 30's, are convenient to mass transit, etc. Since you'd be driving to work, you wouldn't necessarily have to be within walking distance of the Metro, which would save you money. Plus Alexandria is very close to National Airport, which has several direct flights to Toronto daily.

I'm not an Alexandria expert, but I'm reasonably sure you can get to Tysons from Alexandria in less than hour, even during rush hour.

[JD984]

With respect to Falls Church - the zip code for the City of Falls Church is 22046. You could also be in some county neighborhoods in West Falls Church (22043) that are within walking disance to the little City of Falls Church and a short drive to Tysons/Vienna (22182). However, as the PP indicated, there are also parts of the county with Falls Church mailing addresses (22044, 22041) that aren't such an easy commute to Tysons/Vienna because of all the west-bound traffic on Route 7 (Leesburg Pike).

There aren't a lot of apartment buildings in McLean, period, but there are townhouse complexes near the center of McLean (off of Old Dominion/Chain Bridge). Not sure what 1 BR rentals command there. The center of McLean is certainly walkable - but it's functional stuff, and not really appealing to someone looking for an urban town center with a local pub, or an active night life, etc.

If you can stomach the longer commute, I'd definitely consider Old Town Alexandria, where there are lots of shops and restaurants and 1 BR apartments, and the demographic tends to be a bit older than the Orange Line corredor in Arlington, while still including a lot of single folks in their 30s.

[athousandlogins]

I agree with the recommendations of Del Ray or Old Town Alexandria for your situation. It should have what you are looking for. I don't know for sure what the commute would be like, though, but I think it can be done inside an hour.