what neighborhoods in nova have the easiest commute to DC and great schools rop (Arlington: houses, to buy)

[Blanca29]

We're in Vienna now and the commute is killing me, especially with a small baby at home. Thanks in advance.

[ChristineVA]

No help here. I actually thought Vienna was one of them!

[Bigfoot424]

You think you have it bad you should move to Manassas or Stafford. You'll love the commute from Vienna. You want a shorter commute you can move inside the beltway to Arlington or Alexandria.

[claremarie]

To move closer in and keep a great school pyramid, you can look in the City of Falls Church, McLean, or Arlington. In all three places, you will most likely get less house for the money that you have in Vienna. In Falls Church and Arlington, you may be able to take Metro into DC, but it can be difficult to find parking at most of those stops, so unless you leave for work very early, or have someone who can drop you off, you'll either have to walk or take a bus to the station. You should factor that into your commute time -- when I lived in North Arlington near the EFC station, the commute to Vermont & K took 50 minutes door to door. Most people who live in McLean drive in to DC, but certain parts of McLean are fairly close to the Falls Church Metro stations if you prefer not to drive.

[Caladium]

Difficult question, since we don't know what would be a good commute for you. Since you already live here why don't you tell us what neighborhoods you'd consider to be an easy commute from your job, and we will tell you how good they are.

[Blanca29]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Difficult question, since we don't know what would be a good commute for you. Since you already live here why don't you tell us what neighborhoods you'd consider to be an easy commute from your job, and we will tell you how good they are.

We haven't done any research re: the neighborhoods.

My job is in walking distance from the red line in downtown, and 99% of my coworkers live in MD or DC. Everybody at work advised me to 1) move to Bethesda or 2) move to DC and put the child in private school. I'd rather stay in VA for education reasons.

Ideally, we're looking for a max commute of 30 minutes via car and/or metro in a community with great schools. I'm working 10 to 12-hour days and need another 2+ to commute now.

Space is not an issue - I grew up abroad in a big congested city and we have just one child. Quality of life is more important than space.

Any neighborhood suggestions?

[JD984]

10-12 hour days at work with a long commute and a baby at home? Yikes. No wonder you're stressed. Are you sure a move closer to downtown is really going to make life that much easier?

In any event, I think you probably know the answer to your question. Most of the places that would meet your requirements will be in North Arlington (Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor, Glebe, ASF, Key ES districts). A rush-hour commute to DC from McLean can still easily take 45 minutes, so I'd stay out of Fairfax and even the Tuckahoe ES area of Arlington entirely.

Or you could move to DC or Bethesda now and reconsider where you want to be in a few years when your child is actually ready to enter school.

[CaliTerp07]

There are some REALLY good schools in Montgomery county on the red line, so don't discount Maryland on the basis of schools.

30 minutes isn't going to get you from VA to the red line on the metro with driving to the station, parking and switching lines, unfortunately. I feel for you...I did 12+ hour days for a year, and it was brutal. The good news is the traffic at 11:00 at night is nonexistent...

[FindingZen]

This may go without saying, but if you currently live in a SFH in Vienna, you may be fortunate to find a TH in comparable neigborhoods closer in.

With that said, if you can possibly stretch that commute out to 40-45 minutes, you may find some options in Alexandria. There are a number of "cute" bungalows in the southern portion of the Del Ray near the King Street station. It would be an easy ride on the Yellow Line (or Blue if the mood strikes you) with a quick connection at Gallery Place to the Red Line.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Tone509

This may go without saying, but if you currently live in a SFH in Vienna, you may be fortunate to find a TH in comparable neigborhoods closer in.

Tone - That might be the case for people who currently can only afford an older home in, say, Vienna Woods in the Town of Vienna. But there are certainly plenty of people in both the Town of Vienna and the surrounding neighborhoods in the county with Vienna addresses who could sell their homes and still easily afford a smaller SFH in McLean or Arlington, or a similar house in most of Alexandria (excluding places like Old Town). People don't always decide to buy houses in Vienna or, for that matter, many Loudoun neighborhoods because they are priced out of McLean or Arlington. Many value the other amenities those communities provide, although a short commute to DC by car is not one of them.