job opportunity in near Dulles Int'l Airport...where to live?

[JD984]

I assume NoVa is closer to a beach, if not a lake, than El Paso, and there assuredly are ocean-front areas within a day's drive that are far less boisterous than Ocean City.

Given what I've read about what's been going on in Juarez lately, I'd be happy to relocate from that corner of Texas.

[Alicia Bradley]

There are numerous US locales with prettier lake beaches than NoVA, though. Once I saw that the OP was from NM, I deleted a line from my original post that mused something along the lines of "Wouldn't it be funny if the OP is from a place with prettier lake/river beaches than NoVA's?", since a lot of the replies were recommending lake (reservoir, in many cases)/river beaches as accessible/practicable alternatives to the Atlantic coast for beach-craving NoVAns. Not that there's anything wrong with enjoying NoVA's lovely lake and river beaches (if I drove, I'd be doing a lot more of that myself, actually - I absolutely adore the Appalachian Piedmont and the Blue Ridge Plateau), but the OP seemed to be excited about living in NoVA because it was on the (*swoooon*) "coast."

[Guamanians]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

There are numerous US locales with prettier lake beaches than NoVA, though. Once I saw that the OP was from NM, I deleted a line from my original post that mused something along the lines of "Wouldn't it be funny if the OP is from a place with prettier lake/river beaches than NoVA's?", since a lot of the replies were recommending lake (reservoir, in many cases)/river beaches as accessible/practicable alternatives to the Atlantic coast for beach-craving NoVAns. Not that there's anything wrong with enjoying NoVA's lovely lake and river beaches (if I drove, I'd be doing a lot more of that myself, actually - I absolutely adore the Appalachian Piedmont and the Blue Ridge Plateau), but the OP seemed to be excited about living in NoVA because it was on the (*swoooon*) "coast."

It's all relative... If you are landlocked in El Paso then a 3 hour drive isn't that far to drive to get to the ocean.

[tennisplyr]

Look in Brambleton like one comment, and also Ashburn is nice. But with a child, I would get a townhouse with a garage (don't say no to a garage) and rent is going to be $1700-$1900 range. Make sure you understand that Virginia has you pay state tax also and things are more expensive out here. I hope your husband got a good job offer that it is worth it.

[no1problemsolver]

I would suggest looking farther to the west (Clark County, VA), but if you don't mind the commute, (about 1 hr. plus), your best bet would be to settle down in Charles Town, WV, which is just across the VA line (along route 9), where housing values have fallen a lot. Actually, if you don't mind driving a little farther to Martinsburg, WV, you find find a home with everything you're looking for for less than $1,000 per month. In this market, you can purchase a home for less than $100k in that area. Route 9 moves fine, you just run into traffic once you hit Route 7 and the Greenway.