95, 66 or 7?? (Burke, Dale City, Centreville: real estate, houses, school district)

[brymax]

I appreciate all the feedback I rec'd. the last time I asked about possible areas to live and I hate asking what feels like the same question by me and so many others but moving your whole family clear across the country is a big deal and worth a lot of questions. Especially when you're a born and raised So Cal boy.

HR has approved my move and said it's down to 2 time frames:
May/June when my project in LA is done or,
"How fast can you pack up your family and get out here?"

I'll know in a few days.

So to the point;
Up to this point I've considered only 2 options;
Areas around Sterling & Leesburg up around the 7,
Areas around Fairfax & Chantilly near 66.

But what about Woodbridge, Dale City & Dumfries?
It appears to be about the same distance into the district and looks like there's a little bit more highway options to get in and/or around the DC area with 95 being the primary way in.

So what's 95 like for getting into DC in comparison to 66 and the 7?

Houses look a little cheaper and very nice down around Woodbridge, no?

[stuntmonkey]

So you are working in DC itself?

95 is just awful during rush hour. And, IMO, the schools aren't as good in the Woodbridge area of Prince William County as they are in the areas of Fairfax or Loudoun you are talking about.

66 isn't any fun, either, but if you live in the Fairfax are you have the option of the Vienna metro station or if you live in the Burke are, you have the option of the VRE or the Springfield metro station.

If you go with Loudoun, at least you will have easy access to the metro in several years. And for now, the toll road is expensive, but I'd much rather drive the toll road into DC than 95.

If my husband or I had to work in DC itself, I'd be looking at the Burke area to live. Great schools, a few commuting options, and a nice area in general. Expensive, though...

[car54]

I think the worst storm was '66

Oh wait, you're asking about roads?...nevermind

[mdcrim]

I prefer Route 7/ toll road over both 66 and 95. Yes, it costs money and yes, it's not free of traffic, but it's NOTHING like the traffic on 66 and 95.

[brymax]

Originally Posted by stuntmonkey

So you are working in DC itself?

95 is just awful during rush hour. And, IMO, the schools aren't as good in the Woodbridge area of Prince William County as they are in the areas of Fairfax or Loudoun you are talking about.

If my husband or I had to work in DC itself, I'd be looking at the Burke area to live. Great schools, a few commuting options, and a nice area in general. Expensive, though...

That's what I like about this forum... Direct answers.

I asked my realtor out there about these areas and he gave me a very politically correct answer about schools and a link to national school district comparison charts.

Hey, any-o-yall plan to move here to Cali DO NOT put your kids in the LA Unified School District! All the schools in the LAUSD suck and your kids will not get a good education!

That, my friends is how you give your opinion and advice on a school district.

Yeah I work for Clark so yes I work in DC. In it, around it, under it... We practically built DC. Traveling into DC very early and coming out @ 4-5pm.

If the schools suck down south I may just have to stick with Loudoun.

[brymax]

What school district is Lake Ridge in?

Is that worth considering with a 4yr old soon to be in the system?

[bmwguydc]

You don't have to take I-66, either from parts of Fairfax as sometimes Route 50 can be faster, though you might have an off-peak morning commute. If so, Fairfax would be an issue in the afternoon traffic. I would recommend looking to West Springfield over Chantilly, at a similar price point, because Chantilly limits the commute options significantly. With West Springfield, you can take Braddock Road to The Beltway, or you can get on I-95 in Springfield to get to the District or Maryland. Also, you can avoid the troublesome spots on The Beltway with side streets if you need to get to McLean. It would only be a few minutes more than you would have for a Fairfax commute and the schools are good, too.

One thing to remember with the Toll Road or Beltway to I-66 is that you need to clear the portion on I-66 inside The Beltway before the HOV lanes go into effect. The entire highway inbound from The Beltway to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge becomes a HOV-2 roadway at 6:30am, lasting until 9am. In the afternoon, outbound is HOV-2 to The Beltway from 4-6:30. Enforcement has been stepped up recently and the first time you only get a $125 ticket. That doubles until it reaches $1,000 with each subsequent offense, and those also give you 3 points on your license.

On 66 outside The Beltway and on the Dulles Toll Road, only the far left lane is an HOV lane during specified hours. I-95/395 has a separate, reversible lane HOV roadway that runs between regular north and southbound lanes.

Regarding the schools, remember that real estate agents are not allowed to steer based upon schools, so your agent did what is legally allowed in their professional capacity. Basically, generic information is allowed, but anything else should come directly from the school board. It's fine for you to tell them you want a specific school district, but they may not tell you that's where you should be looking. There are good schools in Loudoun, Fairfax, and West Springfield.

[brymax]

West Springfield is where my brother-in-law keeps pushing me on. And if a cop recommends the area it must be good.

I do like the idea of being very much in the middle considering I have no guarantees on work locations from 1 year to the next. Most large scale projects like we do will range from 1 year to maybe 3 at the most.

[normie]

Of those choices, I'd go for eastern Loudoun, but not Leesburg. Also, most of Fairfax County, but not Chantilly.

[ChristineVA]

I live in Woodbridge, have tons of friends in Chantilly/Centreville, and only know a few people who use Rt. 7.

I know this can be a heated debate but listening to my friends commute on 66, they have it way worse than me (on 95). We have our rough days on 95, but they seem to get it daily. It didn't use to be this way. 95 was always the worst, then 66. 95 has had a lot of improvements over the years and is MUCH improved since I started using it 15 years ago. 66 has gotten nothing but worse.

I agree with the suggestion for West Springfield. I also have a number friends in that area and they all have a very good commute.