ISO Opinions on Commute from Lowes Island to Inova Fairfax Hosp in Falls Church (Springfield: to rent)

[mommyonthego]

My family and I are looking into relocating to NOVA sometime this year. I've read quite a bit here and have spoken with a realtor. The realtor has indicated that Lowes Island would be a great area (schools, community, more home for the $, etc.), which I don't doubt, but I'm concerned that the commute to Falls Church could be awful. We're looking at areas closer in as well, but I just want to get some thoughts on commute time for someone working M-F from 8ish to 5ish to determine if we should rule out Lowes Island based on commute alone.

Thanks in advance!

[JD984]

Originally Posted by mommyonthego

My family and I are looking into relocating to NOVA sometime this year. I've read quite a bit here and have spoken with a realtor. The realtor has indicated that Lowes Island would be a great area (schools, community, more home for the $, etc.), which I don't doubt, but I'm concerned that the commute to Falls Church could be awful. We're looking at areas closer in as well, but I just want to get some thoughts on commute time for someone working M-F from 8ish to 5ish to determine if we should rule out Lowes Island based on commute alone.

Thanks in advance!

Google Maps suggests this would be a 35-45 minute commute, but hopefully another poster will have first-hand experience with the drive.

FWIW, you'd be commuting a bit earlier than the normal rush hour and would have about a 23-mile trip each way. If you can spend the money on the Dulles Toll Road, I think the easiest commute would be to take Algonquin Parkway (which turns into Route 7100/Fairfax County Parkway) to the Dulles Toll Road, and then take the Toll Road to 495 (Capital Beltway), and 495 to Gallows Road.

If you're not willing to spend the money on the Dulles Toll Road, I think it could be quite a slog. If you can afford the Toll Road fare, I think it's worth considering if you like the area and feel you'd get more for your money than what you'd get living closer to the hospital.

Good luck.

[ShannonMilligan]

I had a job offer once in Falls Church so I drove from Falls Church to Ashburn at 5PM one day to see what the drive would be. It took me 1 1/2 hours to get home. That was from Loehman's Plaza area in Falls Church. I live in Ashburn so you could knock off about 15 minutes. Maybe I had just hit a bad day, but I didn't take the job, lol!

Good luck! There are so many options for living in Nova so I am sure you will be good. Lowes Island is lovely though!

[mommyonthego]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Google Maps suggests this would be a 35-45 minute commute, but hopefully another poster will have first-hand experience with the drive.

FWIW, you'd be commuting a bit earlier than the normal rush hour and would have about a 23-mile trip each way. If you can spend the money on the Dulles Toll Road, I think the easiest commute would be to take Algonquin Parkway (which turns into Route 7100/Fairfax County Parkway) to the Dulles Toll Road, and then take the Toll Road to 495 (Capital Beltway), and 495 to Gallows Road.

If you're not willing to spend the money on the Dulles Toll Road, I think it could be quite a slog. If you can afford the Toll Road fare, I think it's worth considering if you like the area and feel you'd get more for your money than what you'd get living closer to the hospital.

Good luck.

hmm, I'm don't recall how much the toll is although I'm sure I've read about it.

We'll be taking a trip out there to check out various areas and aren't ruling out Lowes Island at this point, but it does sound a bit further and thus longer than I'd like. Not sure if I could do that commute on a daily basis.

thanks for the information

[mommyonthego]

Originally Posted by twinmma

I had a job offer once in Falls Church so I drove from Falls Church to Ashburn at 5PM one day to see what the drive would be. It took me 1 1/2 hours to get home. That was from Loehman's Plaza area in Falls Church. I live in Ashburn so you could knock off about 15 minutes. Maybe I had just hit a bad day, but I didn't take the job, lol!

Good luck! There are so many options for living in Nova so I am sure you will be good. Lowes Island is lovely though!

Ugh, that's what I was afraid of. I know many are willing to do longer commutes, but I just can't. I have a long commute now -- we're still in CA -- and I told my husband that I will not do it again even if it means we live in a smaller, older home.

thanks for the reply.

[ShannonMilligan]

It's not that far in terms of distance, its the traffic that we battle here in this area. Good luck!

[Fleur~de~lis]

We relo'd to NoVA last fall & settled in Lowes Island. My DH works in Springfield & takes Fairfax Cty Pkwy all the way (I'm still getting familiar w/the area, so not sure if you can take it to your work destination). We moved specifically to LI because of the schools and are very happy w/our decision, as LIES is one of the top elem. schools in the area. My DH doesn't really mind the commute - finding the right school for our DS was his top priority. We love the neighborhood & the close proximity to parks & decent shopping at Dulles Town Ctr. It's easy to hit the major freeways from either end of Algonkian Pkwy.
We went back & forth between LI & Ashburn and finally decided on LI, mainly b/c of the schools. My DS loves to go to Ashburn, however, b/c of the "newness" - it reminds him/us of our old home in TX . We also considered Dominion Valley in Haymarket, but in the end, it was just too far out there for us - we wanted to be closer to DC (DH loves the museums & visits them often). I know what you're going thru trying to find the right place to live - there are so many good options. The best advice most everyone gave us was to rent before buying - you want to be certain your work commute/life balances before settling permanently. Good luck w/your move!