Cheaper version of Old Town Alexandria (Leesburg, Lawrenceville: homes, neighborhood, high school)

[JD984]

I wonder if they ever try to keep up with the Jones in Winchester? It does look like they named a street after them.

1950 Jones Rd, Winchester, VA, 22602 - MLS #FV7028288 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com®

[yamota]

You could try Old Town Fairfax just down rt. 236 from Old Town Alexandria

[fiskkm]

Thanks for the help thus far. We are in the DC area right now, but my job really allows me to go almost anywhere there is a decent-sized city. We don't really need to be close to the water, but I would like to be within reach of an international airport, cultural and museum options, decent shopping, and either a college or a professional sports franchise. I also don't want a long commute as I want to spend more time with my family. So, places like Winchester don't seem like a great fit for me. I went to Fredericksburg last weekend and enjoyed it, but decided it was a bit too small and that it lacked some of the things I like about Old Town. Places like Annapolis, Baltimore, Chapel Hill or Raleigh NC, and Charleston SC are all solid options and Charlottesville, VA might be. I have to get out there and see if it is too small for my tastes.

[MacUser85]

I think folks have brought up some good alternatives for Old Town Alexandria, but there are some things about Old Town's location that are hard to beat:

-Two Metro stops
-Very close to DC and Arlington
-Beautiful riverfront
-Great bike trails
-Great restaurants

These things are what I believe is unique to Old Town and hard to find in maybe Leesburg or Winchester. Old Town is great and part of what makes it great is that there are so many other places not in Old Town that you can go to that are nearby. If you are in Annapolis, that's it for the general vicinity. But if you're in Old Town, a night out in Clarendon or Georgetown is very easy.

I really recommend Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. I've made several visits there and each city in the Triangle seems to have 1-2 walkable, restaurant districts like Clarendon here. Raleigh has Glenwood South and DT Raleigh, Durham has 9th Street and Chapel Hill has Franklin Street. Great sports, southern hospitality, a consistently top-rated area for most desirable things in life, etc. And if you have kids......one day's drive to WDW!

[bmwguydc]

With no traffic, Winchester is more like an hour and forty minutes to Georgetown, so during rush hour over two hours is not out of the realm of possibility to get downtown. In fact, the Valley Connector bus leaves Winchester at 6:00 am and gets to Rosslyn at 7:30, using I-66 HOV lanes, which a lone driver could not do.
_____________

Another area to consider in the Baltimore area is Catonsville, which is only about 15 minutes from downtown, has the UMBC campus in town, and proximity to Baltimore. The schools are Baltimore County, and are pretty good, though the sought-after districts tend to be in Howard County in that area.

Another area that might be worth looking into, though it's a smaller community, is Madison, CT. It's only 20-25 minutes away from New Haven, so you would have sports, an airport, etc. The town is situated on Long Island Sound and has a large state park on the water. The schools are top-notch, but that comes with the bane of New England, extraordinarily high taxes. Property taxes are not as bad as some other states, but they're higher than the DC area. And, the area is more spread out than Old Town, so it might not be what you're seeking, since you'd be in a single-family home community at your price point.

I can think of a few areas in the immediate NYC Metro, but they're going to be very high cost, compared to Old Town. I wonder if Princeton, NJ might not be a bad fit, even if you were in a single-family home because you have the universities, and Philadelphia/NYC within a reasonable distance.

[Nebat]

All these suggestions are good. I also would suggest Richmond's fan district, which includes Carytown, and the Museum district, and several parks like Maymont. Also VCU is in this area. A very walkable place! Richmond is like a smaller Baltimore or Philadelphia, meaning it's a old grungy city with some really cool historic neighborhoods. And Richmond is just 90 miles or so from DC. And it is centrally located on the east coast in general. You could be in any major city from Miami to Boston in a day.

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

My wife and I are currently on assignment in the DC area with the federal government. We decided to live in Old Town Alexandria and they pretty much pay our rent during the assignment. But, it is only for 18 months and we have decided that we absolutely LOVE this place and would like to move here permanently. However, I don't think we can afford it. It is expensive here and our house in the Phoenix area has been crushed in the housing crisis.

Here is what we are looking for: $400-450K, something with a small backyard, 3 bedrooms, and at least 1500 sq ft. We want to be in a place like Old Town that is high on charm, is very walkable, and still has the things a real city can offer. We also have a daughter who is 3 months old and are planning to have another child in a couple years. So, schools are important.

My question is, do you know of anywhere in the DC that is basically a cheaper version of Old Town? Or, since we can move pretty much anywhere in the country, do you know of a place like Old Town anywhere on the eastern sea board? We loved Annapolis, and it pretty much fits our requirements, so that is one place that we are considering. Any other ideas? Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

I think the following areas would fit your criteria:

Old Town Leesburg, Va.

Ellicott City, Md.

Frederick, Md.

Winchester, Va.

Fredericksburg, Va.

Charlottesville, Va.

Staunton ,Va.

[EricD]

Fredericksburg Virginia might work, though it's a bit smaller than Alexandria. You can take the VRE train from the Fredericksburg station into DC. It's a little over an hour's ride, but if you buy the right house, you might be able to walk to/from the station.

[templeu]

I spent 5 years in DC metro and loved Old Town Alexandria. Did not much love the price tag and traffic associated with living in the area though. I second the recommendation to look at Haddonfield. Also, Collingswood has a hip vibe to it. Haddon Ave was just named one of the top 10 streets in America: Great Places in America: Streets You could most definitely find something in your price range there. Have access to downtown Phila within 15 minutes via a highspeed line, be in DC in 2.5 hours and NYC in about 2 hours.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by templeu

I spent 5 years in DC metro and loved Old Town Alexandria. Did not much love the price tag and traffic associated with living in the area though. I second the recommendation to look at Haddonfield. Also, Collingswood has a hip vibe to it. Haddon Ave was just named one of the top 10 streets in America: Great Places in America: Streets You could most definitely find something in your price range there. Have access to downtown Phila within 15 minutes via a highspeed line, be in DC in 2.5 hours and NYC in about 2 hours.

As a former Philly-area resident, I can certainly appreciate the virtues of Haddonfield and Collingswood. But unless you're Joe Biden (who used to famously commute daily to and from DE as Senator), that would be a rather extreme trek to work in DC.