Questions about Alexandria (Arlington, Springfield, Mount Vernon: apartment complexes, rentals, house)

[vantagex]

I'm interviewing for a job that's located on Kingstowne Village Parkway. It's

an entry level position. Let's say I get the position. I recently graduated from

college and live in Pennsylvania. What is a good area to get an apartment

that would be easy to get from there to the workplace by walking or by bus?

Also what yearly salary would be good enough to survive in Alexandria, VA by

oneself?

[FindingZen]

Kingstowne itself would be a comfortable place to live if a little boring for a recent grad. You may be most attracted to the "Orange Line" area of Arlington, particularly the Clarendon and Ballston neighborhoods, but rents may be prohibitive without a roommate. As a guide, a decent 1BR apt in an "okay" neighborhood will probably run between $1100-1300.

Assuming you had no debt and don't choose an apt in a ultra-trendy neighborhood, $40-45K may be enough for you to get by. $50K - or a roommate - would improve your ability to entertain and/or socialize.

[CaliTerp07]

Pretty sure you could look at a map and figure out where you could walk from

For bus routes, check out Metro - Home page There are buses that run from the Springfield metro (end of the blue line) to Kingstowne--so living anywhere along the blue line would be feasible.

It really depends on what you're looking for in a place to live, but Kingstowne is a pretty quiet slice of suburbia. There are a ton of young families, a few big stores (Kohls, Walmart, Ross, grocery stores) and a bunch of chain restaurants. My office is located in the Kingstowne area as well, and as a fresh graduate I chose to live closer into the city because that's where all my friends were, so when we get together in the evening it's always in Arlington or DC. As I get older, I'm slowly starting to move out further, but it was really nice to be in the heart of everything when I was getting used to the area.

Are you not going to have a car? I would think that it would be pretty difficult to go car-less in Kingstowne.

[vantagex]

Thanks for your replies. I don't have a car at the moment. The only thing I would care about is getting from home to work easily. If I get the job, I can save up for a car.

Tone, what made you move from Philadelphia to Virginia? It's funny you mention the Orange line. There is something that reminds me of that where I'm from. Except in my case it's a subway route.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by vantagex

Thanks for your replies. I don't have a car at the moment. The only thing I would care about is getting from home to work easily. If I get the job, I can save up for a car.

Tone, what made you move from Philadelphia to Virginia? It's funny you mention the Orange line. There is something that reminds me of that where I'm from. Except in my case it's a subway route.

lol, the orange line is a subway route here too The popular part is the stretch that runs from Rosslyn through Ballston in Arlington, known as the "orange line corridor". If you look at the map on Metro - Home page you'll see the area.

If all you care about is getting from home to work easily, then I would find an apartment in Kingstowne. You'll be able to walk to work, and it's a safe neighborhood.

[CAVA1990]

Odd to call that "Alexandria" although i'm sure that's what appears in their mailing address. Seems more like "East Springfield". One of those "you can't get there from here" places from Mount Vernon since they closed the road through the base.

[vantagex]

Are there many apartment complexes or house rentals in that area?

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by vantagex

Are there many apartment complexes or house rentals in that area?

Check homesdatabase.com and input 22315 and you'll get the rentals.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Odd to call that "Alexandria" although i'm sure that's what appears in their mailing address. Seems more like "East Springfield". One of those "you can't get there from here" places from Mount Vernon since they closed the road through the base.

You have a good point about that although I guess we'd have to the talk to the realtors that market the place...or the county official that determined it.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by vantagex

Tone, what made you move from Philadelphia to Virginia? It's funny you mention the Orange line. There is something that reminds me of that where I'm from. Except in my case it's a subway route.

Basically I wanted to pursue what I felt were more plentiful job opportunities. Plus my then long-distance ladyfriend lived here. I've switched gigs but the lady hasn't kicked me to the curb yet. :P

Are you from Philly as well? If so, I know the "Orange Line" that you're thinking of.

Also meant to say that if you do indeed move to Kingstowne, you may want to set aside weekend cabfare for getting home from the Metro late nights. You will definitely want to escape the neighborhood on your weekend nights off and buses will only run so late.