"Sweet spot" for a commute to Pentagon (Arlington: apartments, condo)

[Dinof16]

We will be moving to the area to work at the Pentagon. I have 3 major priorities: less than 30 minute commute, good schools (Fairfax county?) and a family-oriented neighborhood. We have been looking at Alexandria, but it seems very expensive. As we move towoards Springfield and Burke it gets better, but I worry about the commute. Is there a "sweet spot" to look for? We have set our limit at 500k. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. We move there in June. Thanks!

[dullnboring]

Unfortunately, there's no magical sweet spot that hasn't been discovered by the masses. Are you looking at 500K for a single-family home or would you be willing to spend that much on a townhome? Single-family homes are very expensive in the D.C. area, particularly in those areas within a 30 minute commute of Pentagon City.

I would say areas that fall within your commuting range would be Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Falls Church, DC, Bailey's Crossroads, and Seven Corners. If taking Metro, you could push it out towards Springfield, Vienna and Dunn Loring, but the thing with Metro is that you oftentimes have to live right by the Metro station for it to pan out time-wise, as oftentimes a commute TO the Metro station even if only five miles away, can take eons; and these homes located near Metro stations tend to be exponentially more expensive than those further away. You should be able to find townhomes in your price range pretty much anywhere (maybe a bit harder to find in Arlington, Alexandria and the city limits of Falls Church). Single-family homes, you'll have to expand your search, like you surmised, to places like Burke and Springfield, and even there, the majority of homes will be over 500K but you can still find some under that amount. I'm not sure how much the homes in Bailey's Crossroads and Seven Corners are going for, but it's chiefly full of apartments and not a very family-friendly area, so I wouldn't really recommend it.

I guess it's a bit of a mixed bag in that the cheaper locations are farther out, and the farther out and the better schools also either are located farther out or in incredibly pricey but close-in areas (McLean, North Arlington, etc.) so it's just about finding that perfect match. I think that Kingstowne (in Fairfax County, sort of in between Alexandria and Springfield) and Springfield probably come closest to that.

[VanDurr]

The "sweet Spot" is Lake Arbor, MD. That is if you are open to living in a great mix-race neighborhood.

Lake Arbor, Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yuo can commute via the subway to the Pentagon in less that 30 minutes. You are in walking distance to the subway and very good shopping. And you can purchase great homes within your stated range. But I am bias because I live here; but be open and brave enough to check it out.

[claremarie]

Unless you are willing to send your children to private schools (and certain that you can enroll them for this school year, which is no sure thing in the DC area), I would not recommend Lake Arbor. The Prince George's County school system is among the worst in the DC region, and would be THE worst but for the consistently abysmal performance of the DC system. Remember, if the homes are significantly more affordable there than for comparable homes in other communities within 30 minutes from the Pentagon, there is a reason for that.

[ashbrn4]

The only sweet spot for a commute to the Pentagon is living in the Pentagon itself :-). That said, try to stay in VA, Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna are probably the best commuting options due to Metro. PG county has the least desirable location for a variety of reasons, among them, crime, poor schools, drug and gangs, etc. There are posters on the MD section of this board that will tell you that PG is coming back. I don't buy it. I grew up there and it's a long way from what it was in the 70's. We had a typical, suburban, safe upbringing. That's not what it is now.

[platinum]

PG COUNTY IS HORRIBLE. I lived in Alexandria for 5 1/2 years. I personally love Kingstowne. Springfield metro is right down the street. No beltway action for you. 500k will get you a townhouse only. Very nice area. good luck!!!

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by platinum

PG COUNTY IS HORRIBLE. I lived in Alexandria for 5 1/2 years. I personally love Kingstowne. Springfield metro is right down the street. No beltway action for you. 500k will get you a townhouse only. Very nice area. good luck!!!

I'd stay in VA too, anything desirable in MD (howard charles and mont co.) will take you forever to get to the pentagon. I live in Alexandria City's west end, 500k may get you a really good 3 br condo or a small townhouse but we have the express buses that will get u to the pentagon within 20 min.

[Quinn-VA]

I lived in Kingstowne in Alexandria for 3+ yeras and loved it there. Very family oriented and beautiful with everything you could need around, but you only get a townhome there for your price range. It is really convenient though.

[VanDurr]

I will bet my $500000 house against any one of the people who offered a suggestion to you that they have never set foot in Lake Arbor, MD and they have absolutely no knowledge of the situation here concerning school, safety, and such. Any offers?

https://www.city-data.com/city/Lake-Arbor-Maryland.html

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by VanDurr

I will bet my $500000 house against any one of the people who offered a suggestion to you that they have never set foot in Lake Arbor, MD and they have absolutely no knowledge of the situation here concerning school, safety, and such. Any offers?

https://www.city-data.com/city/Lake-Arbor-Maryland.html

I ain't got 500k to ante up but i'll take your bet. Before i start i just want to say that i'm fan of Mitchellville, Bowie, Upper Marlboro, and Fort Washington but then again i'm already out of school. A co-worker lives in Upper Marlboro, so schools close to Upper marlboro right? Not so fast, got assigned to Suitland HS and from what she tells me it was not a pleasant experience. Another person on this board, went to PG schools moved across the bridge to Fairfax Co's Edison HS and struggling. You can put that on Fairfax Co. but it didn't help that she came out of PG county. And i have plenty of folks i know that can tell you some PG county stories (Greenbelt, Captiol Heights, District Heights, Oxon Hill). The stories may not be happening in Lake Arbor but with all this it's safe to say that better living options can be found with a job at the pentagon.