Alexandria VA where is affordable housing?

[slowlane]

Congress Heights is a very ghetto part of southeast Washington D.C. and the name of a Metrorail stop. It has long been one of the most dangerous and very worst parts of D.C.

Metropolitan D.C. and Northern Virginia in general is an extremely competitive area because of the many high-paying jobs, full employment situation, and highly-educated population which drives up housing prices. The soon-to-be relocation of thousands of military jobs to both Fort Belvoir and Alexandria, will only create higher housing demand and an absolute traffic nightmare.

I live near Waldorf-St. Charles and many people there do commute daily to Alexandria. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge (Beltway Potomac Bridge) traffic moves much better now since it was widened in 2008 with more lanes which eliminated the terrible daily traffic gridlock that used to be there every day previously. But you will still have very heavy traffic anywhere you live. Waldorf-St. Charles has a wide variety of housing, a 2-level Mall, average-rated public schools, many Air Force families, and a population mix about half white and half black.

Having lived in the area for many decades, I would say Waldorf-St. Charles is very similar and comparable to the Woodbridge, Va. area as far as the community's age, wide variety of housing styles, housing costs, school quality, the military presence, and racial/socio-economic makeup of both places being similar to each other. Woodbridge probably has more Asians and Hispanics than Waldorf does.

One thing to keep in mind about Alexandria, Va. is that its mailing address covers a very wide expansive area. Some places can be called Alexandria but actually be far to the South of the city toward Mount Vernon (which doesn't always mean they're any better or quieter, as some of the Mount Vernon areas are a very mixed bag too).

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by Jesco White

Woodbridge or public housing. Pretty depressing options in Old Town unless you're a 200k plus person and can afford private schooling...

Not trying to be offensive, just realistic. The public schools in alexandria suck big time (compared to the rest of NoVa), and you can either live in a ghetto hell hole or pay 800k for a small townhome downtown..

I'm as upset as you...

Responding to an old post, but I dislike having this misperception hanging out there without putting in my two cents:

First off, Alexandria City is not merely Old Town.

Townhouses and duplexes can be bought in Del Ray, Rosemont, and other parts of the city for a little under $500,000. Still a lot of money, but not nearly $800,000, and certainly not a "ghetto hell hole."

Or even a detached house in another neighborhood that seems to get overlooked: 151 MONCURE DR, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 - HomesDatabase

I realize this isn't "affordable housing" for many people. A lot of my neighbors are dual-income, or doctors, lawyers, or upper management. Outside of government-assisted housing, the less expensive parts of Alexandria City are in the West End (going up Duke Street).

I'm enjoying Alexandria on under $100,000, and my kids and other bright kids in the neighborhood are doing well in public school. The Alexandria schools don't suck in and of themselves. Good students can get a good education in ACPS, and my experience with school staff allows me to sing their praises.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

Responding to an old post, but I dislike having this misperception hanging out there without putting in my two cents:

First off, Alexandria City is not merely Old Town.

Townhouses and duplexes can be bought in Del Ray, Rosemont, and other parts of the city for a little under $500,000. Still a lot of money, but not nearly $800,000, and certainly not a "ghetto hell hole."

Or even a detached house in another neighborhood that seems to get overlooked: 151 MONCURE DR, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 - HomesDatabase

I realize this isn't "affordable housing" for many people. A lot of my neighbors are dual-income, or doctors, lawyers, or upper management. Outside of government-assisted housing, the less expensive parts of Alexandria City are in the West End (going up Duke Street).

I'm enjoying Alexandria on under $100,000, and my kids and other bright kids in the neighborhood are doing well in public school. The Alexandria schools don't suck in and of themselves. Good students can get a good education in ACPS, and my experience with school staff allows me to sing their praises.

Good post.

The thing is, people write "I am looking for affordable housing" and never specify what they consider to be affordable. What is affordable to one person may not be to another. $400k might be affordable to me, but someone else might think up to $600k is affordable and so on...it's all relative.