Need advice on good neighborhoods/commute from Alexandria, VA to a city in MD (Waldorf: sales)

[movingeast00]

Never lived on the east coast before, but looking for a nice area with a decent commute to Alexandria, VA. Want to stay in Maryland and central to other cities for job options for spouse. Good parks, restaurants and people are always a plus!

[J_Lurk]

I don't think there is any "decent" commute from anywhere in Maryland to Alexandria except maybe the areas right around Andrews Air Force base, but you'd have to define decent. 30 minutes? 60? 90? Commuting by car or by metro? What is your budget? What kind of housing are you looking for? Are schools a concern?

I'd recommend searching this board for past threads, especially ones on DC traffic.

[pcity]

It's not going to be a great commute from anywhere in MD. Is there a reason your spouse is more likely to find work in MD?

[movingeast00]

Thanks for your feedback peeps!

A 'decent' commute would be 30-60 minutes. We're not sure if we're going to bring both cars or just one, and use the train/metro for work. As for budget, we're hoping to rent a place around $1700, and it has to be pet friendly. A townhome or house would be ideal, but doubt the budget will allow that.

MD's medicinal laws are important to us. Also, we were a little leery of the idea of a commonwealth 'state'. Need to do some research on what it means for the average citizen.

[slowlane]

4 U.S. states call themselves "Commonwealths" - Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Kentucky - and these 4 states vary widely in character and philosophy from each other - so I don't know that that word alone, signifies anything.

Tens of thousands of employees in No.Va.'s booming economy choose to live instead in Prince Georges County Md., because housing prices are so much lower there (both for buying and renting). The Woodrow Wilson Bridge (beltway crossing) carries some 250,000 - 300,000 vehicles a day, and used to have horrible traffic backups for hours a day, but the bridge moves much better now that the new, wider, replacement bridge was opened 1-1/2 years ago.

One huge consideration is the racial makeup of the area. If you have children and they are not African-American, they would feel completely out of place in Prince Georges County, especially the southern 2/3 of the County. And your social, dining, shopping, and cultural opportunities are much more limited there. If you live in southern Prince Georges County, you will find yourself going to either Malls in No.Va. or Waldorf, Md. for dining or upscale shopping (although the new development "National Harbor" has recently brought some class to the area).

As far as taxes go, MD has higher sales tax than VA. However, VA taxes groceries as well as motor vehicles annually, which MD does not. Your car theft insurance will be higher in Prince Georges County.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by movingeast00

MD's medicinal laws are important to us. Also, we were a little leery of the idea of a commonwealth 'state'. Need to do some research on what it means for the average citizen.

Can't help you on the medicinal laws, but having lived in two "commonwealths" (PA and VA), I can tell you that "commonwealths" do not differ from other states in any way.