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Old 01-21-2012, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Miami, Florida
6 posts, read 13,210 times
Reputation: 10

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I have two possible job offers in the works (knocks on wood). One in DC and one in Baltimore. Coming from Miami, FL this would be a big change for my fiance and I.

What areas outside of DC would you all recommend for housing? Not looking to buy anything yet (we are getting married next Feb) and possibly going to rent for now. I've always heard people working in DC mostly commute from the neighboring states, but I don't even know where to start looking.

Any help would ROCK!

Thanks and cool forum here.
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Old 01-21-2012, 03:21 PM
 
2,086 posts, read 3,564,720 times
Reputation: 2385
Your question is so vague it makes it impossible to give you useful advice. How are we supposed to recommend an area for you when you don't say what kind of place you are looking for, how much you are able to spend, what length of commute you are willing to tolerate, and where your job would be in DC?

Also, why do you think you need to live in a "neighboring state?" DC is a city of 600,000 people. Its not like nobody lives here.
If your job is in DC itself, living in the district would probably make your commute much shorter than if you lived in Maryland or Virginia, although there are some close-in suburbs that could have short commutes such as Arlington, Va.
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Old 01-21-2012, 03:22 PM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,681,234 times
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Depends on a lot of factors, especially budget (DC is more expensive than Miami). Here's the overall layout:

DC proper: DC's added about 50,000 residents in the past decade so your info is rather dated. A lot of young singles and couples prefer to live in DC itself - most of the best neighborhoods in terms of nightlife / restaurants / galleries / access to jobs are in the city itself such as Dupont Circle, U Street, Logan Circle, Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Mt Pleasant, or Columbia Heights. More middle class / family areas in the city include Brookland, Michigan Park, and Petworth.

Arlington: along the Orange Line Metro, Arlington is nice because it has the urban amenities but in a more sterile environment that has better schools and hardly any crime issues - Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Ballston are the main neighborhoods in that sense. Pentagon City is also popular.

Beyond that Alexandria, VA, Bethesda, MD, and Silver Spring, MD are popular destinations for commuting into the city but not being too far away. A lot of people prefer to be on a Metro line so they don't have to depend on your car for everything. The traffic is bad.

If you want to be further out, Fairfax, Reston, and Woodbridge are longer commutes that people do. You might be better posting on the VA or MD forums for informed perspectives about those areas.

Last edited by Bluefly; 01-21-2012 at 03:31 PM..
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Old 01-22-2012, 07:22 AM
 
1,176 posts, read 3,175,441 times
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Two "possible" job offers is not enough on which to base a choice of living locations. What areas outside DC to recommend depends, as noted, on your budget, your likes/dislikes, and exactly where the job is. Once an offer is firm,and you know the salary, and how much you can afford for housing, then you can look more seriously. And, of course, it makes a difference just where the job is (e.g., right in downtown DC, right in downtown Baltimore, or in outlying areas). If you think you may have a choice between the two jobs, I hope you'll visit the two cities to get a better idea of what it'd be like to live there.

I worked in DC for a few years, mainly in Southwest, and briefly in Foggy Bottom. While I lived in the Cleveland Park area briefly, most of the time I lived in Silver Spring, first in a small townhouse near downtown, and then in a single family dwelling further up, in the Aspen Hill area of SS. I relied on Metro rail vs. driving. Northern Virginia was too pricey for me for renting or buying, but it has convenience if you want to get into DC. Lots of rentals in DC itself. And, of course, in the greater Baltimore area (including many towns between it and DC). You could start looking at rental ads now, and even talk with a property management company (deals with rentals), either an independent one or on that's part of a larger realty company, and see what's available. But, to reemphasize, until you know where you'd be working, it's all hypothetical. Commuting is a big factor. If you can, being near public transportation (preferably rail, such as Metro rail or Baltimore's light rail) is a plus. Many people commute from Baltimore (due to less expensive housing) to DC every day via MARC trains.
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