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Anybody do the rail commute to DC? If so, could you provide length of commute? I am looking at a job down towards K street, and want to live out in the burbs somewhere. Wondering how far out will keep my commute under 1 hour if I use the rail system. We have friend up in Germantown area, but would consider any nice outlying area within an hour. Looking for the burb type area, with decent schools and better bang for the buck on housing.
You have three rail options: Metro (wmata.com) and regional rail -- Virginia Railway Express in Virginia (vre.org) or MARC in Maryland (mtamaryland.com). If you want to live further out to get more bang for your buck, you should look at the VRE and MARC maps to see what the options are.
Taxes, insurance, and general cost of living will be a little lower in VA than in DC or MD, if that matters, but everywhere is still pretty expensive. I work at least near where you will work and live in the Vienna/Oakton area of VA. On a typical day, I can do my desk at home to my desk in town in about 55 minutes using Metro from Dunn Loring. I don't always go that way, but if I did, that's how long it would take. Might give you some idea of how far out you can go. You might want to keep in mind also that the MARC and VRE trains run very limited service in either direction outside of the rush hour.
Taxes, insurance, and general cost of living will be a little lower in VA than in DC or MD, if that matters, but everywhere is still pretty expensive. I work at least near where you will work and live in the Vienna/Oakton area of VA. On a typical day, I can do my desk at home to my desk in town in about 55 minutes using Metro from Dunn Loring. I don't always go that way, but if I did, that's how long it would take. Might give you some idea of how far out you can go. You might want to keep in mind also that the MARC and VRE trains run very limited service in either direction outside of the rush hour.
Actually, I haven't driven into the city during rush hour in at least twenty years. That's how long the Metro has been open beyond Ballston. I did once drive home in rush hour recently. Left the office at 5:30, reached Virginia at 6:30, made it home at 7:15, poured myself a stiff drink at 7:16. It's about 18 miles all told.
Prior to the Metro, I did drive in (since there was no other way), but I went back roads to get inside the Beltway, then jumped on I-66 inbound the second that the HOV restrictions were lifted. Clear sailing from there. Counting parking (which now costs $15-20 per day), I could make it in in 35-40 minutes.
But all else being equal, if you're going into the city, there's simply no reason to be in a car. Not only is gas and parking expensive and the drive nerve-frazzling, but many employers in DC (including all Fed agencies) participate in the Metro SmartBenefits program. They pay up to your first $110 of Metro fares per month (not counting parking) for you tax-free. So, Metro is cheaper, easier, and faster to start out with, then they pay you $110 a month on top of that. Hmmm...how long should it take to snap up that deal...
If you're working near K St that is one of the most difficult areas to drive into in DC. It's the most heavily congested area and regularly gets completely gridlocked. I drive into DC daily into SE from VA and even that can get harrowing some days, like yesterday when it took half an hour just to get out of the district. I would say driving wise it will take at least an hour on average to reach the beltway from downtown DC.
I drive from Takoma Park in DC out to Germantown in the morning. A very substantial (20-30 minutes out of 45-55) of my commute is the few miles to just get to the beltway and its not even that congested, just lots of stop signs and traffic lights.
Sounds like you haven't bought a house yet, but one thing you will find is that the price of a house can be effected by its proximity to Metro and other rail options. The closer you are to rail transportation, the more of a premium you will pay for the house. If you are going to take the metro in to work, the ideal option is to live a short walking distance away from your metro station. That way, you don't have to bother getting in your car (and parking!) or catching a bus just to begin your subway commute.
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