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My son is hoping to get a job soon with uniformed secret service. He and his wife will be looking for an apartment in a safe area with a commute of less than an hour. He doesn't mind the suburbs (Maryland or Virginia is fine) as they are homebodies and don't require restaurants or nightlife nearby. They would like to be near a metro stop.
I know this is a broad question but they live the Cherry Hill/Philadelphia area and don't know much about DC.
Silver Spring would be a great bet, if they get an apartment near the Metro there. Living near the Pentagon or Crystal City Metros wouldn't be bad either.
There are many neighborhoods in Virginia to choose from, with prices going lower the farther away from DC you go. But I think that it pays to be closer to work - especially for people in apartments who don't need a house with big yard or aren't looking for the best schools for kids.
Considering the close-to-work value, I second Pentagon City and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia - it is doable for a 1 bedroom apartment under $1500. It's a very safe area, there is plenty of shopping close by, and income tax is less in VA than DC. If they really like city living, I'd recommend living in DC, but from your description it sounds like Virginia would suit them. It's an easy commute into DC. There is a Metrorail stop at Pentagon City, and another at Crystal City.
Secret service work is not just located at the White House. Your son could be assigned to the white house, or any number of executive buildings, or be assigned to protect foreign dignitaries somewhere else in the city or the country.
The secret service fleet, for example, is housed in SW DC, sort of between Smithsonian metro station and L'Enfant Plaza, when not in use. You can still get there from any of the areas mentioned above, but it is perhaps wise to consider that your son's commute may not be to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue every morning.
To be quite frank, I think that budget is quite low if you want to live close in, near metro, and in a safe area. I guess there may be a one bedroom or efficiency in that price range.
I am going to recommend a few Virginia neighborhoods that you may want to take a look at:
Huntington (Alexandria), Kingstowne (Fairfax), Rosemont (Alexandria), and parts of Springfield/Franconia around the metro. If you take the metro or the bus, the commutes from those neighborhoods are roughly about 35-50 minutes. It can take longer due to weather, metro delay, or just a bad commuting day here.
I do like Pentagon City and Crystal City alot. If they see something in that price range, snap it up.
I think the Logan Circle suggestion was a good one. Walking to your job site is really the best commute of them all. There are new buildings in SW DC near the stadium that look really nice as well. In DC, I would look at Logan Circle, Woodley Park, or SW stadium area.
I hope he has secured the job before he commits to an area. Unless he is making a regional departmental transfer this could be an issue. I don't think White House security takes random walk up candidates.
May I ask why Mom is posting for information for a grown man and his wife? This could pose a problem if they move into the district-there are helicopter restrictions in DC.
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