Washington DC Area advice

[kcmash]

Hello fellow Stangers!

I may have an assignment in the Washington DC area for a couple of years that would require me to move myself and my family to the area. My job would be very near the Pentagon, so commuter time is important to that location.

Does anyone out there know the area and have a good suggestion or lead on a nice home to rent in a family friendly area? I googled "Catholic Communities near Washington DC" as we enjoy our faith and want to be near a good church. The best hit was Arlington, VA. Everything looked good there except home rental prices. We would need 3+ bedrooms and 2.5+ baths. Kids are ranged from 7 to 22. (4 kids total) Kids are homeschooled, so a top notch public school is not necessary.

Any good advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Rental sites don't focus on what it is like to live in an area.

Thanks!

kcmash

 

[OLE PONY]

I have lived in Northern Virginia my whole life and am very familiar with the commute from Virginia to Washington and Arlington. I retired about 4 years ago as a civilian working for the Navy. I worked in Crystal City which is within walking distance of the Pentagon. The closer to DC the more expensive the housing gets. Many years ago I lived in the Woodbridge area (Dale City) and commuted I95 North to work in DC. I95 can be a nightmare. I live in Warrenton Va now and commuted to work in Crystal City on I66. I much preferred the I66 commute over I 95. I had flexible work hours so would leave Warrenton by 5:30 am and arrive at work usually in about an hour (unless there was bad weather). Leaving work at 3 pm I would usually get home between 4 and 4:30 pm. This was a 44 mile one way commute. With that said, you may want to check out housing in the Fairfax City area (about 20miles to Crystal City) or a little further out in the Centerville area; that is if you don't want to move out as far as I am in Warrenton. Although it would be nice to have another 71/73 Mustang in town.

There are nice Catholic churches in all these areas, but as in any urban areas you will find some communities where the crime rate will be higher.

Not sure about rent prices, but as a comparison when had our house built in 2004 the same builder was building the same house in Fairfax. Our house was right at 400,000 and the same house in Fairfax was over 1,000,000!

 

[kcmash]

I have lived in Northern Virginia my whole life and am very familiar with the commute from Virginia to Washington and Arlington. I retired about 4 years ago as a civilian working for the Navy. I worked in Crystal City which is within walking distance of the Pentagon. The closer to DC the more expensive the housing gets. Many years ago I lived in the Woodbridge area (Dale City) and commuted I95 North to work in DC. I95 can be a nightmare. I live in Warrenton Va now and commuted to work in Crystal City on I66. I much preferred the I66 commute over I 95. I had flexible work hours so would leave Warrenton by 5:30 am and arrive at work usually in about an hour (unless there was bad weather). Leaving work at 3 pm I would usually get home between 4 and 4:30 pm. This was a 44 mile one way commute. With that said, you may want to check out housing in the Fairfax City area (about 20miles to Crystal City) or a little further out in the Centerville area; that is if you don't want to move out as far as I am in Warrenton. Although it would be nice to have another 71/73 Mustang in town.

There are nice Catholic churches in all these areas, but as in any urban areas you will find some communities where the crime rate will be higher.

Not sure about rent prices, but as a comparison when had our house built in 2004 the same builder was building the same house in Fairfax. Our house was right at 400,000 and the same house in Fairfax was over 1,000,000!

Thanks for all the info. A friend of mine said check the Reston area and use the Metro to head in. Note sure if I could drag the unassembled car up there and back, it looks like garage space is scarce, so I may have to load everything into storage.

 

[midlife]

I lived in Chantilly, VA from 86 to 2000. Prices are sky-high, traffic miserable (even on weekends), and garages only in newer (60's and up) developments. Most affordable housing is probably in a high-rise condo rental, which usually come with a community parking garage. You can forget about working on a car in that situation. Lots of rentals near the metro stations, but they command a premium price the closer you are to the metro.

There were four things I really liked about living in the DC area: the Washington Post, good French bread (but you have to know where to find it), excellent Chinese food (good ones in every shopping center or main intersection it seems), and the fourth one I forgot a long time ago.

The worst part of DC is that if you're working for/with the gov't, everyone is ambitious and you'll be stepped on as everyone clambers up the ladder. Occasionally, you get to see them after they fall. By and large, it is not a family-friendly town, IMHO.

 

[rpmcarter]

if you are moving to DC stats would indicate you are one of the top wage earners in the country...move and enjoy the community. Reston is a nice area imo I know 2 people there both are azz so I wouldnt ask them for the time of day. They would have you paying 5000 a month and call that a good deal. Fredricksburg is nice as well. So much cool stuff there to see!!

 

[Jim and Jutta]

Hello fellow Stangers!

I may have an assignment in the Washington DC area for a couple of years that would require me to move myself and my family to the area. My job would be very near the Pentagon, so commuter time is important to that location.

Does anyone out there know the area and have a good suggestion or lead on a nice home to rent in a family friendly area? I googled "Catholic Communities near Washington DC" as we enjoy our faith and want to be near a good church. The best hit was Arlington, VA. Everything looked good there except home rental prices. We would need 3+ bedrooms and 2.5+ baths. Kids are ranged from 7 to 22. (4 kids total) Kids are homeschooled, so a top notch public school is not necessary.

Any good advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Rental sites don't focus on what it is like to live in an area.

Thanks!

kcmash

You're 2 year stay there is just about the right amount of time to decide if you want to "love it or leave it" If you can find a home within walking distance of public transportation, that's a big plus, driving in that traffic and paying for parking everywhere you go (if you can find a space) gets old fast. The one good thing you have going for you is that since you home school, you don't have to worry about the school systems near the house, good schools in that area really drive up the prices.

My advise is get a D.C. area licensed realtor who'll need to know your "most haves", your budget and other information that you shouldn't be putting on an open discussion board. Be weary of anyone who reaches out to from a public blog saying they have a "deal" for you.