Better Place to Live, Leesburg or Reston

[Anonymous]

leesburg to tysons is doable, and there are a shitload of jobs in tysons and more coming. I like Leesburg over Reston, but agree with the others that Leesburg to DC is not doable. Too far.

I'd stay where you are until you can get a job closer (then move to Leesburg).

[Anonymous]

Don't move to Leesburg.

The buses to/from Reston run more often and on a better schedule. What if you work late? Or have to get home in the middle of the day? The ones from Leesburg are on a commuter schedule.

I used to live in Leesburg and the commute, even by bus would be AWFUL. It's too crowded for the roads going east.

DONT do it ...no matter what.

Move as close in as possible!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't move to Leesburg.

The buses to/from Reston run more often and on a better schedule. What if you work late? Or have to get home in the middle of the day? The ones from Leesburg are on a commuter schedule.

I used to live in Leesburg and the commute, even by bus would be AWFUL. It's too crowded for the roads going east.

DONT do it ...no matter what.

Move as close in as possible!!

nah, just wait until you get a job out there. In this economy, pick your house not your job. Jobs come and go, home is permanent.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure that the folks taking the commuter buses from Leesburg have a stay at home parent; so their commute odyssey would be doable b/c it would have little impact on the family routine.

That said, I think some posters confuse the LC buses with metro buses; the LC buses go *directly* downtown. Some stop at Rosslyn and then L'Enfant, but there is no Metrorail involved. So it is less of a 'Planes, Trains, Automobile' scenario. It is still a tough slog of a commute, and completely inflexible if need to get home in a hurry (there is the Metro Guaranteed Ride Home Program, but it means getting a cab and then getting reimbursed I think, once or twice a year).

But working downtown, and in *hopefully* in our lifetime there will be metrorail to Reston? No brainer, Reston!

Unless your husband is some big brain Janelia and can just come and go as he pleases, and is paid to come up with big ideas and write papers so can be much more domestic and flexible? And how long is his position at Janelia, isn't it generally Fellowships with termed limits? Reston and its proximity to Tysons and DC gives many more long term options.

[Anonymous]

Also, there is the possibility that Loudoun could suffer from exurburban decay post-bubble. Right now DC RE and economy is flying high, but if we ever have a recession here coupled with high gas prices, it could be a rough squeeze.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/the-next-slum/306653/

[Anonymous]

Sorry, 'are flying high'

[Anonymous]

I am almost considering whether it may simply make the most sence to remain in my current location, Bethesda. From here, my commute downtown is 45 minutes door to door and DH has an approximately 1 hr door to door to Ashburn bc of the reverse commute. I think we are looking at NOVA because we thought my commute could be approximately the same or a little more but that his commute from Reston to Ashburn would be much shorter. I am certainly not seeing any real cost savings between Reston and Bethesda so that is not really as much of a factor.

[Anonymous]

Correction, "sense." Perhaps I am losing most of mine.

[Anonymous]

Reston to ashburn is a piece of cake. Reston to downtown is a bit more difficult, but silver line is coming in about a year.

But as of right now, yes, stay in Bethesda. Unless you can handle Tysons/McLean?

[Anonymous]

I think you should look at Vienna. a bit closer to DC and still doable to Ashburn, and reasonable commutes to most other big job centers - tysons, reston, bethesda, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, there is the possibility that Loudoun could suffer from exurburban decay post-bubble. Right now DC RE and economy is flying high, but if we ever have a recession here coupled with high gas prices, it could be a rough squeeze.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/the-next-slum/306653/

You are aware that the percentage of Loudoun residents who also work in Loudoun has *increased* since 2000 and that Loudoun had the second highest job growth rate in the country between 2000-10, right? It's not 1980. There's large numbers of high paying jobs in locations outside DC/Arlington these days. My commute is probably shorter than most of you DC types.

I know you might have a co-worker or two that spends 90 minutes commuting into your workplace because her/his spouse just HAD to have a 5000 square foot SFH, but not all of us live like that (my house is a mere 3000 square feet and costs half what a TH in a good part of DC costs).

OP, if you like Bethesda and your hubby is really truly okay with his commute, then stay in Bethesda. Maybe move to Falls Church or Arlington if you and hubby think hubby can consistently find work on the VA side of the river. Also consider your kids ...

[Anonymous]

Don't forget the bus schedules are rigid. You lose a lot of time trying to make sure you are arrive on time to catch the bus. If you miss one it is a half hour until the next one and there may not be a next one if you were trying to catch the last one. The time waiting for the bus counts for a commute.

[Anonymous]

I have a coworker who lives on the north side of Leesburg. He takes the MARC from point of rocks and switches to the metro. Commute to Tenleytown is 1hr 15min (I'm pretty sure). I wouldn't do it, but probably not all that different from living in Reston. Anything more than my 45 min commute would make me want to cry.

[Anonymous]

You are kidding, right?