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British family moving to DC for a short time - help - advice needed desperately!
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Anonymous
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Hello, I'm American with a British Husband and dual children, currently living in Bristol, England. My husbands new job has us moving to DC next summer - help!!
Where do I look for houses? and schools for the children? we have 2 kids, 1 is starting reception here this year but will only be 5 when we move.. help!! My husband mentioned Alexandria?? what is that like with parks and primary schools? I'd like a place we can walk to play areas and parks, where I can make friends with other mummies... Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks, Kate |
Anonymous
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Just checked with hubby, he needs to be in Springfield, VA everyday for work. Where you recommend??
Thankyou! K |
Anonymous
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Welcome to DC!
Springfield is fairly central in Northern Virginia, although traffic in that area can be VERY bad so you want to stay relatively close or your husband will spend hours a day in the car. If you're looking for a more traditional suburb, there are many great neighborhoods in and around that area. You could live in Burke, Centreville, Fairfax, Alexandria... these are big areas with many differnet types of neighborhoods. If you're looking for someplace that's a little more walkable and densely populated but still community-oriented, Arlington and Falls Church City are both wonderful and have great schools (but are very expensive). The schools are quite good in Fairfax County, which includes Springfield and most of the areas surrounding it, including parts of Alexandria. The schools in the city of Alexandria are separate and are generally considered to be not as good. Are you looking to buy or rent? Do you prefer a house or apartment? Do you plan to have two cars? Are you interested in getting in and out of DC easily? And most importantly, what's your price range? |
Anonymous
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as we'll only be there for 2-3 years, we'll rent. only 1 car, we'll have to either drive in or look to metro... I don't know if I'll be looking to work much as well as we have a 16 month old along with the 4 year old, and not sure how that'll all work, not sure I can work in schools there for such a short time (my profession) and not sure I want to work retail!
Prefer house with the two kids and possibly a cat if we're able to take him with us... Don't know price range as such as we think the embassy will set it up but we can have some input... don't think it'll be top of the line, but possibly not bottom either. (which is why its important for me to do some research, I want to make sure its not bottom of the line, if you know what I mean!!) Would love a nice neighborhood with a good park, sidewalks, good schools close by so we'll be sure to get into them etc. Thanks!! -Kate |
Anonymous
| What is Springfield like? In terms of a young family, do we want to live there? |
Anonymous
| Burke! Great schools. Lots of nice parks. And very friendly people. |
Anonymous
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Who will have the car during the day?
To further muddy the water, there is Alexandria City (Cities in Virginia are considered as if they were separate counties, which are the subdivisions of American states) and then parts of Fairfax County with an Alexandria mailing address. As a rule: Alexandria City: I'd at least give the elementary schools there a chance, excepting Jefferson Houston and Mount Vernon (very low test scores and a high percentage of students in poverty). Fairfax County: The further you are from Route 1, the better. Going car-free: If your hubby takes the car and leaves you car-free, you'll probably regret it if you don't live in Old Town Alexandria (the only place near Springfield where I'd really want to be car-free.) There may be individual areas where you could walk the grocery store, parks, etc., but I'd investigate VERY carefully as not all neighborhoods will be nicely sidewalked, or walkable anywhere except a 12-15 block area off of a major road. You may want to consider leasing a car or buying a medium-mileage car for ~$8-10k for your around-town trips. As for school assignments, Fairfax County has a web page where you can look up school assignments. http://boundary.fcps.edu/boundary/ Likewise for Alexandria City. http://www.acps.k12.va.us/enroll/zonelocator.php |
Anonymous
| The Beverly Hills neighborhood of Alexandria is very nice, good access to parks and has a great elementary school (it would be a short hop down 395 to Springfield) but if you want walkable to shops, restaurants, etc. Old Town Alexandria is really your best bet. |
Anonymous
| I agree that it will be difficult to just have one car in the suburbs (especially in the winter). I don't know the VA suburbs that well but could you live somewhere close to Springfield (or in Springfield) so that your dh could take a bus (or metro if it is in Springfield) to work? I just think that you will want a car during the day. |
Anonymous
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PPs, how bad would it be for OP if they lived in the district in Capitol Hill and her DH had to commute to Springfield? That might be a nicer life for OP. much more walkable, parks and amenities and metro nearby, the 5 yo could be in the capitol hill cluster and do Peabody for K. Especially if they are only here for 2-3 years tops. They could easily take full advantage of all the city has to offer without being as far out as Burke. Not hating on Burke, but just thinking what would be a better experience for someone coming from outside the US. If I was assigned to living in London for a year or two, I'd much rather live in a family friendly city neighborhood and really get the most out of the experience than live in a far out suburb.
Depending on where in Springfield the DH works, he could possibly even take metro. |
Anonymous
With young kids? I'd think it's better to get mum comfortably situated in a family-friendly place like Burke not far from DH's work than to subject him to a long commute (traffic on 95 flows in both directions and will only get worse with BRAC) and leave her potentially isolated in an unfamiliar DC neighborhood close to a criminal element.... |
Anonymous
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If you want a walkable lifestyle nearby, Old Town is fantastic (schools prob less so- do you get a tution subsidy?). You could also look a little further around N Arlington, esp. Clarendon/Courthouse- lots of younger families (primary school age) and the commute by metro for your husband would not be bad (Blue line) esp. if you chose something walkable to Rosslyn station which is on the Blue line.
You should also find out what your employer's rental subsidy will be- could be make a big difference. You probably want to max out the subsidy- as someone in a field with intnl postings, I can tell you that these subsidies can be pretty substantial. |
Anonymous
| If you get a tuition subsidy, Alexandria might be fun with only one car. Otherwise, parts of Fall Church City are near a metro and walkable places with a park and more of a Community sense. While many neighborhoods are family oriented, it would be hard without a car in regular suburbs. |
Anonymous
Wow, you must not spend much time in Capitol Hill if you are saying that it isn't family friendly and dangerous. Yes, of course there is crime in any city, but seriously? Capitol Hill is stroller city. The parks are crawling with yuppie parents and kids who feel perfectly safe living there. |
Anonymous
Uh huh. It's not hard to keep watch over a kid in a stroller. Most move out by the time the kids are in middle school. By then, the parents have gotten tired of pretending they really like schools like Brent. |