Where do all of the single parents live?

[Anonymous]

hi everyone. I work in Arlington and live in Montgomery County. the commute is horrible, so I am thinking of moving to Arlington. the word I have gotten is that the schools are much better in North Arlington, so I have concentrated my search there.
what I would really like is a nice townhome community where neighbors talk to each other and the kids play with each other and there are other single parents around. it doesn't seem like this exists in North Arlington (I haven't found it yet), but I thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone knew of something like that. I don't think areas further out will work because I will just be trading one horrible commute for another...
A good school is very important (more important than being close to work), so I will not move down there to ease my burden if my son won't have a good education.
it would be nice to socialize with other families in our situation (single parents, kids coping with divorce).
My purchase limit is mid to upper 500k, so I know that will eliminate a lot of areas, but I am hopeful! Thank you for taking the time to read my rambling post .

[Anonymous]

The townhouse communities available in N. Arlington are way above the $500K price range - think starting prices of $700K and upwards. There are some smaller places - I am thinking of those up in Ballston - but the smaller places tend not to have families but professionals or families with babies/toddlers.

If I were you, I would move to Montgomery County. Where do you work? The Bethesda area actually has some reasonably priced condos for rent and purchase (although condo fees are steep) and the schools are great.

Also, if you want to socialize with families that are single parent or other parents going through a divorce your best bet is a support group of some type and not neighbors.

[Anonymous]

I am a single mom who lives in south Arlington - 22202 zip. It is a fabulous kid-friendly neighborhood with a great public school (Oakridge). Don't rule out south Arlington in your search. The county is investing a lot of resources into the schools and the communities. It is a great place to live.

[Anonymous]

Falls Church isn't too much farther than Arlington and has some affordable housing and good schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Op. north arlington is way better than so Arlington and falls church. That said special concerns families have been priced out. Are u able to consider a condo flat? Or rent... Or look for low income. Yes! In no.Arlington 500k , to be clear half ONE MILLON dollars, might qualify for the low income programs.

Take a good look 10% of all housing has to be affordable or the builder has to pay into a pot. Look for those affordable town homes. They are out there, I think.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the feedback. 1835, I live in MoCo now. I am trying to shorten my commute-it is anywhere from 1-1:45 each way (depending on the times I commute).
2320, thanks for the tip on "low income" housing, I will check it out. Hard to believe 500k is low income

[Anonymous]

I would guess that more single parents probably live in South Arlington because it's more affordable and a lot of single parents probably aren't rolling in the dough. (I'm not.) I actually found a single family house in North Arlington for $560K this past summer. It's not perfect, but it's a good house in a great neighborhood. There aren't many other single parents around, but everyone's been really nice to me anyway, and we feel like part of the community already. The local park is fantastic, and a great place to meet people. (we're in Country Club, near Yorktown HS.)

How about Glebewood Village? Most homes there go for around or just under $500K and there are no amenities to pay for, so the HOA fee is low. Not a lot of parking, but I believe they feed into Yorktown. Here's one I actually saw this summer: http://franklymls.com/AR7573082

There are also some townhomes in Cherrydale near Lee Hwy and I saw a nice townhouse there (3BR, 2-3BA) that was around $540K. And I've seen townhomes for $550K (plus condo fees) around the Ballston metro - some of them are pretty nice. this one is walkable to metro (my friend owns a rental in the community and liked living there, and the $690/year HOA fee is good.) http://franklymls.com/AR7708554

good luck! Arlington is a terrific place to live. My only complaint (besides the cost) is that the county-run classes fill up too fast - it's hard to get slots in popular classes. oh well.