Moving from St. Louis to take a job in downtown D.C....where in NoVA,MD, D.C to live?

[Anonymous]

What about the Rockville/Gaithersburg area? Lots of planned communities with "town" centers (Kentlands, Fallsgrove, King Farm) and it's a quick ride to the Shady Grove Metro or to Rockville Metro Station. I took the metro to Union Station recently and from Shady Grove to Union Station, it only took about 35ish minutes during rush hour on a weekday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few thoughts:

The precise location of your spouse's work location in DC may make a big difference. I have worked both inside and outside of DC for many years, and if you're travelling by car, you can find yourself spending 20-40 mins battling traffing just within DC (not to mention any time spent on highways coming into to the city). Again, if he works in the northern corner of DC near Chevy Chase, then it will take 30 mins to commute from the center of the city (Capitol Hill or K street) to that location.

And, yes, Waldorf is way out there. Don't count on him being hom 30 mins after work lets out.

We live: Columbia Heights, edge of Mount Pleasant. Hubs works: Chevy Chase. Total commute time on back roads that no-one knows about: 20 mins.

My parents live: Northern Bethesda MD. Used to work: Georgetown U. Hospital and downtown. Total commute: 45 mins to 90 mins one way by car; approx same ammount by subway to downtown red line if you count commute to the metro, parking, getting on train, etc.

I know, I know, so Yabba-Dabba-Doo of me, isn't it! (But these days, I do clock out at 5:30 on the dot. I have places to go and children to feed. But I get my work done and then some... mostly by never hanging out at the water cooler and learning how to say "no" to the junk assignments that yield no results. So be it.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the Rockville/Gaithersburg area? Lots of planned communities with "town" centers (Kentlands, Fallsgrove, King Farm) and it's a quick ride to the Shady Grove Metro or to Rockville Metro Station. I took the metro to Union Station recently and from Shady Grove to Union Station, it only took about 35ish minutes during rush hour on a weekday.

I think this is misleading, though, because many jobs are on the orange line, not the red, and if you have to switch lines, you add a lot of time. Additionally, you might need to add 10-15 minutes on each end, depending on how close the office is to the metro station, increasing the 35 minutes to 55+. Even getting into the building, past security, etc, to the office/cubicle could take 5 minutes from when you get to the building.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the GREAT info. It really does help. I guess I need to find out a little more on his office location. I think we will probably rent. Definately somewhere he can walk to a metro stop (I know that limits things). I imagine that will limit us to a townhome rather than a single family. We have 2 small kids so an apartment isn't something we want. We'd probably want to stay under $2200 a month. Schools are rather important now that I have an idea of the cost of catholic schools. We will eventually look into parochial schools when I go back to work, but it will have to be somewhere with pretty decent public schools for now due to the cost of parocial schools there.

[Anonymous]

oh.....and I also forgot to add that another thing that might make a difference as to where we might want to live is where there might be a larger concentration of Koreans. My husband is Korean and we frequent Korean markets, shops, etc.

Thanks again for all the helpful info. This forum is a wonderful source!

[Anonymous]

Arlington, VA

Great schools, easy commute downtown

[Anonymous]

There is a large Korean community in Annandale. So you may want to consider Falls Church (close to Annandale). Annandale itself is not metro accessible. There are two metro stops in Falls Church, and the schools are great (so long as you are in the Haycock/Longfellow/McLean school pyramid in 22043 or the Falls Church City schools in 22046). There are some townhomes and condos walkable to West Falls Church metro, you may be able to find something in your range. Condos are frequently a better to deal than an apartment rental. I commute from that metro stop every day to Union Station and it's about 50-55 min door to door (I usually walk to the metro or drive and park at the metro). If you are in one of the condos right across from the metro and without switching metro lines, your husband may able to say within 30-40 min commute. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Oh boy, I'm from STL and you're in for a huge culture shock! I'm not trying to be negative, but I was born and raised in STL and have lived in the DC area for 18 years.

First of all, Waldorf sucks and is too far from DC. Oh, and the schools suck. I don't know much about Montgomery Co. but my husband is from Silver Spring, and although he despises MD, and I like the area. It seems to have a more family friendly atmoshphere, along with parks and great shopping. We live in Alexandria VA, which is very very close to DC, but traffic is a bear and home prices are obnoxious compared to STL. What we paid for our "little" love of a home, we could have bought bought a MANSION in STL! My relatives about fell over when we told them what we paid for our house, hey, they asked! My brother lives in KC, KS and has a new 4,000 sq. ft. home, not far from the city, and paid $380K. We paid almost twice that for a house that is 2,400 sq. ft.

You'll grow to love this area! I can't imagine moving back STL after living here. My husband is buying a company there and was trying to convince me to move back, but I knew I'd be so unhappy. I'd rather be without him during the week and work than move out there with him and be a SAHM. We live a few miles from Old Town, Alexandria, along the river, and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

We visit STL a few times a year and although I love my visits, I love coming home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the GREAT info. It really does help. I guess I need to find out a little more on his office location. I think we will probably rent. Definately somewhere he can walk to a metro stop (I know that limits things). I imagine that will limit us to a townhome rather than a single family. We have 2 small kids so an apartment isn't something we want. We'd probably want to stay under $2200 a month. Schools are rather important now that I have an idea of the cost of catholic schools. We will eventually look into parochial schools when I go back to work, but it will have to be somewhere with pretty decent public schools for now due to the cost of parocial schools there.

Parochial schools are so inexpensive here, well, compared to private. Tuition under $10K is dirt cheap.

[Anonymous]

If you children are the same sex, I would seriously consider embracing city living and rent an apartment in the district in a neighborhood with a good public elementary school. You can drive out to Annandale on the weekends for Korean food (I'm Korean, too).

OP, you have NO IDEA what the commute here is like. The areas you mentioned are going to take at least an hour commute each way. Staying within a few blocks of the metro line near your husband's office is an excellent idea.

Also $2200 for rent for a townhouse close in will be hard. This is why I would suggest an apartment. Have you been on craigslist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you children are the same sex, I would seriously consider embracing city living and rent an apartment in the district in a neighborhood with a good public elementary school. You can drive out to Annandale on the weekends for Korean food (I'm Korean, too).

OP, you have NO IDEA what the commute here is like. The areas you mentioned are going to take at least an hour commute each way. Staying within a few blocks of the metro line near your husband's office is an excellent idea.

Also $2200 for rent for a townhouse close in will be hard. This is why I would suggest an apartment. Have you been on craigslist?

OP, many of us live in apartments with children. Many of our apartments cost more than large houses in some suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a large Korean community in Annandale. So you may want to consider Falls Church (close to Annandale). Annandale itself is not metro accessible. There are two metro stops in Falls Church, and the schools are great (so long as you are in the Haycock/Longfellow/McLean school pyramid in 22043 or the Falls Church City schools in 22046). There are some townhomes and condos walkable to West Falls Church metro, you may be able to find something in your range. Condos are frequently a better to deal than an apartment rental. I commute from that metro stop every day to Union Station and it's about 50-55 min door to door (I usually walk to the metro or drive and park at the metro). If you are in one of the condos right across from the metro and without switching metro lines, your husband may able to say within 30-40 min commute. Good luck.

I was one of the earlier STL posters. OP, this recommendation might just work for you, especially if you rent in the first year. You can get good schools, access to nice restaurants, etc. in Falls Church, metro for your commute. Price might still be an issue, but maybe you can find a rental for now and get a chance to figure the city out before your buy.

[Anonymous]

So, first of all, if you want a short commute you need to live inside the beltway at the very least! When we moved here 3 years ago we decided that there were too many choices and went for renting a great condo in Arlington directly across from a metro station. By doing this we really got a feel for the neighborhoods and were able to make a well informed decision about where we wanted to live. From there, Virginia Square Metro, my husband had a 20 min. metro commute door to door. But he decided that he didn't like how crowded the orange line was (it is nicknamed the orange crush . So we bought a house in Old town Alexandria where we are a couple of blocks from the Braddock Road metro and are even closer to the Bus line that goes down the George Washington Parkway (this is a really nice bus route). By bus he has a 15 min. commute plus a 5 min. walk to his office.

It really matters where his office is in relation to the metro, and obviously the housing budget matters. But realize that while the housing is cheaper the farther out you go, your transportation costs and time costs just sky rocket!! Also, realize that the housing market is not in great shape the farther out you go, so if you are looking outside the beltway, realize you might have to hold onto the house for a while.

Another tip... If you look at a Google map during rush hour and turn on the traffic setting, you can get a pretty good idea of the driving conditions from different places. You can also listen to the traffic conditions on our local radio stations via the internet, they sometimes tell you how long the commute is from a certain area. Oh, and if you are considering driving, find out how much parking is at his office (be prepared to be shocked). Many employers pay for metro but don't pay for parking.

Oh, and restaurants, many of the towns inside the beltway have great restaurants (as well as outside but I’m always looking for walkable or metro access). If you haven't already, get a copy of the Washingtonian magazine, it has a top 100 and a cheap eats issue each year, it will give you some good ideas for areas with great food. Also just a great magazine in general… HTH, and good luck with the move!

[Anonymous]

OP, since you asked about Reston - it's about 23-25 miles from downtown. So on a Saturday morning, that's a 35 minute drive (maybe 30 if lucky). No way would it be under 1 hour in rush hour, and that's only if you can go in HOV lanes.

[Anonymous]

13:37 poster... just read the post above mine. Falls Church is a great area and if you can rent in one of condos across from the metro that would be a great choice. Just be prepared to stand on the metro it can be quite crowded.