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Moving from St. Louis to take a job in downtown D.C....where in NoVA,MD, D.C to live?
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Anonymous
| Anyone help?? We are a little overwhelmed with choices. We are getting ready to start looking for a home due to a new job the hubby took in downtown D.C. We don't know where to live! Hubby's commute should be under 30 mintues during rush hour and I suppose we should be close to a metro stop if he's working downtown. We have a 2 year old and 4 year old so family-friendly is a must and close to shops & restaurants. Don't know enough about the areas to know if that is realistic. We will probably be looking into parocial schools if the publics schools aren't great. Someone recommended Waldorf, MD due to prices. Would that fit our bill? Thanks! |
Anonymous
| What's your price range? |
Anonymous
| What is your price range? |
Anonymous
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Also, whereabouts is your husband's job? (i.e., do you know if his office is close to a metro stop, or what area of the city he will be in?)
I could be wrong, but Waldorf seems somewhat far out. I'd look closer-in, particularly in Northern Virginia, or if you have a lower price range, maybe Silver Spring, MD. |
Anonymous
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I am from St. Louis. I moved here after college.
Where in St. Louis do you live now, and what is important about the area / or what area did you wish you lived in while you were in St. Louis? |
Anonymous
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My DH works with a bunch of government and former military people who always come to town with recommendations to live in Waldorf. It seems to me like the worst advice ever considering that it's not anywhere near DC and really needs to not get passed around in that community anymore.
OP, what's your budget? |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
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OP - I don't want to scare you, but you may be in for a bit of culture shock - trying to get a 30 minute metro commute around here isn't easy, particularly if your budget isn't high and/or you aren't looking for, say, an apt. rental.
No, Waldorf would not fit the bill - not on the metro and not an easy driving commute. For a 30 minute commute to downtown on metro, you are talking somewhere in the city or perhaps as far out as Bethesda, MD, maybe Takoma Park which would be a bit cheaper, or in Arlington on the orange line. All reasonably expensive areas. Budget is key - we can't help you w/o knowing budget - anything less than 500K is impssible in those areas and that would even be really, really tough. Commutes are long here and you may need to consider bumping that 30 minute commute up a bit... |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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we havent even thought about budget yet...we might just rent for the first year.
His office will probably be on M Street or 13th St NW. What about New Market or Mt Airy or even Columbia? What would those commutes be like? To answer the other question...we are in St Charles, MO just outside of STL |
Anonymous
| Columbia, MD, is far! Is your husband commuting via metro? A 30-minute commute door to door via metro would require you to live in the District or VERY close to it. Why are you looking so far out? |
Anonymous
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well, we were thinking about colombia or mt. airy because we have family in baltimore but werent sure what the commute would be like.
we have a friend in Reston, VA. How would that be? |
Anonymous
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Congratulations on your upcoming move. As someone who has lived in the midwest (including St. Louis) I want to prepare you for some serious real estate price shock.
If your requirements are a very short commute, you need to stay inside the beltway (in case you are not familiar, the beltway = 495). I would say that in general, getting to most places inside the beltway from where your husband works will be 45 min + To rent a 2 bedroom apt/townhouse inside the beltway you will need to spend around $1700 +++ a month. I have no idea what the rent would be for a 3 br. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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Based on your questions it seems like you've never spent any time in this area, really.
I'd strongly suggest you come visit for a week. try a faux morning commute from some of the places you're seriously considering. I think you're in for a big shock. Most of the places you mention would be more like 1-1.5hr commute during rush hour. I live far out (Just north of Annapolis) and I commute during off hours in the morning (arriving around 10am) it takes me 35-40 minutes. If i left during rush hour, it'd take 1-1.5 hours. |
Anonymous
| Really, really far! All the places you are looking at are really far away, not close to a 30-minute commute in rush hour, and are off the Metro lines. It's hard to help without an idea of a budget, but based on your original post, I think you should start looking at Capitol Hill, especially if you are renting b/c you can afford a bigger house there. Your husband will have a very short commute whether he takes the Metro or drives, it's very family friendly, elementary schools are okay, plenty of stuff to do, and it's easy to get to Baltimore. |