What about Falls Church, VA and taking metro to work?
https://www.trulia.com/rental/4037552767-6816-Montivideo-Square-Ct-Falls-Church-VA-22043#photo-5

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP this is in the 2000’s

https://m.trulia.com/rental/4037520429-702-Wilson-Ave-Rockville-MD-20850

Her budget is $2,000. An extra $750 a month is a lot of money when your budget is only $2,000.

op.. if you can eek out an extra $250, you could get this...RM school cluster. MS is Julius West and rated highly. ES I think is Beall, which is also rated highly. A new ES is being built, open 2018, so the over crowding at Beall will be alleviated. Reasonable walking distance to the red line.

https://www.trulia.com/rental/4035217639-827-Ivy-League-Ln-20113-Rockville-MD-20850#photo-11

You could do a 2-bedroom apartment in North Arlington - the commute would be great and the schools are good.

https://hotpads.com/sheffield-court-arlington-va-22201-sm31zk/pad?price=0-2100&beds=2&baths=1-8plus

https://hotpads.com/1307-n-ode-st-arlington-va-22209-ssv260/432/pad?price=0-2100&beds=2&baths=1-8plus

https://hotpads.com/2059-n-woodstock-st-arlington-va-22207-smb8w9/306/pad?price=0-2100&beds=2&baths=1-8plus

You could get a bit more for your money in South Arlington. (zip codes that end in an even number, vs. north arlington zips that end in an odd number.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If only 3 years and kids are young I would suggest College Park/ university park area. Elementary is excellent. Close in has festivals / farmers markets and city events along with U.MD facilities and events. Very convenient right on metro and close in. The community is 65-35 white/minority and a good amount of detached rentals.

College park isn’t 65% white even counting the college kids. Very dingy area

According to the census, it is 63% white, 14% black, 13% Asian, and 11% Hispanic. University Park is 79% white, 9% black, 5% Asian, and 11% Hispanic. So that's about accurate. Don't know why people on DCUM think all of PG is all black, such ignorance and misinformation. Google is your friend...

How is it dingy? If my dingy you mean older homes than yes we do have a lot of older homes but so does Silver Spring, Bethesda, Arlington, or any other close-in suburb of DC. We also have a lot of new development including a new Whole Foods, new upscale steak and seafood and Greek restaurants, a new music venue, new townhomes and apartments, and a new light rail line. The whole Route 1 corridor is changing from the DC line through Hyattsville and all the way up to College Park.

Where are you getting the $2000/month figure? What will you be earning?

Anonymous wrote:OP this is in the 2000’s

https://m.trulia.com/rental/4037520429-702-Wilson-Ave-Rockville-MD-20850

Her budget is $2,000. An extra $750 a month is a lot of money when your budget is only $2,000.

OP this is in the 2000’s

https://m.trulia.com/rental/4037520429-702-Wilson-Ave-Rockville-MD-20850

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were you I would be looking for something like this. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/202-Twisted-Stalk-Dr-Gaithersburg-MD-20878/37246013_zpid/

+1 NP here. I think you found a very nice option for OP!!

Agreed. I like. Any overall impression of Gaithersburg? Really suburban or mixed?

Yes, Quince orchard is a great HS and so is the ES. This townhouse is a great option, OP. Gaithersburg has 2 sides, the nice side and the other side which isn't as nice. One PP above said there are places that are just absolute poverty and I about spit out my coffee from laughing. PP clearly hasnt seen what true absolute poverty is! Anyway, Gaithersburg is a nice suburb and you will find plenty of things to do in the area and it's close to Shady Grove metro, at the end of the red line. The townhouse above is very close to the Washingtonian Rio and Crown, which have nice options for dining with your family. Nice family oriented area.

OP if you are moving from Central Florida with a housing budget of 2,000 a month, it is going to be difficult on many levels. It's not just finding a decent place to live (which is feasible) but the cost of living is so much higher in DC than in Central Florida. Taxes are higher, food prices are higher, gas prices are higher, everything adds up. It's one thing to tolerate moving to a smaller or lesser place if your stay is only for three years before moving onward, but living in the DC area is going to be expensive, one way or another. Please keep this in mind because you may eventually realize that staying in Central Florida might be the smarter choice for your family.

Like many people in your income bracket and housing budget range, you are going to have to make substantial tradeoffs between housing and a commute. Most people end up accepting a longer commute in exchange for better housing with better schools. Many people on this forum abhor commutes but many suck it up and make it work. If working at Reagan you may want to consider taking the MARC train to Union from the southern Baltimore suburbs in Howard County and then the metro to Reagan. You'll probably find it'll add maybe another 20-30 minutes to your commute versus driving or taking the metro from a closer in suburb. The advantage of the MARC is that you aren't driving (or only driving to the MARC station) which changes the commute equation quite a bit.

Downdown Bethesd! There are an apartment complex at Bradley Blvd near Arlinton Rd. I believe it is county owned ans has income limit. It feeds to Bethesda ES and BCC HS. Not should which MS because a new MS just opened in the cluster. Redline Metro to Reagan Building.

Anonymous wrote:16:16 again. Try these areas:

VA:
Herndon
Reston
Chantilly
Springfield
Manasses
Woodbridge
Lorton

MD:
Crofton
Gambrills
Odenton
Silver Spring
Gaithersburg
Germantown
Montgomery Village
Might get lucky in Rockville

Speaking only of the MD locations... Crofton, Gambrills, and Odenton would be murderous commutes. Don't even consider. Montgomery Village is an absolute hole, avoid it. Some parts of Gaithersburg are fine, some okay, and some absolute poverty. Germantown would be, minimum, a 1 hour commute regardless of mode (car vs. metro vs. MARC). I'd try for Silver Spring, but that also covers a vast amount of area and the same caveats that apply to Gaithersburg apply to Silver Spring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If only 3 years and kids are young I would suggest College Park/ university park area. Elementary is excellent. Close in has festivals / farmers markets and city events along with U.MD facilities and events. Very convenient right on metro and close in. The community is 65-35 white/minority and a good amount of detached rentals.

WTF? Is this a joke??? Worst advice ever to someone with kids. Are you kidding????

+ 1
Don't do it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try the Kingstowne, Island Creek and Landsdowne areas if Alexandria in Faircax County. You will get a lot of amenities and access to retail in a less stressful area. Metto or slug to reagan bldg.

School in this area is good? Safety?

No. The only good ES in the Alexandria part of Fairfax County is Waynewood and maybe Stratford Landing. The rest are not good. You are better off looking in Vienna or North Arlington if you care about schools (or Falls Church City or McLean if you can afford the higher prices).

You're not very knowledgeable PP, are you? Island Creek ES has very good scores. The AAP center that they all feed into has excellent scores and I know from first hand experience that it is an excellent school. These areas I mentioned have pools and community activities (just had a haunted house event)... they are the kind of place that a person looking for a $2000 rental can find something -- there are trails and lots of kids and families. It is easy to get to a movie theater or grocery store or post office and it is easy to sign the kids up for soccer or dance classes; easy access to LA Fitness, library, playgrounds.

Here is one option that is close to your rental amount:
6631 High Valley Ln,, Alexandria.
7536 Oldham Way, Alexandria, VA 22315
7433 Gillingham Row, Alexandria

The kids will be able to make fast friends in these areas. The middle school and high school are fine as long as you stay in the honors classes.

Downtown ss or taking park might be hard at that price point... But that's where I'd look. Agree, the elementary and middle school.oprions are both excellent--and there is busing to get the kids to school.

$2000 a month is not a lot.

For our advice you should be more specific about which tradeoffs you want to make - safety, walkability, commute, space etc...