OP - I commuted to Bethesda, Arlington and DC from my home near Vienna metro and it wasn't bad at all. I had the option of Metro, 66, 495, 50 and 29 and having options helped. So you might consider something off of Nutley that feeds into Oakton or Madison HS and isn't in Vienna proper. I always found the traffic in Vienna proper to be pretty heavy at a variety of times (rush hour, saturday morning, etc.) though I probably didn't know some of the back roads to take. Route 7 has been Hell for a long time, as has 123. I wouldn't want a house with a commute dependent on either road. I'd also consider houses that feed into Woodson HS and are close-ish to Dunn Loring or Vienna metro.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fredericksburg is nice. The traffic horrendous. VRE is a plus but the crime is not for the size of the area. We looked there because we have friends who live there and DH has family there.

Is the traffic bad if you stay in the area or just commuting. In other words, if they took the VRE, would they still be stuck in traffic all the time like they would in Vienna?

Vienna traffic is nothing compared to Fredericksburg commutes. VRE has delays but it is worth it.

Right. But assume they would take VRE. Are there traffic problems in Fredricksburg similar to those in Vienna when the commute is by train?

The people who are going to take the Orange line have more options. They are usually able to drive between stops if needed. So if the Orange line at Vienna has no parking you can go up to Falls Church. The VRE gets delayed because of track work and hitting animals and sadly, hitting people like what happened last night/this morning. VRE I am pretty sure everyone gets a seat unlike metro but the ride is much longer and trying to drive from station to station is not as easy as it is from metro stop to metro stop. Metro is easier but you will feel more crowded but there are more options. VRE you will be comfortable but track work, accidents,and the traffic between VRE stations by car is not as simple. So you may not be able to get into DC on time everyday and you won't be just 5-10 minutes late like a delay on the Orange line could offer. Things may have changed in the last year but I am not sure. I used to live a few minutes from the Vienna Metro and go to the Metro Center stop and parking was bad but I could atleast hop on 66 in traffic and not be an hour late or drive to another stop.

Pick Vienna unless you have a flexible schedule to come/go to and from Fredericksburg.

Anonymous wrote:OP here again- wow, there seems to be quite the debate going on. DH vetoed Fredericksburg as being much too far. If he was to move anywhere that far out, it would be to the Servena Park area, as he has family there. We have considered Servena Park and it is not off the table, I just worry that it would be too conservative and homogeneous for us, in addition to being far from DC. I really like the house in Vienna posted by the PP. For those that live in the Vienna area, do you find the traffic to be a daily struggle? I have only been through Vienna on the weekends, using major roads, so I admit that I don't have a good grasp on the daily traffic there.

If you travel to DC on a daily basis from that house during the heart of rush hour, you likely will find the traffic oppressive. Traffic can also be heavy on the major roads on the weekends, when people are running errands.

If you travel to DC 2-3 times a week, or can travel during non-rush hour times, it would be fine, in my own opinion. You would have the option of taking the Dulles Toll Road or cutting through on Old Courthouse, which would avoid some of the traffic on Route 123/Maple Avenue. Another compensating factor for the traffic is that Vienna has a lot of good groceries and affordable, family-friendly restaurants (and I'm not talking about places like Outback Steakhouse, but instead places like Cenan's Bakery, Rose Kabob, Plaka Grill, Amma Vegetarian, Sunflower Vegetarian and Nielsen's Frozen Custard).

OP here again- wow, there seems to be quite the debate going on. DH vetoed Fredericksburg as being much too far. If he was to move anywhere that far out, it would be to the Servena Park area, as he has family there. We have considered Servena Park and it is not off the table, I just worry that it would be too conservative and homogeneous for us, in addition to being far from DC. I really like the house in Vienna posted by the PP. For those that live in the Vienna area, do you find the traffic to be a daily struggle? I have only been through Vienna on the weekends, using major roads, so I admit that I don't have a good grasp on the daily traffic there.

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But nobody is talking about close-in suburbs. They are talking about Vuenna.

Vienna may be outside the Beltway, but it's better connected to DC than Woodbridge or Fredericksburg. I can't think of many people who need to be in DC several times a week who wouldn't prefer to live in Vienna than those places, and I can think of plenty of people with the OP's budget who would prefer it to DC or Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:If you have enough money to live in the close-in suburbs of DC, why the hell would you even consider Fredericksburg? That's insane. The only family I know who moved there did so because they wanted a mini-mansion for $300K. And then when they went to sell, it took months because 60 of the 400ish houses in their development were listed at the same time because (a) the foreclosure/short sale issue hit the area hard, and (b) a lot of folks couldn't take the commute.

Fredericksburg is NOT DC. It's not even Woodbridge, which is a hell commute in itself.

But nobody is talking about close-in suburbs. They are talking about Vuenna.

If you have enough money to live in the close-in suburbs of DC, why the hell would you even consider Fredericksburg? That's insane. The only family I know who moved there did so because they wanted a mini-mansion for $300K. And then when they went to sell, it took months because 60 of the 400ish houses in their development were listed at the same time because (a) the foreclosure/short sale issue hit the area hard, and (b) a lot of folks couldn't take the commute.

Fredericksburg is NOT DC. It's not even Woodbridge, which is a hell commute in itself.

Nope. Not jealous. I love where I live. I'm just trying to figure out the comparative local traffic situation of Vienna and Fredricksburg and other similar areas.

Anonymous wrote:

The people most frustrated by Tysons traffic are people who have to commute in and out of Tysons during rush hour, or people who drive through Tysons and Vienna to get some place further west and don't bother to learn any local shortcuts.

If the OP can travel to DC by Metro and/or drive at non-rush hour times, Vienna might be a good choice for her, given her budget and housing preferences. I think living in a place like Fredericksburg largely takes you out of the DC region, and trying to find a nice house in her price range in Arlington that isn't a dump can be quite a challenge.

I know many people who live in that area who complain ad nauseum about how much they hate going to the grocery on the weekends even because the traffic just never ends, especially in December.