OP you really want to go out in DC?!

Something is off about your posts.

The affordable areas near Tysons are Vienna, Tysons, Falls Church, Reston. All have "city" areas. Arlington is a terrible commute as is DC to Tysons.

14:27 here - check apartmentfinder.com or another rental site and look for rentals in 22205 and 22207. (and 22203, but that's closer to Ballston and metro.) Waverly Village and Oakcrest came up when searched, on Lee Hwy, which is close to Old Dominion and a decent back-route commute to Tysons. (Some friends also lived at horizon East and Horizon West, nearby.)

Note: I personally thought it was easier to find daycare in Fairfax than in Arlington. Full-day daycare and preschool are pretty tough here. So you might want to try to nail that down early on, and let that drive your housing search. I can personally recommend Carousel Child Development Center near Merrifield/Dunn Loring for daycare/preschool. (and Ballston Childrens Center in Arlington for preschool, but not infant daycare.0

Find somewhere in South Arlington where you can accept the schools. Maybe Tysons itself will work with the advent of Metro.

Look in westover area of n Arlington. Schools are excellent and you can take great falls rd to Tyson's area. 20-25 min commute at any time, no traffic no stress.

Anonymous wrote:I would look in Falls Church City- 22046. Its a quick commute to Tysons, and adjacent to Arlington. Most of FCC is very walkable, with excellent schools.


While I personally love Fairlington- I wouldn't live there and work in Tyson's- that's a pretty long commute.

I also wouldn't be afraid to metro--- you can sign up for guaranteed ride home which will pay for a taxi in the middle of the day when needed.
Or you can just pay the cost of the cab-- my DH works downtown and takes metro and just hops a cab when there is an unexpected emergency when time is of the essence.

OP Here- Metro wouldn't work because I need to drop off/pick up my DD from daycare. Don't know yet where the daycare will be so I don't want ot limit my options, plus metroing to daycare then walking to daycare then walking back to metro to go to work will just make the commute so much longer that it is not worth it for me. Driving is ideal because of all the logistics involved.

I would look in Falls Church City- 22046. Its a quick commute to Tysons, and adjacent to Arlington. Most of FCC is very walkable, with excellent schools.


While I personally love Fairlington- I wouldn't live there and work in Tyson's- that's a pretty long commute.

I also wouldn't be afraid to metro--- you can sign up for guaranteed ride home which will pay for a taxi in the middle of the day when needed.
Or you can just pay the cost of the cab-- my DH works downtown and takes metro and just hops a cab when there is an unexpected emergency when time is of the essence.

If you post enough good pictures online men will drive from a far to meet you no matter where you are located.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a single mom and we moved out of Dunn loring/Merrifield a couple years ago to be closer to my job in DC. The commute to Tysons was great, and we could walk to the playground and a few store from our townhouse. We thought it was very safe, and metro was very handy too, even if you don't take it to work. the elementary schools are pretty good and there are a few options for daycare/preschool if you get on lists now. There's a lot to do there now, and some single folks.

Also recommend North Arlington if you can find something a bit farther from metro (which increases prices) - it is a quick commute to Tysons on main or back roads. We're near Old Dominion and 66, both good routes to get there. Lots of singles in Arlington.

Thank you for sharing. I will look into those areas

OP Back— I will clarify a few things. I want to be closer to DC and Arlington for entertainment on weekends. The thing I hate the most about living in the Dulles area right now is it is so remote that I don’t get to do anything because I hate driving 45min-1h whenever I have to meet up with friends and family. Friends and Family live in DC, Arlington and Alexandria. So a good compromise would be an area close enough to Tysons to commute to during the week but also close enough to DC-Alexandria-Arlington for quick trips on weekends. I appreciate all of the helpful ideas and suggestions. Thank you!

I'm a single mom and we moved out of Dunn loring/Merrifield a couple years ago to be closer to my job in DC. The commute to Tysons was great, and we could walk to the playground and a few store from our townhouse. We thought it was very safe, and metro was very handy too, even if you don't take it to work. the elementary schools are pretty good and there are a few options for daycare/preschool if you get on lists now. There's a lot to do there now, and some single folks.

Also recommend North Arlington if you can find something a bit farther from metro (which increases prices) - it is a quick commute to Tysons on main or back roads. We're near Old Dominion and 66, both good routes to get there. Lots of singles in Arlington.

You want to live in an urban area (Arlington??) or live close to an urban area (DC?).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reston before Arlington. You'd get more for your money.

OP Here- I want to be closer to the city though, so my choice would be Arlington before Reston, I don't think the commute differential is that bad?

Ok so you mean closer DC? I didn't know if other walkable places (Vienna, Reston, etc) would work. But I don't see how much you'd get to DC if you lived in Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reston before Arlington. You'd get more for your money.

OP Here- I want to be closer to the city though, so my choice would be Arlington before Reston, I don't think the commute differential is that bad?

Which "city"? Why would being closer to DC matter to OP if she is working in Tysons.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why wouldn't Arlington be a good choice for the OP? I really don't think it is that bad of a commute to Tysons

It's not a terrible commute but it would probably still be a good 30 minutes depending on where in Arlington and where in Tysons (although I suppose having 66 non-restricted in that direction could help). It probably just wouldn't be my first choice since she doesn't need metro access and values a short commute. I'd recommend Fairlington, but people will argue about the school quality. Some of the N. Arlington neighborhoods like Cherrydale or Westover would be nice and potentially in OP's budget, but they're sleepy (though walkable to some stores and restaurants). The Clarendon area would be great for OP but tough in her price range. Worth a look though.

OP here- I am open to anything that would be a 15-30 minutes commute Thanks for the suggestions

It is really hard to predict the commute times since they can vary so much day-to-day. Definitely do a couple of test runs during morning and afternoon rush hour if possible before you commit to an area.