Virginia/DC area

[ManNmachine]

Need some input from anyone living or lived in the DC area...I'll be moving to DC area and been looking around for places to live. I am looking for newer housing-not attached together with a yard. I am thinking south like Woodbridge would be decent for living and to avoid the terrible I heard about TRAFFIC? What about any performance shops in the area?

 

[astrodudepsu]

woodbridge can be pretty rough depending on where you are at.

where will your job be? move as close as you can to work.

what is your budget for housing? a single family with a yard is going to cost you, a lot. even in hoodbridge.

 

[Monster Mach]

Traffic sucks... I lived in woodbridge... nice area but I lived right off 495 and the construction was the worst... don't plan on being on time anywhere between 230 and 5 tho.. it was horrible.. miss the area a lot though.. if I could get a good job down there id do it in a heart beat... I like maryland better though.. especially waldorf area

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[ManNmachine]

Travel time to work will probably start around 530am. I'll be working on FT Meyer and wife will on at the Pentagon, right now we are planning housing budget for around $2500 to 2700 range.

 

[astrodudepsu]

going from woodbridge north in the morning is the worst possible situation. it doesn't matter if you leave at 530, that part of 95/495 backs up that early.

 

[ManNmachine]

going from woodbridge north in the morning is the worst possible situation. it doesn't matter if you leave at 530, that part of 95/495 backs up that early.

Thanks for info. I am going to start looking online in the Alexandria area as close to work as possible. What about coming from the west (Reston/Mclean)... etc?

 

[Finaltheorem47]

66 east is terrible in the mornings too. This place is so bad with traffic, you can't win by leaving earlier or later, 66E is like a standstill from 5:30 AM to 10:30AM, then 66W is like a standstill from 2:30PM-7:30PM.

 

[astrodudepsu]

Thanks for info. I am going to start looking online in the Alexandria area as close to work as possible. What about coming from the west (Reston/Mclean)... etc?

66 isn't an option. But there are backroads. My fiance drives from reston to Arlington and it takes about an hr. Reston mclean will be well beyond your budget for a single family w a yard. It's gonna come down to priorities. If you won't budge on the house you'll be looking at a 60 min commute minimum, prob 90 mins more likely. One way of course so double that for the evening.

I work in herndon, about 4 miles from where I live and even tho reston is exp its worth it to me. My sanity is not worth having a bigger place to live.

 

[notfastenuf]

IMO, live as close in as you can. We're in West Falls Church and I just pop on 50E and drive in at 0545 no problem - I was at the Pentagon and work fairly close to it now. I did the commute thing in FL (80 miles) and swore I would never do it again - I have plenty of friends that live in Woodbridge, Fredricksburg, Dumphries, Manassas, Centreville, etc... they spend their lives on the road - F that noise, life is too short.

Like astrodudepsu said, just depends on what you can budge on. We have a single family, dual garage, sizeable yard just inside the beltway but we payed for it - the downside is that it was built in 1979. Flip side, we rented a beautiful new townhouse gated with a single garage for six months in Tysons Corner across from the Ritz when we moved here a few years ago - I loved it except it wasn't a house - that went for $1900 a month.

 

[astrodudepsu]

Yeahhhhhhhh. I've been here for 3 years now and it still gets me sometimes how expensive shit is here.

Just for a comparison, I pay more for my 1 bdrm 1 bath 820 sqft apartment than my parents mortgage on their 3 bdrm 2.5 bath 2400 sqft house on .75 acres of land back in PA and that includes their taxes in escrow and all that stuff.

I encourage you to look, who knows you may get lucky and find exactly what you are looking for. But a good rule of thumb is to live as close as you can to work.

 

[1QWK96GT]

IMO, live as close in as you can. We're in West Falls Church and I just pop on 50E and drive in at 0545 no problem - I was at the Pentagon and work fairly close to it now. I did the commute thing in FL (80 miles) and swore I would never do it again - I have plenty of friends that live in Woodbridge, Fredricksburg, Dumphries, Manassas, Centreville, etc... they spend their lives on the road - F that noise, life is too short.

Like astrodudepsu said, just depends on what you can budge on. We have a single family, dual garage, sizeable yard just inside the beltway but we payed for it - the downside is that it was built in 1979. Flip side, we rented a beautiful new townhouse gated with a single garage for six months in Tysons Corner across from the Ritz when we moved here a few years ago - I loved it except it wasn't a house - that went for $1900 a month.

This......I live in warrenton and drive to sterling and it involves 66 unless I take the back way which I usually do. AVOID 66 like the plague. And I have been in the area for awhile now from my understanding there are places in woodbridge that are nice and places that are bad. Hence the nickname hoodbridge. If your gonna do woodbridge I would make sure you scope out the specific spot of interest in woodbridge.

 

[Monster Mach]

This......I live in warrenton and drive to sterling and it involves 66 unless I take the back way which I usually do. AVOID 66 like the plague. And I have been in the area for awhile now from my understanding there are places in woodbridge that are nice and places that are bad. Hence the nickname hoodbridge. If your gonna do woodbridge I would make sure you scope out the specific spot of interest in woodbridge.

Woodbridge wasn't that bad... I lived right off the woodbridge exit on 495 you take the exit take the first left go under the bridge take the left and take the first right and there was my devolpement

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[RDJ]

Have your wife find you a place IN the pentagon to live. There are hallways and rooms in that place that hasn't seen footprints since it was built because it is so complex. A family of five could easily live down in the bowels for years without getting caught.

 

[smithboy76908]

The MD side is a little cheaper but the commute isn't any better. For 4 months, I made the drive from Laurel, MD down to Ft. Belvoir on a contract and that sucked! It would be an hour and a half going down there in the mornings and over 2 hours coming back in the evenings. Some co-workers lived out near Martinsburg, WV and took the train in to work. They were twice the distance away but we'd get there about the same time and they got to sleep on the train the whole way.

 

[RDJ]

The MD side is a little cheaper but the commute isn't any better. For 4 months, I made the drive from Laurel, MD down to Ft. Belvoir on a contract and that sucked! It would be an hour and a half going down there in the mornings and over 2 hours coming back in the evenings. Some co-workers lived out near Martinsburg, WV and took the train in to work. They were twice the distance away but we'd get there about the same time and they got to sleep on the train the whole way.

This is actually a good idea. You can also get ALOT more house for less money. When I worked in McLean we had folks coming in from gettysberg PA and Charlestown WV. One guy used to canoe down the Potomac, tie up and walk the rest of the way.

You will also avoid exactly ZERO traffic by living in woodbridge

 

[AznStanger3v]

I've lived in Stafford for 17 years. Definitely a nice play to live. My dad used to commute 80 miles ONE WAY to work (Pax River, MD). Now he works for Northrup Grumman in Stafford, so he is happier than a pig in shit. Traffic is intense to say the least. I recommend going to a slug lot if the opportunity arises

 

[ManNmachine]

I am taking the advice of living as close as I can. I got in town a couple days ago and been looking at a few places in Alexandria, Franconia…just outside the belt, so far that’s closest I found with suitable space. I looked at a place just inside the belt way around the Tyson corner and it was way too small. Tomorrow morning I’ll drive up 95/395 so I can see the commute. I'll do some more looking around inside the belt too. Hope to be locked into a place by end of this week.

Then the next thing is to get my car from WA. No way I’ll use another transporter, so looks like I’ll likely fly back and run the miles up:rolling:

 

[LUBaseball2]

My friend is a realtor in the area let me know if you need any help!

 

[notfastenuf]

I am taking the advice of living as close as I can. I got in town a couple days ago and been looking at a few places in Alexandria, Franconia…just outside the belt, so far that’s closest I found with suitable space. I looked at a place just inside the belt way around the Tyson corner and it was way too small. Tomorrow morning I’ll drive up 95/395 so I can see the commute. I'll do some more looking around inside the belt too. Hope to be locked into a place by end of this week.

Then the next thing is to get my car from WA. No way I’ll use another transporter, so looks like I’ll likely fly back and run the miles up:rolling:

Welcome!

 

[5spd07gt]

I live in Woodbridge/Lake Ridge about a mile off I-95 and I have to be at work at 5:30am at Ft Belvoir. As long as you are on I-95N before 5:30am you are fine. I take 95N up to exit 166 and can run 70mph easy.