Where to Live in DC Area?

My friend really loved living in Reston, VA. She was a teacher at a local elementary school and a big part of why they moved to Reston in the first place was because of a strong school system.

I visited many times and it's a really nice, pretty town.

I grew up in northern Virginia. The whole DC metro area is a huge cost of living area. You might be shocked coming from FL even though you have lived in the area before. It pretty much goes the closer you live to DC the higher the housing prices including rent and the closer you live to a metro station the higher the prices. If you are looking for a good community then I would suggest Falls Church, Vienna/Oakton, Reston and maybe Herndon. I have a good friend who lives in Leesburg that has all of what you described above but it is at a bare minimum an hour+ commute by car and no metro out there. I am more inclined to live on the Orange line of the metro. It is very congested here and the closer you live to DC the more congested it is. If you are looking for wide open spaces then you will need to live 45+ minutes (driving time) outside of DC. There are plenty of Montessori schools in the area and of course the HS vary greatly. Renting is a great idea to feel out the different areas. I would also look into taxes you might be paying. MD vs VA vs DC. Income, personal property taxes etc.

I highly suggest that you rent first, and then decide. Depending on exactly where your husband is commuting to, this can drastically alter the time it takes from different parts of town. If he will work somewhere that he can take the Metro, then you may have more options.

I lived in Fall Church for a while and like, but didn't love it. Very urban. I loved Springfield and it's right on the metro line. I also loved Frederick, but the commute from there is quite long (more than an hour) if you are going clear downtown.

Oakton and Vienna have Montessori Schools nearby and the public schools are excellent. The commute time would be right around 45 minutes for your husband. I think Vienna has much nicer amenities within walking distance. Oakton is closer to Wegmans!

Are you prepared to pay about $900K to $1M for a single family home though? That's about what you'll need. Good luck!

I live in Leesburg and I LOVE it. It might be a little more than 40 minutes to DC though. I work in Reston at a montessori school that goes up to 6th grade. Both of my kids are in the elementary program there. It's a great school!! My drive to work/school is about 50 minutes in the morning (traffic) and about 40 minutes going home (at 3pm). I like Leesburg because it has everything you need, but it's just out of the crazy crowds and crazy people everywhere and it's just on the edge of all the farm land. So it's not quite out in the country but it's not in the crowded city areas either.
We used to live in Chantilly, but I didn't like it at all. It's closer to DC (about 35 minutes I think), but the area I lived in was not very safe. Lots of break ins and a bit run down and just not as safe and clean. I'm glad to be out of Chantilly.
Reston is very nice but it is expensive. I do know the area somewhat over there because I work there and I have a lot of friends who live in Reston.
If you want more info about the montessori school I work at, just let me know and I am happy to help :)

northern VA is pretty much deadlocked all the time as far as traffic goes. this country girl does not know how people do it. downtown DC seems easier to get through. it's also hella expensive (but everywhere in the DC metro area is.) my brother lives in reston and really likes it. lots of master-planned communities with trails and pools, and great shopping and dining.
the other side of the beltway (suitland, hyattsville, largo, new carrollton) are cheaper, but a lot sketchier. i'd shoot for the northeast area around great falls, montgomery county MD-ish, but i'm afraid you're going to find congestion and high costs everywhere within a decent commute.
my dh works downtown but commutes his butt off.
definitely agree with the suggestion to rent for a year first and check it out. the investment of home-buying is so big that you really want to get it right. make sure you really love the neighborhood first.
khairete
S.

Well, the metro area is congested. 355 in Rockville is a mess. I think there's a Montessori school near there, though. Where will you work, probably? Do you need to be close to Metro? Or the ICC? Or 495? If you need to be near Metro, then start looking at neighborhoods near there. MD side you might want to look near Shady Grove, Rockville, Wheaton, Glenmont and Forrest Glen stops. You do NOT want to live near New Carolton, but you might already know that. I think Woodbridge would be too far for a daily commute to DC. What about Fairfax?

We have friends in Springfield, but they don't commute to DC. Tysons is really really congested.

Take a look at Ashburn Va and the surrounding areas.

Here's a relator in the area:

http://www.trulia.com/profile/randall-s-scruggs-jd-agent-...

It has been a looonnnggg time (over 20 years) since I lived in the area but we lived in Manassas (quite a commute) but I worked in Centerville (wouldn't be to bad of a commute) and loved that area. Good luck with your move and like everyone else suggested ...rent for a period of time..because of the military in the area they used to have a lot of places that would do six and seven months lease so check for those to! :)

Woodbridge, Va. Is very nice.

Hi!

We moved from Alexandria, VA to Fort Lauderdale 10 years ago but still have lots of family out there. Someone mentioned the Great Falls area, and just thought you should know that the commute from there is at least 90 minutes during the rush hour times. There is no good public transport from there and while the schools are good, houses are $1 million and up. Great Falls does not have any apartments or townhouses/condos.

My sister lives in Arlington near the Pentagon. A secret - if you don't know already - is to live as close as possible to the George Washington Parkway. Locals believe that it is not well signed in order to keep the tourists off of it:) Parking in DC is uber expensive so that is an additional cost.

I don't know what your husband does but if he is in the defense arena or tech/computers, etc, maybe you want him to look in the Dulles Corridor which would give you the option of living further west.

Good luck!

I have friends in Reston and they love it. Great schools, far enough from the city to feel like a small town but close enough for the commute not to be too awful. Also, the silver line for the metro now goes out there. We have thought about moving to the area, and that's where we would look first.

We are about an hour south of DC, maybe a little longer in traffic. We live in Southen Maryland and for the most part, realy love it. Sometimes my husband works at the Navy Yard and the commute isn't horrible. I would avoid Prince George's County in MD...but that's just my personal opinion.

I really agree with renting first, and then deciding where you want to plant your roots. There are SO many options here for living anywhere near the city.