What is a good town to commute to Washington, DC from?

[Person24]

My husband is contemplating taking a job which would require him to work in the DC/Baltimore area. I really really DO NOT want to live in the city or really close to the city. I would love to live somewhere more rural but at the very least the suburbs. I would prefer VA over MD. Any suggestions on cities which aren't inordinately expensive and won't be too killer of a commute? Not sure that either exist . . . HELP!

 

[wildcat03]

First I think it's important to establish whether it's DC or Baltimore. They are 40 miles and an hour (in light traffic, 2 hours in bad traffic) apart.

 

[Person24]

He has a job were the location will change every 2-3 years. So that is his region. He can be anywhere in that region. So it makes it somewhat harder to figure out where to move. I am thinking the best thing to do would be find out where he would be when he starts and rent for a year to figure out a good location we can stand . . .

 

[kenny]

Do you have a Learjet or a helicopter?

 

[vc10um]

Oh man...that's tough. Do you have any remote idea where his office will be? Are we talking downtown DC proper...or DC like "Alexandria, VA, is *almost* in DC" DC?

(I just spent the last 5 years living in Alexandria, VA, so hopefully I can provide some insight once we have a bit more information...)

 

[aviastar]

Weeelllll, commuting is not so good into DC from anywhere...traffic is one of our major problems here. But depending on where exactly he'll be Metro is an option from a lot of directions.

To get to truly rural in VA you have to go out to Loudoun, and deep into it- like west of Leesburg. Then there are buses, the MARC train, or driving to commute with, but you're looking at somewhere between 1-2 hours each way. And Loudoun isn't inexpensive. Bump out to Clark county or just over the WV state line (Harper's Ferry is charming and the last stop on the MARC train) and you still have all those commuting options (plus some Blue Ridge mountains, which can be problematic in the winter) and it's much much cheaper. Not to say people don't do the commute; 18,000 cars a day pass in front of my house on their way through Loudoun to DC for work, but that's realistically what you are getting if you want rural and DC at the same time.

Suburbs are easier. Everywhere is suburbs. And they are all expensive. Do you have any idea of a general area where he will be starting you can work out from?

 

[Person24]

We both have long commute snow (45 minutes and 1.5 hours) so a somewhat long commute isn't too horrible. Keeping it under an hour or so would be nice I have no idea where he would be.

AND no we don't have any air transportation! I wish

 

[AGBF]

There are some great places to live from which you can commute, but the traffic is going to kill you. The lovely farmland that makes it less expensive to live in Virginia outside the city is reached by rural roads...and these are all now choked with the cars of other people commuting to their homes in the Virginia suburbs. I lived in one from 2004 through 2011. My next door neighbors, who were retired, just didn't go out during rush hour. The local roads became too clogged. Summers were better, but after Labor day when everyone with children returned from summer vacations the roads became impossible again. Fridays were better, because some government employees had flex days on Fridays and didn't go into the District to work that day, thereby lessening the congestion.

My husband drove to the closest Metro station and then took a train into the District to work. The drive took about 45 minutes on a bad day, the train ride about 30 minutes. On a day with no traffic, we could drive into the District from our home in a little over half an hour.

Deb/AGBF

 

[Logan Sapphire]

I have lived in Arlington, VA and now live in West Springfield, VA and have done all sorts of commuting except for actually driving downtown (*shudder*). The problem with living in VA is that to get downtown, you must cross a bridge of some sort and said bridges usually have a lot of issues/traffic/construction.

W. Springfield is a decent area to live in. You might also look at Burke, which is right next door to Springfield. The Franconia-Springfield metro is about a 10 min drive for me; that commute takes probably an hour door to door. I've also taken a bus to the Pentagon, then the metro downtown, which takes about 45-60 mins, depending on what time you commute. I now slug, which is a form of condoned carpooling, to the Pentagon and then take the metro. The only part I pay for is the short 3 stop metro ride, which is around $2, I think. Taking the metro all the way in is about $15/day, including parking, and the bus is about $12/roundtrip. You can also take the VRE commuter train from Burke and various parts of Springfield.

Burke and West Springfield have good schools. My specific neighborhood has a good mix of military families, blue collar, and white collar folks. There are a lot of SAHMs too.

Everyone has their priorities. I've lived in DC too and wouldn't be able to afford a decent sized house with a yard and good schools. Same for Arlington- too expensive for us. Springfield has a bit of a commute, but we do have a lot of commuting options.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

You mention DC/Baltimore and that the location will change every couple of years. Will it change from DC to Baltimore or somewhere else altogether?

I lived in DC for about 5 years and while I would have preferred to live in VA, I lived in MD because it made the commute easier. If my job had been in Arlington or Alexandria instead of NW DC, I would have made the move to VA because being on the beltway and trying to get to the other state (VA to MD or MD to VA) is beyond painful.

I lived in Chevy Chase, but I was a college student back then (early 2000s) so I lived in an apartment and Chevy Chase wasn't as built up as it is now. If you have a nice budget, I think Potomac would be great for being close to the city, but without having houses on top of each other. I totally understand your delimma--I live in Boston now, but we also wanted to be within an hour of the city (for work) and have a decent plot of land (1+ acres) and there are only small pockets that allow for that.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

He has a job were the location will change every 2-3 years. So that is his region. He can be anywhere in that region. So it makes it somewhat harder to figure out where to move. I am thinking the best thing to do would be find out where he would be when he starts and rent for a year to figure out a good location we can stand . . .

With this additional piece of info, renting (at least to start) seems a very wise idea!

 

[february2003bride]

Ashburn, South Riding, Stone Ridge (Aldie area), Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Great Falls/McLean all have good suburbs and commute is 1 hour or less. Leesburg would put you in the 1+ hour range. I would avoid Herndon altogether (bad schools, if you have children or plan on having them). Actually, Reston schools are terrible as well. But if schools aren't an issue, Reston has some cute pocket neighborhoods and the Metro should open this Spring.

 

[AGBF]

While looking for a clear map of the Virginia suburbs close to Washington, DC I came across this website. It seemed interesting and germane to the discussion. There is also a map on the site.

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/retrofitting_suburbia_for_the.html

Deb/AGBF

 

[lovebug1031]

Fredericksburg - its about 45 min commute (on a really good day) - but they have the VRE thre during the week, which is essentially the amtract into DC to hop onto the metro - makes it faster and easier! It isn't too expensive either.

 

[aviastar]

Ashburn, South Riding, Stone Ridge (Aldie area), Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Great Falls/McLean all have good suburbs and commute is 1 hour or less. Leesburg would put you in the 1+ hour range. I would avoid Herndon altogether (bad schools, if you have children or plan on having them). Actually, Reston schools are terrible as well. But if schools aren't an issue, Reston has some cute pocket neighborhoods and the Metro should open this Spring.

I would put Aldie and South Riding is the 1+ range as well; Rt. 50 is a nightmare during rush hour (so many lights!) and I try to avoid 66 at all times, not just rush hour. Chantilly is a closer in, still in Fairfax, and it has some very nice neighborhoods, as well. And Lucketts is very rural, north of Leesburg, and super close to MARC train.

Ashburn and Leesburg can go either way with the Greenway, but tolls are about to rise again. I love Loudoun County, and would recommend it as a place to live hands down, but I did the commute into DC for a year and and just couldn't do it anymore. It's 50 mins one day and 2 hours the next, depending on the day, weather, accidents, the will of the traffic gods, and if you manage to get out your driveway at 6:03 or 6:05.

West of Leesburg (Purcellville, Middleburg, Round Hill, Waterford, Lovettsville) will be pushing 1.5-2 hrs. But are lovely rural/slightly suburban areas; excellent schools.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Ashburn, South Riding, Stone Ridge (Aldie area), Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Great Falls/McLean all have good suburbs and commute is 1 hour or less. Leesburg would put you in the 1+ hour range. I would avoid Herndon altogether (bad schools, if you have children or plan on having them). Actually, Reston schools are terrible as well. But if schools aren't an issue, Reston has some cute pocket neighborhoods and the Metro should open this Spring.

I would put Aldie and South Riding is the 1+ range as well; Rt. 50 is a nightmare during rush hour (so many lights!) and I try to avoid 66 at all times, not just rush hour. Chantilly is a closer in, still in Fairfax, and it has some very nice neighborhoods, as well. And Lucketts is very rural, north of Leesburg, and super close to MARC train.

Ashburn and Leesburg can go either way with the Greenway, but tolls are about to rise again. I love Loudoun County, and would recommend it as a place to live hands down, but I did the commute into DC for a year and and just couldn't do it anymore. It's 50 mins one day and 2 hours the next, depending on the day, weather, accidents, the will of the traffic gods, and if you manage to get out your driveway at 6:03 or 6:05.

West of Leesburg (Purcellville, Middleburg, Round Hill, Waterford, Lovettsville) will be pushing 1.5-2 hrs. But are lovely rural/slightly suburban areas; excellent schools.

This is so true, and one of the reasons why I start work at 6.45am, leaving my house at 5.50. I would rather rise at the butt crack of dawn and have an easier commute than go in later and suffer through traffic. Even at 6.15am, the traffic going north on 395 (not HOV) can be bumper to bumper.

I also agree with you on Aldie/South Riding. I have friends who live there and their commute in is over 1.5 hours.

 

[aviastar]

Ashburn, South Riding, Stone Ridge (Aldie area), Reston, Arlington, Alexandria, Great Falls/McLean all have good suburbs and commute is 1 hour or less. Leesburg would put you in the 1+ hour range. I would avoid Herndon altogether (bad schools, if you have children or plan on having them). Actually, Reston schools are terrible as well. But if schools aren't an issue, Reston has some cute pocket neighborhoods and the Metro should open this Spring.

I would put Aldie and South Riding is the 1+ range as well; Rt. 50 is a nightmare during rush hour (so many lights!) and I try to avoid 66 at all times, not just rush hour. Chantilly is a closer in, still in Fairfax, and it has some very nice neighborhoods, as well. And Lucketts is very rural, north of Leesburg, and super close to MARC train.

Ashburn and Leesburg can go either way with the Greenway, but tolls are about to rise again. I love Loudoun County, and would recommend it as a place to live hands down, but I did the commute into DC for a year and and just couldn't do it anymore. It's 50 mins one day and 2 hours the next, depending on the day, weather, accidents, the will of the traffic gods, and if you manage to get out your driveway at 6:03 or 6:05.

West of Leesburg (Purcellville, Middleburg, Round Hill, Waterford, Lovettsville) will be pushing 1.5-2 hrs. But are lovely rural/slightly suburban areas; excellent schools.

This is so true, and one of the reasons why I start work at 6.45am, leaving my house at 5.50. I would rather rise at the butt crack of dawn and have an easier commute than go in later and suffer through traffic. Even at 6.15am, the traffic going north on 395 (not HOV) can be bumper to bumper.

I also agree with you on Aldie/South Riding. I have friends who live there and their commute in is over 1.5 hours.

I know quite a few people who, like you, can work out a bit of an off schedule and it's not so bad. Or telecommute twice a week, or work 4 ten hour days instead of 5 eight's...there are lots of ways to make it more bearable if your office is flexible. I started taking the buses in so I could sleep or work during the commute, plus I didn't have to deal with parking once I was in the city.

 

[amc80]

Wow, reading this thread makes me very thankful for my 3.9 mile commute.

 

[AGBF]

West of Leesburg (Purcellville, Middleburg, Round Hill, Waterford, Lovettsville) will be pushing 1.5-2 hrs. But are lovely rural/slightly suburban areas; excellent schools.

Yes, when I lived in Great Falls, near the Loudoun County border, I always wished I could live in Purcellville or Middleburg. I knew nothing about the school systems, but my daughter once played soccer in Purcellville...I assume it was against the Purcellville middle school's team since she was in Cooper Middle School at the time! There is no way on earth we would have moved there if my husband had continued to work in the District, however! I think that would have been madness. I assumed that the people who lived in Purcellville and Middleburg were simply wealthy people who chose to have homes there or people who farmed or ran businesses from there. I don't see it as a place from which to have a connection to the District. If one entertains, one needs to be in the District or at least in Bethesda or Potomac or McLean. I guess one could have a house party out in Middleburg, but if one is truly wealthy, why not have it in Paris? Maybe because the horseback riding is better in Middleburg!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Person24]

I have to admit this thread is making me cringe. Pretty much sounds terrible to try and find a place to live that is not going to slowly make us insane with the traffic . . . EEK!

And the job would place him in all areas of the Baltimore/DC region not outside of that region. Hm . . . . I guess all of the traffic is a big consideration. Maybe MD would be better but for some reason I like VA much more.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[ieatbugs]

My husband is contemplating taking a job which would require him to work in the DC/Baltimore area. I really really DO NOT want to live in the city or really close to the city. I would love to live somewhere more rural but at the very least the suburbs. I would prefer VA over MD. Any suggestions on cities which aren't inordinately expensive and won't be too killer of a commute? Not sure that either exist . . . HELP!

Housing prices in the VA area are close to half a million dollars on average. You'd need to live somewhere in maryland, but the area inbetween is also expensive. It's called Columbia. There really aren't any inexpensive options here and you won't be able to get too far from the city. Maryland and DC have the highest income in the country, on average about $90,000 per household.
Also, the metro DC area in virginia is one the most congested nightmarish suburbias I've ever been in. The traffic is awful and it's completely jam packed with stripmalls. I've never been anywhere I disliked as much as that place.

I've been living in Baltimore for about 8 years now and to be honest, I'm kind of done with it. The state is a bureaucratic nightmare, and despite being incredibly rich the government is incredibly corrupt and we are seriously lacking great amounts of infrastructure. The city has one of the highest population of heroin addicts as well and it can be just utterly depressing to use public transportation and walk around in some of the low income neighborhoods.

Also, I would say you really can't make a decision until you know where his location is supposed to be. The drive to get into DC can be 2 hours, but there is also a Marc train, although it leaves from select locations and sometimes the service can be spotty, but many people take it. It's a 45 minute ride from downtown Baltimore. This is one of the few public transportation commuting options.

 

[aviastar]

West of Leesburg (Purcellville, Middleburg, Round Hill, Waterford, Lovettsville) will be pushing 1.5-2 hrs. But are lovely rural/slightly suburban areas; excellent schools.

Yes, when I lived in Great Falls, near the Loudoun County border, I always wished I could live in Purcellville or Middleburg. I knew nothing about the school systems, but my daughter once played soccer in Purcellville...I assume it was against the Purcellville middle school's team since she was in Cooper Middle School at the time! There is no way on earth we would have moved there if my husband had continued to work in the District, however! I think that would have been madness. I assumed that the people who lived in Purcellville and Middleburg were simply wealthy people who chose to have homes there or people who farmed or ran businesses from there. I don't see it as a place from which to have a connection to the District. If one entertains, one needs to be in the District or at least in Bethesda or Potomac or McLean. I guess one could have a house party out in Middleburg, but if one is truly wealthy, why not have it in Paris? Maybe because the horseback riding is better in Middleburg!

Deb/AGBF

You'd be surprised; people commute in- regularly- from Purcellville, even Bluemont, over the mountain into West Virginia...anywhere within a 2 hour radius is fair game for commuting. And it's for the exact reasons being discussed here: cost of living/quality of life and the higher salaries the closer in you go. People commute east into Loudoun from Winchester, too, same deal.

Middleburg is home to some very wealthy folks, but not everyone is that high income. Sure Sheila Johnson and Robert Duval live there, but so do lots of regular middle class people who work there or commute. Which is mostly what you see when you visit, but there are folks struggling here too. And it's absolutely beautiful, but not any prettier or nicer than the rest of western loudoun (Lo.Co. to us natives ) or clark county.

It depends on the type of housing you need, but not everything in VA is going to be half a million dollar house- my house it certainly not worth anything close to that and I have acrerage! You have to be willing to trade perhaps commuting time vs. cost of living in the county, though, and try to find a spot that strikes an ok balance. Bluemont is directly on Rt.7, so easy commuting access, only a few miles farther up the road than Purcellville, but covers some addresses in Clark County, instead of Loudoun and housing is about half the cost. Same with Harper's Ferry; right on the MARC train, lower housing cost, smack dab in the middle of the Appalachain Trail, but all in trade for a 1.5-2 hour train ride (which also means no parking in city, no gas cost, no wear and tear on the car).

Don't be worried, Person...relocating to DC is like a giant puzzle, but a good fit does probably exsist. And DC is a fun city with a ton to do surrounded by beautiful country; wineries, hiking, rafting, lots of local arts, easy access to the bay, fairly active night life, and an up and coming food scene. And whether you like it or not, DC/NoVa/Maryland are government industry towns so things are about as stable as they are likely to get right now. The economy has suffered, but not as much as it could have by any means. We have our issues in the region and traffic is one of them, no doubt, but if this is the right career move for your husband it IS a workable situation.

 

[sillyberry]

My boss (we work in biglaw) recently moved out to Purceville into a total fixer-upper. He takes a bus in at 5:45am and has to catch a bus out by 6:35pm or he's pretty much stuck in the city. But he makes it work to have 10 acres and chickens and a tractor and live in a beautiful place where the pace is a little slower.

It sounds like my version of hell! I live in Arlington and ride a bus that takes anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes (depending on traffic).

 

[AGBF]

My boss (we work in biglaw) recently moved out to Purceville into a total fixer-upper. He takes a bus in at 5:45am and has to catch a bus out by 6:35pm or he's pretty much stuck in the city. But he makes it work to have 10 acres and chickens and a tractor and live in a beautiful place where the pace is a little slower.

It sounds like my version of hell! I live in Arlington and ride a bus that takes anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes (depending on traffic).

Well...while we are speaking of the choices successful lawyers can make, I will share the one made by next door neighbors' son. (This is the son of my former next-door neighbors in Great Falls, Virginia.) He went from living in a condominium in Arlington, which was absolutely as far away as he would agree to live from the District when he was single, to buying a house in NW as soon as he got married. He is in a great family neighborhood that is like a little village with many little children right smack dab in the middle of the District. But one has to have the money to do that!

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

Person-

Have you ever visited Frederick County, Maryland? It is equidistant from Washington, DC and Baltimore and is totally rural and charming. It has all the same, lovely historic byways that Virginia has with a lot less traffic. I first discovered some of its roads while looking for an alternate way home from a commute I was making between Silver Spring, Maryland and Great Falls, Virginia. (One can cross between Maryland and Virginia at Point of Rocks, Maryland, by the way.)

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

I thought that this map of the planned Washnington, DC transit system (if it can be seen), might be helpful. I am not sure what size it will come out on Pricescope.

AGBF