So i'm moving to Virginia to take a new job

[venkman]

Originally posted by: Delita
I've lived in Alexandria for a few years near the blue and yellow metro lines. I work in DC so it my commute is about 50 minutes or so door to door. Rent is expensive as shit but getting a roommate helps out a lot. Usually, the farther you get from a metro line, the cheaper rent will get. A lot of people I know live in Arlington (its a yuppie area), but rent there is pretty expensive. I prefer to have more money in my pocket so I moved a little farther out. I am actually moving in a few weeks. I didn't want to move in with someone I didn't know either and CL I think is way too risky, so I ended up getting a one bedroom (which is never a cost effective option). I've looked at a bunch of different apartment buildings so let me know what your looking for and I might be able to help out.

I was originally hoping to find a 1Br/1Bth or studio for around $1K/mnth, but that looks pretty unrealistic. I did find some on apartment ratings, but they all have some very poor reviews (bug/mice issues, bad staff, etc). The only one I found that had decent reviews was this one but the written reviews seem mixed.

 

[lupi]

Get ready to take it in the shorts $$$$$ as you enjoy your new progressive lead paradise.

 

[TruePaige]

Is Manassas a good place to live and just ride the metro in to work?

 

[dbk]

Originally posted by: TruePaige
Is Manassas a good place to live and just ride the metro in to work?

Metro doesn't go out that far. Vienna is the most west the metro will go - driving from Manassas to Vienna will take a while in the mornings(I-66).

Springfield is the most south.
I live in Lorton which is like 15 mins from the Springfield metro. Metro ride take almost an hour to get to DC.

 

[FYIImaSpy]

If your work is Metro accessible, then you could get a cheaper place in MD (Greenbelt, College Park, etc) and commute.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: Jeeebus

Originally posted by: JDub02

Originally posted by: rdubbz420

Originally posted by: JDub02
sucks to be you.

enjoy your experience in little mexico.

funny... I haven't met too many mexican people here.

my last time to the area was 2007. i was the only one in wal-mart that didn't speak spanish.

you do realize there are more Spanish speaking countries than Mexico, right?

AFAIK, and this is largely from my wife the Fairfax high school teacher, most of the Spanish speakers in No. Va. are from Central American countries like El Salvador... hence the MS13 gang problems in the area.

Yep, this is correct.

In 2000, households headed by immigrants from El Salvador were the largest, with 4.4 persons on average (3 adults plus 1.4 children). Households headed by immigrants from other Central American countries?including Mexico?were the next largest (4.2 persons), followed by Vietnamese households (3.7 persons) and South American households (3.3 persons). Latin American and Asian immigrant households were the largest, followed by African, Middle Eastern, and, finally, European and Canadian households. European and Canadian households were actually slightly smaller than native households (2.4 versus 2.5 persons on average). Even European and Canadian households had more adults on average than native households (1.9 versus 1.8); their lower total household size was due to fewer children.

Text

Just because they were speaking Spanish doesn't mean they were from Mexico. My landlady is actually Indian and her husband's Pakastani. It's a huge melting pot in the area, I really love the diversity and fact you can get any type of food within 5 miles of your place. :thumbsup:

 

[Delita]

Originally posted by: FYIImaSpy
If your work is Metro accessible, then you could get a cheaper place in MD (Greenbelt, College Park, etc) and commute.

First of all he probably doesn't want to get shot, and if he is working in Alexandria that commute would take like 2 hours.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: FYIImaSpy
If your work is Metro accessible, then you could get a cheaper place in MD (Greenbelt, College Park, etc) and commute.

Well the only problem is the commute over the Wilson Bridge in the morning. Even though they widened it, it's still very very congested and bumper to bumper going southbound. Maybe what he should do is try moving to Burke or West Springfield near the beltway and Alexandria is a hop/skip/jump away with significantly less traffic for his morning commute going east. You can find some really good deals (even w/out a roommate) in Burke and West Springfield since they're further west but still within a good 20 minutes from Alexandria. I looked at a basement with a washer/dryer and 1/5 utils for $800/month a year ago off CL. So I'd recommend those if he can't find anything in the Alexandria area.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: venkman
looking on Craigslist, It looks like it wont be too bad if I find a roommate. I should be paying less than $1K for a 2B/2B place. I did see some adds on CL for people who already have places and are looking for roommates, but I don't know if I trust random people on CL. Not counting my first dorm, I only lived with a stranger once, and it was perfect. Mainly because he was very quite and pretty much never around. I need to find a guy like that again.

For the record, I posted ads on Craigslist for a roommate a few years back. I was looking for someone to help cut my mortgage costs down and I got a lot of response. You'll get a chance to meet the people before you move or sign any leases...

It's the best scenario if you don't own a lot of stuff to move in at first until you know how the situation is going to be...give it 3-6 months before totally putting roots down unless you have a great flatmate and a solid lease agreement.

 

[venkman]

How about commuting from the west, say just east of George Mason University? Is that too far? According to one place I saw on google maps, it's 14 miles (22 minutes) and takes route 7100 most of the way.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: TruePaige
Is Manassas a good place to live and just ride the metro in to work?

Metro doesn't go out that far. Vienna is the most west the metro will go - driving from Manassas to Vienna will take a while in the mornings(I-66).

Springfield is the most south.
I live in Lorton which is like 15 mins from the Springfield metro. Metro ride take almost an hour to get to DC.

Ah! Good to know, I had only heard of people living near Manassas and working in DC. Cheaper living out there.

Sure would be nice for the working man if they built it out farther I'd think, guess it would be expensive though.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: venkman
How about commuting from the west, say just east of George Mason University? Is that too far? According to one place I saw on google maps, it's 14 miles (22 minutes) and takes route 7100 most of the way.

That's probably doable but expect it to be around a 40 minute commute. My ex used to commute from Alexandria to Fairfax City and it'd take her 25-30 minutes (and that's a reverse commute).

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: TruePaige
Is Manassas a good place to live and just ride the metro in to work?

Metro doesn't go out that far. Vienna is the most west the metro will go - driving from Manassas to Vienna will take a while in the mornings(I-66).

Springfield is the most south.
I live in Lorton which is like 15 mins from the Springfield metro. Metro ride take almost an hour to get to DC.

Ah! Good to know, I had only heard of people living near Manassas and working in DC. Cheaper living out there.

Sure would be nice for the working man if they built it out farther I'd think, guess it would be expensive though.

They have connector buses from Manasshole to the Metro but you'll lose a ton of time on that commute.

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: venkman
How about commuting from the west, say just east of George Mason University? Is that too far? According to one place I saw on google maps, it's 14 miles (22 minutes) and takes route 7100 most of the way.

Should be fine. Traffic can get heavy at times but rarely becomes stop and go

 

[mshan]

Other than housing prices, rent, how is overall cost of living in Arlington or Alexandria?

e. g. property tax rate, school taxes, other local taxes, food, utilities, etc...

 

[Gothgar]

cool story brah

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: TruePaige
Is Manassas a good place to live and just ride the metro in to work?

Metro doesn't go out that far. Vienna is the most west the metro will go - driving from Manassas to Vienna will take a while in the mornings(I-66).

Springfield is the most south.
I live in Lorton which is like 15 mins from the Springfield metro. Metro ride take almost an hour to get to DC.

Ah! Good to know, I had only heard of people living near Manassas and working in DC. Cheaper living out there.

Sure would be nice for the working man if they built it out farther I'd think, guess it would be expensive though.

They have connector buses from Manasshole to the Metro but you'll lose a ton of time on that commute.

You can take the VRE and it is a straight shot but it only comes and goes a few times a day so if you miss it you are SOL

 

[MiniDoom]

Originally posted by: mshan
Other than housing prices, rent, how is overall cost of living in Arlington or Alexandria?

e. g. property tax rate, school taxes, other local taxes, food, utilities, etc...

Text

 

[PJABBER]

You have three options to save some money -

1. Craigslist is the place for apartment listings and share arrangements.

2. If you don't mind sharing, try Roommates.com as well. You get a much better description and usually photos of the place for very little investment. Look for a roommate with a job that requires they be on the road a lot, ie military, diplomatic staff, inspectors, etc. and you are only likely to see them once in a while.

3. Buy a house in foreclosure or short sale. Many in the Manassas area, plenty elsewhere.

Do try to get as close as you can to a Metro station. It is the most convenient way to get around.

Enjoy the area, there is a lot to do here and the social life is some of the best in the country, no matter what your tastes are.

 

[dbk]

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: venkman
How about commuting from the west, say just east of George Mason University? Is that too far? According to one place I saw on google maps, it's 14 miles (22 minutes) and takes route 7100 most of the way.

Should be fine. Traffic can get heavy at times but rarely becomes stop and go

yeah i work in reston and just take the fx parkway all the way up... it's not that bad

 

[shortylickens]

Congrats, if I were more sociable I'd invite you to join me at the Manassas Hooters but I'm anti-social.
Incidentally, the Manassas one is the best. The Fairfax one is dark and dank and smelly, but if you are rich you can get lots of attention from the professional gold-diggers. The Chantilly one is nice but the girls can be kinda cold and mean. The Woodbridge one is Meh.
Seriously, you should visit the Manassas Hooters at least once. Big joint. Friendliest girls by far, and you might actually enjoy yourself.

OR, I can give you directions to a nice little neighborhood joint that is a hundred times more fun.

 

[mshan]

^

 

[Tiamat]

I live and work in Alexandria. I'm at Huntington Gateway. The studios start at 1100$, the 1 beds start at 1350$. Good management, check it out. I think it has one of the higher ratings for the local apartments.

Across the street is Riverside Apartments. They are less expensive, but I think the rooms are a little older.

The rent is alright, but I'm coming from Boston where you pay much more for crap.

 

[mshan]

How far back (west) on I-66 does traffic get backed up during morning rush hour?

Is it truly grid-lock, or just slow moving? (is there a bottle neck like a 2 lane bridge that causes all the congestion, or just too many people trying to get into dc?)

If you live further west (Fair Oaks or Centreville) and get off I-66 at Capital Beltway south, is morning rush hour a significant issue? And how long timewise would this commute typically be?

 

[JD50]

How far back (west) on I-66 does traffic get backed up during morning rush hour?

Is it truly grid-lock, or just slow moving? (is there a bottle neck like a 2 lane bridge that causes all the congestion, or just too many people trying to get into dc?)

If you live further west (Fair Oaks or Centreville) and get off I-66 at Capital Beltway south, is morning rush hour a significant issue? And how long timewise would this commute typically be?

No matter where you are morning rush hour in Northern VA is going to be a significant issue. Morning rush hour also lasts between 3 and 4 hours.