D.C. Area Nesties
Dear Community,

Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.

If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.

Thank you.

Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.

Moving to the D.C. area need some advice

Our family is in the military and we are moving to the area from Florida this June. My question is are there any neighborhoods or areas you would suggest that are close to D.C. ( my husband does not want a far commute) family friendly, close to everything yet will give us some space (I would like to grow a small garden). We have a 6 month old baby girl and a 2 and half year old son. We would like to rent but we can't spend much more than 2,400 a month. Any advice would be appreciated.

God bless,

Jo-Yvonne 

Re: Moving to the D.C. area need some advice

  • Welcome! I'd recommend looking at Arlington, VA or Alexandria, VA. Both are close to DC, so your husband's commute won't be too long. They're family friendly and I think you can find a TH or small SFH in your budget in parts of those areas. I haven't looked at rentals in a while, so I don't know what current rental rates are, but I really like the Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods in Alexandria, and Fairlington and Lyon Village in Arlington.
    AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers
  • Where will your husband be working? Traffic around here is terrible so it makes a big difference where he's going to be commuting. 
    chickwithchopsticks
    image
    St. John, USVI
  • He is working in the same area where the fish market is in D.C...near the national stadium

     

  • We live in Arlington and really like it. We rent a 3 bed/3 bath house for $2,500 and we are walking distance to a Metro station. I've driven to work in SW DC and it hasn't been terrible - like traffic kept moving (took route 50 to 395). Around where we are (off Washington Blvd near East Falls Church metro), I always see people out and about with their kids, plus there is some stuff we can walk to.

    I think Arlington is convenient and doesn't seem far outside of DC. So you are away from the city, but close enough to go in on a weekend to sightsee, explore, go to events, etc. 

    We lived in Alexandria for the first year and we liked it as well, but it wasn't for us at this point in our lives (no kids). But since you have kids, you might want to consider Alexandria. I would say it was very family friendly, plus you might be able to find a placer cheaper than you would in Arlington.

  • I live in Fairlington. It is definitely a family oriented neighborhood. While the townhomes don't really have large backyards. There is enough space for a small garden. There are a ton of open common spaces, pools, tennis courts, playgrounds. You can definitely something for rent in your price range. We get a lot of military families coming through and there is a babysitting co-op which is a great way to meet similar families.

    For the commute, your H can either take the bus to the Pentagon Metro or drive in. I've driven a few times from an area closeby and it's not too bad as long as you don't leave at the height of rush hour. I usually take the bus and it ranges from 30-40 minutes round trip.

    image

    Off to the beach

    DS 7/18/2010
    Handy 2.0 Due Early August

    2011/2012 Races
    12/17/2011 Christmas Caper 10K
    2/11/2012 Have a Heart 5K
    3/17/2012 DC RNR Half Marathon
    4/22/2012 10M Parkway Classic
    10/28/2012 Marine Corps Marathon
  • Thanks so much girls...now I have a little better idea of where to look. If you know of any other specific neighborhoods to look in let me know. 

    much appreciated,

    Jo-Yvonne 

  • If your DH is working in SW, check out Capitol Hill!! I rented in SE DC for 6 years before buying a house just over the river in SE (Hillcrest neighborhood). WE LOVED our neighborhood on the Hill, and you'd be super close to work! There are lots of rentals there, and you can also check out the co-ops (I lived in the Ellen Wilson townhomes at 7th and I St SE). Eastern Market is lovely, and 8th Street/Penn Ave is crazy busy with restaurants, shops, etc.

    Check evolvedc.com, yarmouthm.com, and johncformant.com - all Hill based companies that have rental listings.

     

    carrie ~ me-at-carrie.cc ~ 4/21/2007
    * blog * first baby blog * baby 2.0 blog * twitter *

    image

    IMG_0578

    image
  • Also, our Moms group (Moms On The Hill) is amazing. We have over 3,000 members and it's one of the best groups I've ever met. Super helpful and uber supportive :) Definitely a family friendly neighborhood!!
    carrie ~ me-at-carrie.cc ~ 4/21/2007
    * blog * first baby blog * baby 2.0 blog * twitter *

    image

    IMG_0578

    image
  • We're military and my DH works close to the Nationals stadium as well. We live in Old Town Alexandria and LOVE it! We can walk to shops, restaurants, and three great parks for the kids within 5 minutes. Our rent is less than 2,400 for a 3BR/1BA. There are a few houses that I've seen while walking that are for rent too. Plus, we have at least 3 commissaries within 30 minutes!

    DH takes the Metro most days to work (about 45 minutes bus to train to shuttle van). When he drives, he takes 495 over the river, to 295. Off-peak takes about 20 minutes and during rush hour it's close to an hour.

    Good luck - there are A LOT of good options for you!

Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards