Help! Moving to DC

Looks like the TBF clan is headed to DC this winter, and we have no idea where to start. I'd sure appreciate some advice from anyone who has experience up there.

I'll be working in Falls Church. Housing is crazy expensive, schools seem to be hit-and-miss, and I have no idea which towns are decent.

 

Congrats! You should enjoy the Commonwealth!

NoVa has changed so much over the past 30 years so unfortunately I have no advice for you, except, I believe the Orange line of the Metro serves your area, and when you take your family museum-watching in DC it's the only way to go.

My first cousin lives in Fairfax off of Route 50, near the Greenbriar Shopping Center adjacent to Chantilly High School and it's a nice, middle-class neighborhood.

 

If you want schools look Montgomery County, wifey grew up there. Maybe Rockville or Gaithersburg is somewhat affordable?

Bright side , free museums and Zoo!

 

Are you flying a desk now, @three_bags_full?

 

Oh, yeah. I’ll be flying one at the OTSG’s office now.

 

OTSG?

 

Five of my wife's sisters (she's oldest of 11 siblings) live in NoVa, including one in Falls Church. All are either single or have aged out of having school age children, so I have no information for you there. I would, however, strongly recommend living there rather than Maryland if you work in NoVa unless you are close to the metro at both ends. Commuting by car in suburban DC is a horror.

 

Office of The Surgeon General

 

Traffic sucks, but they've made some extensions to the metro if that helps.

 

Falls Church is an independent city. You're probably better off living in Fairfax County. I grew up there but it's been nearly 30 years since I actually lived that way. Housing gets more reasonable the farther south you go, though even a place like Lorton (where I grew up) is getting stupid expensive. One thing to consider, if you'll be commuting to Falls Church from the west -- I-66 is a toll road in the mornings east of the Beltway and can get super pricey. Traffic honestly isn't as bad as it was when I was growing up because they've made so many infrastructure improvements to 95, the Beltway and 66, plus roads like the Fairfax County Parkway that didn't exist when I was a kid. The real challenge traffic wise is 95 south of Lorton until you hit Fredericksburg, and the American Legion Bridge on the Beltway where you cross into Montgomery County.

 

This came up on the college football Reddit the other day. Maryland has season tickets starting at $99, which includes home games with Penn State and Michigan. I know you’ve said before you did K-State tickets while at Fort Riley, so if you are craving a fix it might not be a bad deal. Unfortunately it looks like the light rail extension to College Park won’t be done until at least 2026.

 

I live in Alexandria and commute to Falls Church — in fact I work in the same building with OTSG. I’ll be sure to look out for you if that’s where you’re going to be!

The great thing about northern Virginia is there aren’t really many “bad” places to live. There are some seedy pockets here and there, but overall, almost anywhere will be livable.

You can still find some affordable places in Alexandria or Springfield, but by “affordable,” I mean maybe you’d find a place under a half-million. Maybe. The commute from there is a straight 10-12 mile shot around the Beltway, and it rarely gets too soul-sucking.

And, the closest Metro stop to that office building is about a mile and a half away, but they run shuttles to the stop. They also run shuttles to the Pentagon, so you could take Metro there instead, which is easier if you’re coming from the south.

The western suburbs might be worth a look too, like Reston, Chantilly and Haymarket. You’d be driving in on 66, but getting off before you get inside the Beltway where it gets crazy. Metro goes pretty far west now, and stops in Ashburn, which is a few miles past Dulles.

Fairfax County schools are fine as long as you don’t need anything other than the bare minimum from them.

I tried to PM you and the site didn’t let me, but drop me a line if you want to know more specifics.