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We're inching towards retirement (maybe another 5-10 years) and currently live in the PNW. Our only child is about to head to MD to study. We're contemplating what is hopefully our final move and a place we can call home for the next "until I take my one-way ticket" years.
One of our options is to remain here in the gorgeous PNW, knowing we'll be far away from our child and given the high chance she will potentially stay on the East Coast, the separation might be forever. On the other hand, we have a good family circle and some friends here (and friends there too, even if not so close yet).
I am somewhat familiar with NOVA, especially Brambleton, Ashburn, South of Dulles, etc., as we looked for a home there over a decade ago but ultimately didn't move as life took us elsewhere. We like those areas.
My wife works remotely. I may need to go to the office, possibly in McLean or DC, 10-15 days a quarter, so the commute demand is not onerous. We have no requirement for highly-rated schools.
What's important for us:
1. Clean and safe
2. Close access to amenities and freeways (not a far interior/remote town)
3. Ideally close to public transport, especially trains
4. If possible, a more modern, planned suburb (e.g., Brambleton)
Home requirements:
1. SFH 2500 - 3000 Sqft; <1M.
2. A backyard - small and neat is just fine; don't need a giant wooded yard.
With that context, I'd love your opinions on Ashburn/Brambleton and any other suburbs we should be considering in NOVA. But we're also curious about Maryland because I have less familiarity with it.
We are likely to visit in July and will be looking around to get a better sense.
Thank you for all your opinions and I'm happy to provide additional clarifications or answer any questions.
If you like Brambleton, then also check out Kingtowne near Alexandria, or the Kentlands in Gaithersburg, MD. There’s also possibly Reston Town Center or other places that might it your criteria.
If your child will go to school in MD, the Kentlands near Gaithersburg could be good. It’s easy to get to Metro via 370, and there is a quick bus route to the Metro from there. If driving, the ICC (InterCoubnty Connector or MD-200) gets you to the 95 area. From there, College Park is not far (if UMD is where they’re studying). I’m sure there are other places, but I know more about the Kentlands than the other places.
We're inching towards retirement (maybe another 5-10 years) and currently live in the PNW. Our only child is about to head to MD to study. We're contemplating what is hopefully our final move and a place we can call home for the next "until I take my one-way ticket" years.
One of our options is to remain here in the gorgeous PNW, knowing we'll be far away from our child and given the high chance she will potentially stay on the East Coast, the separation might be forever. On the other hand, we have a good family circle and some friends here (and friends there too, even if not so close yet).
I am somewhat familiar with NOVA, especially Brambleton, Ashburn, South of Dulles, etc., as we looked for a home there over a decade ago but ultimately didn't move as life took us elsewhere. We like those areas.
My wife works remotely. I may need to go to the office, possibly in McLean or DC, 10-15 days a quarter, so the commute demand is not onerous. We have no requirement for highly-rated schools.
What's important for us:
1. Clean and safe
2. Close access to amenities and freeways (not a far interior/remote town)
3. Ideally close to public transport, especially trains
4. If possible, a more modern, planned suburb (e.g., Brambleton)
Home requirements:
1. SFH 2500 - 3000 Sqft; <1M.
2. A backyard - small and neat is just fine; don't need a giant wooded yard.
With that context, I'd love your opinions on Ashburn/Brambleton and any other suburbs we should be considering in NOVA. But we're also curious about Maryland because I have less familiarity with it.
We are likely to visit in July and will be looking around to get a better sense.
Thank you for all your opinions and I'm happy to provide additional clarifications or answer any questions.
I feel your pain. PNW is wonderful if you are blessed enough to be able to afford it. The same can be said about NoVA but our awesomeness is different from the awesomeness of PNW. If you know our area you know that we are ever-so-close-to wonderful parks, festivals, restaurants, cultural-enrichment activities, farmers markets, recreational activities, culturally diverse supermarkets with many different international food stuffs at price points often cheaper than standard American chain supermarkets.
Your questions are very subjective so your personal comfort zone will vary. Have you considered the planned community of Reston VA? Or Southern Maryland? Southern Maryland Prince George's County is somewhat economically depressed but wealthy areas along the Potomac River eastern shore are relatively low crime (everything in the DMV (DC/Maryland/Viginia city and suburbs) is "relative.") Up-front costs in Maryland are often cheaper than what is available west of the Potomac in Northern Virginia but taxes tend to be higher. The nearest Metro station on the Maryland eastern Potomac Shore is in Anacostia, but there is commuter bus service in Prince George's county that connects to it. In Virginia, there are two Metrorail stations in/near Reston - Wiehle-Reston and Reston Town Center.
There are some websites that have Crime Heat Maps. I think that posting those links is against CD terms of service as they are competitor sites. But if you are unable to find them on your own, PM me.
NoVA residents can reach the Appalachian Mountains or the ocean beaches within 3 hours or less, depending on traffic. HINT: It ALWAYS depends on local traffic, so most of us are glued to live traffic apps such as Google Maps and WAZE, and we pay close attention to live-over-the air radio updates ( such as WTOP Traffic-On-The-Eights! @ 103.5 FM)
Regards
ersatz
Last edited by ersatz; 05-18-2024 at 02:32 PM..
Reason: Additional info.
One of the top "rules" in this area, is don't cross the water if you don't have to. Although you may not go into McLean on a regular basis it's bad traffic. My MIL lives in Rockville and we drive from Bristow most weekends. The 50 mile trip can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on time of day and this on the weekends. Traveling via metro is not convenient for a MD to VA commute. You have to travel through DC with transfers, Something to keep in mind especially with visiting your daughter. How would you feel if you moved to MD, your daughter graduates and gets a job in Virginia or moves elsewhere?
I grew up in Maryland and moved to Virginia in my early 20's. I admit, I'm just partial to VA. You should spend a weekend in an area of Maryland you like and drive around and try to get a feel.
One of the top "rules" in this area, is don't cross the water if you don't have to. Although you may not go into McLean on a regular basis it's bad traffic. My MIL lives in Rockville and we drive from Bristow most weekends. The 50 mile trip can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on time of day and this on the weekends. Traveling via metro is not convenient for a MD to VA commute. You have to travel through DC with transfers, Something to keep in mind especially with visiting your daughter. How would you feel if you moved to MD, your daughter graduates and gets a job in Virginia or moves elsewhere?
I grew up in Maryland and moved to Virginia in my early 20's. I admit, I'm just partial to VA. You should spend a weekend in an area of Maryland you like and drive around and try to get a feel.
I agree with this. While you think you may be closer to your child by living in Virginia, the traffic is so awful, it will be difficult to actually see them.
Parents in PNW, kid goes to attend school in MD at the other end of the country. Interesting. I went to college in my own home city and so did my wife, being close to family being a big factor. I figured most of the kids who came to my school from places far away did so on purpose because they wanted a clean, fresh start in a new city.
But one thing to consider, as other people have alluded to, is that people pretty rarely go from VA to MD or vice versa unless required so. I used to go to MD for work 5 days a week, but now that I don't have to, I rarely go. The reason is that you can 'pick your poison' of either going through D.C. or taking the Beltway, neither one being a good bet. The bridges act as bottlenecks and god forbid there's an accident closing them partially or fully. Even without that I've been in situations where it took me 30 minutes to get from the last on-ramp in VA to the first exit in MD on the Beltway. But the bridges in the city aren't much better if at all.
If you expect your kid to come visit you in Ashburn from College Park (assuming it's UMD, if it's USNA in Annapolis or one of the schools around Baltimore this would be true even more), I would think that may well become an increasingly rare occurrence. It's a two hour round-trip at the best of times, could easily turn into 3-4 hours.
Parents in PNW, kid goes to attend school in MD at the other end of the country. Interesting. I went to college in my own home city and so did my wife, being close to family being a big factor. I figured most of the kids who came to my school from places far away did so on purpose because they wanted a clean, fresh start in a new city.
Bad assumption. Many people, including myself, picked a school far away, because that was the best school for them. Many, many people realize that physical proximity does not dictate remaining close to your family/friends. I was independent enough to feel comfortable moving to a new city where I didn't know a soul. But I still remained close to my family, and this was before email/zoom.
Perhaps it was because we moved around a lot as a child, but not teaching a child that closeness does not have to be physical does them a disservice and limits opportunities.
Thanks for all the responses. Multiple replies suggest that it might not be a great idea to pick MD if there's a high chance she'd be in VA because of the commute. We're doing this for the long haul, and the probability she will eventually work in NOVA is probably much higher than in MD (tech). I work in tech as well and my workplace is likely to be McLean, so I might be making everything messy by living in MD.
She chose MD because of the course, not because she wanted to get away from us She likes urban areas more, so the east coast interests her. We are supportive of whatever she wants to do. We have lived on the East Coast before.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that our best choices for our needs will likely be Ashburn, Sterling, Reston, and Chantilly areas because of access to freeways, metro, airport, etc. so any thoughts on those would be great.
Hi all,
My wife works remotely. I may need to go to the office, possibly in McLean or DC, 10-15 days a quarter, so the commute demand is not onerous. We have no requirement for highly-rated schools.
1. Clean and safe
2. Close access to amenities and freeways (not a far interior/remote town)
3. Ideally close to public transport, especially trains
4. If possible, a more modern, planned suburb (e.g., Brambleton)
With that context, I'd love your opinions on Ashburn/Brambleton and any other suburbs we should be considering in NOVA. But we're also curious about Maryland because I have less familiarity with it.
Most places in NOVA are clean and safe for now. I would say even the worst areas of Falls Church, Alexandria, or Newington are cleaner and safer than most urban areas in the USA. For example, there are no trash villages, homeless encampments, rampant robbery, open theft, or drug use. For now, at least.
I think #2 and #3 conflicts with #4. I can't comment on what you mean by a modern, planned suburb, but obviously if you want metro access, you will have to look near a metro station or line. The silver line has really opened up access to the Dulles corridor, but keep in mind that you still have to live near a station to make it convenient.
Ashburn and Bramebleton are way out there in Northern Virginia terms, and Brambleton is actually not really that close to Ashburn once you are actually out there and living there every day. Just some things to think about.
and Brambleton is actually not really that close to Ashburn once you are actually out there and living there every day.
Brambleton is a neighborhood within Ashburn.
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She likes urban areas more, so the east coast interests her. We are supportive of whatever she wants to do. We have lived on the East Coast before.
