POLL: Arlington vs. Alexandria For Single Young Professional? (Fort Belvoir: cul-de-sac, sales)

[SteelCityRising]

Hello everyone!

I'd like to especially thank a couple of members who have been very, very helpful as I ponder relocation to NoVA. If I'm fortunate enough to receive an offer with a very promising government agency located within Ft. Belvoir I've firmly decided that I'd like to reside in either Alexandria or Arlington, since these two cities are really the only sorts of environments that don't exemplify the "cul-de-sac" lifestyle due to their historic appeal and population density.

Which city has more appeal to a 22-year-old who may be earning $42,000 to start (with rapid salary advancement?).

[pcity]

Appeal to a 22 year old- definitely Arlington, although at that salary you'd need roommates. However, commute-wise, you'd be MUCH better off looking in Alexandria. Even from Alexandria, Fort Belvoir is still 10 miles away, and 10 miles in NoVA is going to take a lot more time than 10 miles in Scranton. Though you will have a reverse commute, all the lights on Route 1 take a while to get through.

Old Town Alexandria does cater to a slightly older crowd (late 20's, mid-30's), but there are still a lot of 20-somethings in the area, especially around Carlyle, just west of Old Town. Carlyle has a lot of recent grads since the USPTO is in that area and always hiring them. If you do settle in Alexandria, you're still not very far from the hotspots in Arlington and DC and you can just take Metro.

If you live in Alexandria around King St. or Eisenhower Ave., you could take the REX bus to Fort Belvoir, but that's a long bus ride- you might want to drive it instead.

[sweetpotater58]

Arlington-specifically the Rosslyn area or Ballston.

[novahousehunter]

Both are good for young professionals, agree with other posters that Arlington (specifically Clarendon, Ballston) is a little younger, though Alexandria closer to your work. Neither would be a bad choice.

Neither are cheap, but I lived in Arlington right after college and it's easy to find good roommate situations there, since a lot of folks are in the same boat (and if you're new to the area it's the fastest way to meet new people).

[michellenova]

I agree with everything that pcity said and would definately say that Arlington has more appeal to a 20-yr old than Alexandria. If you live in Arlington, it would be more economical to have roommates, and of the two, Alexandria would be a better commute. But with that said, I find that most recent grads who are relocating here for the first time are willing to tolerate a longer commute to live right where all of the action is. Every young person that I know that lives in Arlington loves it. I also know quite a number of Arlington residents who've found roommates on craigslist, so it's definately doable. On the other hand, Alexandria is a nice city with great restaurants, but as a young professional myself, I rarely go out in Alexandria, even when I lived there. The Old Town crowd is noticeably older, and for a 20-yr old, it might be more of a nice place to take a date to, rather than go out and party in.

[Azmordean]

I PMed you of course, but to reiterate, I'd go Alexandria. Arlington would be a fairly nasty commute down to Belvoir. You have to commute 5 days a week. Even if you go into DC or Arlington for all your partying (which I doubt, there ARE young professionals in Alexandria), I'd still rather have a shorter commute day to day - a slightly longer ride when you are out for fun is much easier to tolerate!

[KayX]

Definitely arlington! I moved to Ballston right out of college and its full of young professionals. Bars are in walking distance and its easy to meet new people. With that said--your commute may be hell (but u get used to it--my roommate worked in lorton and i work in chantilly). South Arlington is more affordable than north arlington (look around Route 50 and columbia pike) --not as nice as ballston, clarendon, courthouse etc...but closer to your work! And since you dont need to live close to the metro--that'll lower your rent too. Hope this helps!

[SteelCityRising]

Thanks everyone thus far for your help! I'm probably counting my chickens before they hatch here as the job market right now is extremely competitive, but this is really an opportunity I'd love to be able to pursue. I've done some soul-searching, and while Scranton, PA will always be "home base" for me, I've come to realize that I act more like a stereotypical NY transplant in our city trying to "change things" than someone who can just appreciate the city for what it truly is and has to offer in its present state---a state I'm not happy with but that most of my fellow natives are content with.

I'm still having difficulty choosing one city over the other. Commuting really isn't a major deal to me as I hope to work four 10-hour days per week, starting at 6 AM (i.e. I'd be hitting the road shortly after 5 AM, when traffic shouldn't be as heinous as even just an hour later). This would save gas and give me one additional day off per week (believe it or not I'm shooting for Wednesdays off to never be working more than two days in a row) in order to run errands. I'm also considering continuing my current employment in sales at Lowe's Home Improvement by transferring to a store in the immediate area. That extra $15,000 of part-time revenue from working three days per week could prove providential in me being able to find my ideal living arrangement. I'm fine with having a roommate, but ideally I want some privacy (i.e. if I want to bring a date home with me one evening to canoodle a bit while watching a movie, or maybe even MORE, I don't want someone peeping through the bedroom keyhole!) LOL!

Ballston sounds idyllic to me, as do parts of Alexandria. "Old Towne" seems to be the sort of area, from what I gather, that the late-20s-early-30s crowds settle, but as someone more mature for my age (i.e. getting "buzzed" every other night isn't my idea of "fun"), this might work out rather well. I DO love to dance though (ballroom to grinding---I'm fair game!), so a neighborhood with a few dance clubs or even dance instruction studios (I would love to learn salsa), would be great!

[VEIK]

Courthouse/Clarendon in arlington should work out fine for you.

And if not, most clubs are short drive away in the city.

[novahousehunter]

Originally Posted by VEIK

Courthouse/Clarendon in arlington should work out fine for you.

And if not, most clubs are short drive away in the city.

Agree--I like that area even more than Ballston (both for socializing and for housing).