New job at Dulles moving from MI (Reston, Centreville: apartments, lease)

[superfly851]

I just got a job offer at Dulles Airport and i need to find an apartment. I'm moving from Michigan and it seems a bit more expensive here.

I don't need to live right on top of the airport but i don't want more than a half hour commute. My job starts at 6:30am so i'm hoping to beat the morning rush.

Right now I am looking at Centreville. I'm not too picky but i don't want a high crime area. I'm single so i just need a 1 bedroom apartment. It looks like the average 1 bedroom apartment is about 1000 a month. I can pay that.

Any apartment recommendations in the Centreville area or another area around 20min away from Dulles airport?

I have been searching frantically. It seems everybody gives bad reviews on all the apartment web sites. Any real help would be appreciated.

[EuroExpat]

Originally Posted by superfly851

IIt seems everybody gives bad reviews on all the apartment web sites. Any real help would be appreciated.

Don't get discouraged, people most often give reviews when they have something bad to say. I've lived in two apartment buildings that got awful reviews but we had a wonderful experience in both.

ANyway, I used to work at IAD and a lot of people lived in Centerville and Chantilly. I commuted from Leesburg and although the drive didn't take that long, you have to take into count the time it takes you to find a parking spot at the employee parking lot and hop on the shuttle to get you to the main terminal. And if your office is not in the main terminal, add the time it takes to go through security and walk to your office. It took me an hour total to get to the office, without any traffic. Good luck with your search and welcome to the area!

[Guamanians]

Ok, I have a few general comments based on some assumptions & variables
Are you single? do you care about social /nightlife?
Are you driving to the main terminals, or can you drive in the service gates off of 28 and rt 50? If so then Centreville is a better option.
1. If you are single: Fairfax is a good option. The commute isn't bad because it is mostly against the flow of traffic. You could look for something near rt 50 near Vienna, old town Fairfax, or Fair oaks/Fair lakes area.
2. centreville isn't bad, but you will have some traffic heading N on 28.
3. Reston/Herndon: great commute! There are plenty of shops & restaurants but its still the suburbs...

[Caladium]

If you're single, I'd go for Reston Town Center. Centreville's nice, but there's more going on at the Town center.

Reston-Town Center and Lake Anne

ps. If you end up in Centreville, you'll be fine. You'll just have to drive a little bit to meet up with friends. But it's not bad at all.

[superfly851]

My job is for the Airport Authority so i can get a discount on parking inside the airport. It's a maintenance job for the airport so the office is not in the main terminal.

I am single so social/nightlife is important but i'm more concerned about getting a nice spacious apartment.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by superfly851

My job is for the Airport Authority so i can get a discount on parking inside the airport. It's a maintenance job for the airport so the office is not in the main terminal.

I am single so social/nightlife is important but i'm more concerned about getting a nice spacious apartment.

Then Centreville might be a perfect fit! It's a nice community with modern, spacious apartments. A little boring, but hey, if you don't like it you can always move when your lease is up.

[superfly851]

Anyone have any apartment recommendations for the Centreville area?

[South Jersey Styx]

I am surprised that no one mentioned apartments in Sterling, Herndon, Ashburn, Landsdowne, etc. Nearly all are accessible via Rte 28 or other major thoroughfares. And to me, some are closer to Dulles Airport than parts of Centreville.

I wouldn't look for apartments in Vienna, reasons for both pricing and distance.

OP, when searching for apartments, look at a map and find a few located near the airport and then ask us about specific ones. Good luck!

[ShannonMilligan]

We stayed in an Archstone Stonebridge in Ashburn while our home sold in PA. We paid $1400 for a 2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car garage. It wasn't bad. The apartment had been redone and it was a decent location. It is right off of 7, so getting to the airport would take about 20 minutes. (depending on what time you had to be there)
Now...the only downside is there is nothing to do...There is a park behind the complex and they have a small gym and a rec room. But I mean in terms of night life-it's opposite of Reston Town Center.

[superfly851]

Ok, I flew over to the area a few weeks ago to look for apartments. I looked at 10 different apartments around Dulles airport.

Here's what i found.


Centreville has a lot of good apartments. Decent area, lot's of strip malls, etc.

Ashburn had a few good apartments but they were full. Some of the apartments were right on college campus. Don't want to live on campus. A lot of them gave discounts for people that work at the airport.

Reston: Very cool area. I visited The Metropolitan apartments. It was very expensive, like 1550 for lower levels and 1850 for higher floor apartments. Most apartments in Reston were more expensive.

I did not visit Leesburg because it was a bit far away from Dulles. I also did not visit Manassas because it seems to be a "low rent" area.


I think i'm going to live in Centreville because of the location. I'm looking at two apartments, one is Post Corners and the other is Woodway at Trinity Center. They are right next to each other across from the Giant supermarket.

Has anyone lived at either of these locations or know someone who has?