20 something moving to PWC. (Arlington, Alexandria: apartment, rent, houses)

[pghtransplant]

I was just offered a teaching job at a middle school in PWC. The school is located in Woodbridge and I have briefly visited the area. I am attracted to the diversity of the area. My main questions are where would you suggest living in this area? I have lived in Pittsburgh for the past 5 years and I love the neighborhood vibe here (too bad there are no teaching jobs whatsoever). I live in a two apartment duplex in the city. I can walk to parks and tons of shops/restaurants in 5-10 mins. My main fear is that I'm going to find the area to be too suburb-like. Are there areas that are walking accessible and have a neighborhood feeling? I would love to have cafes and bars near by. I have thought that living in the city of Manassas would be my best bet for what I seem to like. I am very young, enjoy nightlife, and social. I know its a growing area with many job opportunities so there should be young people. Am I going to find this area to be a haven of suburban families?

[ChristineVA]

If you can avoid living in Woodbridge/Manassas, do so. I live in Woodbridge and like it just fine but would not recommend it for a 20-something. My friend's daughter is 22 and she works in Stafford (she is from Woodbridge). She spent 1 year living with her mom, saving money up, but finally moved to Clarendon and she is LOVING the walkability, social scene, etc. Her reverse commute south has not been bad at all. So look in the Arlington/Clarendon area and plan a reverse commute.

Woodbridge is not very walkable at all. It is suburbia through and through. If you are going to move "away" from Woodbridge, Manassas is not the way to go. Go closer to the city.

[michgc]

Perhaps live in Fredericksburg? I agree with the great walkability in many Pittsburgh neighborhoods. It is hard to find in the DC area outside of the city. I am not very familiar with Woodbridge, but I can't think of something comparable there. Fredericksburg would be a bit of a commute but it would probably have more of what you are looking for.

[Bigfoot424]

If you move to Alexandria or Arlington you'll have all you're looking for and will have the reverse commute. Go anywhere south of Woodbridge and you'll be commuting with everyone else. This is not a perfect solution but if you want city life you'll have little choice.

[terrence81]

I'm a 20 something that did the burbs for a year and now live closer in. Woodbridge is indeed very suburban. I wasn't that impressed with downtown Manassas. I would suggest Old Town. Clarendon is fun but I think Alexandria is a little closer to Woodbridge. Both neighborhoods are very expensive. The one thing to consider is that you'll save more money living closer to work and driving to the city on the weekends. Another option might be sticking it out in Woodbridge and applying to a school district closer to the city the following year. Having a local address will help when you apply.

[oneasterisk]

Let us know your budget too. Unfortunately they don't pay you teachers enough and living in Old Town Alexandria can get pretty pricey. If you're willing to have a roommate, then that may make it a little easier financially.

[pghtransplant]

Thanks for all the help so far! I've been checking out Alexandria some and a friend of mine lives in Arlington. The commute shouldn't be too bad. I definitely want a roommate. I have always lived with roommates and even if I could afford to live by myself; it seems like a waste of money because it is so much more expensive. I would be looking to keep my share of the rent around $800.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by pghtransplant

Thanks for all the help so far! I've been checking out Alexandria some and a friend of mine lives in Arlington. The commute shouldn't be too bad. I definitely want a roommate. I have always lived with roommates and even if I could afford to live by myself; it seems like a waste of money because it is so much more expensive. I would be looking to keep my share of the rent around $800.

My friend's daughter that I spoke about upthread makes about $45,000 per year (she doesn't have a car payment though). She's renting for $900 in Clarendon (she has one roommate in a 2-bdrm).

[FindingZen]

Prince William County is not an ideal place for 20somethings. However, I would agree that Old Town Manassas would be your best option to find people and places to hang out. Downtown Fredericksburg wouldn't be bad either although you'd be competing with every other long-distance commuter heading north on I-95. Commuting from Arlington or even Alexandria could be a bear because of the aforementioned I-95. For the most part, Woodbridge appears to be a sprawling suburb.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by pghtransplant

Thanks for all the help so far! I've been checking out Alexandria some and a friend of mine lives in Arlington. The commute shouldn't be too bad. I definitely want a roommate. I have always lived with roommates and even if I could afford to live by myself; it seems like a waste of money because it is so much more expensive. I would be looking to keep my share of the rent around $800.

It's doable in Arlington but that's unfortunately near the bottom of the market even with roommates. The area around the East Falls Church has a lot of group houses that are little cheaper than Clarendon but there's nothing to walk to though, very very residential but you're less than 10 minutes if not 5 from the action in Clarendon so being close to the action but not in it is a cheaper alternative to think about too.

But yeah Clarendon is super expensive. Ballston is another alternative, its a touch cheaper than Clarendon. It doesn't have a lot of nightlife but there's plenty to walk to restaurants, a mall, movie theater.