Work in Georgetown/Foggy Bottom: where to live with 2 kids (townhome, construction)
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After years of struggling, my wife and I have both landed really great jobs in DC. I've already started Fed job near Foggy Bottom, my wife will move from NJ with our kids this summer and start a job at Georgetown U.
If we were childless, we would live in the District, since we like livable cities, but with 2 boys, age 11 and 16, we need quality public schools. I'm thinking North Arlington, or Maryland. With our current house equity and new incomes, I think we can afford $800K SF house or townhome.
Where should we live with good schools, but minimize commute?
I could take Metro to Foggy Bottom, but my wife will need to drive to Georgetown.
If you don't have flexibility on commuting times, the major disadvantage with living in Arl. vs. MD is that the bridges often get very crowded and add a long time to your commute during both the morning and evening rush hours.
A friend bought a house in Bethesda in the 800s and he and his family (2 smaller kids than yours) quite happy there.
Bethesda is a great place for kids, has good schools, and is an easy commute to Georgetown, and is on a metro line.
I agree with the above comments that crossing the bridges can make the commute from places like Arlington a nightmare. Snow, rain, construction, accidents. The bridges just don't have the capacity for the amount of traffic they carry.
A lot of it will depend on what you can afford. A previous poster mentioned a home in Bethesda for $800k--which isn't at all unusual. If that kind of price doesn't cause you to recoil in horror, then by all means take a good, long look at Bethesda.
You will have a greater chance of finding less expensive (note that I didn't say "more affordable") housing in Arlington, and if you can get yourself near a Metro line, all the better.
After years of struggling, my wife and I have both landed really great jobs in DC. I've already started Fed job near Foggy Bottom, my wife will move from NJ with our kids this summer and start a job at Georgetown U.
If we were childless, we would live in the District, since we like livable cities, but with 2 boys, age 11 and 16, we need quality public schools. I'm thinking North Arlington, or Maryland. With our current house equity and new incomes, I think we can afford $800K SF house or townhome.
Where should we live with good schools, but minimize commute?
I could take Metro to Foggy Bottom, but my wife will need to drive to Georgetown.
Tenleytown in D.C. is quite nice and blocks to the Metro.
Last edited by seethelight; 04-03-2011 at 09:33 AM..
Reason: sentence structure
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