Work in DC Live outside (Washington: to rent, home, tech jobs)
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I am considering a job in DC. I do not want to live in the city. Looking for a town that would be good to raise kids in. Good schools, safe, things to do, etc.... I am willing to commute around fifty miles. I would appreciate any advice. Salary is 84k but goes up.
Thanks
But I should tell you that anything fifty miles away will be a truly hellish commute that would leave you with very little time to spend with your family. The traffic congestion here makes driving even a few miles extremely time-consuming during morning and afternoon rush hours. Even 25 miles away can take well over an hour.
I am considering a job in DC. I do not want to live in the city. Looking for a town that would be good to raise kids in. Good schools, safe, things to do, etc.... I am willing to commute around fifty miles. I would appreciate any advice. Salary is 84k but goes up.
Thanks
Commuting here is not measured in miles as much as it is in time. How many minutes or hours are you willing to spend in your commute, one way, and are you willing to spend it in bumper-to-bumper 15 mph traffic at times, or have public transportation?
OK thanks for the info. I guess 1.5 hrs would be the max commute time. What about the slug ride? I have heard a little about it. How far does the mass transit system extend?
besides working all day plus any overtime
then having dinner and going to bed, you
would scarifice 3 hours of your day just
to get to work and back home?
wow, is it worth it and if so, do you plan on
doing that for the rest of your life?
The metro line on the VA side extends to Vienna and Springfield (orange and blue lines, respectively), and Huntington on the Yellow line.
One of my old co-workers used to commute from Woodbridge to Washington DC every day...he'd drive part of the way and park his car then metro into the city. That's close to a 25 mile commute (one way) and it sounded awful. I know we all say the commute is bad, but until you experience it you won't realize what a drag it is especially if you're driving. :/
The Amer. Auto. Assoc. consistently for years has rated DC metro area as having the second-worst traffic congestion in the nation. This area is extremely competitive. Housing prices are MUCH higher in areas near rail stations, and in good school districts, as well as in areas with high-tech jobs such as Fairfax County. Housing prices are lower in areas to the east and southeast of DC, where there are fewer jobs and in some cases worse school systems.
Metrorail and metrobus are just two of the area's public transportation systems, both described here Metro - Home page . Metrorail suburban parking lots by the way, fill up VERY early on weekday mornings.
There is also Rail service in Virginia - VRE a rail system which extends south to Fredericksburg and southwest to Manassas, with many stops in between.
There is Home | Maryland Transit Administration which offers bus service southeast, east, north, and northwest of DC to the distant second-tier outlying counties in Maryland, as well as MARC commuter rail which goes north to Baltimore/Perryville and northwest to Martinsburg, with many stops in between. And there are Loudoun County transit busses, extending to Leesburg http://www.vatransit.org .
Last edited by slowlane3; 01-15-2013 at 08:09 PM..
Everybody I've ever known who thinks they can handle a 1.5 hour commute here each way burns out extremely quickly and grows to resent this area. If you're planning on 1.5 hours, at least once a week that will become 2.5 hours. All it takes is one dolt. I drove an hour commute (on a good day) for a while and it nearly killed me because it was rarely an hour. The key in this region is that 30 minute commute so you don't waste your whole life going back and forth.
Quote:
Looking for a town that would be good to raise kids in. Good schools, safe, things to do, etc....
I suspect you have some false ideas about this area, but there are many towns right next to DC that fit this description. You might also look to the eastern suburbs in Maryland. You can find some nice rural-ish towns pretty close to the city, it's less expensive, and there's much less traffic. You would also have the option of parking at one of the outlying metro stations and ride in.
On $84k, assuming you don't have a heavy debt load, you'll be comfortable but solidly middle class here.
When you run the economics make sure you consider the cost of your automobile used for commuting as part of your housing costs. You may find living in the District a lot cheaper than you think.
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