Gardenrose

I have lived in NW DC, Arlington VA, Silver Spring , MD and Falls Church, VA. I would never live in PG County or SE DC - these are high poverty high crime areas. I agree about finding places close to metro - traffic is horrific and only getting worse.
Personally, I would live in No VA and commute. Schools are good. If you really want to save money on college - work for GW Hospital or Georgetown where they offer free tuition for children of employees.
Best of luck in your search.

basingstoke2

I can't argue that No VA would be nice, both DD and DS live in Falls Church. The only drawback is that the commute on Metro from No VA would add a number of stops to the OP's commute and require a change at Metro Center. DS#2 has been living in Falls Church for 2 years and commutes daily to DC. When DD got a job in No VA last year we began helping her to find a suitable apartment there and searched and visited a number of the No VA towns named above, e.g., Arlington, Ballston etc. and found the rental values in Falls Church were easily the best and FC is a very nice community. Both DS and DD have leased 2 BR, 2 bath condos in up-scale buildings, convenient to Tyson's Cormer, for under $2000 INCLUDING utilities. I know that apartments are still available fo lease in those buildings and that the prices are stable. That price would barely get you a studio in Ballston in a comparable building.

kayd

Almost any Virginia location would be inconvenient for someone going every day to Washington Hospital Center (multiple changes on public transit, bridge traffic for solo driving). There are nice, safe communities in SE DC and PG county, but it will take time and effort to search them out.

nikolizi

What about Rockville ,thx

basingstoke2

Rockville is on the red line so that is good but is a much longer ride to where you would have to get off - you loop all through DC. Rockville is also pretty spread out. From what I have seen, rents tend to be on the high side there - I work in Rockville and they just put up some new apartments accross from my office. A one bedroom is going for $1700, and a 2 for $2400. I think that is pretty average for Rockville. Your closest commute that would still give you the good Montgomery county schools and fit your budget would be Silver Spring or Takoma Park. BTW, in TP, the apartment buildings on Maple ave do not have a particularly good reputation - mixed at best- although they are very affordable for the area.

bardo1

Rockville is a very nice suburb and has good schools. It's a huge expanse - the closer "in" toward the beltway the better. Near White Flint Mall is the furthest out I would consider. Rockville is probably too spendy in terms of rents for you (but DO research some Rockville apartments - you never know). And then there's commuting...

The commute into WHC from Rockville would be BRUTAL. The Metro is not a good option for getting to WHC from there - you would have to drive. That stretch of I-270 and the Beltway between I-270 and I-95 during rush hours is about the worst traffic in the DC area. Please do yourself and your family a favor and keep looking at places inside the beltway (both Montgomery & Prince Georges counties).

basingstoke2

I agree with bardo about driving from Rockville to WHC, which is why I only mentioned public transportation. There are a few driving route options, none good. As far as the area around White Flint, if you do look there know that it is also referred to (particularly by real estate agents)as "North Bethesda." You may find some condo rentals at Grosvenor Towers that could be near your max price point. That is a decent place and an easy walk to the Grosvenor metro stop. One can often do better around here by leasing someone's condo rather than an apartment building.

nikolizi

Thank you

yestravel

Again, u want to avoid PG county schools. good idea to check around the Grosvenor apt area. Across Rockville Pike is also Parkside apts. Sometimes you can get a good deal on a sublet from an owner.

bardo1

yestravel,

Yes, GENERALLY SPEAKING and ON AVERAGE, schools in Mont. Country are better than those in Prince Georges. But you do a great disservice to simply discount the best schools in Prince George's and to use such a broad brush. The better schools in Prince Georges are all in the Northern part of the county, close to WHC. The same goes for DC - there are some (not most, granted) VERY good public schools in DC.

It would be a huge mistake if the OP ended up sending her children to a bad school in Montgomery County based on such a broad generalization. Not to mention living with a longer commute than may have been necessary had she done some homework.The best Prince Georges and DC schools are infinitely better than the worst Montgomery County schools.

Long story short: research each individual school of interest. Visit it, see the corridors during class changes, visit a classroom, walk the neighborhood, talk to the principal, go to a PTA meeting, etc.

yestravel

Hmmm...grew up and raised kids in Dc area. friends now have kids in schools. Can't think of a school in PG county that I would send my kids or recommend sending a friends kid to. Perhaps there are a few good elementary schools, but certainly not HS. Same is true in Dc, some good elem schools and Alice Deal is a good middle school. school without Walls which is competitive to get into is a good DC HS. Wilson HS is a mixed bag.

and yes, of course one must research the school, visit etc as u suggest.

nytraveler

One can certainly learn a lot by visiting a school. But before even doing so you can do research online to get info on the school ratings (class size, teacher qualifications, ranking on std test, # of graduates and # of those going to 4 year colleges). This will help you weed out the obviously poor so you don't waste time with them.

basingstoke2

PG County does have some good magnet schools. Eleanor Roosevelt HS is one and is quite good.

tahl

I live in Northern Va. I have friends in the Tantallon area of Fort Washington in Prince George's County. I don't know about the local schools (they don't have children), but the houses are roomy and the neighborhood is large and pretty. They have lived there for years, socialize with their neighbors, and love the place.

Saraho

Shirlington, Ballston, South Arlington are great places to live that are not super expensive and the schools are excellent.

jill_h

Have you asked the human resources dept. at the hospital for suggestions? They may be of some assistance; however, sounds like you've got a good group here that are very knowledgeable in the DC area.

Good luck -- I love that area; my brother-in-law lives in Alexandria.

smetz

I would agree with the posters above who say that your best bet for good schools, affordable housing and a reasonable commute would be Montgomery County, but eastern Montgomery, along the Route 29 corridor from Silver Spring up to Columbia in Howard County. Affordable housing and a reasonable commute are going to be very relative, though, commuting in DC is tough and housing is expensive. The VA schools are very good, especially Fairfax Co, but the commute over to WHC would be pretty difficult. Howard County, MD schools are very good, and the commute from southern Howard to that part of DC is generally not too bad.

As far as renting in DC goes, yes, new apartments in downtown DC and a few other hot neighborhoods is extremely expensive. There are a couple of apartment complexes around Catholic University, though, that are much more reasonable, and are very close to WHC. Here is one that is actually quite nice, and would be very close to your work:

http://www.thecloistersdc.com/The-Cl...Apartments.htm

3BR units are a little over $2,000, but it looks like they're offering a month free, which makes the effective rent below $2,000.

Dukey1

I live in Arlington County and I commuted into the District to my own hospital job for years. A LOT is going to depend on your own work hours and the route you use. My commute w3as easily less than 25 minutes when I had to be in the clinic early in the day.

You do NOT have to live in Montgomery County. What you might want to do is come DOWN here and spend a couple of days before making any final decisions about areas.

smetz

Dukey is right that, if you are within the Beltway, the commute around town is much easier, including from Virginia. I was mainly referring to a commute from Fairfax Co. being a problem. A location inside the Beltway, though, means a substantially higher housing cost and this is quite true in Arlington. I think the schools in Arlington are good, maybe less so in southern Arlington, but others will know more about those particulars than me. Taking some time to get to know some of the neighborhoods & how they stack up against your preferences is a good idea.