jumper22

Hi,

My husband and I are contemplating a move to Washington D.C. for his career, and he is willing to live anywhere with convenient access to the metro lines. I am not a city-person and would therefore like to be as far out as possible. I'm pretty familiar with the area already.

I can find the map of DC and the map of the metro lines, but am having trouble finding a layover of both, showing in which cities the metro lines end in. Does anyone have this information for all the lines?

Thanks a bunch. Who knew a Southern girl may have to move North again

Lori

leahinsc

I know the Red line best....
Bethesda - lots of great restaurants, pricey housing
Rockville - the line stops all along the way so you go through several suburbs before you get to Rockville which is more of a business area
Gaithersburg - lots of developments, slightly cheaper housing
Silver Spring - older neighborhoods/shopping area, some areas a bit sketchy
Takoma Park - artsy
College Park - College town - U of MD
You really don't want to be as "far out as possible" as they commute will kill you. I found I liked life best when I was in a neighborhood close in where I didn't have to depend on my car or schedule my life and errands around rush hour traffic.

kcapuani

The red line runs from Gaithersburg, MD into DC and back up north to Silver Spring, MD.
The blue line runs from Springfield, VA into DC and out to Capitol Heights, MD.
The orange line runs from Vienna, VA into DC and out to New Carrolton, MD.
The green line runs from Greenbelt, MD into DC and out south to Waldorf, MD.
The yellow line runs from Alexandria, VA and ends in DC.

There is also the MARC train that runs from Baltimore to Union Station in DC and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) which runs from Manassas and Fredericksburg to DC.

Anonymous

The website www.StationMasters.com is especially handy for tourists, but also addresses real-estate concerns like yours. here's their page called, "You can LIVE near Metro!"

http://www.StationMasters.com/Live_near/live_near.html

kgh8m

In the grand scheme of DC sprawling suburbs, living at the end of a Metro line is actually living fairly close to the city. And you'll pay for the privilege, if you want to live within walking distance of the Metro. Furthermore, at least in our part of NoVA, living near the Metro line would certainly not comport with "living as far out as possible" or non-city life. It certainly won't be like living in Manhattan, but it will be far from rural, and not even properly suburban.

And, let me mention once again, living near the Metro (anywhere you'd actually want to live) will cost a fortune.

leahinsc

I don't know about it costing a fortune to live near a metro. I guess it all depends on your frame of reference and what type of housing you want/need. You may be able to live within easy walking distance of a metro without it costing you that much more than the inconvenience of having to deal with the traffic.

Intrepid1

Are you aware of the average cost of housing, both rentals and owndership in this area? As a general rule, the closer you are to the District the more expensive it gets. You may find it is better to live in one area vs another depending on any number of good reasons.

The dreaded commute isn't necessarily bad around here...much of that depends on where you live and how easy it is to get from there to your workplace. Mine, for example, only takes 20 minutes both ways; some people drive for more than one hour each way.

Our Metro is not nearly as extensive as most of us would like it to be and compared to major cities in Europe our Metro, while wonderful, is an absolute joke.

kgh8m

leah-
I guess it would depend on your frame of reference, and I'm sure that there are parts of downtown DC where you could live within walking distance of the Metro, and find prices to be not too bad, but it likely wouldn't be a neighborhood you'd like to live in.

For my part, my closest Metro is Vienna, and to purchase a house on the Orange line in Northern VA will indeed cost you a fortune. If she's not a city person, it's unlikely she wants to rent an apartment or live in a condo - which are the only places you could live that are truly convenient to the Orange Line under $500 -$700k. Of course, prices are likely lower for all the other Metro lines, but true houses near Metro are at a premium and priced as such. And the comment that she wants to live as far out as possible makes me think that she's the kind of person to value a yard, and then, well, that's just a pipe dream near the Metro.

jumper22

Thanks so much for the replies, this is very helpful. My husband actually LIKES to be on the metro as long as possible since he gets alot accomplished during this time, go figure. So being at the "end" isn't bad. He just informed me that he would like to be able to *walk* to the metro so that changes things. A quick look at realtor.com in a few of those cities gives me sticker shock, for sure. I'm in Nashville now, on about 8 acres for about $900K (with low taxes to boot). It is looking like that will buy either a townhome or a regular house with minimal yard near D.C I am an avid gardener and privacy/yard is a must for me... something tells me this is going to be either an adjustment or a struggle.

Thanks so much for your comments, it's really helpful. The move would put me very close to my family which is more important to me than any house, yard or $$$ in the world, so I'm trying to keep an open mind in all this.

Lori

soccr

(Some of us would kill to have 900K to spend on housing. Well, not exactly "kill"....)

A lot may depend on whether DH (and you if you're working downtown) keeps relatively regular hours or not. If so, using the MARC trains to get out into the areas of Maryland between DC and Baltimore might do the trick for you. Either that or try the end of the line in Vienna, VA, which will get you toward horse country (and at least there is parking at the furthest stations, although the lots fill up in the morning).

MikeT

The Blue line is now extending all the way to Largo, although I don't think the Green line goes to Waldorf. I think it goes to Branch Ave., which is still in PG County.

kgh8m

Well, actually, for $900k, we could actually get you into a house with a decent yard (but probably still under half an acre) within walking distance (under a mile) - even on the Orange line. It might not be a brand new house or a palace, but it is doable. So, I stand corrected!

kcapuani

You're right MikeT, the green line ends in Suitland. Waldorf is much farther south.

As for finding a single family house within walking distance to a metro, your husband will have to determine how far he is willing to walk. I used to live between the Van Dorn and Springfield metro stations and I cannot think of any single family developments within walking distance of the blue or yellow lines. I would concentrate my search in Falls Church, Vienna, Bethesda and Gaithersburg/Rockville. I know there are homes within walking distance of Takoma and possibly Silver Spring, but those areas aren't for everyone.

E

jumper, if you have $900K to spend on a house, you should be able to find one within walking distance of a Metro stop--period. (Y'all are making it way too complicated!!) Find a realtor you click with, and plan to make several house hunting visits and it will work out, because there are many possible scenarios. Best of luck!

jumper22

Regarding the 900K, keep in mind that's here in Nashville, with very low yearly taxes (3K). I bet DC taxes are steep, so my guess is that would put us in the $750-800K range.

DH's parents live in Bethesda, and mine near Middletown, MD. A good friend of mine lives in Round Hill, VA but apparently that's a bit too far. DH mentioned Vienna as a possibility.

It's a big decision, I've lived in the South for 10 years and I love it. I'm used to a slower pace, pleasant weather, my rose gardens, rolling hills and sweet tea

Let me ask you this: I could acclimate to the idea of a condo/brownstone if it had a sizeable courtyard in the back (one without strict home association rules). Think Savannah, GA. A place where I could put up a pergola roof, add a fountain, create a small garden oasis of sorts. Is that possible in the price range we'd be in? Most of the condos I see around D.C. are surrounded by concrete parking lots without much else but interior space.

Lori

marymarra

Lori--do more research; if you are really in the $750-800 range--that is not townhouse and we have decent yards (not what you are used to, but neighbors have beautiful gardens); I live in Chevy Chase, D.C.--small bus to Metro, then Red Line to Friendship Heights, you may need to do work on the house, but you are in range. I don't know if you have kids, or plan to, but that is a consideration, since, beyond elementary, we, and most of my neighbors, go private. Your big decision (as you know), DC, MD or VA--they really are different!

Good luck, but you are in decent shape!

Mary

Ann41

I wouldn't even think about neighborhoods until your husband gets a job. After all, he could be working in Reston (far west of the city), so you wouldn't want to be living near the Greenbelt stop on the other side of the city. Not that you'd want to live near Greenbelt anyway, but that's just an illustration.

A fair amount of jobs in the DC area are in the suburbs, and there is no "loop" line on the metro, so commuting from, say, Virginia to Maryland can be a huge pain and extremely time consuming. But again, that depends on which part of each state, which you won't know until he knows where his office will be located.

Also, the Metro is becoming so crowded these days that it can be difficult to get a seat during rush hour no matter how far out you get on the train. It's hard to get any work done standing up.

As others have said, if you do have up to $900k to spend, you have a lot of flexibility. I've been living abroad for the past 2 years, but am moving back to the DC area in a few months, so we've been house hunting (lived there for 12 years before moving). Most of the places I've looked at have taxes in the $3-4k range. But that's on houses up to about $650k. Houses in the city itself seem to have extremely low taxes--but they are so low that I'm wondering if they are for the whole year. I haven't asked a realtor about that yet.

One suggestion I would have, if your husband is working in the city and likes riding the train, is living in Fredericksburg, Virginia. There is good train (not metro) service between DC and Fredericksburg, and it's much more of a small town atmosphere.

Shane

Orange Line East- New Carrollton. A real hole. I used to live ten minutes away. I know. The only way to use the Orange Line is to live in the Annapolis/Queen Anne's County area, drive 1/2 to 3/4 hour to New Carrollton and then take the metro for a 1/2 hour ride into downtown Washington.

E

I agree with marymarra--do more research, including taking a trip to DC. You are freaking yourself out for no reason. Trust me, I've been in your shoes many times, moving to a new place and worrying about it endlessly, but really, your price range is healthy, and the DC area abounds with choices: large lots, small ones, townhomes, condos, old houses, new houses, fixer uppers, in a variety of neighborhoods. You really need to go there and drive all around--there are plenty of leafy areas in and around the District with large yards for gardening and kiddies. Best of luck!

E

Btw, Northerners consider DC the South, believe it or not. It won't seem terribly southern to you, of course, but it retains a hint of southern charm.