I am a 24 yo single female professional (just starting out). I got a job in Arlington, and I am in need of a place by the end of this month. One lady I met with is renting the master bed/bath in her condo (the other room will be rented out by a student attending george mason). Would you honestly reccomend fairfax for someone such as myself? Would it be smart to take a 12 month lease when i am just moving into the area?
well, i guess my major concerns are having stuff to do in the area, and meeting young single professionals like myself. my roomate would be a student, so i dont know how likely we would be socializing together. also access to DC would be a concern, because again, i will be working in arlington and probably going out with friends in that area and dc.
I lived in Arlington for a long time. Kind of pricey but you will save a little with the public transportation and a lot of frustration dealing with traffic. If you plan on hitting the bars of DC I wouldn’t live in Fairfax. Either an expensive cab ride, long ways to drive in very heavy traffic after a beer or two, or a while on the Metro. Arlington is your best bet. Very safe there to. Arlington is also a pretty small area, you be close to work no matter where you live.
fairfax is a nice place to live, i grew up there and i loved it!
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I’m not sure what your concern is.
Fairfax is a very safe, very nice suburb of Washington, DC. Because of the presence of George Mason University, and the older student population, (average student age is mid twenties) there is a lot of activity and nightlife in the area.
But Fairfax is a big place – there are areas that are young and close to metro (very important so you can go into DC easily) and there are old suburban neighborhoods that could bore your parents. Big range.
I’d certainly recommend Fairfax to someone starting out, especially if they don’t have a lot of money – closer in, like in Arlington, can be very expensive.
Be a little clearer as to what your concerns are.
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If you’re looking to go out and do stuff as a young professional, I wouldn’t recommend Fairfax. It’s a suburb, so nightlife is not very good. Plus, if you work in Arlington, you’ll be screwed with rush hour traffic every-single-day. Try to get inside the Beltway (I-495). The Ballston, Clarendon, Arlington area is being gentrified and there has a been a youth movement in recent years. It’s a great area to live/work/play for people just starting out, and it’s close to downtown DC. I’d look at Craiglist or some other roommate listing site to find something closer to work and fun.
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Still living in NoVA after 6 years.
I live in Centreville, which is 5 miles or so west of Fairfax, and I commute to the border of Fairfax and Falls Church every day. When school is in session, my commute takes over an hour each way. (No metro, my office is only a mile or so past Vienna).
Fairfax is great—if you metro into work. If you’re going to need your car, look at the Clarendon or Alexandria area.
My house is four 26 y/o professional girls, and we go out in Fairfax regularly–don’t listen to the pessimists, if you’re not looking for the "club scene", Fairfax is a blast. Lots of good small pub/music venue type bars.
Craigslist is your friend, that’s how we found our townhouse. I think the best advice I could give you is this: If you’re moving to the area alone, and you don’t know anyone, move closer in towards the city. If you know some people up here, you’ll be OK in Fairfax.
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I lived in Arlington for a long time. Kind of pricey but you will save a little with the public transportation and a lot of frustration dealing with traffic. If you plan on hitting the bars of DC I wouldn’t live in Fairfax. Either an expensive cab ride, long ways to drive in very heavy traffic after a beer or two, or a while on the Metro. Arlington is your best bet. Very safe there to. Arlington is also a pretty small area, you be close to work no matter where you live.
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