buckers

Hi All

My husband works for a company in Herndon VA - although we all actually still live in the UK. It looks like we have the opportunity to move over to the area, but outside of visiting a couple of times when he has had to go over to the US, i dont know much about the surrounding areas for either rentals or buying. We have 2 children aged 2 and 6 so need to look at areas where the schooling is good, rental or house prices are about average etc etc generally an all round good area with outside things for us all to do etc.

Could anyone provide an ideas on what areas i can look a little deeper into. Hubby is happy to commute up to about an hour at the most if necessary, although closer would be better so he doesnt have to endure the traffic.

Any suggestions would be great at this stage. This could be a quick move ultimately so need to get our ducks in line pretty quickly

Thanks again

lisa67

Hi and welcome to BE

I don't know about the area...sorry, but you could try looking at

www.city-data.com

I've found it very useful in the past..especially the forum

Rete

My daughter lived in Herndon a few years back. Loved the area and was sorry to have to leave it. Rents were a bit on the high side for their income until they finished schooling but suppose with a full time job in the IT business in the area, they are afforded for a family of 4. They rented a 2 bedroom with terrace for under $1,100 and the complex had a pool, tennis court, parking, and close proximity to shops and restaurants. Lots of good shopping in the area and close to the major highway to get to the loop.

They did a lot of hiking and water sports in the area, i.e. Great Falls National Park (the VA side), the various lakes and rivers.

penguinsix

Herndon is next to an area called Reston, which is an entirely planned community. It's pretty clean and well laid out, so many schools for so many houses, so many stores for so many people, etc. It's actually studied in urban design classes around the world.

Herndon was built next to Reston, and has some real 'sprawl' issues. Housing is cheaper in Herndon than Reston (generally).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reston,_Virginia

That whole area, the 'Dulles Toll Road' is a nightmare of traffic. I'd suggest as others mentioned checking out the city data site for Northern Virginia. http://www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/ It helps if you post there with where he is going to work (street or area) and how much you want to pay for rent (30% of your take home salary is a good place to start). It will allow people to make more accurate recommendations.

Also take a look at http://www.greatschools.net/ once you get an idea of where you will be living. Also check out http://www.dcurbanmom.com for discussions about raising kids in the Washington area.

As always, RENT FIRST for just a few months to get your feet on the ground and make sure you are happy with the place. Look for short term leases or corporate rentals (or better, get the company to put you up for a month somewhere).

When no traffic, DC is about a 30 minute drive from out there so you'll have a lot of activities (free museums, parks, monuments, food, etc) to do with the kids.

Cachad

I have to agree on Reston as well. Bought a flat here in '99 and was suprised to find out that Reston has 15 swimming pools open to Reston residents, 49 tennis courts , 3 lakes and a buch of free summer activities for the kids (ice cream socials, cookouts, pool parties and so forth) For a family with little children Reston is a lovely place to live and as the other poster said, it is an easy commute to DC and Herndon (email me for backroad shortcuts) Much to my joy it's also got one heck of a Farmers Market.

Rete

Reston is lovely. Daughter and former son-in-law moved there first and then on to Herndon later.

buckers

Hi All

Thanks for the information. We received the call last night to say its going ahead so am now in major panic mode. I work for a company that has an office in Ashburn but not sure if i can relocate with them or just give up my job, but it all seems to be moving now.

So................any ideas on schooling etc I guess i need to look through a whole heap of info. Hubby is going to move over in the Summer and we will move over at Xmas i think. My 6 year old son will be starting Y2 back here in the UK. Anyone had experience over moving over to the US through a school year and whats the difference in the schools - will he be behind/infront etc on education.

Thanks in advance

penguinsix

Schools-- Start here:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/What_d...kids_in_school

He will behind and in front of his counterparts. It's a bit of a toss-up. If you want him to continue in the UK later in life you may look at meeting with the school to keep him in a higher year, or finding a US school that offers the IB program. Or send him to the British School in Washington (private, expensive, and a heck of a drive everyday) or another International school in the area (private, expensive).

How long will you be in the US?

If you are sending them to the free public schools, you need to realize it is entirely up to where you live--down to which side of the street in some cases. If you want to go to the 'best' school in that city, you need to live within the school's borders. For example my house is right on a border--if it was to 'move' 8 feet to the north my kids would suddenly be forced into a different school.

When you look at housing ads get the name of the school (the real estate agents will have that immediately available)

penguinsix

Also--get your jabs in the UK before you leave (cheaper). Vaccinations are mandatory in most states and you'll need to provide proof they are up to speed on their shots. There is a religious exemption but the school has the right to kick your kid out for a period of time should something spread through the school.

In VA there are a couple that are 'non-standard' requirements vs. those for the UK, such as Hep. B and HPV (if a female)

http://www.vdh.state.va.us/epidemiol...quirements.htm

Cachad

Ashburn is also a lovely community and not too far (distance wise) from Herndon but the traffic is horrendous as there are only two or three ways in or out and its always bumper to bumper at rush hour. School wise are you thinking public or private? We just went through looking at a bunch of schools as we had to switch schools (we went private) Fairfax county has some of the best public schools in the country.

buckers

Hi Cachad

The move is definately on now and schools are a priority for us, more than anything else really, as if my son is settled i am happy. My daughter is only 2 so we have plenty of time with her thankfully. We originally looked at Ashburn as there is a chance i can also relocate with my company (they have an office there), but it is looking very slim now. A couple of my hubbies colleagues had mentioned fairfax - but i havent go the hang of whether they mean the city or the county or whether they are one and same.......lots of reading up before i make a complete fool of myself when we get over there.

Any recommendations of schools that you know of within Fairfax - it seems you really need to be in the area if you want a specific school?. We are looking at public schools realistically as i dont think i will be able to get my job moved over.

All help appreciated

SEL_boy

One thing you might investigate is living closer in to DC, specifically in Arlington; that way you get to commute against the traffic (it only works somewhat, but better than nothing).
I mention Arlington because you can't really go wrong with the schools in that county - the worst one is up near the top of the list for the country, and the others are WAY up the list.

Cachad

What about the extra cost of the fastoll and or the backlog on 66 in both directions at 4-7pm every night? Arlington is an awesome place to live but don't forget the cost of housing in Arlington county is more than Fairfax not to mention the extra fees in parking permits Arlington requires.

SEL_boy

True, there would be a cost for tolls, a couple of dollars a day.

Parking permits; not necessary anywhere I've lived in Arlington.

Housing can be somewhat more expensive, but not necessarily.

All I am saying is, if good schools are a priority and you are new to the area, Arlington is a good bet.

penguinsix

North Arlington is a good bet. South Arlington can be a bit different.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/ General Schools forum will have more specifics.

Found this list of high schools. While it's a good dozen years before your kid will be in high school, looking at the elementary schools that feed into these high schools will likely show a similar pattern.

Thomas Jefferson, which is part of the Fairfax system, is considered one of the top high schools (i.e. one of the top 3) in the entire United States. Yeah, seriously. It's a magnet school that pulls the best and the brightest from all the feeder schools and then focuses on math and science and whatnot. It's pretty hardcore.


FW-->

Here's an updated Fairfax/Arlington list based on test results for 2008 (excluding Thomas Jefferson, which is a magnet school)

1. Langley (McLean/Great Falls)
2. McLean (McLean/Falls Church/Vienna)
3. Woodson (Fairfax/Annandale)
4. Yorktown (North Arlington)
5. Oakton (Oakton/Vienna/Fairfax)
6. Marshall (Vienna/Falls Church/McLean)
7. Madison (Vienna/Oakton)
8. Lake Braddock (Burke/Springfield)
9. Robinson (Fairfax Station/Burke)
10. Herndon (Herndon/Reston)