Help with new army assignment to D.C.

[OKKiddo]

We found out yesterday that we'll be getting assigned to the Pentagon. So, it will definitely be the D.C. area. I've read the previous threads on here but I'm struggling to figure out metro lines, length of drive from homes to metro lines, etc.

My goal is to have us in the Fairfax County area and close to a metro line but stay within budget and good neighborhoods. We will need a good kindergarten and preschool for my spectrum sons. It's a very daunting task and I have been on too many websites!

I'm supposed to be the good Army wife and say we're excited about the move...and from what I hear it's a good assignment for the rest of the family just not for my husband to be there and be a part of it all (long work hours). So, I'm happy that we'll be in a good area for our children's needs but totally depressed about feeling like I'll be parenting alone for the next 2-3 years (excluding weekends when he will be home).

So, there ya go, I'm a bad army wife who needs help finding a home (under $3,000) that has 4bedrooms and accepts pets and keeps the total commute time to 30'ish minutes and has a good Kindergarten and Preschool. And from looking at the listings....WHAT'S WITH THE PICTURES WITH ALL THE SNOW?!! I HATE SNOW!! I'm like Bella Swan in the Twilight books on that one, lol!!

[egoldber]

At first blush, I would look at the Springfield and Burke areas. He could commute to the Pentagon on the Blue metro line or on VRE. There are also probably Pentagon commuter buses.

You may be looking at a townhome vs. a SFH in that price range, but there are many very nice communities.

Do your sons currently have IEPs? Are their needs severe or able to be met in a more mainstream setting? Many FCPS elementary schools have autism programs within the schools, but there are a few centers for children with more severe needs that cannot be met in a more typical setting.

If you know that you are moving to the area, I would contact the district special education office right away to get their input right away on where might be the best fit for your sons.

[mommylamb]

Hmm... snow?? We barely got any snow at all this past Winter. That's really strange.

Keeping a commute to 30 minutes is going to be challenging if he's working in the Pentagon and you want to be in Fairfax County. It will be that short some of the time, but not always. Pretty much from anywhere you move. The traffic is horrendous.

I don't know much about which schools have the best services for kids on the spectrum, so I can't help you much there. But if you have specific questions about metro lines, I'm happy to answer any questions.

[TwinFoxes]

I agree, don't rule out neighborhoods with express busses to the Pentagon. My neighbor takes one and likes it. Burke is pretty far from the Metro, especially dealing with the morning commute. I'm pretty sure that the closest VRE station to the Pentagon is Crystal City, but you can hop on the metro for two stops, or there's probably a bus. But Burke does have the express buses. Look into Lincolnia, which is a little neighborhood west of 395. There's another neighborhood I'm trying to remember off of Duke St., just east of 395 that is inexpensive (relatively), but of course the houses are older stock etc.

My kids aren't school age yet, so I don't know the ins and outs of the various FFx schools.

We had close to zero snow last year, so those are some old pics! We didn't shovel once, and our bag of ice melt is sitting unopened. So fear not. But, how do you feel about humidity?

[MissyAg94]

I agree with the Burke/Springfield area. We live in that area in a nice SFH for $3000/month rent. My husband's commute to the Pentagon is about 45 min either on the VRE/Metro or the Express Bus. We are very close to a VRE station which is nice because my husband has no traffic. Look on militarybyowner.com.

I'm from Texas. I hate cold weather. It's not bad here IMO. I won't sugarcoat the reality of a Pentagon assignment, though. It sucks.

[MissyAg94]

no message

[HIU8]

I would strongly suggest looking at the special needs forum on dcurbanmom (www.dcurbanmom.com). There are many special needs schools in the area (VA, MD and DC). I don't know if you are going to look at public first (I would to see if they can accomodate), but there are many many private special needs schools. We have had experience with two school in MD already (a number of kids from VA go to these schools). You can PM me if you would like.