Help me find a new place in the Arlington/Alexandria, VA area.

January 3, 2010 10:08 AM

Help me find a new place in the Arlington/Alexandria, VA area.

I've been renting an apartment in Arlington for almost a year now, and I pay roughly 1400 a month for a 1BR. Due to my current apartment literately falling apart, I've decided to move.

I'm looking for a 1BR in Arlington/Alexandria, preferably cheaper than 1400 a month, as that's about all I can afford right now. I've found a few listings online for places that are cheaper, but I'd like to see if I can get some recommendations from people who have lived in the area.

posted by Tharxa to home & garden (6 answers total)

Check out Colonial Village, off Wilson between Rosslyn and Courthouse. You shouldn't have a problem coming in under $1400 there and the places are pretty nice.
posted by downing street memo at 10:19 AM on January 3, 2010

Colonial Village in North Arlington is nice and convenient to 2 metro stations, Rosslyn and Courthouse, though rentals are often a bit more than your 1400 a month target for a 1 bedroom (studios can be cheaper). (If you are looking for stuff like a pool or exercise room you will not find that in CV.) Colonial Village has several different subsections including a rental section, but more often than not when you see listings for Colonial Village you will be renting a condo from someone, as most of Colonial Village was converted to condos a number of years ago. Here is an example of a typical place. Note, I live in the neighborhood.

You will see ads for River Place, which is very conveniently located in Rosslyn and has amenities like a pool, etc.. Be a bit wary of River Place because it is under the National Airport flightpath, the places are small, and when I lived there a few years ago they had a really severe roach problem (which I would doubt they can ever completely eliminate).
posted by gudrun at 11:24 AM on January 3, 2010

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll have to check out Colonial Village.

I should mention that I have to drive to Springfield for work, so someplace with on site parking would be great.
posted by Tharxa at 2:10 PM on January 3, 2010

Heh, you probably want to look elsewhere than Colonial Village, if you really want good parking. It has a mix of street parking and some lots, but parking can be an issue.
posted by gudrun at 3:17 PM on January 3, 2010

do you have to live near a metro? if no, try a little further out in south arlington like the shirlington area. There's a great bus system out there in case you don't have a car. Look at Arlington Village off of Columbia Pike, Park Fairfax or Fairlington. All wonderful neighborhoods.
posted by dmbfan93 at 3:39 PM on January 3, 2010

If you drive, you might be better off finding something a little further from the metro. You will get a nice place for cheaper, and parking will be better. I just moved to the Columbia Pike area, and I would recommend the place I'm in (Infinity, newly renovated) except I don't think they have any one bedrooms left.

For what it's worth, I found Hotpads and Housingmaps to have the best and easiest to find listings when I did my search.
posted by gemmy at 5:40 PM on January 3, 2010