relocation advice
 

I have been offered a job that would mean relocation from DEN to the Washington area. The job location is Herndon. I would also like to be close to good public transportation (easy access to bus or metro or whatnot).
My wife and I don't have any kids, but since my wife is a teacher, I'm also looking for some good middle or high schools in the area that are easily accessible with public transportation. I would commute to work by car and I don't really care too much about distances, but my wife would need public transportation access.
Any advice on housing (we would probably start out renting an apt or something) or schools would be greatly appreciated.

The Fairfax county school system is one of the best, however these are the 'burbs and the vast majority of people do drive which contributes to the horrible congestion in this area.

There are decent bus routes in the area (metro is available but limited in where it reaches within VA) including theFairfax connector and Metrobus.

While rush hour in reality goes both directions, the morning rush is considered worse eastbound (into DC) and the reverse in the evening but you really can't escape traffic around here. Based on that - how far are you willing to drive to get to the office each day? There are a ton of great locations (pricey housing - be warned) to consider but I always consider proximity to the office and the respective commute to be the primary consideration.

Driving really isn't much of an issue for me. I know how frustrating rush hour is, but I do about 40 mins each way right now.
I'm more concerned about decent public transportation for my wife, since she doesn't drive. She'd probably need easy access to either Georgetown University (or George Mason), and it looks like she'd be looking at Fairfax County Public Schools.

The better public transportation is around metro stations giving you easy bus as well as rail options. Pick your area based on that (and that there are feeder buses to most rail stations) -- I'd probably start with Vienna (end of Orange line), Falls Church, Arlington or Alexandria areas. You can also consider areas in Maryland around Rockville or Bethesda in Maryland. Reston would be an easy commute for you and there are some arranged areas with living & shopping right next to the other, possibly being the best of all worlds for your situation. There is decent transportation in the area for feeders to the town center and other commuting hubs.

The next decider for you is what type of area you want to live in - how suburban vs how urban, do you want to rent an apartment, townhouse or house and how much are you willing to spend. There is no lack of any of those in these areas, its just a matter of cost and availability.

Also be sure to calibrate your expectations properly. I live and work in Loudoun County (the next "feeder" county to the west). My office is ~6 miles from home. When I moved here four years ago it was less than a 15 minute drive. Now, if I go during prime commuting times, 40 minutes is not unusual.

40 minutes in DEN is not the same as 40 minutes in WAS!

When people in NOVA talk about a 40 min commute, they talk about getting there in 40 min on one of the "good" days, or affter the rush is over.

the public transportation from fx cty to gtown is not nice, as there is no metro stop nearby. a bus from fx fringes to gtown would take probably close to an hour(I've never considered it). I presume there is a bus from g mason to somewhere. look in that area.

maybe you should consider a relatively self contained area like Reston.

I would suggest you start browsing some online sites to get a sense of housing prices around the Vienna metro. It's the closest Metro stop to Mason and the closest to Herndon, and the Fairfax/Vienna school districts. See if you think you'll be happy with what your money can buy/rent in that area. I don't know what kind of living environment you're looking for; you might also check out East Falls Church and Ballston. Ballston is very walkable, with lots of stores and restaurants and high rise apartment buildings. Not much is walkable from the Vienna station.

If the housing options right around Metro are too pricey for what you get, then start expanding your search to the major bus lines in Fairfax County.

Vienna in VA, along the Redline in MD
 

Edit: Redundant information given by silly me. My fellow DC Metropolitan neighbors have this covered.

Lastly, Welcome to the neighborhood! I'll be the one waving to you from the airport lanes of the Dulles toll road. DC Metro area is a great melting pot of people and cultures unlike any place else in the US!

It seems like I may go for either Reston or Herndon...
If I were to stay in say, Falls Church, how long of a commute would I have to Herndon?

That depends on where you're heading ... if you'd like to PM me or someone else some more realistic to/from areas, we can provide some good ballparks for you.

BTW - I was thinking about your wife's need for public transportation the other day and realized that we were all discussing areas where you'd live that would have something but never mentioned that she might have a bigger issue finding a bus/metro stop near a school for the other side of her commute. That requirement will likely limit the schools she would be able to work with.

You really should travel the roads between points of work and home during the proper rush hour prior to making a commitment. I do not know if various days of the week make a difference. It does on my drives.

there are daily backups that are never mdntioned in the traffic report. i.e. beltway through tysons in am. outter loop through mont cty in am inner loop in pm. wilson bridge backup on inner loop(no cameras). 295 backup in in am out in pm(no cameras) 66 backups inside the beltway.

took my wife 15-20 min to get out of her parking garage at 14th &L at 5pm.

I also understand the roads just east of IAD are very messy during commute hours.

I drive to Reston at least 3 days a week. Traffic on the toll road from the beltway to Reston is minimal in the AM as most of the traffic is headed into the city. Not sure if that helps.

I'm too unfamiliar with the area to offer any other advice. I go to lunch in Herndon every once in awhile .... seems nice. I don't much care for Reston, though.

Since traffic patterns can vary greatly based on time of travel -- 7 am can be different from 8 am which is different than 8:30, etc - you should identify around what time you travel in the morning.

Dimramon,
Consider the city of Fairfax. The city bus system has two circulating routes that cover the city and link to GMU and the Vienna metro station. You can reach any of the city schools (1HS, 1 MS, 2 ES), plus Woodson HS and the adjacent MS (FFX County) by the bus. Metrobus has several routes that transit the city via the major streets, too.

A reverse commute into Herndon wouldn't be too bad, certainly under an hour. I wish I could remember how long it took me to get to Reston, but if I can't remember then it was so long ago that it's probably not true anymore.

That's why I suggested someplace in Fairfax city to live if she can get on board at one of the 6 schools that lie near the CUE bus routes.