moving to DC/VA... (Fairfax, North: middle-class, homes, neighborhood)

[TX2NOVA]

Originally Posted by onevthoki

Check out www.militarybyowner.com. That should be a big help for you. Another site you may want to look at is www.marriedtothearmy.com. And even www.vajoe.com might be of some help. If you need any other help I might be able to help you through my website. I will just need the zip code of the area you would like to be in. Good luck!

Thanks for the sites. I'll definitely be checking into them.

[ashbrn4]

Originally Posted by TX2NOVA

husband will actually be working in Falls Church. The official base we'll be assigned to is Bolling but he will not work there.
Housing allowance is $2050 I think.

It may just be that Herndon is a Naval JROTC but my son's NJROTC said they had a good program. They've been to Nationals and they had heard of them. His current school makes it to nationals almost yearly. He's really into it. He's a great kid, a leader not a follower, Pre-AP andAP courses and already has college plans, contacts and scholarships coming in as a Sophmore.

thanks for the info, I'll check out the other school you mentioned.

I'm not saying the ROTC program isn't good at Herndon, but the school is questionable at best. They have had gang problems and there are just better choices. And moving here, you'll find almost every kid takes AP classes unless they have no college plans. In NOVA, the vast majority of kids have college plans from what I've seen. My boys went to totally different schools. The oldest went to Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology which has been the number 1 HS in the nation for years due to the fact you have to test and be recommended and then, most students have to commute. They have a 99% college attendance rate. There's always one or two who take off a year and do something else before going to college. The youngest went to our local school in Loudoun county, where he knew several kids whose parents had moved from Herndon to get them away from the activities there. And probably 95% of his class went to college. Herndon HS is not ranked as high as most HS's in the area. Herndon has a huge immigrant/illegal alien population which carries it's own issues and drains resources. A lot of the kids at Herndon are a rough group and being your own person, not a follower doesn't protect you from a lot of the issues they have there. I just don't want you to pick a location solely for the ROTC program, which is just a small piece of the overall location. Herndon itself isn't the best location to live.

[claremarie]

If a young man lives and dies JROTC, then you have to go with that when choosing a school. I wouldn't worry so much about the general perceptions of Herndon HS if the JROTC program is solid. If there are problems at Herndon, that's most likely why they have the JROTC program to begin with -- to the best of my knowledge, there are no such programs at schools like Langley, McLean, Madison, and the other high schools in wealthier high-test score communities.

[Alanboy395]

T.C. Williams HS has a great JROTC program and not as many issues as Herndon HS seems to have. The test scores may not wow anybody but in terms of opportunity this school is argubably one of the top places to be. The school has it's own scholarship fund and is almost finished with a huge renovation. If your son decides he has other interests, he can take advantage of one of the great career programs. It sounds like the Falls Church location is likely in Skyline city which is just west of the Alexandria City line. You should not have a problem finding good places inside the city limits for $2050.

[TX2NOVA]

Thank you all for your input and ideas. = )
With all of the responses, I wonder if moving further south would suit our family's desires better. We really are not looking forward to living in the city How far out would we have to live in order to live in an affordable house? With some more research I have found many more schools with JROTC. What are the various forms transportation back into the city and what can we expect in costs?

Sorry, I have so many thoughts, concerns and questions about this move. I really appreciate all of your feedback! = )

[saganista]

I wouldn't be so quick to take a pass on Herndon. Make someplace actually give you a better deal, and there may not be so many places that do that. Most of the crime-gangs-drugs stories that you might hear are pass-it-on's that trace their origin to certain groups that are unhappy over there being a sizable Hispanic community in Herndon. Remember, 'everyone' once thought there were WMD in Iraq as well. The link below is to the website of the PTA at Herndon Middle School. It includes individual e-mail contact info. These are committed and involved parents who live in Herndon and whose own children are about to enter high school there. Pick one, explain your situation and why you are just e-mailing them out of the blue like this, and then voice whatever concerns you have. Ask that if they are really busy right now, is there another person on the PTA that they could recommend as a contact on such things. See what you get back.

http://herndonmiddleschoolpta.com/

[TX2NOVA]

[quote=saganista;760660]...that are unhappy over there being a sizable Hispanic community in Herndon...

Thank you for your comments. I will say that I have been taken back with all the talk about the hispanic community. We are moving from San Antonio TX. I grew up in So CA where there is a large hispanic population as well. I do understand the gang issue but it certainly is not a Hispanic issue. It crosses all races. This isn't to say that certain areas do not experience more gang activity than others.
I really do appreciate all the input from everyone.

[ashbrn4]

I would suggest that the mention of the hispanic or any other ethnic group isn't racist at all. It's a fact that Herndon has crime and gang problems which are directly related to the large hispanic population in the area. If you investigate the area you will find the gang problems in Herndon are HISPANIC. Gangs, particularly in cities tend to be ethnic too. Good luck finding a middle class to upper middle class gang of kids in Herndon. The gang problem is socioeconomic and in Herndon that means hispanic. Sorry, it's just how it is. If you want information from people who actually live in the area, take it for what it is. And the PTA is going to put it's best face on for the public.

BTW, my husband and his family are hispanic.

[5stones]

I'll say it again and I guess I will just have to agree to disagree with some people here. The Latin gangs are a problem here. Call the Loudoun county sherrif dept, they are trying to STOP the "spill over" from Herndon that has already encroached into Sterling from traveling futher. (Winchester has problems too so does Leesburg but just not as PRONOUNCED as Sterling and Herndon)
The Latin Kings and 3M are in hte area. Does this mean that they are Driveby's everyday?? NO! Am I saying it's as bad as Sadar city? NO!

What I am saying is.... If you are looking at Herndon or Sterling or REston (it has PLENTY of GREAT neighborhoods The HS is ranked very high) LOOK closely and really go to the schools and talk woith the councelors etc... It may be great for you and that's fantastic. I am just saying that really check out the neighborhoods and go in knowing that some bad areas back right up to very nice homes!

It's the same in all of Fairfax these days..the article that was run in the Washington post was dead on. The old working class neighborhoods have changed. Just go in with an open perspective.

anyway I will not beat the dead horse anymore today.......

[Rest-on]

School Search: http://www.schoolmatters.com/