How's Clinton (crime rates, homes, neighborhoods)

[COACHSTING]

We may be relocating from New England to the DC area and are looking at locations in the metro Maryalnd region and northern Virginia. What can this group advise about Clinton and perhaps the Clinton Gardens development? I would also like to know how one would commute to DC and the means by which to do so? What might be the easiest METRO stop to get into DC (down by new Nationals Stadium) and how long might it take during the typical weekday morning commute?

If there are any other neighborhoods being developed in the area and you can direct me to a realtor or other information, it would be greatly appreciated.

[juxtapos]

If you are working in southeast D.C., then your commute will be 35-45 minutes during rush hour (slightly longer if you drive to Branch Avenue metro and ride into town). My commute to Alexandria from Clinton is 35 minutes during rush hour and 25 minutes at off-peak times (~15 miles).

I bought a new 5000 sq. ft. home (not including the basement) on 1/2 acre for $600k last year. So Clinton has value, but with that value comes slightly higher crime rates and lower quality schools than other suburban areas around the beltway outside the county. With that in mind, last year crime rates came down slightly in the county and increased slightly in Fairfax and Montgomery counties. The area schools continue to _slowly_ improve under No Child Left Behind, but general community apathy persists.

Large homes in Clinton are a recent trend for the past 5 years, so the area is improving somewhat. The Wilson bridge and National Harbor were $4 billion in investments for this area made available to us last year, so the 5-10 year outlook for this area should be positive.

Western Clinton has huge undeveloped parcels and it still has a somewhat rural feel with horse riders sometimes on the street, and with farms and country roads. There's lots of current and on-the books new single-family home development. Toll Brothers, Hovnanian, Ryan Homes, Haverford Homes, Richmond American, etc. are in this area.

So depending on how long you'll be in D.C., keep in mind the direction of an area as well as how it currently fares. Depending on your price range and priorities, you'll wind up balancing lots of trade-offs like home size and price vs distance to work vs community amenities.

Good luck!