Moving from Chicago for job at Fairfax hospital (Arlington, Annandale: apartment complexes, new house)

[amy1440]

Hi - our family is relocating to NOVA for a job at Fairfax hospital. We are looking for a great family neighborhood and schools. We plan to spend about 1.5 million on a house. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Caladium]

There are some gorgeous homes in Vienna, which is an easy drive to that hospital. Fiarfax City is also a very short drive and has some nice properties.

[JfromReston]

Vienna, McLean, or Great Falls

[brooklynborndad]

if you want a real short commute to the Hosp, and good schools, look at Annandale/Fairfax west of the beltway. Make sure you look in the Woodson school pyramid area, not the Annandale HS one (I am sure some folks do great at Annandale HS, but Woodson is the local HS with the good reputation, etc) For 1.5 mill you will have your choice of the nicest houses there.

[michgc]

At 1.5 million, I'd look in McLean. Great Falls wouldn't be terribly convenient. And at the other places you'd be in one of the nicest houses. And you know what "they" say, you don't want to have the nicest house in the neighborhood. I love Vienna and Annandale/Fairfax outside the beltway is nice, too. But if I were spending 1.5 mil on a home, I'd buy in McLean.

[JD984]

For $1.5 million, your best options probably are going to be McLean (22101 or 22102 zip codes), and parts of Vienna and Oakton. There are quite a few neighborhoods in the 22124, 22181 and 22182 zip codes in Oakton and Vienna where most of the houses are in the $1.5 million range. If you want to be in a comparatively "walkable" area (for Fairfax County) , there are also some new, really nice houses in the Town of Vienna for well over $1.0 million, although they are interspersed among older, less expensive houses.

There are also plenty of houses in the $1.5 million price range in Great Falls, but that would be a longer commute to Inova. In addition, keep in mind that homes in Great Falls typically are on very large lots. You might or might not consider this area "family friendly" - it's safe with great schools, but parents have to drive their kids everywhere.

It may also depend on what types of houses you like. The new houses in the Town of Vienna are often styled as "Arts and Crafts" houses. The other neighborhoods in Oakton and Vienna I mentioned tend to be full of colonials. McLean and Great Falls have a mix of styles and older and newer homes, but you'd more likely find a contemporary house there.

[brooklynborndad]

How old are the kids, and if they are headed for HS any time soon, what kind of HS atmosphere do they like? IIUC Woodson is different from Oakton which is different from the schools up in Great Falls/Mclean.

Assuming you stick to public schools and they dont go to TJ.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

if you want a real short commute to the Hosp, and good schools, look at Annandale/Fairfax west of the beltway. Make sure you look in the Woodson school pyramid area, not the Annandale HS one (I am sure some folks do great at Annandale HS, but Woodson is the local HS with the good reputation, etc) For 1.5 mill you will have your choice of the nicest houses there.

This area offers a great commute to Fairfax Inova, and you can find a nice house for considerably less than $1.0 million there. On the other hand, if you are ready, willing and able to spend $1.0-1.5 million, this isn't the best area to look, as there are comparatively few properties in that price range and you'd likely end up with one of the most expensive houses in the area.

As to Woodson vs. Annandale HS, the main difference is that the Woodson HS district consists almost entirely of stable, well-tended subdivisions where the homes go for $400-850K, whereas the Annandale HS includes not only similar neighborhoods, but also some lower and moderate-income apartment complexes where a fair number of students for whom English is a second language live. As a result, it's not surprising that the average test scores are higher at Woodson (ergo, its "reputation" is better).

[brooklynborndad]

Which is why I said reputation. I dont want to get into the complex question of what kind of education a good student can get at a HS with many kids from less academically prepared backgrounds (my impression wrt to Annandale is that the IB kids can do fine, but that kids in the middle can fall between the cracks - we know a kid who took some honors/IB courses, didnt do that well cause of ADHD, has parents who don't know about colleges - and the GC forgot (this is based on what my DD, her friend tells me) to tell her about admissions deadlines. SHe will be attending NoVa this fall, which may work out, but may not have been the best option)

I assumed from the Original Post that OP would not be interested in a school like Annandale, even for IB.

[g3org3]

+1 for McLean -- good schools, decent commute, and close to DC. North Arlington is another option with similar attributes.