Good Neighborhood vs. Not so good in Springfield? (Alexandria, Annandale: best neighborhoods, apartment complexes)

[denisesart]

Hi All,

What would you consider to be good neighborhoods in the Springfield area? I think that where my husband will be working. We don't have kids, so no need to worry about schools. I'm more worried about him not having to commute and me not having to be hyper vigilant. Oh yeah, I know very little about northern VA. I haven't been there in about 15 years. Any information will be helpful for our search next weekend. And we only have a few days. I would like to make as few mistakes as possible.

Thanks.

Denise

[The Dissenter]

basically, the only area of springfield that i've heard ANYTHING bad about is the zipcode with Springfield Mall in it and maybe Edsall Rd. Overall most of NoVA is safe it's jus that some areas will be safer than others. Springfield itself, the west end of Alexandria, and Annandale are safe and pretty affordable (keep in mind this is NoVA) for the whole area and entail very short commutes.

[dullnboring]

Yeah, some of the apartment complexes near Springfield Mall are a little bit shady, but even they aren't really all that bad. If coming for a visit, you'll be able to gauge which apartment complexes just due to their more rundown appearance, would be better avoided than others but there really aren't any "no go" areas of Springfield. . The best neighborhoods will be those further south and west, basically further from the Beltway, but of course assuming you're commuting inside the Beltway, the commutes get worse the further away you go.

[mlv311]

I agree with the others. The least desirable parts of Springfield are around the Springfield Mall. The most desirable neighborhoods are in West Springfield. Depending on where you choose to live, you can commute by metro, bus, VRE or slugline.