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I have been offered a job around the Dulles airport and my starting date will be in two weeks. I currently live in Pennsylvania, and though I am taking a trip down in a few days to look at some areas, I'd like to get the opinions of some locals. I have found apartments in numerous areas and I was hoping someone could give me a general idea of what the "culture" or "feel" of each of these areas are.
Reston
Ashburn
Herndon
Sterling
Falls Church
Fairfax
South Riding
What I'm looking for is:
1. What is the "downtown" or "main street" area like? does the downtown area have many small stores that are open, or are many run down and/or closed (I'm from PA, where many small towns have seen their downtown areas pretty much die in the last 15 to 20 years, and I'm trying to avoid this)
2. Is there a sense of tight knit community or do people tend to do their own thing?
3. Fast paced vs. slow paced
4. restaurants/pubs/"nightlife"
5. crime rate
6. primary age group
7. the general "feel" of the place
8. do you find many people out walking from place to place or is it necessary to get in your car a drive to the store?
9. pet-friendliness
10. any other info that you might think is necessary for a new-comer to know
Any helpful answers will be greatly appreciated as it would help make my trip down there a little bit easier since I'd know what to expect.
Just to note, I have already found apartments in all of these areas. All of them are between the $1,100 and $1,800 a month range. If there are any other areas I should be considering, that are less than a 20 mile commute to the Dulles airport area, please feel free to make suggestions.
What, is everyone waiting for someone else to break it to him gently?
crys_tyle08, Northern Virginia is mostly suburban sprawl, especially around the Dulles area. It does not consist of towns, villages, small cities with "Main Street USA", with a few exceptions. It has "Census-Designated Places". Many places sprawled out as subdivisions built near what used to be a crossroads of a few stores, gas station, and a few farmhouses. It's not like Pennsylvania or Northeast towns*. The flip side is that there aren't run-down areas or distressed, economically-suffering towns (some places might be lower income, but I can't think of places that look like they are crumbling, or wide swaths of neglect). It is very car-centric.
I will give my input on your listed places - most of them I have not lived in (though I've lived in NoVA for 35 years) so take with a grain of salt and hopefully others will chime in.
Reston: originally a planned community, modernist 1960's era. Now has Reston Town Center, an area of a few blocks of dining and shopping, tall buildings and parking garages.
Ashburn: suburban to the core. Nice older homes around Ashburn Rd and Hay, but I don't think there is any town, per se.
Herndon: an actual town, though the historical main street area is very small. Mostly suburban and strip malls outside the small quaint part of town.
Sterling: subdivisions, strip malls on a very crowded busy road (Route 7).
Falls Church: nice small town, kind of ho-hum main street that is walkable but still a main drag (Route 7 again) that's stretched out, not condensed into a core of "main downtown". I lived here, I think it's a good community for people 30 and up.
Fairfax: small city, seat of Fairfax County so the jail, courthouse, and therefore many lawyers' offices are here. Very small historic downtown and main street, George Mason University is nearby so there are (still are, I guess?) some hangouts for college students. I lived here as a college student. Most of my friends and I went into DC for entertainment rather than hang out in Fairfax.
South Riding: planned community, apparently attempts to have a town feel with one of the ever-popular suburban "town centers" - a strip mall with tower-like appendages tacked on.
You missed Vienna, a small town with a stretched-out main street, apparently a nice family environment (several residents are forum members here), and walkable in terms of shopping, library, parks, etc, and has community events.
There is also Leesburg, an actual town. Others can comment better than I on commuting times from various places to Dulles, and hopefully can give more first-hand accounts of lifestyle in these places.
*My personal knowledge of Pennsylvania towns (not big cities) that I use for comparison is limited to Amish country. Towns like Lititz, Manheim, Ephrata are what I wish NoVa had. Going up in size, the city of Alexandria would be like an expensive Lancaster, but it's not a good commute to the Dulles area.
Last edited by robbobobbo; 02-11-2011 at 07:03 AM..
There has been lots and lots written on each of those cities in this forum. I highly recommend using the search engine, and you will find answers to every question you can imagine and then some.
In the meantime, here's a quick overview.
Photo Tours.
I've included a few other communities in the same general area. We don't have photos of South Riding, unfortunately.
The photo tours can tell you a lot. In general, the "culture" and "feel" of all these towns is family-oriented and suburban. Reston and Falls Church are the most "urban-ish" of the bunch but they're still essentially suburban. Reston/Herndon have a few people that might be considered "crunchy." Reston is probably the artsiest of the communities. Falls Church, Vienna and Fairfax have a slight historic feel (although nothing like what you have in PA). Ashburn is new-new-new. Sterling Park is the least expensive community and has a mildly rough edge (petty crime, not really a big deal). Other parts of Sterling are more upscale, especially north of Rt. 7. The closer you go to DC the more you will find restaurants and entertainment. An exception is Reston Town Center which has a lot of things to do. Every town is pet friendly. We love pets here, especially dogs.
From where in PA are you coming? If from the Philly area, I (and a few others) can offer some comparables.
All of these towns and cities (in fact, virtually all of NOVA outside of Arlington and Alexandria) are moderately laid-back, safer family-friendly suburbs. If you define pet-friendliness as stores allowing your pet to "shop" with you, then you'll like patronizing Old Town (downtown) Alexandria. Otherwise, you should be able to walk your dog(?) around. Finding pet-friendly apartments isn't always easy but not impossible.
1. Fairfax, Falls Church, Reston and Herndon have defined, active downtowns. Fairfax's downtown population/patronage may skew the youngest if only because of nearby George Mason U. Downtown Falls Church has a slight "hip quotient" if only because the State Theater. Reston has a newish "Town Center" development that is popular. Depending on where you are on Elden St. in Herndon, you'll pass through some uninspiring strip malls en route to a smallish "Old Town" section. All of the other towns you mention will have newer strip malls with all of your typical chains including regional/national restaurants that serve as watering holes.
2. Lots of opinions on this. This is a busy area with lots of career-oriented people navigating between stressful commutes and maximizing their kids' potential.
3. See #2. During the work day, all but Falls Church and Fairfax may seem slower.
4. See #1. The "best" nightlife for 20somethings in NOVA will be in the Clarendon and Ballston neighborhoods of Arlington. For 30somethings, Old Town Alexandria has a more mature feel. Note that unlike PA, bars/pubs in VA are required to serve food.
5. Little to none in much of NOVA. Worst case scenario, particularly in the places you're considering, would be property damage.
6. See #1 and #4.
7. See first paragraph.
8. Driving to one's destination is the rule unless you happen to live next to a relatively high-density downtown like Fairfax or Falls Church. Reston Town Center is walking distance from a fair amount of the town. Some areas of Ashburn (and Sterling?) are set up so that the neighborhoods cluster around shopping centers.
9. See first paragraph.
10. NOVA is family-friendly suburbia. Unlike PA, you won't often know when you've entered another town as most share the same county services. NOVA also arguably has the most resilient economy in the country. Much of the job market is clustered around Dulles and particularly Tysons Corner. Many singles under 30 lament the relatively lack of after-hours social options. You may have to satiate yourself with Reston Town Center, Old Town Fairfax etc. until you can get to Arlington/Alexandria/DC on the weekends.
11. Note that a 20 mile commute can mean an hour's drive in some places. It may be worth it to live as close to your job as possible in your first year as you orient yourself to the area.
I will give my input on your listed places - most of them I have not lived in (though I've lived in NoVA for 35 years) so take with a grain of salt and hopefully others will chime in.
For someone who doesn't live here you did a great job, although I'll add that there's more to the Loudoun communities than what you see driving along Rt. 7.
If you are looking for a small twon environment, perhaps you need to research communities west of Dulles, which are exurban and in many cases have not lost all of their original identity. You may find the commute is not different than closer in Washington suburbs, which have traffic issues.
If you don't have to commute into DC then definitely do yourself a favor and look out beyond Dulles.
The commute factor is a huge cost factor. The closer in to DC the way more you will pay.
Why put up with the high cost and congestion when you don't have to?
If you are looking for a small twon environment, perhaps you need to research communities west of Dulles, which are exurban and in many cases have not lost all of their original identity. You may find the commute is not different than closer in Washington suburbs, which have traffic issues.
Middleburg, Warrenton, Purcellville would fit this description. Those are all a fairly long commute to Dulles, though. When are you moving here? If you have a little time, another thought might be Kincora. It's in the Dulles area and is going to be built around a town center with a cultural arts center and a minor league stadium. It's also right by a mall and major shopping area. It hasn't even been finished yet, so you might not like how new everything is. Your neighbors will all be new to the community, as well, so it's too early to tell if there will be a tight knit group of neighbors.
What sort of characteristics are you looking for, and what budget do you have? That might make it easier for us to help you
Also, what age group are you in? If you're a single 20-something I would try to live closer to DC. Falls Church would be OK, Ballston would be better. There is a growing population of 20-somethings in Reston and Herndon. Some like it but many find the suburbs too boring at that age, even if RTC does have a lot of things to do.
The previous responses do a great job. I am from Western Pennsylvania and would like to address your mention of main streets and downtowns that are run-down or decaying. While I like the idea of thriving towns and lovely main streets in theory, in practice it is a very sad thing to see run-down main streets and de-peopled towns that are no longer the prosperous, vibrant places they once were. Pittsburgh was full of decayed once-vibrant neighborhoods with lovely old buildings. To grow up there was to be able to recall all the businesses that had tried and failed to find purchase in revitalizing these neighborhoods - because the money and people simple were not there. The tide was against it.
In this way, this area has a completely different feel than western PA. It is prosperous and vibrant and teeming with people (all on the go), almost to a white-hot degree, comparatively speaking. Fairfax and Loudoun were very rural into the mid-20th century, but are now packed and dense with people, putting huge pressure on infrastructure.
Western PA is full of cute old buildings and houses, towns and main streets all left over from a prosperous past, but like I said - the tide is out. It's a smaller economy there now. This area does not have that historical infrastructure or feel, except in very small part (downtown Leesburg, surrounded by sprawl). But it has the bustling economy.
You are not the first poster from Pennsylvania to mention this issue of towns and main streets (and their state of prosperity/decay). Some previous Pennsylvanians really missed that town/main street feel of their home state, while others (like me) have found here the vibrancy and bustle that seemed sadly absent and somehow so hard to reignite back home (but not the town/main street infrastructure).
Good luck neighborhood hunting. When we got here after college, Arlington was our turf and now as old marrieds with kids we find Reston very livable.
What sort of characteristics are you looking for, and what budget do you have?
Also, what age group are you in?
My budget is anywhere between $1,000 to $1700 for a 1 bedroom with a den and/or loft, or a 2 bedroom (some utilities included is great). I'm looking to move into a newer (contemporary style) apartment community. I'm in my late 20's, but I don't go out to bars/nightclubs often. Usually only when friends come to visit (which is generally once a month). I'm originally from north-eastern PA, which has pretty much died after the coal industry started to lose it's ground. I like a fair mix of history and new infrastructure, much like Harrisburg PA area where I live now. I love that Harrisburg has festivals along the river throughout the year, but I don't mind heading closer to the DC area for things like that if I have to. I also like how in the summer, restaurants in downtown Harrisburg are open to the outside, and you can eat right along the street (or river). I like spending tons of time outdoors when the weather is nice. It'd be nice to be not to far from an area that has non-chain restaurants, a coffee shop, maybe an art gallery, and small shops. I don't mind having to drive a couple miles to large chain grocery, retail stores, or malls.
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