WANTED: Small Community Feeling with good schools and breathing room (Alexandria: transplants, apartment)

[jpktch]

My husband is already living and working in the nova area. We are trying to find the town that suits our family best. We want our son to go to Georg Mason HS but found the housing situation in Falls Church City to be less than desirable. Now we are considering more suburban areas such as Reston and Centreville and, although Centreville HS is huge, we like the breathing room. I am also a teacher and will be teaching in an elementary school in the area. I would love some feedback about these areas and high schools and would welcome suggestions as to other cities/towns in Fairfax Co that might suit our small town family. My husband's commute to DC is not an issue.

We are looking for a rental home/townhouse/apartment in a family-oriented neighborhood and, preferably, near the high school. We are budgeting up to $2,500 a month for rent. Hope this helps.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Would also like to ask specifically about South Lakes High School (less students) vs. Centreville (very large student population)....

[car54]

Clifton. You can get a nice place on 5 acres for about a mil, or a little less.

Balmoral Greens is very nice.

[FindingZen]

Hello. It will be helpful to know your housing budget and whether you're looking for a townhouse, single family home, significant/small land, etc.

You should know that Fairfax County -which includes all of the areas you've mentioned thus far - is fairly high-density suburbia. If you're looking for more an acre or more of breathing room, it will likely be going for seven figures.

Fairfax County Public Schools as a whole ranks as one of the top systems in the country. The discussions here often come to the opinion either 1) the "best" schools have the least socioeconomic diversity or 2) involved parents will encourage their kids to succeed anywhere.

Since the length of the DC-bound commute is not a concern, consider Loudoun and Prince William Counties. Eastern Loudoun County is very family-friendly, particularly Ashburn and Sterling. If you didn't like the density of Falls Church, then Leesburg may not necessarily appeal (although I've enjoyed passing through there myself).

Prince William is a relatively great value for housing. The lengthy commute to major job centers further north is one reason although the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) can alleviate that in some cases. The level of socioeconomic diversity is another. Lake Ridge is an area mentioned positively a lot on this forum. I'm sure others more knowledgeable than me will have more suggestions.

Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties offer an even greater value for those who value home lifestyle over commuting length. The VRE can be useful here as well.

[jpktch]

Thank you for your reply. We want to stay in Fairfax County because I have already been hired by Fairfax County Schools and am guaranteed a job. Plus, I know the schools are great. Have done a lot of research on the schools.

As for breathing room, I mean something unlike Falls Church where I feel like everyone lives on top of each other. We spent the night in Centreville and really liked the fact that it is not quite as "dense" as you put it as, say, Falls Church. My only concern with Centreville is the large student population at Centreville High School. However, I would love some input on the school itself. Sometimes big is not bad if it has a good atmosphere (where outsiders are accepted) and is not known as the school for the "rich kids" if you know what I mean. We are just your average middle to upper middle class family. Thanks :-)!

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by jpkotouch

Thank you for your reply. We want to stay in Fairfax County because I have already been hired by Fairfax County Schools and am guaranteed a job. Plus, I know the schools are great. Have done a lot of research on the schools.

As for breathing room, I mean something unlike Falls Church where I feel like everyone lives on top of each other. We spent the night in Centreville and really liked the fact that it is not quite as "dense" as you put it as, say, Falls Church. My only concern with Centreville is the large student population at Centreville High School. However, I would love some input on the school itself. Sometimes big is not bad if it has a good atmosphere (where outsiders are accepted) and is not known as the school for the "rich kids" if you know what I mean. We are just your average middle to upper middle class family. Thanks :-)!

I have to admit to not having much (okay, any ) knowledge about Centreville High School. I would not say it's known as a "rich kids" school at all. I'll leave it to others to share their opinions on what might be. Fairfax County is full of transplants so your kids won't stand out in that way.

Again, it would be helpful to know your housing budget. Also note that if the preferred DC commute is by car, just getting through Fairfax County can be a challenge, especially since a "reverse commute" doesn't really exist with job centers towards the border shared between Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Whatever a map search predicts for commuting time, double that and consider it a "good day", unless the commute starts before 7am or after 9am.

[jpktch]

We intend to rent for a year or two and have budgeted somewhere between $2,000-2,500 for a nice townhouse, condo, house, etc.

Also, my husband takes the metro because he works very close to Rosslyn station and it is just so easy to take the metro. That's why the commute is not a major issue, as long as he can get to a metro station to get into DC. Besides, he gets reimbursed for the bus/metro so it would be foolish to drive, now wouldn't it? lol

[marie5v]

Personally I really like Burke and the southern part of Fairfax, if it works for your commute. It still has a lot of open spaces and wooded areas, looks almost rural sometimes. Not sure of rents, but it does have some townhouse communities you might be able to rent in. High schools in the area are Woodson, Robinson and Westfield (I think). All pretty good.

[movingtodcfromseattle]

Originally Posted by marie5v

Personally I really like Burke and the southern part of Fairfax, if it works for your commute. It still has a lot of open spaces and wooded areas, looks almost rural sometimes. Not sure of rents, but it does have some townhouse communities you might be able to rent in. High schools in the area are Woodson, Robinson and Westfield (I think). All pretty good.

I second this. I think they are Woodson, Robinson, Lake Braddock and West Springfield. We live in Robinson, about a mile from the high school. Nice area. Lots of rentals for your price.

[car54]

Actually, Centreville High is the smallest high school in the western part of the County....Chantilly is bigger, and Westfield is much bigger.

[CaliTerp07]

Do you know what school you'll be teaching at? FFX County is huge; if you end up at an elementary school in southern Alexandria and live out in Centreville, you're looking at an ugly commute.