Any nice family-oriented but upscale neighborhoods in Vienna/Fairfax Station? (Centreville: houses, middle school)

[car54]

Be sure and check out the Town of Clifton. It has a small, but quaint town center. Nancy Reagan liked to have lunch there when she lived in DC. The opening scene of "Broadcast News" was filmed there. The town itself is very small, but most of the surrounding area that everybody calls Clifton is actually a Fairfax Station address. It's one of the few "rural" areas in Fairfax County...winding country roads...lots of horses.

Great schools...Robinson Secondary and Clifton Elementary. The commute to Stafford wouldn't be too bad...Rt 123 south to I-95 South against the grain.

Your budget would buy a very nice house down there....but FAR from the top ($3 mil+ estates are common).

[claremarie]

Do you think it is hard for newcomers to make friends in NoVa? It seems like a lot of people are born/raised/and stay here. Also, I hope these areas have "down to earth" people?

I live in McLean, where many homes are well over $1 million. Our neighborhood is full of newcomers, especially people from overseas working at embassies, the World Bank, IMF, etc. -- very few folks were born and raised in the area, in my experience. It's very easy to make friends, especially if you have children and you are staying home with them, though in some neighborhoods you might find more nannies than moms during the day.
Though your kids are still young, you might consider looking for a house that is close to one of the many community swim clubs -- these are great places for families to hang out, and the swim and tennis teams keep the kids exhausted and occupied during the summer. The Vienna area has a number of these pools (some of them have waiting lists), and also a community center, the W&OD bike path, a real "town" feeling, and many nice neighborhoods. And, if your husband changes jobs, it's also right next door to Tyson's and an easy commute to DC via Metro.

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by MovingfromDE

Thanks for all your replies!
In response to our budget, it is 1mil-1.5 mil (obviously, lower is better)
I like the idea of Vienna and Fairfax so far.

Our primary concerns in finding a home are such- too much to ask for?:
1. Decent Commute to Stafford where my husband may be working
2. Good schools
3. Friendly upper-class neighborhoods with kids
4. proximity to a "town center"

If I had your budget, I would have looked into McLean, Oakton, Fairfax Station and some parts of Reston; however, it would be a long commute for your husband. If you are involved with your children in activities in the community, you are highly likely to meet friendly people who are similarly situated. An experienced realtor will be able to help pick the right home for your family. Good luck with your relocation.

[Yankeesfan]

With the freedom your price range permits, unless you have a reason to be in Fairfax County, I second the idea of buying in or closer to Stafford. Even going against traffic, it's still a long drive. But if you want to be in Fairfax County, maybe some of the newly constructed homes in Lorton Station, which has lots of children, would be nice.

Craftmark Homes is building an upscale neighborhood in Kingstowne, which is very family-friendly, and they have both some ready-to-move in brand new homes and some lots still available where you could customize your home.

[sweet-t-virginia]

I agree with Yankeesfan - it would be better to move closer to Stafford. It is quite a distance from Vienna or McLean to Stafford during ideal conditions, much less with rush hour traffic or bad weather. If you contact a realtor there, tell him or her exactly what you want.

Good luck with your move to Virginia!

[memiller]

With your budget, if you're husband is working in Stafford, to get what you want you may want to consider Richmond. Commuting to Stafford from Richmond is fairly similar to commuting to Stafford from D.C. There's some great stuff in Stafford. Big home on some land near some stuff. Again, consult a realtor, but don't rule out Richmond.

[MovingfromDE]

I believe I mistakenly stated my husband was working in stafford (not sure how that got into my brain!)- rather he is looking at Woodbridge.

Opinions on this commute from Vienna/Fairfax?

[saganista]

Vienna to Woodbridge is much better than to Stafford, but it's still about 25 miles and about an hour unless you catch a break with the traffic. The Burke and Fairfax Station areas are very nice, particularly the latter (where the median home value is over a million), and they're closer to Woodbridge by well, maybe not quite half, but close to that. The only thing about Fairfax Station is that there isn't much of anything else there. Just lots of very nice homes. I live up in Vienna/Oakton and have for nearly 30 years, and here we have just about everything nearby...a veritable cornucopia. It's very hard to beat on that score. Schools are all Fairfax County either way and all are excellent...

[memiller]

Vienna and McLean and Oakton sound like places that would be of interest to you. The trip to Woodbridge isn't bad if you take 123 and/or FFX.

[knopfler]

Originally Posted by MovingfromDE

I believe I mistakenly stated my husband was working in stafford (not sure how that got into my brain!)- rather he is looking at Woodbridge.

Opinions on this commute from Vienna/Fairfax?

Here's something you hadn't heard...look at Occoquan! It's a small town of about 800 people, very upscale, very artsy, and they have a great town mayor. You should be able to get something right on the water (Occoquan River, which feeds into the Potomac River about a mile east) and it's immediately adjacent to Woodbridge without being icky like Woodbridge is sometimes wont to be. Seriously, see if Occoquan has a couple upscale properties for you to tour. Zip code 22125.