Thoughts on Centreville for family life (Chantilly, Oakton: short sale, 2015, rental)

[go_urban]

I have a new job in Chantilly (near US-50 and VA-28) and I am looking for a place to rent for a year or two until we settle in and try to buy a place.

I was in a Centreville neighborhood (just North of US-29 and East of VA-28) looking for a rental (three-level townhouse style), and while the buildings and personal vehicles looked nice and well kept, what stood out to me is that I saw no children at all, even as school was letting out and the buses were on the main streets. This was in stark contrast to what I saw in the South Riding area. That said, for shopping and convenience, Centreville seems to offer a lot more of what we're interested in...and with the traffic on US-28, I-66, and US-50, there is something to be said for convenience.

I have a three year old with another on the way, and I want to live in a child friendly place. (No offense meant to those without children, but it just better for both your and my sanity. )

* What are some family friendly areas in Centreville?

* Colin Powell Elementary School - is this a decent and safe school?

* Am I better off in South Riding? I will only need to get on I-66 a few times a year, so access to I-66 is not really a selling point.

I would appreciate any opinions or thoughts. Thank you!

[hilsmom]

I know a couple families and a teacher at Colin Powell. They are quite happy there. My understanding is that the school is pretty big, but so is ours right up the road (my daughter goes to Greenbriar West).

It's so strange, though - I know our neighborhood has TONS of kids, yet I rarely ever see any out and about. We just moved here in September when it rained the whole month, and then the weather turned colder, but I just don't think kids play as much in the neighborhood as they used to. Two working parents would have to send their kids to daycare afterschool, lots of kids have afterschool activities like gymnastics, karate, etc.

It's so hard to tell sometimes - lots of people in this area keep to themselves.

[stpickrell]

If South Riding gives you a better feeling, then go there.

[JD984]

I can't speak to whether the kids are out and about, but that area of Fairfax/Centreville has a lot of kids. As Hilsmom noted, Colin Powell is a large elementary school (1161 students this year), but there are a number of other schools in the Centreville area and FCPS has also been phasing in revisions to the school boundaries to try to even out the enrollments. Here's the information, if you're interested:

FCPS - Department of Facilities & Transportation Services - Facilities Planning Services - Southwestern Boundary Study

Others are also far more familiar with South Riding than I am, but other things being equal (and perhaps they aren't) I would try to find something as close to your work place in Chantilly as possible. I don't think there are a lot of ways out of South Riding heading east in the AM (I think Route 50 and Braddock Road are the main options and that both have a lot of rush-hour traffic).

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by hilsmom

It's so strange, though - I know our neighborhood has TONS of kids, yet I rarely ever see any out and about. We just moved here in September when it rained the whole month, and then the weather turned colder, but I just don't think kids play as much in the neighborhood as they used to. Two working parents would have to send their kids to daycare afterschool, lots of kids have afterschool activities like gymnastics, karate, etc.

I see the same thing. I know there are a ton of kids (I see the minivans in the driveway, the basketball hoops on the curb, and see them waiting for the bus in the morning), but I rarely if ever see them playing outside. Once in a while I'll see one shooting a basketball, but by and large they seem to be inside or away from home.

[Middlin]

I have a lot of family and friends that live in SR and they enjoy all the community events, etc and yes, there are a TON of children.

You are right that traffic around there is awful and if you find yourself having to drive up Route 50 even on the weekends, it can be quite congested.

I guess this boils down to lifestyle and given the age of your kids now, maybe not so important. You're not going to send them out of the house to play in the common area around the TH's for quite awhile. Once your kids get involved in sports, or want to go to Tae Kwon Do, have a piano teacher, know every kid on the block, etc, I would go w/ South Riding given your job location.

The only thing I've heard about CPES is that they have an excellent program for kids with learning disabilities.

[hilsmom]

We bought the house with the yard so our kid could play outside - I guess we're not the norm. We used to play in our townhome development, too, because if we didn't, our kid would have been climbing the walls. BUT, the yard allows her to play without hands-on supervision, which makes our lives a little easier.

[go_urban]

Thanks for your comments.

I drove out today to time the commute from my workplace to Centreville via 29 (trying to avoid 28 and 66 if possible). I arrived a few seconds before the school bus in the area I visited yesterday, and an army of elementary school students ascended onto the grounds and quickly disappeared into minivans or their homes.

Good to know that Centreville is family friendly. We certainly like many other aspects of the area!

Thanks again.

[hilsmom]

I honestly think either area would work for you, depending on where your workplace in chantilly is.

You might even consider parts of Chantilly in the 20151 zip code - Poplar Tree and Lees Corner ES are good schools in good school pyramids. I don't know as much about the elementary schools (or areas) that track to Westfield since we were looking as close to 7100 as possible, but that HS is quite good and it is right by the local community center.

There might also be a neighborhood or two in Herndon to consider (20171) - we were outbid on a short sale in the Floris ES district, but that area is districted to Carson MS/Westfield HS. There is also the Oak Hill ES district right next door (Franklin Farm area). Lots of kids there as well.

[momtotwoboys]

I second Hillsmom's suggestion. We live in Oakton but our son goes to preschool in the Franklin Farms nhood of Herndon. Lots of families from the Chantilly Highlands area as well as FF and Oak Hill. The CYA ( chantilly youth assoc) is also very popular for sports activities ( soccer, little league, etc). Lots of those communities have parks, community pools, neighborhood events that make me a little envious! We love our privacy and large lot in Oakton but you loose a little bit of the feeling of community being farther away from your neighbors. GL!