Moving to NoVa, area near Route 1? (Alexandria, Fairfax: violent crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[salanasa]

We are moving to the Alexandria area this month and have heard mixed things about the areas bordering Route 1. Some say its not the safest and then others say it's nice. Does it matter if you're on the East or West side of it?

[tysonsengineer]

Route 1 is a long road (entire east coast technically). Are you on the North side of old town or the south side of old. If south, where specific?

[salanasa]

South of Alexandria and North of Fort Belvoir. I'm curious about that whole strip including the Huntington Metro area, which I've seen several houses in online.

[tysonsengineer]

Its a bit of a borderland situation. Huntington has been transformed over the past decade; but as you move further from the redeveloped region it is less desirable. I would suggest you go take a drive down Route 1 in the area because its really important to see where the actual change occurs. Further North = more redeveloped and more desirable area

[HokieFan]

The areas around Route 1 are tricky. You can have nice, older, well kept homes, and then two blocks down the street - there's the ghetto.

I agree with TE. You should explore that area before committing.

[CaliTerp07]

You can look up crime reports near various addresses to see your comfort level with the area. (Be sure to compare it to where you live now so you have a bearing)

My Neighborhood

[dkf747]

I used to live at Kings Highway and Rt. 1. It's been a few years, but I would not describe the area as ghetto. It's not as nice as other areas in Fairfax County (the area you describe is in Fairfax County even though the post office calls it Alexandria), but it is not bad enough to be described as ghetto.

[marie5v]

It's a mixed area. If you don't have kids, then I don't think it matters. Even in the "bad" areas, there are only a few places that might actually feel unsafe to an adult. It's more about the schools here.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

You can look up crime reports near various addresses to see your comfort level with the area. (Be sure to compare it to where you live now so you have a bearing)

My Neighborhood

Fairfax Co in general is a pretty safe county. Very little serious/violent crime in comparisons to neighboring DC or PG County in MD. And I tell people to take the crime stats with a grain of salt. In some neighborhoods LE knows that crime is underreported. This is primarily in Latino communities but generally any lower income neighborhood.

[BlueRidge1]

the areas west of the Potomac River and east of Rt 1 are nice - Bellhaven, Belle View, Hollin Hills, Hollin Hall, Ft. Hunt, Mt. Vernon (north to south). These are residential and quiet compared to locations closer to "the highway", as it is known.