Village at Gum Springs (Arlington, Alexandria: upkeep, apartments, condo)

[Danok]

Hi All,
I have looked over the neighborhood village at gum springs, but was wondering if anyone had any input as to the safety of area, type of neighborhood, issues I should be aware, etc...any forum member input would be appreciated to help me get the place into perspective..thanks so much...

[Tone509]

Originally Posted by Danok

Hi All,
I have looked over the neighborhood village at gum springs, but was wondering if anyone had any input as to the safety of area, type of neighborhood, issues I should be aware, etc...any forum member input would be appreciated to help me get the place into perspective..thanks so much...

I live in the Route 1 corridor where that community lies. The area has gotten a bad rap, not the least of which from some posters here. Although I can see how the area may have earned its negative reputation long before I've arrived two years ago, it really has come a long way, especially with the variety of midscale retail options that have popped up. You won't lack for want of supermarkets, chain restaurants, pharmacies or big box stores.

It's my understanding that Gum Springs is an historically black community that got absorbed into the inevitable suburban expansion. The surrounding area is about as diverse as you can get in terms of ethnicity and socioeconomic levels. The east side of Route 1 - where Gum Springs is - on down to at least Mt. Vernon tilts more middle- to upper-class than the west side. If you're buying your home or renting from an owner in Village at Gum Springs, I think that you'd find people who care about the upkeep of their community.

Route 1 is a convenient but sometimes painful connection to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-95 North) into MD, the Beltway (I-495), Old Town Alexandria and Crystal City in Arlington. If you prefer to leave the driving to someone else, a plethora of Fairfax Connector and REX(Metrobus) buses lead to the Huntington Metrorail station.

Oh, and you'll hear people on the news refer to the area on route 1 south of the Bridge as "Mount Vernon" but really that's a few miles southeast of Gum Springs. You'll have an Alexandria address (i.e., the unincorporated section in Fairfax County *not* the City of Alexandria) which I guess confuses some people. I've heard some realtors refer to the area as "South Alexandria".

In short, if you want to get in on the relative ground floor in a growing area that is only going to get better, I'd recommend looking into that townhouse community.

[Danok]

Thanks kindly - this is very helpful input...appreciated...

[FairfaxCoResident]

Check out the Incident Mapping on this page:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/crime_w.htm

They do not log everything.

During the daytime, the area is very lively and yes, a diverse ethnic area of immigrants and apartments with pockets of revitalization. There is much petty crime but it is not as heavy as parts of D.C. It's not an area to be walking around at any time of night, though. It's not the greatest, but not too bad.
Check out this thread:
Mt. Vernon elementary/middle schools
That thread refers to 22309. It sounds like you are looking more towards 22306, closer to the Metro.
If you are looking for a middle class suburban neighborhood to raise children, look elsewhere.

[Danok]

Very informative and good to know...definitely looking to put the family in a place where they can walk during the daytime or hang out at a tot lot - just to get some fresh air...think I might worry a bit more in this area...thanks kindly for the insight...back to condo's in 22315....