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Old 10-29-2014, 07:25 PM
 
247 posts, read 509,029 times
Reputation: 143

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Hello everyone!
We are still in our quest to find a reasonable townhouse in a decent neighborhood.

Are these townhouses in ok neighborhoods? As far as Alexandria goes, which zipcodes should I look at/avoid?

Thank you!

483 North Armistead Street #T2, Alexandria VA - Trulia

8403 Alameda Court #58, Alexandria VA - Trulia

4347 Pembrook Village Drive #42, Alexandria VA - Trulia

3307 Wyndham Circle #1159, Alexandria VA - Trulia

Thank you!
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Old 10-29-2014, 08:15 PM
 
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I looked in some of those areas because the location is nice, but decided they weren't for me after driving around during the day.
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Old 10-29-2014, 09:33 PM
 
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I would say that inside the area inside the beltway is definitely nicer than the area below it with regards to Alexandria. I'm not a fan of the area just south of the metro tracks/below the beltway.

The place you posted by 395 significantly closer to everything than the other places, so unless you see something majorly wrong with it (check out the area during the day/night), that would be my first choice.
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Old 10-30-2014, 05:58 AM
 
Location: Central Virginia
6,520 posts, read 8,321,828 times
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I wouldn't consider the home on Alameda Court. The neighborhood there along Pole Road and Sacramento Drive is sketch.

My husband and I rented a condo on Shadwell Drive before buying in Lake Ridge, which is a little farther south off Pole Rd., and I felt like that was a safe complex. Although I felt safe walking on Shadwell, I would not take afternoon walks along Pole Road without my husband. FWIW, there are a couple of rentals available there now: Shadwell Dr Alexandria Apartments For Rent — Trulia.com

Editing to add: I just looked at the listing for 8608 Shadwell Drive #45. It's a top floor unit that backs to trees. We also lived in a unit that backed to trees and it felt very private. I also found that the master bedroom was a decent size and the closet space/storage was more than expected in a smaller condo. Those units come with one assigned parking space. If you have a 2nd car, you'll have to duke it out for a visitors/free space or park along the street.

Additionally, I noticed in another thread you said your current lease ends in March. It's a high probability that many of the places you're looking at now will not be available in 5 months. It's good that you're exploring different neighborhoods now but I wouldn't start looking at specific places unless you're going to terminate your lease early. Most landlords require a 30 or 60 day notice from their tenants, so I would hold off on looking at specific places until January.

Last edited by HokieFan; 10-30-2014 at 06:14 AM..
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Old 10-30-2014, 06:59 AM
 
Location: West Hollywood, CA from Arlington, VA
2,768 posts, read 3,511,480 times
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The Wyndham Circle one is by far in the nicest neighborhood.

I would avoid 22312, 22306, and 22309. Basically anything in your price range within those zips will not be good neighborhoods. The Pole Road area is definitely one of the worst neighborhoods in Fairfax County (parts of Alexandria are within Fairfax County).

You would probably get the best bang for your buck in zip codes 22303, 22310, and 22315. Those are outside the beltway, but that makes them cheaper and they're all still easily metro-accessible.
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Old 10-30-2014, 07:22 AM
 
5,391 posts, read 7,205,381 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gomason View Post
The Wyndham Circle one is by far in the nicest neighborhood.

I would avoid 22312, 22306, and 22309. Basically anything in your price range within those zips will not be good neighborhoods. The Pole Road area is definitely one of the worst neighborhoods in Fairfax County (parts of Alexandria are within Fairfax County).

You would probably get the best bang for your buck in zip codes 22303, 22310, and 22315. Those are outside the beltway, but that makes them cheaper and they're all still easily metro-accessible.
I agree with all this, especially the bolded. The Wyndham Circle location is very good in many ways. It's near Bradlee Shopping Center, 395, Fort Ward Park is nice, a library branch is nearby, and the area is safe.

I would avoid places along Route 1 in the Woodlawn area and pretty much between there and Groveton, as well. A friend of mine lived in Hybla Valley in a large garden apt complex and the police were always there, plus his place got bedbugs.

If your work situation is still the same (the 2 hospitals), Wyndham Circle is great for INOVA Alexandria, and not a bad commute to INOVA Fairfax using 395 and 495.

Last edited by robbobobbo; 10-30-2014 at 08:29 AM..
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Old 10-30-2014, 10:30 AM
 
247 posts, read 509,029 times
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Awesome guys! Thanks so much. We do have some time before our lease ends, but I think we're just trying to get a feel for neighborhoods versus actual places at the moment. The Wyndham Circle one was actually my favorite (albeit the most expensive) but it's good to know that it's in a reasonable neighborhood.

I really appreciate everyone's insight Thank you all!
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Old 10-30-2014, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Carcosa
158 posts, read 245,868 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boyd888 View Post
I would say that inside the area inside the beltway is definitely nicer than the area below it with regards to Alexandria. I'm not a fan of the area just south of the metro tracks/below the beltway.

The place you posted by 395 significantly closer to everything than the other places, so unless you see something majorly wrong with it (check out the area during the day/night), that would be my first choice.
It amazes me that people don't seem to understand the difference between Alexandria City and Fairfax County. There is an area of Fairfax county that is referred to as Alexandria, but it is NOT Alexandria. The two areas could not be more different.
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Old 10-30-2014, 06:09 PM
 
1,630 posts, read 2,350,033 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YellowKing View Post
It amazes me that people don't seem to understand the difference between Alexandria City and Fairfax County. There is an area of Fairfax county that is referred to as Alexandria, but it is NOT Alexandria. The two areas could not be more different.

The entire Duke Street, and in fact even the Landmark Mall area falls under the City of Alexandria.

A couple of traffic lights south and you are in FFX County.

Not a whole lot different.
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Old 10-31-2014, 06:07 AM
 
Location: West Hollywood, CA from Arlington, VA
2,768 posts, read 3,511,480 times
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Yeah, they really are not all that different. Old Town is really the only dense, urban, walkable neighborhood in "Alexandria" and it is a very small sliver of "Alexandria." People seem to have a romantic view that all of Alexandria is like Old Town.

The Huntington area has a bunch of roach-infested high rises just like the City of Alexandria.

You guys are really generalizing all of the area "south of the beltway too." Kingstowne and Mount Vernon/Hybla Valley are extremely different. The former is one of the nicest parts of Alexandria and the latter is a complete dump.
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