Fairfax County distinguishing Characteristics

[Fairfax Mom]

It has been very hard to make friends here - to find "real" people that dont care what type of car you drive or what expensive prep school your kid goes to. But there are tons of interaccial couples here also.

[adctvmonkey]

One of my favorite aspects of Fairfax County that make it stand out from the rest of Nova is just the broad range of urbanity, housing, and population that it offers. You can be in very urban or old areas, like Bailey's Crossroads or East Alexandria, or quaint areas like Great Falls or Fairfax Station. There's so many different types of businesses and restaurants in every corner of the County, and the schools are established and reputable. The largest plus is it's convenience to the city and surrounding areas, something that would be harder from areas closer-in or farther-out.

[keynejad]

Hello; We need to start looking for a place to live, preferibly with 3 bedrooms in Farifax County, Falls Church, Loudoun. Give me info on real estate agencies for residencial and also for commercial. All al this is great information for us.

[CaliByWayOfAnnArbor]

Originally Posted by keynejad

Hello, my family is considering Virginia. Currently, we live in California. I have two kids...9 and 8 years old. I am 38 and my husband 42. Live here is very expensive and superficial...

My wife and I moved to Ann Arbor, MI from Long Beach, CA for similar reasons (the only area we could afford at the time was a "fringe" neighborhood, in which we ended up living next door to a backyard Meth lab). We're both native Californians, but not necessarily from Southern California.

One of the reasons we moved was that we took significant hits, financially, in trying to start a family, with a failed adoption (we're very pro-adoption, having successfully adopted domestically, as well) after 10 years of trying to start a family, and couldn't see having the kind of lifestyle we wanted without considering serious moves. And, for the most part, it was a good move.

We love Ann Arbor, after living here for 7 years, with the cool little college town vibe being a big plus, along with more progressive attitudes (think Austin, TX or Madison, WI or Palo Alto, CA)... Our kids are happy, we have good friends and life is good,... BUT...

Lousy job (after getting layed-off from the job that brought us here), dying economy, home values in the dumps,... and a potential job offer in Herndon, near Dulles. I'm trying to learn the NOVA area as much as I can.

Any local areas that would fit the description I've laid out for Ann Arbor? College town, progressive community, with woods, water, etc., yet not going to kill our budget? I understand that GMU is nearby but that doesn't necessarily translate into a vibrant college town... or, does it? Arts, Music, progressive Philosophical discourse? I figure we'll lose up to 100K on our home here (even though it's gorgeous, custom home with woods in a great neighborhood)... and that's on a home that was 420K. Hmmmmm...

Alot to hit anybody reading this, but any feedback would be helpful. Thanks.

[normie]

Originally Posted by CaliByWayOfAnnArbor

Lousy job (after getting layed-off from the job that brought us here), dying economy, home values in the dumps,... and a potential job offer in Herndon, near Dulles. I'm trying to learn the NOVA area as much as I can.

Any local areas that would fit the description I've laid out for Ann Arbor? College town, progressive community, with woods, water, etc., yet not going to kill our budget? I understand that GMU is nearby but that doesn't necessarily translate into a vibrant college town... or, does it? Arts, Music, progressive Philosophical discourse? I figure we'll lose up to 100K on our home here (even though it's gorgeous, custom home with woods in a great neighborhood)... and that's on a home that was 420K. Hmmmmm...

Reston is not a "college town" but otherwise fits the description. (progressive community, with woods, water, arts, music, philosophical discourse.) It's also right next to Herndon--you'll definitely appreciate that. You've probably read it here a million times, but it can't be said enough: traffic here is a bear.

It is very possible you might get an incredible deal on a townhouse in Reston right now. This is because many people bought townhomes near two proposed metro stations as investments. Now it looks as though the project is in trouble--so some owners might be willing to drop their prices substantially. This is just a guess--but if I was moving to the area it would be something I'd look into.

There are a number of nearby colleges in N. Virginia but they are commuter schools that don't especially have a "cool vibe." Still, they are great for taking classes in just about anything you'd like to study.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by CaliByWayOfAnnArbor

Any local areas that would fit the description I've laid out for Ann Arbor?

Not really. I know someone who moved from the Bay Area to Herndon, and claims that he feels at home with all the Asians, Latinos, computer programmers, and strip malls.

I've been to Reston a million times, and never had anything there approaching "philosophical discourse", but I have had plenty of taste-free grilled chicken sandwiches. It's got an outdoor mall called the "town center", but it's all chain restaurants and national retailers, not the second coming of Ann Arbor, Austin, or Madison.

You'll probably like Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church a lot better, but they might not be in your budget. Nonetheless, there are a lot of jobs around Dulles, and it's pleasant, just don't expect much intellectual stimulation from the minivans and malls.

[normie]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

I've been to Reston a million times, and never had anything there approaching "philosophical discourse", but I have had plenty of taste-free grilled chicken sandwiches. It's got an outdoor mall called the "town center", but it's all chain restaurants and national retailers, not the second coming of Ann Arbor, Austin, or Madison.

You are spending time in the strip mall section of Reston! Don't go to the Town Center if you want philosophical discourse, go to Lake Anne Plaza. Eat at the Jasmine Cafe. Check out the Lake Anne scene at the bookstore, or the museum, or the RCC listings of things to do.

[babette rushing]

Looking to relocate to Fairfax County. I am a single black woman or there any " people of color"? Where are the afforable homes near and around Fairfax County that are safe/nice?

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by babette rushing

Looking to relocate to Fairfax County. I am a single black woman or there any " people of color"? Where are the afforable homes near and around Fairfax County that are safe/nice?

A lot of people will say oh yes there are like so many people of color. There are plenty of people of color this is probably one of the most diverse areas of the country. At the same time coming from a town that's 50% black Northern Virginia took some getting used to. It's about 8 or 9% black here. So yes there are black folks just not as much as there are in DC or Maryland.

I think Fairfax county has a really high quality of life despite the cost of living and traffic. The best place to live will be dependant on where one works. Reston is nice. I live in Oakton and really like it. Oakton not as diverse as say Alexandria or Annandale but it has a really low crime rate and its fairly affordable but without the disadvantages of affrodability. Fairfax has some nice parts and some not as nice parts. If you have kids Burke is the number one spot and they have so many trees there. Vienna is really nice whether you have a family or not. Falls Church is hit or miss. But yeah Fairfax county is nice come on down.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by normie

Being closest to DC, Fairfax is the most urban of the Virginia counties. But that doesn't mean it is 100% urban--there are also plenty of farms and other open spaces.

Did Arlington County just fall off the map?

Fairfax County is suburbs and cul-de-sacs. It's only urban in that it has lots of people and traffic.

Arlington is closest to DC of the Virginia counties and cities. Where do the bridges leaving DC to Virginia go into? Arlington.

Most of Fairfax County was developed as stand-alone subdivisions. Much was developed from the late 1960's onward, with a lot of growth occurring post-1980.

Arlington is classic suburbs (grid layout) that in a large part was built for the families that moved to DC for WWII federal jobs. Housing is more dense and continuous, and the urban shopping areas along Wilson Blvd were expanded and renovated starting in the 1980s. It's considered a hip destination for those who like urban life that doesn't require a car, yet who don't want to live in DC.

Schools in Arlington County (particularly north Arlington) and Fairfax County are considered excellent.

As mentioned by others, there are obvious distinctions between Ffx Co and the rest of the country. I can't say what about Fairfax County distinguishes it from the other parts of Northern Virginia other than you get more house with larger closets than an equally-priced house in closer-in Arlington or Alexandria, mostly due to the fact of when the houses were built (1940s vs 1970s and newer). Most schools in Ffx are better than in Alexandria. Crime is less than in Arlington and Alexandria, but not significantly so - all of NOVA's crime stats are vastly lower than in DC (taken as a whole).