Pimmit Hills? (Reston, McLean, Falls Church: real estate, mortgage, townhome)

[KatOne]

Hello.

I am a stay-at-home mom with 2 children and a husband who works in Reston.

We currently live in Falls Church in a townhome, but would love to move into a single family home one day. We've considered moving farther out, but the sprawl and the traffic just don't seem worth it.

The only community in this area that seems to fall into our price range is Pimmit Hills. Does anyone have an opinion about the area? Parts of it seem a little rough around the edges, but that could just be b/c the homes are all circa 1950.

Thanks.

[Detroit4Life]

Don't ever move to Pimmit Hills it's fairfax county's version of the ghetto. At night those thugs and gangster rob the little 7-11 all the time. Pimmit Hills has 3 gangs in it. Crips the set name is CTC stand for Cut Throat Killer Crips Bloods whose Turf is Olney Park and MS13 to the SE of Pimmit Hills along Pimmit drive. Those guys got guns and everything. It's crazy i just moved out of there. Don't go there

[claremarie]

Pimmit Hills is the last swath of affordable single-family housing near Tyson's. The houses are very small, and not particularly attractive, though some have been expanded. There is a substantial minority/immigrant population in Pimmit Hills, which may or may not be an issue for you. The elementary school serving Pimmit Hills has pretty low test scores because of its large low-income/ESL population. You might consider driving through the neighborhood at various times of day to see what you think.
I have driven through the neighborhood a few times trying to find shortcuts that don't exist, and I can't say that I would recommend it to a family with small children. As you indicated, it seems a little rough around the edges.

Remember, you usually get what you pay for in real estate around here, and if the houses in Pimmit Hills are cheaper than those in nearby neighborhoods, there is a reason for that.

[sweeny]

Even though you've likely already moved, I feel the need to reply to defend my neighborhood. Pimmit Hills is a wonderful community. We have been here six years. I have fabulous, friendly neighbors. My kids (who are small) have friends up and down the street. I have never felt unsafe. The guy who posted about gangs is an idiot.

It is a working class neighborhood that has character and no home owners association. It is not a sterilized, every-house-looks-like-the-rest boring development. The houses are smaller than the overbuilt behemoths you find outside the beltway, but they are well built and most of us have nice sized yards for kids/gardening. We are within easy reach of Tysons/grocery stores/anything you need, but still feel like a small town. We love to take walks on summer evenings and chat with neighbors or just sit on our porch swing and wait for the ice cream man. In December, the light displays are epic.

If you are a snob that needs to live in a certain "type" of neighborhood with a certain "type" of people, please don't move here. You won't be happy with us, nor us with you.

[mattpeed]

Gangs in Pimmit Hills? Ha! Pimmit Hills is a quiet, hard working community. I've lived her for two years now, and have never seen loiterers, gangs, guns, drugs, or anything at anytime that felt in any way threatening. Instead I've seen moms and dads with expensive jogging strollers and bike trailers, exuberant holiday displays, and people constantly improving their yards and homes. I have no idea what that guy who posted about gangs was talking about.

If it looks rough around the edges, that's only because the homes are small and aging. Slap some new siding on, and it will look fabulous. If you're looking for a place to settle for the long run, there probably is no greater bargain, because you can get a quarter acre lot with a base house right near Tyson's Corner, but surrounded by trees and parks, and then you can add on to the main box house as your family grows. As for being a place for small kids, I think it's great (I have a two year old and one on the way). I am constantly meeting neighbors in the parks as they take their kids on walks, you can walk to a public library, and there are a few residents who provide childcare from their homes.

Just my two cents.

[saganista]

Drove through the Hills earlier this afternoon. They're doing a few teardowns and putting up some newer stuff in there. Most of it looks pretty good, but I do hope the smaller, solid homes will hold on as the dominant architecture. There aren't many neighborhoods like Pimmit left anymore, and there are already tons like what would replace it. It's really growing into being its own little treasure. Wasn't always like that. The gang references come in some part from just plain silly legend, but in some part from an actual biker gang that was quite prominent back in the 70's. They weren't an evil biker gang actually. Drank and swore and rode their bikes around at all hours, but the neighborhood then was quite a bit rougher around the edges than it is now, and the rough, tough, biker gang image did seem to fit, so it kind of caught on. It's completely out of place now. Liked the note re the Christmas lights above. If you move there, figure you've got the mortgage and the utilities and commuting and all, and then set aside a couple thou for Christmas lights. You just wouldn't feel right if you ended up being the only house in the neighborhood that couldn't be picked out on a December night from an airplane passing over at 35,000 feet...

[car54]

There's gangs and there are gangs....the Pagan motorsickle types surely can be a nuisance but are mostly extinct around here.

Nowadays, it's the ethnic youth gangs (MS-13, etc) that get most of the press. And they certainly are in and around Pimmit Hills....the gang-related murder of a Marshall High (across the street) student is what catalyzed the formation of the FCPD gang unit.

But, these gangbangers are not particularly dangerous to the general population. They are kids that have no home life and the gang becomes their family.

Without a doubt, they are criminals...but they very rarely prey on non-gang members (however, they WILL steal your car).

So, unless you work 3 jobs and are never home, have school-aged ethnic kids....no real need to worry about gangs in this area.

PS: As a FCPS employee, I have have had gang training....it is fascinating to read the "tags" (gang grafitti)!
Look out for the prefix "211" spray painted on anything ....that's the California Penal code for MURDER....so if you see your name with 211 in front of it...HIDE! (Or carry an extra clip!)

[normie]

I always liked Pimmit Hills. It has a cool vibe.

[saganista]

The incident at Marshall was in 1998. Asians. Supposedly Tiny Rascals. Not from that area. The victim was a random kid. That event does not at all typify the environment, as it was then, or as it is now.

[edrock]

Pimmit Hills is looking like an area we might look into. We also have a young child, so we want to feel safe walking and playing outside. Any other opinions on this area? We might drive around this weekend, but would appreciate any and all thoughts on purchasing a home in this area. I was shocked to see SFHs in the $300k range that close to McLean. Just to gauge possible commute time for my husband, how long of a drive would it be at rush hour during Christmas/Hannukah season to the fancy Tyson's mall?