Vienna, Reston or Herndon ??? (Arlington, Fairfax: real estate, housing, condo)

[keynejad]

I am here in NOVA from CA to see what life is like here. So far we seem to come to the conclusion that VIENNA, RESTON and HERNDON might be right for us... I need some more info from residents of these areas. We have a 9 and 8 year old. In the beginning,I will be a full time mom;then I will try to find a part time job while my children are in the school. I need information in regards to family life, schools, people, cost of life, crime, ethnicity, areas within the city to avoid.

[claremarie]

The information will be more useful if you indicate where your husband will be working (and where your eventual part-time job might be), and how much you plan to spend on housing.

[keynejad]

He is planning to buy a business. We figure that any these 3 cities would work out in regard to the commute; he is also looking for business in Arlington. My part time job would be in sales. We plan to rent for a minimum of one year and our budge is up to $2000 for a 3 bedroom.

[scimitar12]

All of Fairfax is good in terms of quality of schools. Vienna and most of Reston are excellent areas in terms of low crime, quality of life, ammenities, etc. I would stay out of Herndon inside the Herndon Parkway. Many neighborhoods in that area are deteriorating. My wife and I just bought a townhome in Sterling and we looked in Herndon as a possible place to buy. We just felt inside the parkway was not right for us. South of the toll road in Herndon is okay.

Cost of living is much higher in NoVa than most other places in the U.S., even though housing prices have come down a lot the last two and half years. Vienna will be the most expensive to live followed by Reston, and Herndon in that order. I am not sure $2,000/month will get you much in Vienna, but may be fine for Reston, depending on what you want, and where specifically you live in that town.

[novanative75]

Vienna would be the best but the most expensive. I would do Reston second and stay out of Herndon. The schools will be the best in Vienna, but you might find some good elementary schools in Reston. If you are planning on staying for high school, definitely Vienna, avoid the Reston and Herndon high schools.

[keynejad]

Great information... my kids are in 3rd. and 2nd. grade. What would the commute from Vienna and Reston be to Arlington?

[Rest-on]

Vienna, Reston and Herndon can be fine places to live. But neighborhoods and elementary schools can vary greatly within each city. It's best to check out propsective schools at one of the rating websites, like SchoolMatters - Home.

Vienna has the advantage of having areas within walking distance to the Metro (subway). But, of course, prices (rental and sales) are adjusted upward for that. The Reston Town Center area is a very hip and attractive location to live, but there are also nice, family-oriented neighborhoods as well. Herndon's 20171 zip code is certainly attractive in many respects.

Herndon and Reston have bus service to the West Falls Church Metro, which can take you to Arlington reasonably quickly. Both are close to the Dulles Toll Road too, which is (in my opinion) the least-congested highway in the Greater Washington Area. Vienna is close to Rt. 66, which can bring you to Arlington. That highway is usually badly congested, though.

Good luck with your search. Feel free to ask more questions as you continue looking.

Best regards,

Chuck & Veronica

[saganista]

Vienna costs the most because it has the most to offer. For instance, if you were commuting by car to Arlington, Vienna would save about 30 minutes over Reston. And instead of a 25-minute bus ride to the West Falls Church Metro station, it would be a 5-minute Metro ride...and you'd already be on the train when you got there. :-)

And while there is a lot of way up the charts real estate in Vienna, that's mostly on the northside. The southside of town (which is where both the Metro stations are -- Vienna and Dunn Loring) is a little less spiffy and a little less expensive for the most part. Still not really cheap though. There are no bad areas in Vienna and no bad schools. There are lots of parks (bring your bike or blades -- the W&OD Trail goes right through the heart of town), lots of sports, and lots of activities. Easy access to world-class dining and shopping. It really is a nice little community.

The cost-of-living is the same as in Reston...pretty high. The people range from well-to-do blue-collar to...well, pretty rich. There is a lot of diversity, but not as much as in say, Arlington or DC proper. The schools here send everything home in five languages -- English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, and Urdu. That might give you an idea. For all intents and purposes, there isn't any crime. You'd still want to lock your door while you were away, but crime simply isn't at all a part of one's everyday walking-around mindset. It's a non-factor.

[Lolly59]

I will be moving to Reston and am looking at renting a condo at Parc Reston. Is this a good complex? Any crime there?

[TrueVCU]

I've passed by it a few times, seems to be in a nice area, and you're right across from Reston Town Center. Welcome to the burbs, future neighborino! :P