Lorton vs. Centreville, which one is a better commute to McLean/DC? (Woodbridge: middle-class)

[oharahap]

My husband and I are moving to the NOVA area and found a house that we like in Centreville, VA but still have remorse about the commute. We are still looking into Lorton, VA but we aren't sure which one is better to commute to McLean/DC? Which area will have a better resale value? I look into the school rating and both cities have almost pretty much the same decent school area. Any input will be appreciated.

[adctvmonkey]

Lorton is closer to DC but both locations are similar in distance and time to Mclean/Tysons. I-66 is more cramped because of fewer lanes, but I-95 between Woodbridge and Springfield is known as one of the most dangerous sections in the DC metro area. The schools in Centreville tend to be more streamlined in performance (you won't really find a "bad" school anywhere in Centreville) but there are a variety of good and "bad" schools in Lorton that you have to research carefully which school district the home is in- even if it is in a brand new neighborhood with $700k homes. The majority of homes in Centreville were built in the 1980s and 1990s while half of Lorton's is completely brand new in the last 5 years. I think the last straw, however, is that Centreville has a very large supply of foreclosed homes - and that affects any neighborhood's vitality. Lorton also has a large number, but not as large as Centreville. Amenity-wise, Centreville residents have access to more upper-class stores and restaurants in Fairfax and Vienna, but Lorton is somewhat stranded between Woodbridge and Springfield with middle-class and run-of-the-mill stuff. The population in Centreville is also almost twice as large as Lorton and is basically composed of Caucasians, Asians, and some Hispanics. Lorton is generally composed of Caucasians and African-Americans.

That's kind of a long list of things, but they both have an equal amount of bonuses and minuses, so it comes down to your personal preference.

Good luck!

[oharahap]

Originally Posted by adctvmonkey

Lorton is closer to DC but both locations are similar in distance and time to Mclean/Tysons. I-66 is more cramped because of fewer lanes, but I-95 between Woodbridge and Springfield is known as one of the most dangerous sections in the DC metro area. The schools in Centreville tend to be more streamlined in performance (you won't really find a "bad" school anywhere in Centreville) but there are a variety of good and "bad" schools in Lorton that you have to research carefully which school district the home is in- even if it is in a brand new neighborhood with $700k homes. The majority of homes in Centreville were built in the 1980s and 1990s while half of Lorton's is completely brand new in the last 5 years. I think the last straw, however, is that Centreville has a very large supply of foreclosed homes - and that affects any neighborhood's vitality. Lorton also has a large number, but not as large as Centreville. Amenity-wise, Centreville residents have access to more upper-class stores and restaurants in Fairfax and Vienna, but Lorton is somewhat stranded between Woodbridge and Springfield with middle-class and run-of-the-mill stuff. The population in Centreville is also almost twice as large as Lorton and is basically composed of Caucasians, Asians, and some Hispanics. Lorton is generally composed of Caucasians and African-Americans.

That's kind of a long list of things, but they both have an equal amount of bonuses and minuses, so it comes down to your personal preference.

Good luck!

Hello - thanks so much for your advice, we decided not to go forward with a house we were interested in at Centreville. We did a test commute and it took us almost an hour to go to Tyson from Centreville. I'd imagine it will take longer to commute to DC.