Opinion on Belle View subdivision/zip 22307? (Alexandria, Burke: for sale, apartments, rent)

[mozartmama]

Considering buying a condo there, many are for sale, one for example is located on Wakefield Dr. Good place to buy, live?

[dullnboring]

Truthfully, I don't know much about it. It's a few miles south of the Alexandria city limits and I've only been in that general area a handful of times. It seemed okay. The Route 1 corridor however which is south of Alexandria is generally thought of as the ugliest and most high crime portion of Fairfax County (which is a relative concept as Fairfax is incredibly safe), but I believe that's concentrated further south of Belle View in the Hybla Valley area. The only thing I can ever recall hearing anything about Belle View is occasional flooding from the Potomac. I wish I could be of more help.

[theburro]

Never lived there myself but a relative had a house on Potomac Av., one street over from Wakefield Dr. I visited there quite a few times, stayed over on several occasions and had some good times down there.

Belle Haven is to the north of Belle view - Not sure where the boundary is, but there's really no difference. These are older neighborhoods, maybe 1940's to 1960's. The main assets are close proximity to Old Town Alexandria (shops, clubs, restaurants), the Mount Vernon Trail and the Potomac River(recreation). Also fairly close to D.C. and Metro rail. There are small shopping centers, a supermarket, and almost everything you need within Belle View or couple of miles away - lots of people get around on bicycles. Traffic can be heavy on some of the major neighborhood streets and downright terrible on the GW Parkway during rush hours. Never heard of any serious crime although maybe once in 10 years, a neighbor had their house broken into. There is always random crime just about everywhere.

I think I remember the condos you are looking into - like the neighborhood: older vintage, brick construction. This was definitely in the flood zone of Hurricane Isabel (2003, I think). People in those condos suffered alot and power was out for at least a week. On Potomac Ave., basements, cars, and some ground floors were heavily damaged. FEMA and county authorities did very little to help people evacuate or to give assistance after the flood - they were pretty much on their own w/ their insurance companies.

I would advise getting a unit on the second floor or higher.

[theburro]

From the DC forum:
"Another secret!

Alexandria, Virginia. Before any of you locals start yelling at me.. I'm not talking about all of Alexandria. There are two parts of Alexandria that are perfect. Old Town is about a 10 minute drive from DC, at ANY TIME. The George Washington Parkway is an unspoiled route to DC that rarely has heavy traffic.

From DC, you just cross any bridge, and exit immediately onto the GW Parkway. It is a straight shot south past George Washington National Airport to Old Town Alexandria. There are no stoplights until you reach Old Town, which is only about 2 miles south of DC. There are some awesome townhomes and apartments in Old Town. The ones around King Street are the best. The only setback with Old Town is that it is VERY EXPENSIVE. You will find nothing cheap in Old Town.

If you continue on the GW Parkway through Old Town, you'll end up in the Fort Hunt area of Alexandria. The GW Pakway continues along the Potomac River to Mount Vernon. Fort Hunt Road is a two lane road that runs parallel to the GW Parkway through Alexandria. The Alexandria area between Route 1 and the Potomac River is awesome. It has a small town feel because there are no large developments in this area. There are plenty of grocery stores and small shopping centers that are only used by the residents of this area, which gives it a small town feel. Just make sure you stay between Route 1 and the Potomac. Once you go west of Route 1, it's a lot more commercial.

The only problem with these two locations is that they're very very expensive. If you can afford it, it's the perfect commute to DC. There are no interstates to deal with and the stoplights in Old Town are timed well for rush hour. The commute from the Fort Hunt area of Alexandria to DC via the GW Parkway is about 15-20 minutes.

The same rule goes for Old Town as it does for the Fort Hunt area. Between Route 1 and the Potomac is the best. Zip codes from the Fort Hunt area are 22307, 22308... There may be a few more but that's what I can think of.

Good luck!


One more thing! I used to live in the Fort Hunt area and the only thing that kept me sane was the fact that the river was right there. Whenver I'm in places like Springfield, Burke, Falls Church, etc., I get this horrible feeling of being enclosed in endless subdivisions, strip malls, chain restaurants, and interstates. Almost anywhere you live in the DC area, you are surrounded by development. From Old Town and the Fort Hunt area, you are bordered to the East by Park property, the GW parkway, the Mount Vernon Trail and the Potomac River..

Oh and ONE more thing. If you continue down the GW parkway, you end up in Mount Vernon. I'd say this is about a 25 minute drive to DC. The houses are MUCH cheaper in Mount Vernon and the area is just as nice. It is only cheaper because it's a bit further from DC. You take the same route to DC though. GW Parkway, all the way to a bridge into the city with the only stoplights being in Old Town. These areas have easy access to Old Town as well, which is a big plus. Old Town has countless restaurants, bars, shops, etc. It's one of the oldest parts of the DC area!

Ok I'm really done now!"

[Alanboy395]

I worked in the Belle View and Fort Hunt area last week. It was a very clean very quiet area. A lot of 50 and up people live there, also a lot of families. And trust me, i would not DARE say anything like that about the area right along Rt. 1. I'd think about moving there if i could get a nice discount in rent when compared to the west end of Alexandria City.