Moving - Near Vienna - schools, crime, Jewish community (Reston: low crime, chapel)

[piccola]

Hello. My husband will be working in Vienna, VA. I was hoping to get some feedback about neighborhoods/schools/areas that would be preferable and especially any to stay away from. We are interested in good elementary schools, low crime/high safety, and some presence of a Jewish community (where my child wouldn't be the only one in his class...).

Some areas we are looking at are: Springfield/West Springfield/South Run/Sangster Elem., Vienna/Louise Archer Elem., Fairfax/Waples Mill Elem., Falls Church/Westgate Elem., Reston/Aldrin Elem./Sunrise Valley Elem./Hunters Woods Elem., Herndon/Oak Hill Elem., McLean, Fairfax, Annandale, Centreville

As I said, particular areas to stay away from would be very helpful.

Thank you very much in advance.

[arabellava]

You pretty much listed almost the entire close-in NOVA.. can you give some parameters- such as house/townhouse- price range?

[majakapple]

Northern VA is very diverse. No chance your child will be the only one is the class no matter which community you choose.

There is a great Jewish Community Center in Fairfax off of Little River Turnpike -- check out Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. We are not Presbyterian but have taken soccer classes there -- awesome facility.

[claremarie]

I would have to disagree on the Jewish point. There are a LOT more Jews living in Montgomery County than in Fairfax, and it's entirely possible that your child could be the only Jewish (or, at least the only practicing Jewish) child in the class. My kids had virtually no Jewish classmates in some grades in their Fairfax county public elementary school.
This comes up when the lower grades do their "share your winter holiday celebrations" stuff.

[EuroExpat]

Leesburg has all that but not sure how big the Jewish community is. I know they have a temple there.

[saganista]

Nobody should volunteer to drive from Leesburg to Vienna every day unless there's a very good reason for it. An advanced form of masochism, for instance. Otherwise, I will agree (as usual) with <ClareMarie>. There are about 165,000 folks who self-identify as Jewish in the DC Metro area, which, while a pretty large number, works out to only about one person out of every fifty. That would compare to about one in twenty in the Philadelphia area as an example. Montgomery County however is at about the same level as much of the Philly area, as are both Falls Church City and Fairfax City on the Virginia side. Temple Rodef Shalom is a substantial Reform congregation in Falls Church that would provide many contacts and reference points. The McLean and City of Falls Church areas are also very safe, have excellent schools, and are conveniently located almost right next door to Vienna, which is also very safe and has excellent schools by the way.

Vienna work addresses can sometimes be deceiving. There are areas on the west side of Tysons Corner that can and do call themselves Vienna, but they really aren't a part of the town proper.

There aren't really any "bad" areas in this neck of the woods, so the thing to avoid to my mind would be a lousy commute. That would certainly nix Leesburg, and also Centreville, and probably West Springfield and Reston as well, even though those are perfectly nice areas. It's just that all you will actually get in those areas is more traffic to drive through twice a day, there being at least similar things available closer to where work will be. Could easily save half an hour each way by staying nearby.

All that general stuff said, if you had a nearby address or intersection that would pinpoint the terminus of a morning commute to work more precisely, more detailed advice could be provided...

[avironneur]

I attended WT Woodson when I was younger and that school had a very large Jewish population as did the elementary schools and the middle school (Frost) that feed into it. They are all located in the same area as the Jewish Community Center mentioned above on Little River Tpk. I would say more than a third of my graduating class was Jewish.

[piccola]

Thanks everyone! Does anyone have any positive/negative thoughts on the South Run area of Springfield and Sangster Elem.?

[CandCsmom]

clairmarie- what elementary school did your kids attend? We're looking now. My younger one will be at preschool at the JCC - fabulous program/center! - and looking for good neighborhood/school nearby or no more than 15-20 min for my older one to start in kindgerarten.

[DC Oldtimer]

AFAIK, the most Jewish neighborhood near Vienna would be Ridgelea Hills off of Little River Turnpike in Fairfax. It's a gorgeous neighborhood, one of my absolute favorites. Of course it's not cheap.

As for Annandale, I dont think you will find many Jews living in the inside the Beltway neighborhoods, but outside the Beltway is a different story. So you might want to check out neighborhoods off of Wakefield Chapel Rd near the Jewish Community center.

Generally speaking, I recommend staying outside the Beltway. Especially avoid anything near the Culmore area of Falls Church. Once you get outside the Beltway, serious crime tends to be rare. (Actually, crime is not all that common anywhere in Fairfax. It's a very safe place as compared to the rest of the country.)

Feel free to send me a private message if you have specific questions.