Is Woodbridge really that bad? (Arlington, Dale City: salons, crime, houses)

[annski88]

I have heard bad things about it but I'm looking at houses in that area and most of them are really nice houses! So is all of Woodbridge bad or just certain parts?

What about the area around Potomac Mill Outlet Mall? I want to live somewhere where I'm close to some sort of shopping!

Also does anyone know what stores are in the Prince William Square strip mall?

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by annski88

I have heard bad things about it but I'm looking at houses in that area and most of them are really nice houses! So is all of Woodbridge bad or just certain parts?

What about the area around Potomac Mill Outlet Mall? I want to live somewhere where I'm close to some sort of shopping!

Also does anyone know what stores are in the Prince William Square strip mall?

I don't know where the PW Square strip mall is and I couldn't find anything in a search.

No, not all parts of Woodbridge are "bad". That discussion has been beaten to death in previous threads IMO.

[Fairfax Mom]

It depends on your outlook and where you come from - it does not look that bad to me - but I came from Trenton, NJ and if you turned down the wrong street your car would be surrounded - you would be drug out and beaten up for kicks - so - no - not bad to me.
The Montclair section is supposed to be upscale and nice.

[blossom4792]

I lived in Manassas for several years, so I spent plenty of time in and around Woodbridge, although I don't know specific areas or neighborhood names. But ... I always had a pretty good impression of Woodbridge. There are a lot of very nice parts. And of course areas that don't look as nice or just look too busy or whatever. Dale City is somewhat iffy due to crime, etc. I'm saying this based on crime reports and from a neighbor who headed a fire department/ems or something like that. But still, I've seen very nice parts of Dale City.

[mirandaja]

I can only tell you my experience. I moved from Woodbridge to Arlington a little over 2 years ago and one of the reasons was the escalating crime in the area (the other reason was to shorten my commute). I lived close to Potomac Mills (about 5 miles away) off of Dale Blvd. (right near the Woodbridge/Dale City line). Our house was broken into once, one of our cars stolen and wrecked and another car keyed all in the span of a few months. I'm pretty sure the house accross the street from ours was being used to sell drugs out of as well. It was pretty alarming to me how quickly the neighborhood we had lived in for 4 years was deteriorating. I'm sure not all parts of Woodbridge are that bad, but our area was not somewhere I would recommend moving to, especially if you have children. I did not feel safe letting my son play out in the yard.

[Nemesis16]

Stick to Port Republic, the new installations that have beened added on/off of Rt. 1, and Lake Ridge is my suggestion.

Living anywhere in Woodbridge allows you to get to the mall in a matter of roughly 20-25 minutes max so don't sacrifice by moving into a "more shady" area as opposed to somewhere nicer. At the same time, gaining respect from your neighbors as always been a positive way to keep your property in order.

[CaseyMac]

I have been to some very nice areas of Woodbridge (west of I-95). That being said, I will say this. I was in Potomac Mills when it opened in 1985 and I would say as of a few years ago, I just have stopped going. I went all throughout the 1990s for great deals. It seems to have gotten seedy and now when I need outlets, I head west to Leesburg. PW County has been an outpost of DC--as Fairfax got more and more exclusive/expensive, people needed to get out further from the District for cheaper housing.

[Fairfax Mom]

I do all my shopping at Leesburg or Fair Oaks - Tysons maybe
I never go to Potomac Mills or Springfield Mall - the stores are turning trash - teen clothes shops, leather shops, bling jewlery shops and nail salons - NO THANKS!

[HEATHER72]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

I do all my shopping at Leesburg or Fair Oaks - Tysons maybe
I never go to Potomac Mills or Springfield Mall - the stores are turning trash - teen clothes shops, leather shops, bling jewlery shops and nail salons - NO THANKS!

I've been to Potomac Mills once and once was enough. I agree it's geared to the teenies and is on the trashy side. Only thing I liked out there was Ikea. The outlets in Leesburg are my favorite place to shop. I just wish their food court was a little nicer.

[Mike From NIU]

Most of Woodbridge is nice. Most people will recommend housing in 22192 (generally Lake Ridge) over 22191 (traditional Woodbridge), though there are fine nice areas of 22191. 22193 is referred to as Dale City, and if you look up past posts about Dale City, you will find people's impressions about what it nice/not nice. Most people also have nice things to say about Montclair.

Near Potomac Mills is a bit ambiguous. I don't know if mirandaja meant 5 minutes instead of 5 miles. If 5 miles, you cover nearly all of the Woodbridge/Lake Ridge/Dale City area, and you really have all sorts of housing options, including some very nice develops.

As for Potomac Mills, it's a mixed bag. Sure, there are a lot of teen shops, but what mall doesn't have a bunch? We like the Stride Rite outlet and my wife has taken advantage of the Motherhood Maternity. We've never felt threatened or unsafe in the least.

If you list more detailed neighborhoods of interest, people can give you better ideas about safe/unsafe streets.