Moving to Oakton, VA (Reston, Fairfax: buying a home, neighborhood, buying)

[MMJ]

My husband and I may be moving to Oakton due to a job relocation. I currently live in the Nebraska. Does anyone have any advice on where to look for homes and what type of area Oakton is? What is the Shopping, Culture, Restaurants etc. like? What is the pace of life like? Are people layed back or is it all hustle & bustle. I really appreciate any advice or help I can get.

Thanks in advance

MMJ

[claremarie]

Oakton is a very pleasant, largely residential part of Fairfax County. Compared with Nebraska, it's not laid-back, but compared with downtown DC, it is. It is just down Route 123 from Tyson's Corner, which has one of the country's nicest shopping centers and every store you could possibly imagine. Tyson's also has great restaurants ranging from extremely expensive (Maestro) to national chains, with many small Thai, Vietnames, Indian, etc. places nearby in Vienna and Falls Church. You will certainly not go hungry, but you might go broke paying for a house in Oakton.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by MMJ

My husband and I may be moving to Oakton due to a job relocation. I currently live in the Nebraska. Does anyone have any advice on where to look for homes and what type of area Oakton is? What is the Shopping, Culture, Restaurants etc. like? What is the pace of life like? Are people layed back or is it all hustle & bustle. I really appreciate any advice or help I can get.
Thanks in advance
MMJ

As Claremarie has pointed out, picking Oakton out a hat is definitely a stroke of good luck. It can be expensive (after all, the entire area is) and parts of it are very expensive, but parts also are not, and you can't do much better at being stuck in the middle of great shopping, culture, and restaurants than to end up in Oakton. It's history is that of a quiet country town of small farms and summer estate parcels, and a few of these still exist, though most have been subdivided and developed. The town is a generally upscale suburb and is still organized around a somewhat haphazard downtown stretched along Route 123. Immediately to the east is Vienna, and to the west is Fairfax City, each of which offers many additional resources. As CM noted, Oakton offers an easy run up to Tysons Corner (except during rush hour) and most of it is within ten minutes of the Vienna Metro station from which you can be whisked into downtown DC in about half an hour.

Of course, it actually sounds like it's the job that's in Oakton. If so, you could of course live in Oakton, but also in any number of very pleasant and sometimes even affordable nearby locales that would be within an easy commute of Oakton. If it is the job that's there, posting at least an approximate address for the workplace would be helpful, as what's called Oakton is actually larger than what really is Oakton, and none of us locals would want to steer you wrong out some simple misunderstanding.

Anyway, you're talking about being plopped right into the middle of one of the nicest and most desirable areas on the VA side of metro DC, so very little alarm is called for in Nebraska...at least until we get to the traffic and cost-of-living parts...

[sdqai]

I agree with all that has been posted. I have lived in the Vienna area for 34 years (almost my whole life) and my husband was raised in Oakton. It is a terrific area. We have been living in Oak Hill, Va (just on the edge of Oakton and Reston) but are in the process of buying a home in Oakton. It is a nice upscale suburban area with plenty of trees. Many homes have 1/2 acre or much more in land. That is hard to come by in this area. You are close to several shopping areas including Fair Oaks Mall and Tyson's Corner. Terrific schools and plenty of great places and activities for kids.

[ibeg4sushi]

I agree with everyone: Oakton is nice. Fairfax traffic though is a pain in the rear. So is traffic on 123 cutting through Vienna. However, having said that, if you are looking for a picobello place to have a home, with a great community, and kids to play with, check out the Lakevale community. It's technically Vienna, but it's on the edge of Oakton. If you GoogleEarth it, you will see it coming off route 123 (chain bridge rd), and turn right onto Oak Valley Drive. That whole area up in there is Lakevale.
The neighborhood is older, established and has mature trees and ocassionally speed bumps. People take pride in their lawns, but are not snooty about it. It's gorgeous when all the blossoms come out. The place is practically littered with cherry blossoms!

Another thing I liked about the community is the stuff they do. For example, for Christmas they put Santa on a fire engine and whirr around the neighborhood! It's so cute! I've even seen an ice cream truck.

Also, Oakton is really close to George Mason University. I hope you like it here.