Where to live in NOVA?

[Alicia Bradley]

I liked that house a lot (the very first shot makes it look like it might be an older home.. early 20th century-ish.. rather than the typical 'postmodern eclectic' or whatever they're pumping out these days)... until I saw how close it was to the ones nearby! What's up with that? Never mind.. I know what's up with that. <sigh>

[dcbound2009]

Personally, the small lot does not bother me (after all still better than a townhome) but the proximity to busy roads does.

[irvine]

This might be well beyond your price range, but perhaps worth a look. The proximity to Washington Blvd (which is also residential street), should not be a problem at all. It's located in North Arlington near Westover Village and Swanson Middle School in a quiet neighborhood of large homes.

http://5542n11thrd.com/

There are usu plenty of open houses on Sunday, so maybe devote a day (if you have the time) to house hunting in North Arlington/McLean and another day to Vienna. The above neighborhood (near Westover) is a good staring point, and I'm sure there are less expensive homes (although likely older) in the area with 4 bedrooms.

Another neighborhood to check out: In McLean/No Arlington there should be homes within your price range near Westmoreland St. The older ranches might be too small, but the newer homes should fit within your criteria.

[dcbound2009]

Originally Posted by irvine

This might be well beyond your price range, but perhaps worth a look. The proximity to Washington Blvd (which is also residential street), should not be a problem at all. It's located in North Arlington near Westover Village and Swanson Middle School in a quiet neighborhood of large homes.

5542 N. 11th Rd., Arlington, VA, 4 bed, 4 bath

There are usu plenty of open houses on Sunday, so maybe devote a day (if you have the time) to house hunting in North Arlington/McLean and another day to Vienna. The above neighborhood (near Westover) is a good staring point, and I'm sure there are less expensive homes (although likely older) in the area with 4 bedrooms.

Another neighborhood to check out: In McLean/No Arlington there should be homes within your price range near Westmoreland St. The older ranches might be too small, but the newer homes should fit within your criteria.

Wow, that house is lovely! But way way over my budget!

[taylor703]

I know there are nice townhomes in Arlington in that price range which would be a great area to live in considering the commute and quality of life.

They are by a builder called Courtland Homes and the community is called Majestic Oak.

[dcbound2009]

We are considering a house in Vienna 22182 between Electric Ave and Idyllwood road. Any opinion on the area? Looking for proximity to grocery stores, tennis courts, biking trails and of course commute into DC.

[michgc]

I live in Vienna and love it. I am farther west in the Town - a few blocks off Maple. I can walk to grocery stores, library, tennis courts, the W&OD, the Community Center, and Church Street. While I think the area around Electric Avenue is very pretty, I'm not sure what you can walk to other than the W&OD and myabe tennis courts. The supermarkets would be close but not walking distance. But if walking isn't important to you, then it's a very nice area. What schools does it feed into? Some feed into Vienna Elementary there, which I find a bit strange since other schools are closer. Is it Marshall High School? I know many love it, but when I moved in, houses in the Madison School pyramid would sell at a premium over those in the Marshall pyramid. I think the schools have evened out a bit. But I still don't like that your child is essentially commuting to a school in Falls Church. I know distance-wise it's not that far, but it's still a whole 'nother town.

I do have friends who live in that area around Electric Avenue and seem to like it. And it's near Navy Federal Credit Union - a great credit union if you qualify to join.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by michgc

I live in Vienna and love it. I am farther west in the Town - a few blocks off Maple. I can walk to grocery stores, library, tennis courts, the W&OD, the Community Center, and Church Street. While I think the area around Electric Avenue is very pretty, I'm not sure what you can walk to other than the W&OD and myabe tennis courts. The supermarkets would be close but not walking distance. But if walking isn't important to you, then it's a very nice area. What schools does it feed into? Some feed into Vienna Elementary there, which I find a bit strange since other schools are closer. Is it Marshall High School? I know many love it, but when I moved in, houses in the Madison School pyramid would sell at a premium over those in the Marshall pyramid. I think the schools have evened out a bit. But I still don't like that your child is essentially commuting to a school in Falls Church. I know distance-wise it's not that far, but it's still a whole 'nother town.

I do have friends who live in that area around Electric Avenue and seem to like it. And it's near Navy Federal Credit Union - a great credit union if you qualify to join.

I think that Stenwood is probably the local elementary school, together with Kilmer Middle and Marshall High.

All the schools you mentioned are county schools, so I can't really imagine why it would be a major concern to send a child living in Vienna (outside the town) to a school with a Falls Church mailing address that is relatively close (Marshall) rather than to a school with a Vienna mailing address that is further away (Madison). I don't think people in McLean or Vienna have a problem sending their kids to Longfellow in Falls Church, rather than to Cooper in McLean or Kilmer in Vienna. Both Madison and Marshall are well-regarded, and I also expect that there are probably as many people who would prefer Stenwood Elementary over Cunningham Park or Marshall Road (in the town of Vienna) as might prefer Madison over Marshall, or vice versa. We are actually familiar with a lot of local boys in the Marshall district who transfer to Madison for the athletics, and girls in the Madison district who switch to Marshall for the academic (IB) program.

I would definitely agree, though, that the area that the OP asked about is not as walkable as the town of Vienna, although it also has good access to the W&OD bike trail.

[michgc]

JEB77,

I'll tell you why I don't like it. I grew up in Pennsylvania. Our township ran our school district. The concept of going to school in another town seems foreign to me. I used to live very close to Marshall High School and like I said it's a whole 'nother town/city in my mind. It's inside the Beltway and just seems far away to me, even though it's only 5 miles from where I live. I wouldn't want my kids going to Marshall from where I live any more than I'd want them to go to Langley. I like my kids to go to school in the neighborhood I live in. I suppose that's why I chose to live in Vienna because it is the closest thing to a town/city like the one I grew up in where everyone knows everyone and most people go to the same schools. Other people might not have a problem sending their kids to other towns/areas/cities to school, but I don't prefer it.

I know some addresses in that area feed into Stenwood, but others feed into Vienna Elementary. And I am not criticizing either of those schools as I have heard good things about both. However, again, the distance to Vienna Elementary from there is just one of those weird FCPS boundaries. Look at the boundary map for Vienna Elementary: http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/viennaes.pdf Doesn't it seem strange that the one area in the east feeds there but then goes onto Kilmer/Marshall while the rest of the houses that feed into Vienna Elementary goes to Thoreau/Madison. If I were thinking of buying a house in that neighborhood, I would be upset that my children would not be going on to middle/high school with their peers from 7 years of elementary school. Of course by then FCPS may have changed the boundaries so it may not matter anyway. Just my 2 cents. I know others think differently but he asked for opinions on that area, and those are mine.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by michgc

JEB77,

I'll tell you why I don't like it. I grew up in Pennsylvania. Our township ran our school district. The concept of going to school in another town seems foreign to me. I used to live very close to Marshall High School and like I said it's a whole 'nother town/city in my mind. It's inside the Beltway and just seems far away to me, even though it's only 5 miles from where I live. I wouldn't want my kids going to Marshall from where I live any more than I'd want them to go to Langley. I like my kids to go to school in the neighborhood I live in. I suppose that's why I chose to live in Vienna because it is the closest thing to a town/city like the one I grew up in where everyone knows everyone and most people go to the same schools. Other people might not have a problem sending their kids to other towns/areas/cities to school, but I don't prefer it.

I understand liking the town of Vienna because it's a town and you, along with many others, prefer living in places that try to preserve at least a bit of a small-town atmosphere, even if (or particularly because) they are part of a large metropolitan area. But the schools in question are still part of a big, county-wide system, and Campbell's Landing is still closer to one good FCPS school that happens to have a Falls Church mailing address than to another good FCPS school with a Vienna mailing address (neither Marshall nor Madison is actually located in an incorporated town). "Toto, we're not in [Pennsylvania] any more..."

Originally Posted by michgc

I know some addresses in that area feed into Stenwood, but others feed into Vienna Elementary. And I am not criticizing either of those schools as I have heard good things about both. However, again, the distance to Vienna Elementary from there is just one of those weird FCPS boundaries. Look at the boundary map for Vienna Elementary: http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/viennaes.pdf Doesn't it seem strange that the one area in the east feeds there but then goes onto Kilmer/Marshall (I believe) while the rest of the houses that feed into Vienna Elementary goes to Thoreau/Madison. If I were thinking of buying a house in that neighborhood, I would be upset that my children would not be going on to middle/high school with their peers from 7 years of elementary school. Of course by then FCPS may have changed the boundaries so it may not matter anyway. Just my 2 cents. I know others think differently but he asked for opinions on that area, and those are mine.

I certainly agree that many FCPS boundaries are weird, including those that assign just a few Vienna and Cunningham Park ES students who attend Thoreau to Marshall rather than Madison, or assign just a few Westbriar students who attend Kilmer to Madison rather than Marshall. I would have the same concern as you, if I were considering a house in these areas. However, I was under the impression that students from the Campbell's Landing subdivision attend Stenwood, which sends all its students to Marshall, and Kilmer, which sends most of its students to Marshall.