Young family considering Clifton? (Richmond, Burke: houses, schools, stores) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

slduvall · 05-19-2009, 05:40 AM

Drove out there last weekend for a recital at the town hall. The drive was beautiful on a Sat morning. But not so sure I would love it in the winter. I would find out how the roads are plowed etc, county, city etc. I know around here that doesn't cover many days of the year, but the less traveled roads can get pretty icy and there were tons of curves that could spell disaster. I was also thinking how I wouldn't want to live out there with a teenage driver. Not where I would want them to "practice".

ChristineVA · 05-19-2009, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slduvall

Drove out there last weekend for a recital at the town hall. The drive was beautiful on a Sat morning. But not so sure I would love it in the winter. I would find out how the roads are plowed etc, county, city etc. I know around here that doesn't cover many days of the year, but the less traveled roads can get pretty icy and there were tons of curves that could spell disaster. I was also thinking how I wouldn't want to live out there with a teenage driver. Not where I would want them to "practice".

I have always thought the same thing about the roads and thankful I didn't have to deal with my teen driving on them. Uuuughhh!! Lots of curves, blind spots, and it must be awful when it's icy.

neighborhoodfind · 05-19-2009, 06:32 AM

Clifton is pretty and Clifton Elementary is supposed to be good, but you will need to drive fairly long distances if you live there to do much of anything. Just keep it in mind as gas prices will likely shoot up again as the economy recovers. You will also likely need to drive your kids to playdates. Your commute will be longish, but it depends where you buy in Clifton. If it was close to the parkway and you did the HOV3 thing it would probably be just over an hour. HOV from Springfield to DC is very rarely backed up. You could pick up a slug or slugs at Sydenstriker. VRE is an option but it is no metro. The VRE runs much more infrequently and takes longer so you would have to plan around that whereas metro you can go whenver pretty much.

Bigfoot424 · 05-20-2009, 05:58 AM

That's where I took my kids to practice their driving.

janie01 · 05-20-2009, 02:45 PM

When my daughter got her permit, the first place my husband took her to drive was the many curvy roads of Clifton. I would have taken a much different approach, but I have to admit that now she isn't scared of those roads. They can be treacherous and it seems that if you go off the road slightly in many places, you will be in a huge ditch. She doesn't use those roads often since we are on the outskirts of Clifton, but at least she does have some experience on them. I would never let her on them in icy conditions!

gingerbreadgirl · 05-25-2009, 10:36 AM

We live in Clifton and have raised children there. It is only about 6 miles to Burke Centre, Centreville and Manassas to do shopping, doctors visits, etc. Its a wonderful small town atmosphere, especially if you have children. Even though we don't live in the 'town boundaries' we consider outselves Cliftonites. There are many activities for the kids, Easter Egg hunts, Fourth of July 'parade', impromptu baseball/soccer games in the town park, etc. Go for ice cream at Petersons Ice Cream depot and you will always see someone you know. There is now an outside dining patio and an inside pub at the Clifton Store. Sports bar at Heart and Hand. Clifton Cafe with sandwiches and pastries. And Trummers to open soon. Its sort of a place to go where 'everyone knows your name'. I doubt you will find the family atmosphere in Vienna or Herndon like you will in Clifton. Clifton Elementary is a great school.

The commute is made miserable by all the Prince William cut through traffic. But I can honestly say I dont think its any worse than commuting in Reston or South Riding. The roads are cleared quickly in the winter since it is a commuter route. The one thing I did miss when we first moved here was no pizza delivery.

As you can tell, we love Clifton and have never regretted moving here.

horseplayer · 05-25-2009, 11:05 AM

Yeah, it's close to Manassas--seems to be a secret.

blu2vor · 11-05-2009, 12:13 PM

So there is no metro that goes through Clifton that you can take into DC for ones commute?
What cities (Mclean/Vienna/Great Falls?) does the metro accommodate in Fairfax County if you were to commute to DC every a.m.?

Caladium · 11-05-2009, 12:52 PM

Clifton is very beautiful. But be prepared to do a lot of driving if you live there.

Tone509 · 11-05-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blu2vor

So there is no metro that goes through Clifton that you can take into DC for ones commute?
What cities (Mclean/Vienna/Great Falls?) does the metro accommodate in Fairfax County if you were to commute to DC every a.m.?

The Virginia Railway Express stop in Fredericksburg would be the closest to you. Rail service in Virginia - VRE Count on about a 90 minute commute on the the train. Add your drive to the station and that would be about two hours each way.

The following is the Metrorail map. Its station names are pretty accurate indicators of what areas are covered.

Metro - Rail - Maps - Rail/Google Map

Out of the three examples you gave, Vienna would be the one with the closest Metro access.

Price points for homes in Fairfax County will generally be considerably high than you'll find in Clifton. Lesser expensive communities that are popular would include Burke, West Springfield, Chantilly and Centreville. Over in Loudoun County, consider Sterling (Park) and Ashburn. No train service in Loudoun but their commuter buses run to the Metro and onto DC.