Sterling Park Photos (Arlington, McLean, Herndon: to rent, condos, houses)

[normie]

Originally Posted by VRE332

normie you spent way too much time on this thread

lol, that list looks like it took a long time, doesn't it. nope, probably took less than a minute. it was just a simple cut and paste from the search engine.

[athousandlogins]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

We never had these sorts of problems back in Pennsylvania, as the small number of non-English-speaking residents we had DID bring along someone to help. Why is it different down here?

When people tout the diversity of this area, we don't just mean that there are many different shades of upper-middle-class, English-speaking people here. (Though there indeed are.) We mean folks come from everywhere. A lot of them. And yeah, sometimes that means you can't even communicate with people in your community. Welcome to real diversity.

How many bilingual people do you think are sitting around waiting to go to the DMV with the Spanish-speaking population of Loudoun County, just to lend them a hand? Many of the immigrants who came here as adults don't even personally know anyone who speaks English, except maybe some people at work. And why would they? How are they going to strike up a friendship with someone who doesn't speak their language?

[irvine]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

We went to the same church which happened to be in a wealthy neighborhood (Manhattan Beach). Some of the people in that church came from Gardena and Torrance, and the beach people could get pretty snobby sometimes.

The Torrance I've known has always been middle to upper-middle class: The Del Amo Fashion Center is one of the largest malls in America. Torrance Beach and the Riviera section of south Torrance is actually one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the South Bay. Although parts of Torrance have working class roots (not unlike nearby El Segundo with its Standard Oil refinery), much of the working class has unfortunately been pushed out to less glamorous South Bay communities like Carson, Gardena, and the harbor area of Los Angeles.

I believe what you say, but I find it unfortunate that some people from Manhattan Beach, at a church no less, would consider themselves superior to those of neighboring communities.

Can't really comment on Sterling Park except to say that Broyhill, an Arlington-based developer and 11-term Republican congressman from Arlington County, developed a number of Northern Virginia communities, especially in Arlington and McLean. The last Broyhill development was Sterling Park. Over the past decade, many of the "modern" brick Broyhill homes in Arlington have been demolished and replaced with much larger homes of a more "traditional" aesthetic.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by irvine

The Torrance I've known has always been middle to upper-middle class: The Del Amo Fashion Center is one of the largest malls in America. Torrance Beach and the Riviera section of south Torrance is actually one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the South Bay. Although parts of Torrance have working class roots (not unlike nearby El Segundo with its Standard Oil refinery), much of the working class has unfortunately been pushed out to less glamorous South Bay communities like Carson, Gardena, and the harbor area of Los Angeles.

Exactly! Now you see why this fear of Sterling Park is silly. People here don't seem to have any understanding of what real gangs are like, and they get so used to the "manicured pleasantville" areas in NOVA that a suburb that's typical of most US suburbs somehow becomes frightening.

Now bear in mind that I haven't been in Torrance since 2002, so if it's gone upscale since then try to remember what Old Torrance was like a decade ago. If you know southern California, Old Torrance is a good analogy for Sterling Park. (The older part of town east of the 405, not the Riviera). It's an older area and is shabby in a few places, at the same time the streets have mature trees and there's that "settled" feeling you get when neighborhoods have been around for a few generations. It's not new or shiny anymore, but that's a long way from being distressed. Both SP and Old Torrance have a mix of working class, middle class and even mid-to-upper class residents, as well as a fair number of immigrants. The older neighborhoods are mildly run down in places, like a comfortable old shoe.

Picture the DMV in Torrance, it's actually about as ugly as the DMV in Sterling Park (except the one in Torrance is grimier and has train tracks running next to it, the one in Sterling Park has landscaping and is a lot newer). I guess DMVs are unglamorous places no matter where you live.

As long as we're comparing NOVA to the LA area, the gangs in Sterling Park are more on the level of what you'd find in north Redondo Beach. You know the people who hang out in front of the Lucky's on Artesia Blvd (the one near the border of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach)? That's a good comparison to the people who hang out near the shopping center in Sterling Park are like. In other words, you notice them, you use your street sense, maybe you cross the sidewalk to avoid walking right by them. You probably don't walk to the store at night. In the beach cities, you don't think twice about it, it's just part of life near the beach and you learn a certain amount of street sense. Even a tony area like Manhattan Beach is a place you wouldn't want to walk around at night, but you don't let that scare you from living there.

Actually, I think Redondo Beach's gangs are a little scarier than Sterling Park's. I remember a guy was killed at a liquor store there--all we've had in Sterling Park are some fights. Some cars parked on the street have been broken into, drug deals take place. But this is not Compton. Or even Gardena, Carson, Hawthorne--those towns are much more dangerous than Sterling Park. Parts of Hermosa are scarier than Sterling Park.

So now you see why the people who fear Sterling Park are being a bit ridiculous. I think it happens because this whole area has very little crime, so even though it's lightweight, when you compare it to the nearby towns it stands out. This is a manicured suburban area, most of the communities here are more like Palos Verdes. I don't mean the wealth of Palos Verdes, I mean the general sense of being near a city, but at the same time away from the urban element. You get used to that groomed, "shiny & new" feeling and then when you drive into Sterling Park the sight of a more realistic 1960's suburban area makes some people nervous.

[jfields]

Originally Posted by FromVAtoNC

Exactly! Now you see why this fear of Sterling Park is silly. People here don't seem to have any understanding of what real gangs are like, and they get so used to the "manicured pleasantville" areas in NOVA that a suburb that's typical of most US suburbs somehow becomes frightening.

Now bear in mind that I haven't been in Torrance since 2002, so if it's gone upscale since then try to remember what Old Torrance was like a decade ago. If you know southern California, Old Torrance is a good analogy for Sterling Park. (The older part of town east of the 405, not the Riviera). It's an older area and is shabby in a few places, at the same time the streets have mature trees and there's that "settled" feeling you get when neighborhoods have been around for a few generations. It's not new or shiny anymore, but that's a long way from being distressed. Both SP and Old Torrance have a mix of working class, middle class and even mid-to-upper class residents, as well as a fair number of immigrants. The older neighborhoods are mildly run down in places, like a comfortable old shoe.

Picture the DMV in Torrance, it's actually about as ugly as the DMV in Sterling Park (except the one in Torrance is grimier and has train tracks running next to it, the one in Sterling Park has landscaping and is a lot newer). I guess DMVs are unglamorous places no matter where you live.

As long as we're comparing NOVA to the LA area, the gangs in Sterling Park are more on the level of what you'd find in north Redondo Beach. You know the people who hang out in front of the Lucky's on Artesia Blvd (the one near the border of Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach)? That's a good comparison to the people who hang out near the shopping center in Sterling Park are like. In other words, you notice them, you use your street sense, maybe you cross the sidewalk to avoid walking right by them. You probably don't walk to the store at night. In the beach cities, you don't think twice about it, it's just part of life near the beach and you learn a certain amount of street sense. Even a tony area like Manhattan Beach is a place you wouldn't want to walk around at night, but you don't let that scare you from living there.

Actually, I think Redondo Beach's gangs are a little scarier than Sterling Park's. I remember a guy was killed at a liquor store there--all we've had in Sterling Park are some fights. Some cars parked on the street have been broken into, drug deals take place. But this is not Compton. Or even Gardena, Carson, Hawthorne--those towns are much more dangerous than Sterling Park. Parts of Hermosa are scarier than Sterling Park.

So now you see why the people who fear Sterling Park are being a bit ridiculous. I think it happens because this whole area has very little crime, so even though it's lightweight, when you compare it to the nearby towns it stands out. This is a manicured suburban area, most of the communities here are more like Palos Verdes. I don't mean the wealth of Palos Verdes, I mean the general sense of being near a city, but at the same time away from the urban element. You get used to that groomed, "shiny & new" feeling and then when you drive into Sterling Park the sight of a more realistic 1960's suburban area makes some people nervous.

I just checked and Sterling Park hasn't had any murders since last June. I've always thought of Sterling Park as a nice, working class, predominantly hispanic, small community. Where I used to live in Long Beach was alot more dangerous that Sterling Park. Hell, where I used to live in Reston was alot more dangerous than Sterling Park.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by athousandlogins

When people tout the diversity of this area, we don't just mean that there are many different shades of upper-middle-class, English-speaking people here. (Though there indeed are.) We mean folks come from everywhere. A lot of them. And yeah, sometimes that means you can't even communicate with people in your community. Welcome to real diversity.

How many bilingual people do you think are sitting around waiting to go to the DMV with the Spanish-speaking population of Loudoun County, just to lend them a hand? Many of the immigrants who came here as adults don't even personally know anyone who speaks English, except maybe some people at work. And why would they? How are they going to strike up a friendship with someone who doesn't speak their language?

This is one thing i think gets lost in all the boastings about "diversity", some people are going to be frustrated when they reach out to someone only to discover that the someone cant even understand them.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by Gottasay

The folks who rag on Sterling Park are simply sheltered snobs. SP looks like any town in middle America!

Most of the people in Northern Virginia have extremely elitetist standards. Someone living in inner-city Norfolk or Richmond would kill to live in Sterling Park.

Heck, i've even been guilty of this. I highly dislike the Rt. 1 area of Fairfax County and Arlandria but i have to remember there is more to this country than NoVA. Someone like ScranBarre or myself who grew up in not very diverse areas may embrace the opportunity to live in those areas.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by Omegatek

As an occasional forum "by-stander," this thread has my full attention. I just secured a job opportunity and wanted to look to Sterling for temporary, affordable housing (I'm moving up from Norfolk) to get a feel for the NoVA area before purchasing eventually. I've JUST begun the process of hunting on Craigslist, asking for rental companies, etc. btw: any rental areas or company suggestions are welcome

Is Sterling appropriate or are there are just parts of Sterling that become questionable at night? Just trying to gauge because I'll be taking a mid-day shift and getting off in evenings.

Coming from Norfolk (i'm from Hampton myself), use your street smarts and you should be fine for the most part.

a site that may be of use is homesdatabase.com

[jfields]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

This is one thing i think gets lost in all the boastings about "diversity", some people are going to be frustrated when they reach out to someone only to discover that the someone cant even understand them.

Yeah I can understand that not being able to communicate with someone is frustrating. Well they could do what I did and learn Spanish. I'm not saying that Spanish speaking immigrants shouldn't learn English: I think they should. But learning a language is a long process. Alot of Spanish speaking immigrants that work 2, or even 3, jobs to survive don't exactly have alot of free time to study a second language either.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by jfields

Yeah I can understand that not being able to communicate with someone is frustrating. Well they could do what I did and learn Spanish. I'm not saying that Spanish speaking immigrants shouldn't learn English: I think they should. But learning a language is a long process. Alot of Spanish speaking immigrants that work 2, or even 3, jobs to survive don't exactly have alot of free time to study a second language either.

Language-learning is a tough process but as someone who works a customer service job while trying to get a degree myself a lot of people (including myself) are not going to be very understanding. Add in the fact that some transplants grew up in areas which have low latino populations and that adds more fuel to the fire.

I dont have time to learn a second language myself and even if i did i would probably give french another try (did it in HS) or Arabic (the "money" language as it can get you CIA jobs) as opposed to Spanish. I have said it before and i'll say it again; I refuse to learn spanish to appease people who wont learn english.