Walkable neighborhoods? (Arlington, Reston, Fairfax: apartment complexes, appliances, house)

[irvine]

Originally Posted by hechoenchina

Your own words. I said I would look there, and leave the school debate for the experts. They never did very well on "It's Academic" in the 25 years I watched the program.

Your not talking the "finest" areas for 600K in DC. It appears they want a house with a yard. Is this correct Moving? What about TH/Condo?

Ok. you win that round. And this is probably a debate for the DC forum. But my point is still valid--that there are quality schools in cities with subpar school systems and I am familiar enough with Wilson and Alice Deal to offer some insight.

I may have misunderstood you, but you will not find a house of any size for $600,000 west of Rock Creek unless it is in really bad shape and on a major street like river road (my guess here would be around $850,000). Even rowhouses west of Rock Creek are generally above 1 mill. Upper NW DC is simply not a place for someone to look with a budget of only $600,000. A small condo maybe, but thats it.

[athousandlogins]

I'll put in my plug for the City of Falls Church. We live there now, and I can walk to almost everything I need (grocery store, post office, coffee shops, ice cream shops, pharmacies, dry cleaners, my doctor, my son's speech therapist, bank, toy store, hardware store, tons of restaurants, library, 3 parks I can think of off the top of my head). My husband walks to Metro - it takes him a good 15 minutes because our house isn't super close to the Metro station, but there are busses everywhere, too, if he's not up for the walk. Parts of the city are very close to Metro, but prices rise accordingly so you have to do some balancing there. The W&OD trail runs behind our back yard, literally. Schools here are fantastic. It is safe; I walk all the time and never feel threatened. Some roads do only have sidewalks on one side, but I've never been on a road here that doesn't have any sidewalks at all.

It's not quite as urban as Courthouse...but I think it's a great substitute if you can't afford Arlington prices.

You can get something here for $550 - $600. It wouldn't be enormous or brand new, but it would be serviceable. All in all, it's very similar to Vienna with a lot of the same benefits, but slightly more expensive because it's closer-in and your commute would be shorter.

Like Vienna, don't let the main drag fool you (in this case, Rt. 7). The neighborhoods behind the main drag are very pleasant, even though Rt. 7 is a bit congested and annoying. There are sidewalks on Rt. 7 through the city (both sides) and active crossing lights at all the intersections, so I can walk to all the businesses on Rt. 7 without a problem even though, at first glance, it doesn't look like the kind of place you'd spend much time walking.

[claremarie]

I would second the vote for Falls Church City, if you are willing to go up to $600K.
You might also consider the tiny corner of Arlington, adjacent to Falls Church, in the 22213 zip code. We lived there for more than a decade. Our house was walking distance to the East Falls Church metro, the elementary school (Tuckahoe), a small strip mall, and (if the kids are in a stroller) a wonderful playground on Harrison Street, next to a shopping center with the usual yuppie coffee/pizza/bagel shops.
It's all very safe, with tons of young and not-so-young families.
In your price range, northwest DC is simply out of the question.

[JEB77]

I think the key take-away here is that you may want to make sure that "walkability" - a relatively rare commodity in NoVa outside of Arlington and Alexandria - is as important to you as you suggested in the OP. If it is, and your goal is to stay below $600K, you've received sound advice that the City of Falls Church and the south side of the Town of Vienna are about as good as it gets. Keep in mind, though, that most of the properties in these places are still more expensive, you will be limited to older properties, and a number of the schools aren't necessarily any better than in plenty of other parts of NoVa.

[irvine]

A search on the long and foster website turned up 41 properties in North and South Arlington for just under $600,000. The East Falls Church neighborhood of Arlington that claremarie mentioned is excellent, and new cafes are opening up in the new mixed-use developments across from the fire station on Lee Hwy.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by irvine

A search on the long and foster website turned up 41 properties in North and South Arlington for just under $600,000. The East Falls Church neighborhood of Arlington that claremarie mentioned is excellent, and new cafes are opening up in the new mixed-use developments across from the fire station on Lee Hwy.

Interesting - even so, I still think City of Falls Church or Town of Vienna are more appealing in this price range, at least if we're talking about three or four bedroom SFHs. I expect a fair number of the properties you mention are in South Arlington, which doesn't appeal to as many families, and that many of the North Arlington properties are going to be older homes that need some repairs or are being sold "as is." There are a lot of great three and four-bedroom houses on the market in Arlington now - but they're still well above $600K for the most part.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by irvine

Also, consider Reston. Very suburban, but it was a 60s-era planned "new town" (that is still growing) so there are plenty of walking trails that connect the various developments, parks, schools, and shopping centers.

I know you are trying to be helpful, but I politely must disagree. As a current resident of Reston I can safely say that this community is a FAR cry from the walkable quality-of-life offered "Inside the Beltway." Reston has become a collecting pool of people who WANT to live nearer to DC but can't afford to. I've met others besides myself here who want to live inside the Beltway and have just "settled" to live here because it's the closest thing to urban living we could find in our price range. I'm not terribly unhappy here, but unless this place gets a DRAMATIC makeover in the wake of the Silver Line's arrival I'm packing my bags. I'd much prefer to live in Arlington (perhaps in Court House), but where could I cough up the dough for a studio apartment there? The Reston Town Center is a great concept in and of itself (and is very pretty illuminated at night, hence my "Manhattan Wannabe" comment near my user details), but it is oriented to the upper-middle-class (in direct conflict with town...errr..."census designated place/quasi-homeowner association" founder Bob Simon's vision of creating a walkable community for ALL income levels to enjoy), and it is still FAR too small and has FAR too little retail to be taken seriously as a regional downtown for several hundred thousand people throughout the Reston/Herndon/Sterling/Ashburn/Dulles/Chantilly/Centreville, etc. area. What sort of "urban" downtown has an adjacent big-box shopping center dominated by a sea of asphalt parking (Spectrum Center)? Why isn't there a grocery store in this "downtown?"

I have yet to utilize this supposedly "convenient" town-wide trail system that some on here speak of in such high regard. The only trail near my own complex would take me to Lake Anne Plaza, and there's nothing of worth to see/do there anyways because the town...errr..."census designated place/quasi-homeowners' association" won't cough up the dough to maintain it properly and renovate it to modern standards. I usually instead just drive everywhere to meet my needs. I can (and have) walked to the town center, the Spectrum Center, AND Lake Anne Plaza from my home. Even combining all three of these destinations doesn't afford one the relatively car-free lifestyle living in many areas "Inside the Beltway" may afford. NoVA has a SEVERE lack of walkable communities besides the scant listing provided in this thread (Kingstowne, Vienna, Falls Church). I'll also toss in Brambleton for good measure. Much of the rest of the area is very car-dominated, and I still don't see why people are willing to complain about heavy traffic and yet don't see any reason to believe that this heavy traffic is CAUSED by the lack of walkable living options in the region. It doesn't take an urban planner to realize that if you force people to get in their car to access 95% of their destinations, then you're going to be generating TRAFFIC!

[hechoenchina]

Scran, what is your www.walkscore in Reston? I used it as a tool, with satellite photos, and bought my place sight unseen. My place gets a 69 walkscore; and I don't need a car, which has saved me a bundle.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by hechoenchina

Scran, what is your www.walkscore in Reston? I used it as a tool, with satellite photos, and bought my place sight unseen. My place gets a 69 walkscore; and I don't need a car, which has saved me a bundle.

Mine gives me a 75/100 or "Very Walkable." However, this site is flawed because it only figures in distances "as the crow flies." For example, my nearest "grocery stores" are the 7/11 (chuckle) and Whole Foods, which, while only 0.40 miles away from my front door, are a much longer walk because of the curving nature of all the roads here. The Harris-Teeter is over 1/2-mile away (and actually closer than Whole Foods due to the orientation of the streets), but even then the walk isn't pleasant---crossing busy Reston Parkway, and then walking along that artery and eventually across a massive parking lot to the store. I've done it once before, and it was a REAL pain to carry heavy groceries that far. I now drive to the Giant in North Reston. The Trader Joe's, which is also under a mile from me, is likewise not in an easily-accessible area for pedestrians. I'm 1/2-mile walk to Reston Town Center for restaurants and bars, but those don't really fit into my criteria of being able to walk to my daily needs.

Just because I live within a mile of grocery stores, a library, a park, a public pool, restaurants, etc. doesn't necessarily mean I live in a "walkable" area if these are all unpleasant to walk to due to a dearth of sidewalks, streetlights, or bike lanes. It's a pretty sad commentary that most who live in Reston DRIVE to our town center.

[hechoenchina]

It doesn't account for arseholes that try to run you down in the crosswalk, while the walk sign is lit. Walking through the parking lots can be a battle, too. It does sound like you have many options and if your car broke down, you would be ok, unlike most.