Neighborhoods in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax with close, family communities? (McLean: house, to buy)

[claremarie]

Originally Posted by bk401596

I am looking for a neighborhood that is made up of families with children, who play together and where families stay in the neighborhood and are not moving every few years. I am looking for a place where everyone knows their neighbors and you can walk to each others houses and have bbqs.

You have gotten some good suggestions above. I would second (or third) the suggestion of the City of Falls Church, where it is my sense that families do tend to stay, at least so long as they are living in the metro DC area, because they are committed to the excellent small public school system. But it can be extremely difficult to find what you are looking for. Even in communities that fit the general demographics you describe, you simply can't be sure that YOUR immediate neighbors will be friendly and sociable and hang out with the kids riding bikes after dinner. Your next door neighbors may be empty nesters or retired folks. Many families have two working parents and are just too busy for unscheduled hanging out time. For better or for worse, their kids are involved in many organized activities that leave them little time for spontaneous playing with the neighbors. In the diverse DC area, some families are from cultures that limit informal socialization to extended family members rather than neighbors. And as families and their children grow, their schedules change. Stay at home moms become working moms, couples get divorced, families buy summer homes and disappear after school is out, etc. And people DO move in the DC area, or they get posted overseas and rent out their house to unfriendly types for three years. We lived for years in a "family-friendly" neighborhood in McLean, and all of the above happened on our block.

It's hard enough to find a house on the market that fits your family's needs and budget without also trying to find the perfect neighbors. Spend some time driving around the neighborhoods that folks have suggested here. See how many people are outside during different parts of the day. Visit the local playgrounds. Stop by the community swimming pool or library. You'll soon get a sense of how your family will fit in.

[eyeball]

Originally Posted by v2009

Williamsburg Village and Country Club communities are among sought after and family friendly ones in Arlington.

I don't know about Williamsburg Village, but you'll probably have a hard time finding a house in your budget in Country Club. Westover might fit what you're looking for. Leeway/Overlee is nice. Yorktown. But there isn't a lot of inventory in those areas lately, from what I've seen.

[TheseGoTo11]

Falls Church City, zip 22046, like others have said. Also, western Arlington in the Yorktown High district, zip codes 22207, 22005, and 22013. Although much of 22207 is like McLean - wealthy, but not walkable to much. If schools are a concern, Falls Church address in Fairfax County probably won't work for you, nor will South Arlington.

If you have the budget, Lyon Village in Arlington, near Clarendon.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

Falls Church City, zip 22046, like others have said. Also, western Arlington in the Yorktown High district, zip codes 22207, 22005, and 22013. Although much of 22207 is like McLean - wealthy, but not walkable to much. If schools are a concern, Falls Church address in Fairfax County probably won't work for you, nor will South Arlington.

If you have the budget, Lyon Village in Arlington, near Clarendon.

There are plenty of neighborhoods with Falls Church addresses in Fairfax County where the schools are very good - some of those neighborhoods feed into the McLean schools and others into very good county schools with Falls Church addresses. In addition, there are quite a few McLean neighborhoods (Old Dominion Gardens, Salona Village, etc.) that, at least by NoVa standards, are quite walkable, with easy access to the McLean shopping and restaurants on Chain Bridge Road.

[v2009]

About schools in Falls Church - if you can afford it, get a house within the boundaries of Haycock Elementary. It's part of McLean High and Longfellow Middle school pyramid. Some other Falls Church elementary schools that feed into Longfellow Middle are not as good as Haycock - but it's just my opinion, that's where I'd want my kids to go if I lived in Falls Church. It's a pretty wealthy area, but you could definitely buy an older house with a nice yard for less than a million.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Even if you're making that statement based on test scores, that's probably still an overgeneralization. For example, Haycock Elementary and Longfellow Middle are both in Falls Church (in the county) and very good. And, while SAT scores at Mason are about 35 points higher than at neighboring Marshall in Falls Church (in the county), that difference is no greater than the difference between the scores at Marshall (or, for that matter, Madison) and those at well-regarded Robinson in Fairfax.

There are plenty of reasons to like Falls Church City, and the quality of the schools - assuming one is comfortable with the small size of George Mason - is one of them. However, one could live in any number of county neighborhoods with Falls Church addresses and still send one's children to very good schools.

If you're kids are going to Haycock and Longfellow, they'll probably end up in McLean HS, which is among the best in NoVA, if not second to Langley. I don't know how McLean matches up with George Mason though since I don't know much about George Mason.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by Ashburnite

I'm sure all of Falls Church (for the most part) is great but my good experience was within the City of Falls Church near Route 7 and West St. Some areas along Lee Highway weren't as nice and the feel of the communities was different. Not bad, just different from the ones closer to the Metro and city proper. Check it all out and find what works best for you.

Yes, especially north of where Broad and West/Williamsburg intersect.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by bk401596

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. I hadn't really considered falls church, but will definitely look into it. Living in DC prior to my move now, I was sad to leave Adams Morgan that I love, but also not interested in living along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor since it seems to primarily is made up of singles, young couples without kids, and rental properties. If anyone has suggestions for very specific neighborhoods within North Arlington, let me know too. The closer to DC, the more comfortable I will feel!

The best options are North Arlington (north of I66), Falls Church City, Falls Church in FFX Cty (22043), and McLean.

Having GW parkway hugging the Potomac River on the north end, or I66 on the south end, will get you to DC (Georgetown or downtown) easily.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

Falls Church City, zip 22046, like others have said. Also, western Arlington in the Yorktown High district, zip codes 22207, 22005, and 22013. Although much of 22207 is like McLean - wealthy, but not walkable to much. If schools are a concern, Falls Church address in Fairfax County probably won't work for you, nor will South Arlington.

If you have the budget, Lyon Village in Arlington, near Clarendon.

Actually, Falls Church (22043) in FFX Cty feeds into the McLean HS triangle, although many call this area McLean with a Falls Church postal code.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

Actually, Falls Church (22043) in FFX Cty feeds into the McLean HS triangle, although many call this area McLean with a Falls Church postal code.

Really? There's nothing wrong with Falls Church. The people I know who live in that area say they live in Falls Church, but their kids attend McLean High.

It just sounds a little insecure. The people who live in Shouse Village in Vienna say they live in Vienna, but their kids attend McLean High. If they called their area "McLean with a Vienna postal code," it would definitely provoke laughter. I'm not trying to pick a fight, but if I were adamant on telling others I lived in McLean, I'd want to be in either 22101 or 20102.