Neighborhoods in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax with close, family communities?

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by live_strong28

Annandale...what a paradise it must be.

Yeah, why on earth did you choose McLean when you could have moved to Annandale? What were you thinking?

Don't worry about it, you could always move again. I bet you can find something in Annandale that would suit you just fine. If you need any help, let us know. Or just go to franklymls.com. It's a great website for house hunting.

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Yeah, why on earth did you choose McLean when you could have moved to Annandale? What were you thinking?

Don't worry about it, you could always move again. I bet you can find something in Annandale that would suit you just fine. If you need any help, let us know. Or just go to franklymls.com. It's a great website for house hunting.

What a strange response. Had some bad chili cheese dogs today?

[irvine]

You mentioned in your other thread (in reference to a related topic) that you are looking for a home within 2 miles of Marymount Univ in N Arlington. Here are a few popular SFH neighborhoods in North Arlington you might want to consider:

Three neighborhoods that straddle Lee Hwy and are very close to Marymount:
Donaldson Run is an attractive community of large, early 20th century homes of many different styles. There are walking paths that follow the neighborhood's stream up the hill towards Marymount. The Cherrydale and Waycroft Woodlawn neighborhoods are also attractive, and like Donaldson Run there are many housing styles and lot sizes to choose from. These three communities are adjacent to the popular Lee Heights Shops: Pastries by Randolph (popular upscale bakery), Casatt's (popular cafe), Starbucks, clothing stores, a toy store, etc. The Cherrydale Safeway is convenient for groceries.

Closer to Metro:
Lyon Village is arguably one of Arlington's most popular neighborhoods for families. It is just south of I-66 and north of the Clarendon Metro. There are many large, older "colonials," inspired by the reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg in the 30s. Shopping and groceries (either the Lyon Village Giant or Whole Foods) are very close by. A large playground, park and community house is the focal point of the community.

Along the River (near Military Rd, Lorcom Ln, Nellie Custis Dr):
Woodmont, Maywood, Dover Crystal, Riverwood, Bellevue Forest all have an attractive mix of housing styles from contemporary to traditional, and in terms of size, there are homes from the modest to the extravagant ends of the spectrum. This part of Arlington is largely forested, hilly, and there are many hiking trails that lead to the river.

Adjacent to Marymount:
Country Club Hills is another one of Arlington's most attractive neighborhoods. The homes here are all very large, largely historicist or "traditional" in character, and on large lots, not unlike the Spring Valley neighborhood of Upper NW DC. The Rock Springs and Yorktown neighborhoods are across N Glebe Rd from Marymount. A variety of housing styles, and mature trees define this area. The Rock Springs Cooperative is a popular local preschool. Also the convenience of the Lee Harrison Shopping Center is hard to beat. There is a Safeway and Harris Teeter, cafes, etc.

[goeagles]

Vienna is a great community - though its spread over a a fairly large area, lots of little subdivisions with close, tight-knit communities. I live in Sun Valley and we have a couple of parades every year, community picnics, etc. and the town of Vienna has larger parades, festivals, food-fests throughout the year too. Every Friday in the summer, there is live music playing on the town green - so its all around a great environment for family and kids. Lots of parks and playgrounds to hit. The school district is good - maybe not quite the same level as the Langley and Mclean pyramids but absolutely solid. Depending on where one lives, you get either Marshall or Madison HS - and the ES are all good choices. Kilmer MS is one of the best - sends tons of kids to the county magnet school every year. With the metro extension being built through Tyson and out to Whiele Ave., Vienna will have more acess points to public transportation in about 4 years. While home prices have come down (where hasn't it?), Vienna still remains pretty affordable - you can get a decent 4 br house with 0.5 acres - or if you want the new construction, you can that too. There are also parts of Vienna (closer to Rte. 7) which actually feed into the McLean school district (but homes are pricier).

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by goeagles

Vienna is a great community - though its spread over a a fairly large area, lots of little subdivisions with close, tight-knit communities. I live in Sun Valley and we have a couple of parades every year, community picnics, etc. and the town of Vienna has larger parades, festivals, food-fests throughout the year too. Every Friday in the summer, there is live music playing on the town green - so its all around a great environment for family and kids. Lots of parks and playgrounds to hit. The school district is good - maybe not quite the same level as the Langley and Mclean pyramids but absolutely solid. Depending on where one lives, you get either Marshall or Madison HS - and the ES are all good choices. Kilmer MS is one of the best - sends tons of kids to the county magnet school every year. With the metro extension being built through Tyson and out to Whiele Ave., Vienna will have more acess points to public transportation in about 4 years. While home prices have come down (where hasn't it?), Vienna still remains pretty affordable - you can get a decent 4 br house with 0.5 acres - or if you want the new construction, you can that too. There are also parts of Vienna (closer to Rte. 7) which actually feed into the McLean school district (but homes are pricier).

I totally agree that Vienna is a great place to live.

The only thing about your metro extension comment that I would like to add is that the extension will originate from East Falls Church Metro Station, not Vienna.

23-Mile Metro Extension - washingtonpost.com