Neighborhoods in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax with close, family communities? (Annandale: for sale, credit)

[bk401596]

Hello. I lived in Adams Morgan for a while, but now that I am in my mid-30s, My husband and I are looking for a neighborhood in either Arlington, Fairfax, or Alexandria Counties. I am looking for your suggestions and descriptions of neighborhoods in these counties that fit the below description. 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. Of course, we are looking for a neighborhood with great elementary, middle, and high schools. I would prefer to stay in the beltway, but would consider Vienna in Fairfax. The below interests are secondary to the above criteria. If you have suggestions that don't fit the below interests, that is fine too! Although I work just East of Tyson's Corner, I also would like to be close to DC and would like to be able to drive less than ten minutes to a metro (parking at metro not required), if I wanted to go shopping downtown on the weekend. It would be great if I could walk to local stores from the neighborhood. I am looking for a house with a nice yard that is less than 1 Million Dollars. Looking forward to your suggestions.

[Ashburnite]

I highly recommend the City of Falls Church. It has two Metro stations, good restaurants and shopping nearby, and is inside the beltway. Falls Church is an older community with lots of trees, families, and access to the W&OD trail. The library and community center there are great and so is the farmers market they have on Saturday mornings in the summer. They have festivals for Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. that are fun and well attended.

Obviously there is no guarantee that the exact street that you end up on will be full of close-knit families or that your neighbors won't work in a field where they move every couple of years, but it's a great city. If you find a house for sale in that area, do several drive-bys at various times of day to see what the neighborhood/street is like. If you see a lot of families outside with kids playing you'll know you hit the jackpot.

Good luck!

[Tone509]

You may like the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria.

[Ashburnite]

Originally Posted by Tone509

You may like the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria.

Del Ray Citizens Association, Inc. A residential community in Alexandria, Virginia

[EllieAshford]

Annandale is a really great area for families. I have lived in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood for many years. We have a really nice local pool with a lot of social activities for kids and adults. There is a babysitting club that has been in continuous existence since the mid-1970s! The schools are good too, and my children have benefitted from being in school with students from many countries and cultures. We are inside the beltway, so it's easy to get to D.C. Check out my blog: Annandale VA

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by Tone509

You may like the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria.

They may like the DelRay neighborhood but they may not like schools.

Middle schools are basically garbage nowadays but George Washington MS is not even fully accreditied now. I wont comment on the elementary schools. While I think the world of T.C. Williams HS (my alma mater), I cant deny any longer that Alexandria's public schools are underacheiving.

[Artsywoman]

Originally Posted by bk401596

Hello. I lived in Adams Morgan for a while, but now that I am in my mid-30s, My husband and I are looking for a neighborhood in either Arlington, Fairfax, or Alexandria Counties. I am looking for your suggestions and descriptions of neighborhoods in these counties that fit the below description. 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. Of course, we are looking for a neighborhood with great elementary, middle, and high schools. I would prefer to stay in the beltway, but would consider Vienna in Fairfax. The below interests are secondary to the above criteria. If you have suggestions that don't fit the below interests, that is fine too! Although I work just East of Tyson's Corner, I also would like to be close to DC and would like to be able to drive less than ten minutes to a metro (parking at metro not required), if I wanted to go shopping downtown on the weekend. It would be great if I could walk to local stores from the neighborhood. I am looking for a house with a nice yard that is less than 1 Million Dollars. Looking forward to your suggestions.

Del Ray is great, but remember not to go to far down towards Arlington towards Arlandria. The area is a bit sketchy. Good Luck.

[ACWhite]

Almost any neighborhood in North Arlington would meet your criteria, as would Aurora Hills/Arlington Ridge.

[v2009]

Definitely choose North Arlington if you can afford it.

[musincy]

Originally Posted by Ashburnite

I highly recommend the City of Falls Church. It has two Metro stations, good restaurants and shopping nearby, and is inside the beltway. Falls Church is an older community with lots of trees, families, and access to the W&OD trail. The library and community center there are great and so is the farmers market they have on Saturday mornings in the summer. They have festivals for Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. that are fun and well attended.

Obviously there is no guarantee that the exact street that you end up on will be full of close-knit families or that your neighbors won't work in a field where they move every couple of years, but it's a great city. If you find a house for sale in that area, do several drive-bys at various times of day to see what the neighborhood/street is like. If you see a lot of families outside with kids playing you'll know you hit the jackpot.

Good luck!

I second Falls Church... just make sure it's in the city proper (zip code 22046). Good schools, safe, very family-oriented. Lots of stores and restaurants to walk to, Tysons is close enough for more shopping, and the metro will get you into DC quickly. Good luck in your search.