Roseland Area of Arlington (Fairfax: apartments, to rent, condos)

[Leerinsmom]

Does anyone know about this area. Is it a nice area, affordable for graduate students? Does it have a metro line into DC? I am looking for a townhouse to rent around 1600 a month. Are there restaurants, good shopping, a city market?

[saganista]

Sure you didn't mean Rosslyn?

[jb124]

Never heard of Roseland myself. Like saganista asked, do you mean Rosslyn? If not, do you have anything more specific to tell us about the location?

[Leerinsmom]

I did mean Rosslyn.

[mlv311]

Rosslyn is a safe, vibrant, easily accessible area. You have the option of taking the blue or orange line into DC from there; it's only one stop away from DC on the subway. There are also buses available. There are grocery stores, pharmacies, and many restaurants within walking distance. If you are up for walking, you can always walk along the bridge to Georgetown. Enjoy.

[jb124]

Originally Posted by Leerinsmom

I did mean Rosslyn.

Ah, well Rosslyn is a very urban area (for NoVA), does have a Metro line (two actually pass through Rosslyn) and is the last stop before you get into DC. There are plenty of office buildings, mid/high-rise apartments and condos, and a few townhomes. I doubt you'll find a townhouse in Rosslyn (unless it's one of the small 1940's ones) for $1600. You're unlikely to find a 2 BR apartment for that much for that matter.

There are a few restaurants in Rosslyn proper, but they tend to cater to the office population and are mainly fast food or generic sit-down types. A little further west along the main drag in north Arlington (Clarendon Blvd, Wilson BLvd, and Fairfax DR at the west end form the backbone of north Arlington) you'll find a great variety of restaurants, bars, shops, etc., some of which have excellent 'personality.' Ballston (4 stops west) has an actual shopping mall, but if I lived in Rosslyn, I'd take the blue line south to Pentagon City (3 stops south, but further distance) because that mall has a much higher caliber of shops than Ballston. There is a small mall in Clarendon too.

I used to see a few grad students (I assume from Gtown or GWU) when I worked in Rosslyn, camping out at the Starbucks or Cosi with their books and laptops, so I assume a few live in the apartments in the area.

They have a farmer's market in Rosslyn every Thursday from like March through October. The other mini-cities of north Arlington (Courthouse, Clarendon, and Ballston, which are to the west of Rosslyn) all have markets on various days of the week as well. I think the one in Courthouse is the closest to a varied market (not just foods), but I haven't actually been to all of them yet.

The area is pretty safe. The part immediately around the metro has a few regular homeless people, but they're not confrontational or anything. I probably wouldn't walk across the bridge to DC or south to Iwo Jima alone at night if I were female, but heading back west towards Courthouse you'd most likely be ok. The Courthouse/Clarendon area has a decent nightlife so it's pretty safe to walk around there at night (Ballston too). Crime in north Arlington tends to be petty with few truly violent crimes.

I live in Ballston and worked in Rosslyn for 3 years, so let me know if you have any other questions.