Racial Makeup of Huntington (Arlington, Alexandria: real estate, apartment complexes, condo)

[adolpho]

I helped an ESL Student in Manassas obtain all the forms for a replacement green card for his friend last November. It was stolen out of her bookbag during dance class at West Potomac. I told the kid, "Tien, they've been stealing over there for four decades." I bet they sure are thankful for the Vietnamese students propping up the test scores.

[CAVA1990]

Actually many of the kids in Mount Vernon who grow up in the Gifted and Talented program go there because Stratford Landing, the GT center school here, feeds Sandburg MS which feeds West Potomac. They all tend to stick together all the way through.

[JD984]

I could be wrong, but I think most of the area that people think of as Huntington is zoned for Edison HS, not West Potomac, which isn't to say that West Potomac doesn't also draw from a wide range of neighborhoods. That's true of most FCPS high schools. I have no idea how one could assert that a particular high school - particularly one that wasn't created until the mid-80s - has been the most dangerous one in the county for 35 years or more.

[Guamanians]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I could be wrong, but I think most of the area that people think of as Huntington is zoned for Edison HS, not West Potomac, which isn't to say that West Potomac doesn't also draw from a wide range of neighborhoods. That's true of most FCPS high schools. I have no idea how one could assert that a particular high school - particularly one that wasn't created until the mid-80s - has been the most dangerous one in the county for 35 years or more.

36.4% of all statistics are just made up

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by adolpho

I helped an ESL Student in Manassas obtain all the forms for a replacement green card for his friend last November. It was stolen out of her bookbag during dance class at West Potomac. I told the kid, "Tien, they've been stealing over there for four decades." I bet they sure are thankful for the Vietnamese students propping up the test scores.

There are hardly any Vietnamese kids at West Potomac as there are very few Vietnamese in this part of the county. Only 8% of the school is Asian and they're mainly Middle Eastern. Are you sure you're talking about the same school? As JEB77 points out the school is nowhere near four decades old. It was created from Groveton and Fort Hunt back in 1985. JEB77 is also probably correct about Edison being the high school for Huntington as it's quite a bit closer. Adolpho are you sure you don't mean Edison? It's probably been around four decades.

[adolpho]

I was referring to Groveton, which I thought became West Potomac. What happened to the old Groveton? I can name the Ft. Hunt arsonists, can you?
BTW, what are the free lunch numbers like over there?

[pcity]

Originally Posted by adolpho

I helped an ESL Student in Manassas obtain all the forms for a replacement green card for his friend last November. It was stolen out of her bookbag during dance class at West Potomac. I told the kid, "Tien, they've been stealing over there for four decades." I bet they sure are thankful for the Vietnamese students propping up the test scores.

Every high school has criminals. I graduated from one of the top schools in my area (it's rated 9 on Greatschools), and there was an epidemic of petty stealing there. I don't think we can generalize a high school based on a few degenerates.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by adolpho

NoVa is still my home base, I know most of it like the back of my hand. Boarding houses are plentiful in Springfield. As recently as 2007, there were signs in front yards near the Springfield Baptist Church saying "NO BOARDING HOUSES" so it is obviously a problem there, and a bigger problem in PWC and Manassas.

I know the subject of boarding houses is off topic, but I'd like to address it just for a second to set the record straight for people who are moving here and don't know the area.

If you want to think people are still breaking the law by running boarding houses, you're entitled to think whatever you wish. But reality is boarding houses are a relic from the last century and for the most part are gone. It's not like you can drive down a frontage road and see rows of signs saying "Ma Kettle's Boardin' House."

The law is straightforward: No more than four unrelated people may live in one house. Back in 2006 they had a mild problem with people buying McMansions and subletting the rooms (in essence, becoming a boarding house). Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince Williams counties were very quick to nip this in the bud. They had a major crackdown and swept these operations out of town. Immediately afterwards, there was a drop in the crime rate--so since that time the police departments and HOAs have been very vigilant about shutting down any boarding houses. If you happen to know of one, please report it ASAP to the police: Report Illegal Boarding Houses

Are there still a few in operation? It wouldn't surprise me, but they'd have to be extremely discreet, since the police are determined to eliminate them. People living in them would have to park their cars a good distance from the house, they'd have to find creative ways to register the kids at school, they'd need P.O. Boxes as an official address, and they'd have to keep the property well maintained (any visit from an HOA rep would get them reported to the police). And they'd have to avoid anything that would draw police attention to the property.

For most people who want to live that way find it's just easier to move a few counties away, where it's not against the law. So IMO you're not going to find many boarding houses around anymore.

[novaslasher]

I used to live in Huntington at an apartment complex on Route 1 (walking distance to the metro) for a couple years. I would describe it as a working class neighborhood with a good mix of races and nationalities. You won't be dodging bullets, but there is petty crime and the area is a bit of an aesthetic blight. There were a couple cars that had their windows smashed in at my complex, but I never witnessed any violent crime. There's were also a few transients who hung out at the gas station near the McDonalds and the local Shoppers.

I wouldn't buy a house or condo in this area, but for semi-cheap rentals it's fine.

[adolpho]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I know the subject of boarding houses is off topic, but I'd like to address it just for a second to set the record straight for people who are moving here and don't know the area.

If you want to think people are still breaking the law by running boarding houses, you're entitled to think whatever you wish. But reality is boarding houses are a relic from the last century and for the most part are gone. It's not like you can drive down a frontage road and see rows of signs saying "Ma Kettle's Boardin' House."

The law is straightforward: No more than four unrelated people may live in one house. Back in 2006 they had a mild problem with people buying McMansions and subletting the rooms (in essence, becoming a boarding house). Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince Williams counties were very quick to nip this in the bud. They had a major crackdown and swept these operations out of town. Immediately afterwards, there was a drop in the crime rate--so since that time the police departments and HOAs have been very vigilant about shutting down any boarding houses. If you happen to know of one, please report it ASAP to the police: Report Illegal Boarding Houses

Are there still a few in operation? It wouldn't surprise me, but they'd have to be extremely discreet, since the police are determined to eliminate them. People living in them would have to park their cars a good distance from the house, they'd have to find creative ways to register the kids at school, they'd need P.O. Boxes as an official address, and they'd have to keep the property well maintained (any visit from an HOA rep would get them reported to the police). And they'd have to avoid anything that would draw police attention to the property.

For most people who want to live that way find it's just easier to move a few counties away, where it's not against the law. So IMO you're not going to find many boarding houses around anymore.

The schools districts will not use their data to bust illegals or people participating in illegal zoning practices. It's ashame because they damn well should. Sort by address, and show me where more than 4 students reside at the same address---a fifth grader could do it.