Fairfax Neighborhoods: Country Club Estates/Middleridge (Burke, Springfield: HOA, houses, safe area)

[Myers P CC]

I am trying to do some research on neighborhoods in Fairfax. Two that have piqued my interest are Country Club Estates & Middleridge. Can anyone give me their thoughts on them? I would like some insight on:

--the general feel of the neighborhood (i.e. is there a certain architectural style that is prevalent, are there a lot of families around, etc.)
--the advantages of living in each (i.e. are they near shops, parks, the metro etc.)

Also does anyone have any other favorite neighborhoods in Fairfax? If so, any info on those would be great.

Thanks so much!
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[mlv311]

We live very close to those neighborhoods so I think I'll be able to answer some of your questions about the area in general and Middleridge in particular.

Most of the homes in Middleridge are colonials. The neighborhood is well maintained. The HOA is very active and they sponsor a lot of activities throughout the year. I'm not familiar with their pool and don't know if the pool membership is included in their HOA fee. But some families who live in Middleridge join the Fairfax Club Estates pool because they want to have their kids in their swim team. While there are many families, most of the kids are school age. I'm a stay-at-home mom so when I go to the tot lot during the day, we are usually the only ones there. However, there are many moms groups in the area and many nice parks close-by (e.g., Burke Lake, Ratcliffe, Lakeside, etc.). You'll always find kids in any of these during the day. The area is easily accessible to 4 libraries, including the new Burke Centre library. You have your choice of grocery stores nearby, including Wegmans, and plenty of shopping (Target, Walmart, Kohl's, Fair Oaks Mall). The neighborhood is safe, quiet and family-friendly. The VRE station is very close.

As far as other neighborhoods, you might want to look into Kings Park West and Fairfax Club Estates in Fairfax, Burke and West Springfield. Besides differences in schools, every HOA is different. Overall, this is a good place for families.

[movingtodcfromseattle]

I also live in the area and some of my daughter's preschool friends live in Middleridge. The houses are spacious which is a plus. I totally 2nd what mlv311 wrote. She is spot on about the neighborhoods. It's a very safe area to raise children, close to the types of shopping that you will need, etc. There is a direct bus to the Pentagon in most of those neighborhoods. There are also a few good choices for preschools if that is of interest to you.