Burke or Fairfax Sation? (homes, high schools, camping)

[michelle389]

Hi! We are looking to re-locate tot he DC area soon. My husband will be working in Alexandria. Is Fairfax Sation too long of a commute. Would Burke be better? How are the High schools? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

[schmigr]

Our family lived in Fairfax County from 2002 to 2004. I worked in DC, so commuting was a big factor in our selection of a place to live. Originally, we considered living in Fairfax or Montgomery county, but settled on the former due to the higher caliber schools.

Fairfax Station and Burke are great areas (we actually lived in Vienna). Commuting to DC is not a problem, since the VRE (Virginia Rail Express) has a station in Burke. However to get to Alexandria, your husband may have to use the VRE to get to Crystal City and then the Metro to Alexandria.

Of course he can always drive, but this is something I'd recommend avoiding.

You really can't go wrong with the schools in Fairfax. I think Virginia ranked #5 nationally last year, and this was primarily due to the extraordinary performance of Fairfax schools. It's techie magnet high school, Thomas Jefferson High, is either the #1 or #2 highest academically performing school in the country.

Our kids were in the Madison HS pyramid, but I think Burke and Fairfax Station are in the Robinson pyramid. Because of the way they lump grade 8 into Robinson, this school is the largest in the nation. Don't let that scare you though. It ranked in the top 100 of U.S. high schools in Newsweek last year.

It would be good for you to research the commuting problem though. As for that, the Burke/Fairfax Station area is absolutely gorgeous and extremely family friendly. I have particularly fond memories of my son's cub scout troop camping out on Burke Lake.

[michelle389]

Thanks for your feedback! Unfortunately, my husband will have to drive to work, due to the nature of his job. I am looking at areas that feed into Lake Braddock, West Springfield, or Robinson high schools, Farifax Station is South County, which is a little farther away. I know the homes are pricey, but I am hoping for a relatively short commute for my husband.