D.C. Suburbs -- Southern Maryland or Northern Virginia (condo, how much)

[ngruskin]

My husband, my 3 year old son, and I are moving to the D.C. area (a work related move that will have my husband working in Reston). For the past 20 years, we have lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are looking for a sense of community (we do not want to live in a development) with a good mix of architecture, diversity (although, we confess to being liberals with backgrounds in academia), shops, restaurants, and parks within walking distance. We'd also like a good public school system. Just to make it truly impossible, we'd like to spend no more than 650k. There seems to be a true divide between those who choose Southern MD and those who choose Northern VA, but for the life of me I can't decide if that's a real debate or just pride of place. Is there a different vibe in each? I'm thinking that Northern VA would probably make an easier commute---are we priced out of Northern Arlington (is this even what we're looking for?). I love the vibe of Old Town Alexandria but have heard that commute is lousy. What about Takoma Park or the Bethesda area? Argh----help!

[claremarie]

If your husband is working in Reston, there is no reason even to consider living in Maryland. You could live in Reston itself, a planned community that is, inescapably, nothing more than a series of developments that deliberately incorporates housing for a wide range of income levels. Reston is part of the Fairfax County public school system, and though some of the schools serving Reston have lower test scores than other county schools (because of the lower-income groups living in Reston), they are still solid schools. Many neighborhoods are located within walking distance of shopping areas.
North Arlington is not beyond your reach, though $650K would not go as far in Arlington as it would in Reston. Arlington is full of liberals with backgrounds in academia, and if you pick the right neighborhood, you could live within walking distance of shops, restaurants, parks, and even schools. The City of Falls Church is another possibility -- again, even in today's market, $650K will not go as far there as it would in Reston. The City of FC operates its own, very small, but highly regarded school system. Like Arlington, many neighborhoods are within walking or short driving distances of stores and restaurants. Arlington and Falls Church are older than Reston, and you can find many homes that don't have a "development" feel.
Old Town Alexandria is a wonderful spot, and probably the closest you'll get to a Cambridge feel in northern Virginia, but there is no easy way to commute from there to Reston. It's not an impossible commute, but it requires using a lot of congested highways. The Alexandria City schools are not generally as highly-regarded as those in Arlington, Falls Church, or Fairfax County.

[JimGriffith]

Just FYI, when people say "southern maryland," they are usually referring to a place that is entirely different from the DC suburbs. Southern Maryland is in the low country part of the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Potomac.

Anyway, getting to your question....yeah it's going to be VERY tough to meet your criteria.

Depending on how much space you need, yes you are probably priced out of north arlington. I'm not sure you'd be happy with it anyway.

Takoma Park would be just a hellish commute, and I can't even think of a decent restaurant in that town. And Bethesda is among the most expensive zip codes in the country.

What exactly do you mean by "diversity?" I ask because sometimes people are being disingenuous when they say that.

I supposed I'd look into Shirlington (section of arlington), maybe somewhere in Arlington around Columbia Pike corridor, Del Rey (section of Alexandria) and perhaps Fairfax City.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by ngruskin

My husband, my 3 year old son, and I are moving to the D.C. area (a work related move that will have my husband working in Reston). For the past 20 years, we have lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are looking for a sense of community (we do not want to live in a development) with a good mix of architecture, diversity (although, we confess to being liberals with backgrounds in academia), shops, restaurants, and parks within walking distance. We'd also like a good public school system. Just to make it truly impossible, we'd like to spend no more than 650k. There seems to be a true divide between those who choose Southern MD and those who choose Northern VA, but for the life of me I can't decide if that's a real debate or just pride of place. Is there a different vibe in each? I'm thinking that Northern VA would probably make an easier commute---are we priced out of Northern Arlington (is this even what we're looking for?). I love the vibe of Old Town Alexandria but have heard that commute is lousy. What about Takoma Park or the Bethesda area? Argh----help!

While Takoma Park has a "town" feel, you really would not want to commute from there to Reston, and the vast majority of the housing in Bethesda is both found in suburban developments and priced over 650K.

You can find a number of older three bedroom ramblers and Cape Cods in North Arlington for around 650K. The commute to Reston wouldn't be too bad. Arlington neighborhoods are somewhere in between what you'd find in a New England town and a typical Fairfax/Montgomery suburban development. You won't necessarily be 2-3 blocks from the town center, the library, or your favorite restaurant, but neither will you be turning off a large road into a clearly marked subdivision. There are some smaller, well-maintained older properties in your price range.

Ironically, Reston is probably one of the most liberal places in the DC area, although there is a diversity of views and more conservatives than you might imagine living there. It is primarily a series of planned developments - the type of area that graduate students in architecture and urban development in places like Cambridge often put down on paper but rarely get to see turned into reality. If you can get past the uniformity of the architecture in some of the developments, you might find that Reston actually offers much of what you're seeking.

The Town of Vienna in NoVa, which is close to Reston, also fits some of your criteria - diversity in architecture and political views, walkability, proximity to decent restaurants, and excellent schools. It is not very diverse demographically, but there are some properties on the market in the $600-700K range.

[ngruskin]

Many thanks for your prompt and informative responses. On re-reading my original post, I guess I should have omitted the diversity factor (I'm used to Cambridge, which is fairly unusual in its demographic mix of Ph.D.s and blue collar workers). As for space, we're willing to give that up for other things we consider more important. Our condo in Cambridge (where 650k doesn't get much either) is only slightly over 1000 sq. feet. We would love a patch of lawn though, which doesn't seem unreasonable in our price range. Mostly, though, we just want a community with at least some walkability and some sense of culture (i.e., bookstores, arts centers/studios, etc.). Vienna keeps popping up in discussions with friends and we will definitely explore that town as well as Arlington and Falls Church. Will give Reston itself a look as well.

[mmccul]

You should try Berkeley County, West Virginia. It is the fastest growing county in WV and one of the fastest growing in the nation due to the fact that it is serving as a "bedroom community" to DC, Balti commuters. It is no longer than 80 miles away from DC, so you are in a convenient range of the city and the peaceful mountains. Here are a few links about the Berkeley County area:

Berkeley County, West Virginia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Berkeley County Schools

Welcome - Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

http://www.city-data.com/county/Berkeley_County-WV.html

P.S. If you would like any more info. or have any questions about Berkeley County, please feel free to send me a direct message. -mmccul

[pcity]

Originally Posted by mmccul

You should try Berkeley County, West Virginia.

I would probably shoot myself if I had to do that commute. Not to mention that it doesn't fit any of the other criteria in the original post: walkable, diverse, etc.

[mmccul]

Believe it or not, Berkeley County has a very diverse population (I assume this is refering to race). True, it might not be a short commute, but our highway systems make it not so bad of a drive. -mmccul

[North Beach Person]

Southern MD (Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's Counties, some would also add the southern sections of Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties) would also be a hellish commute to Reston.

[TheseGoTo11]

Originally Posted by ngruskin

My husband, my 3 year old son, and I are moving to the D.C. area (a work related move that will have my husband working in Reston).

I moved here from Boston, you sound very Arlington-ish, but you might also like Reston. Northern VA has become a lot more liberal in the years I've lived here, Reston is filled with Obama bumper stickers, although it looks very manufactured compared to what you typically see in New England.

Also, watch out with town names. Unlike Mass, many towns here are just zip codes. So if you see Falls Church, it could be part of the city of Falls Church, which has old neighborhoods and good schools, or just a Falls Church address within Fairfax County, which is rundown. You really need to Google Earth and check school districts before making assumptions based on a town names.