Vienna Pros & Cons (Centreville, Herndon: rent, lawyer, houses)

[earlsgirl]

We picked Vienna as a community to relocate from Hawaii. Husband is military and will commute to D.C.---daughter is 13 and in 8th grade. I'm looking to find farmers markets and friendly faces...are we on the right track?

[jb124]

Vienna is a great area for schools and suburban family living. I'm not sure about farmer's markets in Vienna, but it sounds like something they'd have since they like to have festivals and things like that. It is a decent location for commuting at the end of the Orange line, but get there early to avoid crowds (not usually a problem with the military types, who work like 7-3 from what I've seen). People are friendly in the suburban sense (can be impatient at times) and the area is generally safe.

Here's a link to their City website.
And their May newsletter (http://www.viennava.gov/Town_Info/News_Letter/back_issues/current_issue.pdf - broken link), which states the Farmer's Market is held Saturdays 8 am to noon. (need PDF reader to read newsletter)

[saganista]

Originally Posted by earlsgirl

We picked Vienna as a community to relocate from Hawaii. Husband is military and will commute to D.C.---daughter is 13 and in 8th grade. I'm looking to find farmers markets and friendly faces...are we on the right track?

Very nice choice! I don't actually live there, but close enough to say that I do. Anyway, unlike many areas hereabouts, Vienna is an actual town and very proud of it. Three major festivals each year. Viva Vienna is an arts & crafts (and rides and live music and dancing and food) bonanza that runs all three days of Memorial Day weekend. They shut down the town's former main street for that. 4th of July brings the all-day chili and barbecue cook-off (and beer is one of the beverages you can have with those), with more games, rides, live music and dancing, all capped off by a serious fireworks show. And there's probably the biggest and most elaborate Halloween Parade in the area as well. A delight for kids. They shut the whole town down for that, including Rte 123, which is a major route into and out of Tysons Corner. Commuters? Too bad...go around!

And there is indeed a Farmer's Market at the old train station (which also houses a large model railroad) on Saturday's in season, but there's actually no need to wait that long, as the town also has Cox Farms a large sort of roadside stand run for decades by a farming family from Centreville. They truck in fresh everything every day. Homemade jams and pies, too. Bedding flowers in the Spring, pumpkins and gourds in the Fall, and then all the Christmas trimmings you'd ever want. A tad expensive, but way worth it.

The town runs most of its own services as well. Police, trash, snow and leaf removal, water and sewer. They do a very good job with all of them. Got an old appliance or a bunch of trash from cleaning out the garage or attic? Pile it up at the curb during various designated weeks and then call Town Hall. They'll come get it for you. That would be for free. Schools are run by Fairfax County and are all excellent. High school is James Madison, which is in the NW quadrant of town, almost across the street from Cox Farms. It's been through a major renovation and upgrade the past four or five years. Almost done now. It's very highly rated.

For friendly, stop in at the Community Center. There's classes and activities of every sort going on there all the time. Also, you may as well just stop on over at the Vienna Inn at some point. Everybody else does. This is just a complete dive in the middle of town...little place with old linoleum floors, formica tables, uncomfortable wooden benches and chairs, surly waitresses, mostly country on the jukebox, and you wouldn't find one person in town who would change any of it. They have lots of other stuff, but go over there and do four or five chili dogs all the way with a pitcher of Bud or Bud Lite (that's pretty much the entire beer list there...they sell more of it than Shea Stadium). Everybody's equal at the Inn. One can be a high-powered K Street lawyer on the outside, and the other work on a county road crew, but on the inside, they're just two more guys having a bite and a beer at the Inn. Check your status at the door. There are several excellent upscale restaurants in town as well for when your aim is little higher than chili dogs.

As for commuting, there are actually two Metro stations -- Vienna and Dunn Loring -- neither of which is actually in Vienna. I use them both (well, one at a time of course) to get to my downtown offices which are a couple of blocks north of the White House. Its 25-30 minutes on the train, and most days out the front door to sitting at my desk is 50-55 minutes. Hard to beat.

So if you can't tell, I'm a big fan of the area. I kind of like Hawaii, too, though. I could deal with the south shore of Kauai on a long term basis if I had to. But this really is a nice area. Everything is here. It's just a matter of what you want to take advantage of. Just ask, if you have any other questions or curiosities in mind...I can go on for a long time...

[claremarie]

You forgot to mention the W&OD bike path, which runs right past the Community Center, across 123, and out past Herndon.

[earlsgirl]

Wow...Thank you...I guess Vienna waits for me! Sounds like tail gateing and block parties might not be a stretch either. I'm so exicited!

[earlsgirl]

Just read your post to my husband and daughter...my daughter was like "I love Vienna!" You hit on almost every quality I could look for...I'm a bit of a country girl and was nervous about being too urban. Vienna sounds like a happy medium and you sound like a happy person. Thanks for taking so much time to put into an inspiring post. I think anyone with heart would love to move to Vienna after reading it!

Originally Posted by saganista

Very nice choice! I don't actually live there, but close enough to say that I do. Anyway, unlike many areas hereabouts, Vienna is an actual town and very proud of it. Three major festivals each year. Viva Vienna is an arts & crafts (and rides and live music and dancing and food) bonanza that runs all three days of Memorial Day weekend. They shut down the town's former main street for that. 4th of July brings the all-day chili and barbecue cook-off (and beer is one of the beverages you can have with those), with more games, rides, live music and dancing, all capped off by a serious fireworks show. And there's probably the biggest and most elaborate Halloween Parade in the area as well. A delight for kids. They shut the whole town down for that, including Rte 123, which is a major route into and out of Tysons Corner. Commuters? Too bad...go around!

And there is indeed a Farmer's Market at the old train station (which also houses a large model railroad) on Saturday's in season, but there's actually no need to wait that long, as the town also has Cox Farms a large sort of roadside stand run for decades by a farming family from Centreville. They truck in fresh everything every day. Homemade jams and pies, too. Bedding flowers in the Spring, pumpkins and gourds in the Fall, and then all the Christmas trimmings you'd ever want. A tad expensive, but way worth it.

The town runs most of its own services as well. Police, trash, snow and leaf removal, water and sewer. They do a very good job with all of them. Got an old appliance or a bunch of trash from cleaning out the garage or attic? Pile it up at the curb during various designated weeks and then call Town Hall. They'll come get it for you. That would be for free. Schools are run by Fairfax County and are all excellent. High school is James Madison, which is in the NW quadrant of town, almost across the street from Cox Farms. It's been through a major renovation and upgrade the past four or five years. Almost done now. It's very highly rated.

For friendly, stop in at the Community Center. There's classes and activities of every sort going on there all the time. Also, you may as well just stop on over at the Vienna Inn at some point. Everybody else does. This is just a complete dive in the middle of town...little place with old linoleum floors, formica tables, uncomfortable wooden benches and chairs, surly waitresses, mostly country on the jukebox, and you wouldn't find one person in town who would change any of it. They have lots of other stuff, but go over there and do four or five chili dogs all the way with a pitcher of Bud or Bud Lite (that's pretty much the entire beer list there...they sell more of it than Shea Stadium). Everybody's equal at the Inn. One can be a high-powered K Street lawyer on the outside, and the other work on a county road crew, but on the inside, they're just two more guys having a bite and a beer at the Inn. Check your status at the door. There are several excellent upscale restaurants in town as well for when your aim is little higher than chili dogs.

As for commuting, there are actually two Metro stations -- Vienna and Dunn Loring -- neither of which is actually in Vienna. I use them both (well, one at a time of course) to get to my downtown offices which are a couple of blocks north of the White House. Its 25-30 minutes on the train, and most days out the front door to sitting at my desk is 50-55 minutes. Hard to beat.

So if you can't tell, I'm a big fan of the area. I kind of like Hawaii, too, though. I could deal with the south shore of Kauai on a long term basis if I had to. But this really is a nice area. Everything is here. It's just a matter of what you want to take advantage of. Just ask, if you have any other questions or curiosities in mind...I can go on for a long time...

[earlsgirl]

JB124 I think this will be a great place for my little family to make new friends and get involved. My mother-in-law gave me some great advice about moving..."act like you've always lived there and you're never going to leave"...we'll be settled in, in no time. I so appreciate you taking the time to give me the link to the newsletter...it really gave me a better vision of the life that is to come when we move and I couldn't be more pleased!

Claremarie My husband is a biking enthusiest so you gave us just one more reason to feel at home!

[saganista]

Originally Posted by claremarie

You forgot to mention the W&OD bike path, which runs right past the Community Center, across 123, and out past Herndon.

Yeah, 45 miles of paved hike/bike/skate trail, plus 30 miles of soft-surface for horseback riding. But there's only so much you can get into one post. Didn't mention any of the community pools either. Or Wolf Trap. Or Meadowlark Gardens. Or that there are no car dealerships anywhere in the entire town. You just have to draw a line somewhere...

[earlsgirl]

OK I've got goosebumps...I'm listening.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by earlsgirl

OK I've got goosebumps...I'm listening.

A nice cool place for both parents and kids to spend warm summer days is important, so most of NoVa is dotted with swim clubs, some of which are actually swim & tennis clubs. There are five of them in Vienna. Cardinal Hill and Shouse Village on the north side of town, Vienna Aquatic, Vienna Woods, and Dunn Loring on the south side. Swimming as a sport being taken rather seriously around here, all those are among the 100+ pools that are members of the Northern Virginia Swimming League. NVSL meets (Saturday's in June and July) are a big deal. There are social events as well -- the usual pizza, pot-luck, and cookout parties -- but mostly it's relax, chat, and jump in the water from time to time, while being a great and safe place to let the kids be off on their own a bit, as can be important at age 13 or so. These are private neighborhood clubs of usually 400-500 families, so there is $$$ involved and some clubs have waiting lists. The $$$ would vary, but $1000 to purchase a share and then $400 in annual dues might be a ballpark. Sometimes you can rent a membership for a year for maybe half the purchase price. It's an investment, but if the family likes the water, it's a very worthwhile one. All five pools have websites if you wanted to check them out.

As for those other Vienna things...

Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts...
http://www.wolftrap.org/

Meadowlark Gardens...
http://www.nvrpa.org/meadowlark.html (broken link)

Re the car dealerships, the town successfully zoned them out. There are also only two free-standing fast-food places in town (KFC and Wendy's). Those two (barely) got in under the wire before that genre was zoned out as well. But never fear. If you must have a Big Mac, they are readily available within 100 feet of the town line to the east, west, or south.