Need info on Woodbridge please! (Richmond, Lake Ridge: rental, crime, townhouses)

[crony83]

Hello.
My husband and I are thinking about moving to PWC from Richmond and we were looking at Port Potomac Estates in Woodbridge . Can anyone please tell me about the surrounding area and community? I heard that some areas of Woodbridge are not so good and was wondering about that area.

We're originally from NYC and I really like NOVA because it's a nice mix of city and suburbs. Can anyone suggest any other reasonably priced areas. And how are the school systems in Woodbridge and surrounding areas. Thanks so much!

[ChristineVA]

Port Potomac is a nice, new neighborhood. Looks good from the road. However, it is unfortunately situation (in my opinion), in probably the second least desirable area in Woodbridge off the Rt. 1 corridor. The surrounding area is just kind of yucky and the schools you will most likely be zoned for in Port Potomac are some of the worst on the eastern end of the county.

If your heart is set on Woodbridge, veer off the Rt. 1 corridor and look in Montclair (which Dumfries actually and no new construction), go closer to Minnieville Road, or look up in Lake Ridge off Old Bridge Road. You will get better schools and better surrounding areas.

[ChristineVA]

I meant to type "unfortunately situated." Sheesh!

[Megadell]

Yea you don't wanna live off route 1.

[Bob_George]

crony83,

I have friends that live in Port Potomic & they do not have any problems. I have friends in the subdivision across the street from there which is called "Eagles Nest..I think" and is very nice too.

I live about 2-3 miles up the street in Rippon Landing & do not have any problems.

The is crime everywhere in the DC area..including all areas of Woodbridge/PWC so I don't understand why some people always want to bash the rt1 side of Woodbridge.

J

[Megadell]

Because it's a giant car dealership with an absurd amount of traffic all the time.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by juanr

crony83,

I have friends that live in Port Potomic & they do not have any problems. I have friends in the subdivision across the street from there which is called "Eagles Nest..I think" and is very nice too.

I live about 2-3 miles up the street in Rippon Landing & do not have any problems.

The is crime everywhere in the DC area..including all areas of Woodbridge/PWC so I don't understand why some people always want to bash the rt1 side of Woodbridge.

J

juanr,

I didn't post my words thinking that the OP would be affected by crime in Port Potomac. I don't feel like any area in Woodbridge is really that bad when it comes to crime. Would I walk alone at night near Marumsco? No. My opinions about that area are that the new neighborhoods there are lovely and they are very eye-catching. The problem is the "blight" of Rt. 1 which surrounds it. It is SUCH an eyesore and, I do drive down there everyday. I do believe that the schools that serve those neighborhoods are the worst that PWC has to offer. Not mentioning that to people is a disservice. If you tell them all these things and they want to move there, then that's great too.

I live off an area in Woodbridge that feeds to the WORST middle and high schools. My child was three when I moved there, internet research was not available like it is now, and I was stupid and had no clue. I would have been happy for someone to point these things out to me.

[oneasterisk]

I have a SFH rental in the Harbors of Newport subdivision which is adjacent to the Port Potomac subdivision so I'm familiar with the area. PP is a nice area. I've jogged through the area at night and wouldn't be afraid to do it again. I don't like the homes though. They're right on top of each other. They're 1/3 acre lots at the most, but the house takes up 80% of the lot leaving you with little lawn and butted up against your neighbor. My rental is a 70's Split Level on 1/4 acre and it's proportional to lot size and I've got a buffer between my neighbors. The homes further back are the Newport Homes estates, and they're larger lots so the big homes don't seem so out of place.

I also used to live in the Georgetown Village subdivision just south of PP from 1989-1995. Along with Village Gate, those are some of the most ghetto townhouses in all of Woodbridge. There was a lot of crime in the area when we lived there. In our Court, I got to see a police raid (Riot gear with shields) on a TH at the other end of the court. Drugs were dealt at the basketball court etc. It's a shame too because the River Oaks community is behind them and there are some really nice homes back there. The only reason I bring up VG and GV is because they're walking distance to PP, maybe 10-20 minutes. Not sure if it makes a difference, but the Police station is right on route one literally minutes away.

As far as schools, I myself am a product of River Oaks Elementary, Rippon Middle and Potomac High. If you buy a home in PP, I think you'll be going to Leesylvania Elementary but I don't have any knowledge of that school. Potomac High did have a gang presence, but it wasn't anything dangerous. Mostly stupid kids goofing off and being a distraction. There wasn't any violence involved. I think what makes a school is the teachers, and when I went (1995-1998) they had some really great math/science teachers. So if your kid can keep their nose clean and are not easily distracted or peer pressured, they'll do fine. I know I did when I graduated with a 3.9GPA while being in the National Honor Society.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

As far as schools, I myself am a product of River Oaks Elementary, Rippon Middle and Potomac High. If you buy a home in PP, I think you'll be going to Leesylvania Elementary but I don't have any knowledge of that school. Potomac High did have a gang presence, but it wasn't anything dangerous. Mostly stupid kids goofing off and being a distraction. There wasn't any violence involved. I think what makes a school is the teachers, and when I went (1995-1998) they had some really great math/science teachers. So if your kid can keep their nose clean and are not easily distracted or peer pressured, they'll do fine. I know I did when I graduated with a 3.9GPA while being in the National Honor Society.

My daughter attended Rippon Middle School in 2001. She left a very good public elementary school situated in Montclair to that. She immediately went from a B student to a straight A student who put forth VERY little effort for those straight As. I knew something was up because she was never that great of a student. Then there was the daily "issues" in the school which, for a middle school, isn't that unusual but at that time Rippon had a daily police presence while some of the other middle schools only had a "visiting" officer presence. We made the decision to put her in private school just to be sure that her academics were going to be up to snuff since she is not a strong student.

A few years later, my next door neighbor told me of all her struggles with Rippon (she put two kids through there). She was a stay at home parent and took many opportunities to sit in on the classroom and she was floored by what went on there. Her kids survived and they are fine, of course.

I just think it's important to know that the middle and high schools pull from some of the most economically challenged areas of Woodbridge and if that matters to you or you have a vulnerable kid, you need to be aware.

Alternatively, one of my daughter's friends from private school went on to Potomac for high school and did VERY well, got accepted into UVA but turned it down because he got a free ride in an out of state school.

[Caladium]

Here are some photos of the Woodbridge area that you might find interesting.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/north...quan-dale.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/north...dale-city.html