Moving to east-NOVA (Arlington, Alexandria, Dale City: renting, crime, how much)

[Marshall Crenshaw]

Hello, my wife works at Fort Belvoir and we were looking to move somewhere in the nearby area. We are currently looking at Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Groveton, Hybla Valley, Huntington, Lorton and possibly Franconia and Springfield.

We are looking for a single family home in the $400,000 to $500,000 range with 3 bedrooms and we hope to get an older house.

Our concerns are safety and schools, with a desire for a sense of community.

Could anyone please provide insights on these areas, specifically concerning the safety and schools? We would be greatly appreciative!

Thanks!

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Marshall Crenshaw

Hello, my wife works at Fort Belvoir and we were looking to move somewhere in the nearby area. We are currently looking at Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Groveton, Hybla Valley, Huntington, Lorton and possibly Franconia and Springfield.

We are looking for a single family home in the $400,000 to $500,000 range with 3 bedrooms and we hope to get an older house.

Our concerns are safety and schools, with a desire for a sense of community.

Could anyone please provide insights on these areas, specifically concerning the safety and schools? We would be greatly appreciative!

Thanks!

Of the places you mentioned, I'd probably look first at the area around Fort Hunt Road in Alexandria, and then in some of the neighborhoods in Franconia like Bush Hill. There won't necessarily be a lot of single-family homes below $500K, but there are some, and they'll be in older neighborhoods with a mix of long-time residents and newcomers, as well as reasonably good schools in the Fairfax County system. Here's a house on Fort Hunt Road itself, for example:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...536?source=web


Generally, this is a very safe area, though the Groveton and Hybla Valley areas near Route 1 are a bit on the sketchy side (it's probably one of the two or three poorest and most transient parts of Fairfax County). Most of Springfield is also nice, particularly West Springfield, though there are a few areas near Springfield Mall and the 95/495 interchange that I'd probably avoid if I had alternatives.

Someday, someway you'll find a good place.

[CAVA1990]

I've lived in Mount Vernon for 21 years, sent two kids through the schools here and can tell you it's fine as far as schools and safety. One neighborhood around here I can recommend that would fit your criteria would be Riverside Estates. Zip is 22309.

[ersatz]

If you are house hunting in this area, your price is realistic. Fairfax County schools have an excellent reputation overall, but a good part of this is due to demographics (high income highly educated parents). When you are house hunting, remember the old adage that you should target the cheapest house in a pricey neighborhood rather than the most expensive house in a poorer neighborhood.

There is significant crime in the area but, by and large, most neighborhoods are fairly safe. Local jurisdictions have crimemap services, if you google and monitor these you can build a knowledge of the more "iffy" neighborhoods. These tend to congregate around shopping centers and metro stops.

[Fern435]

Originally Posted by Marshall Crenshaw

Hello, my wife works at Fort Belvoir and we were looking to move somewhere in the nearby area. We are currently looking at Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Groveton, Hybla Valley, Huntington, Lorton and possibly Franconia and Springfield.
We are looking for a single family home in the $400,000 to $500,000 range with 3 bedrooms and we hope to get an older house.
Our concerns are safety and schools, with a desire for a sense of community.
Could anyone please provide insights on these areas, specifically concerning the safety and schools? We would be greatly appreciative!
Thanks!

<humming Marshall Crenshaw songs>

Having lived in both the Fort Hunt area and West Springfield, we found the West Springfield area to be a better fit for us due to location, lower crime, excellent schools, and community atmosphere. There are many pleasant, safe neighborhoods in West Springfield in your price range. Getting onto Fort Belvoir from West Springfield is easy with the completion of Fairfax County Parkway. Some areas to consider: Cardinal Forest (near West Springfield HS/Irving MS) and neighborhoods off Huntsman and Sydenstricker. There are also some pretty neighborhoods with nice homes tucked away off Gambrill, Pohick, and Rolling Roads. These are closer to Fort Belvoir.

On a map, the Fort Hunt area seems to be a good location--that's what we thought when we began renting there. But we found it to be inconvenient when we needed to get somewhere that was not near the GW Parkway. There's also an uncomfortable disconnect/instability between the affluent neighborhoods along the GW Parkway and the low-income areas along Route 1. I hope the Route 1 corridor improves, but due to the amount of crime there I hesitate to recommend it to newcomers.

We do not own a home in Fairfax County and no longer live there. But we did plenty of research on many areas and lived there for 6 years with our kids in the schools. Hope you are happy with the home you choose.

[Carlingtonian]

I work at Fort Belvoir. I have not lived in any of the areas you mentioned, but I can tell you that getting onto the post from West Springfield via 7100 (Fairfax County Parkway--FCP) is not going to be a cakewalk. FCP has a lot of traffic; a huge number of people now use the Kingman Gate. The Tulley Gate is not so bad now that they have the paving done, but there are still tons of construction vehicles, buses, and other cars waiting with you on 7100 to make that left turn onto Route 1.

I'm not saying you definitely shouldn't live there; I just don't want you to be unpleasantly surprised by the traffic on 7100.

I have coworkers who live in Stafford, Dale City, and Woodbridge, and it takes them about 45-55 minutes to get to work--but they arrive at 7:00 AM or earlier.

I don't know much about Springfield. I know two people who live there, and both of them are very bright and accomplished. (One is a lieutenant colonel.)

The one thing I can say about Fort Hunt and Mt. Vernon is that both are appealing to me--especially the latter, with its large trees, proximity to the Potomac, and old houses mixed with some from the '60s. As to how much the proximity to the shabby part of Route 1 affects living in those nicer areas, I'll defer to those who have lived there. But when I drive through those areas, they seem to me like they're miles from Route 1.

I can see how both would be insular, though; getting from Route 1 to GW Parkway is kind of a hidden neighborhood route. On the other hand, with Old Town and two marinas so close by and then Arlington and DC just up the road from there, what else do you need? (If your answer is "Dulles Airport and Wegman's" then proceed directly to Herndon.)