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My hubby is thinking about taking a job in DC & we were told to check out the Burke, VA area.
Therefore, I would love any information you can provide on Burke, VA regarding
>Quality of the school districts
>Commute to DC, I think I know that using public transportation is pretty much mandatory. However, are there train stations/public transportation stations in the area
>Commute within the area. I keep hearing so much about heavy traffic. Is that only when you are going to DC, or even when you are going to the grocery store.
>Taxes. I was shocked to find out that Rockville, MD has a 3.5% income tax rate. How does Burke compare.
>Crime. How dos it compare in your opinion to oher NOVA or MD areas close to DC.
>Houses. How are the homes in the area. Can you find updated ones in a nice neighborhood for $350-$450...sfh wwith about 2500 sf & preferably a finished basement.
>Any other info you can provide about the area. Good vs bad reasons to live there, suggestion for other places, etc. Thank you all in advance.
Hello, My hubby is thinking about taking a job in DC & we were told to check out the Burke, VA area. Therefore, I would love any information you can provide on Burke, VA regarding
>Quality of the school districts
Burke is a very nice area. As noted, much of West Springfield to the east is also, as is Fairfax Station to the west. These are essentially upper-middle class areas or better. All of the public schools in the area are run by the Fairfax County Public School system, one of the largest yet most highly regarded systems in the nation. You will have to look hard to find problems with these schools.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
>Commute to DC, I think I know that using public transportation is pretty much mandatory. However, are there train stations/public transportation stations in the area.
Burke is not too close to the noted DC Metro subway system, but it does have a station on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), which runs commuter rail service into DC and out again. You can check out the schedules, fares, and other such things here...
>Commute within the area. I keep hearing so much about heavy traffic. Is that only when you are going to DC, or even when you are going to the grocery store.
It's not so much where you are going as when. The majority of people living in Fairfax County work in Fairfax County, not in DC. So in the a.m. and p.m. rush, there are people going every which way. There will be times when you want to avoid certain roads in and around Burke, but as in most areas, there are alternate routes that you'll learn in order to get where you want to go with a minimum of hassle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
>Taxes. I was shocked to find out that Rockville, MD has a 3.5% income tax rate. How does Burke compare.
The income tax in Burke is 0%. The income tax in Fairfax County is 0%. The income tax in Virginia is (basically) 5.75%. The sales tax in VA is 5%, except 2.5% on food, and 0% on medicine, including OTC meds. The current Fairfax County real estate tax is $8.90 per thousand of assessed value. In terms of overall tax burdern in the DC area, MD has the highest, then comes DC, and little old VA has the lowest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
>Crime. How dos it compare in your opinion to oher NOVA or MD areas close to DC.
Burke is a very safe area. It is mostly surrounded by other very safe areas. Crime is always a concern, but it's not much of an issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
>Houses. How are the homes in the area. Can you find updated ones in a nice neighborhood for $350-$450...sfh wwith about 2500 sf & preferably a finished basement.
The homes in and around Burke are generally very nice. It's an upscale area. Homes that are like what you you describe will begin at the top of your financial range. The average sales price for 4-br home in Burke this year has been about $580K. You can get a pretty good idea of what's on the market in Burke right now by visiting Trulia - Real Estate, Homes For Sale, Sold Properties, Real Estate Maps. A lot of info (and pictures) all in one place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
>Any other info you can provide about the area. Good vs bad reasons to live there, suggestion for other places, etc. Thank you all in advance.
If you need to get into and out of DC on a daily basis, VRE will get the job done alright, but you might be better served by living closer to Metro. Burke is quite nice, but there are a lot of such areas in NoVa. It might pay not to narrow things down too quickly...
Wow, Saganista. Thanks or such a detailed response. I love having the links as that is quite helpful. I'm pretty impressed by how well the school system is regarded and the low taxes. Originally, I had been mainly looking on the MD side but between the high taxes, all of the reports of high crime rates (even in some of the nicer areas) and the high cost of property, NOVA is lookig better all of the time. I guess I originally thought that NOVA would be completely out of the question as I thought that all of the houses in the area would be closer to the $800k & up price range.
Also, Mark2544, thank you for your advice as well. I went on realtor.com and saw a lot of nice homes in Springfield that were in the West Springfield school district (which is supposed to be highly regarded...right), so I am also keeping that as an option.
Can anyone comment on the social scene? I know DC is a mecca for fun things to do and I am sure we would take advantage of that area, but I was wondering if there are also things to do withouut going into DC.
We are a young couple with a 1 year old. Although we don't go out much, we do like the option of going to nice places to eat. We also love going to bookstores like Barnes & Noble & Borders (or any bookstore that lets you read in big comfy chairs while sipping your coffee) and I love to grocery shop at Wegman's and bulk shop at Costco.
My sister lives in Burke. There are plenty of things to do with young children. We used to take the kids to Burke Lake Park to ride the carousel and the train, which was VERY exciting for them. Burke and nearby areas have all of the usual chain stores, including a Costco. The nearest mall is Springfield, which is not particularly nice, and most people (including my sister) end up traveling a few more miles on the Beltway to Tyson's Corner, which has two upscale shopping centers. Tyson's I (the original center) recently added a new wing which includes a huge bookstore with Starbucks, and a children's play area. Tyson's II is much more upscale, but usually very uncrowded with very wide walkways and a mecca for moms with young kids during the week.
Most neighborhoods in northern Virginia have community swim and tennis clubs, which are the center of summer social activity for many families with children. Some pools (Old Keene Mill, for example) are much nicer than others (Burke Station Square, for example), so it's worthwhile checking out a few before you sign up. Some may have waiting lists. You can get a list of all the pools on the Northern Virginia Swimming League website, or you can ask around once you move there. The pools don't appear on the ADC maps, and they can be difficult to find when you are just driving around.
My sister takes the VRE into DC every day. It's not as convenient as Metro, because the trains run far less frequently, but the seats are very nice for reading or working during your commute. She also sometimes drives to the Springfield Metro, so that is another option.
I guess I originally thought that NOVA would be completely out of the question as I thought that all of the houses in the area would be closer to the $800k & up price range.
There are plenty of $800k-and-up houses. And there are plenty of people still trying to sell $500k houses for $800K. But there are also lots of nice homes in nice areas for a lot less than that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
Can anyone comment on the social scene? I know DC is a mecca for fun things to do and I am sure we would take advantage of that area, but I was wondering if there are also things to do withouut going into DC. We are a young couple with a 1 year old. Although we don't go out much, we do like the option of going to nice places to eat.
It would depend on your interests, but there are many options in NoVa. Keep in mind that with it's population of nearly 1.1 million, Fairfax County alone is larger than seven states. There are hundreds of places to eat, ranging from great food in a casual atmosphere to great food in an elegant atmosphere. There will be plenty to keep you busy on that front. Burke itself isn't exactly on the forefront of the clubbing and bar-hopping scene or anything, but there are various centers and mini-centers for such scattered about the area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pennylove76
We also love going to bookstores like Barnes & Noble & Borders (or any bookstore that lets you read in big comfy chairs while sipping your coffee) and I love to grocery shop at Wegman's and bulk shop at Costco.
There are such bookstores all over the area. It's hard to find a place that just sells books anymore. All coffee, all the time. Wegmans is meanwhile not a major player in the DC grocery scene, though there is a store in Fairfax, maybe 7 or 8 miles from Burke. Giant and Safeway are the major chains, with Whole Foods, Harris-Teeter, Magruders, Food Lion, and the odd Trader Joe's shuffled in. There are also a few Lotte stores which are geared toward an Asian clientelle. Costco may be found in both Springfield and Fairfax, each again less than 10 miles from Burke.
Most neighborhoods in northern Virginia have community swim and tennis clubs, which are the center of summer social activity for many families with children.
Yup...NVSL becomes a way of life around here. And with a one-year old, it would be a good time to start scouting out the pools. There isn't a better investment that I can think of for providing kids (and adults) with some healthy constructive summer activities and opportunities for fresh air, sunshine, and socializing. Oh, and crushing the pool across town on a swim-meet Saturday morning. That's gotta count for something, too!
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Originally Posted by claremarie
The pools don't appear on the ADC maps, and they can be difficult to find when you are just driving around.
For those who may not know what an ADC map is, you desperately want one (or two) but may not realize it yet. But for their shocking omission of all 102 local pools affiliated with NVSL, an ADC map is your indispensible guide to finding and then getting to everything in NoVa. Yeah, MapQuest and on-board GPS are good, but unless you've been there before, you just can't count on getting there from here without an ADC map. Less than 20 bucks at any CVS, 7/11, etc. Look for the black-and-yellow banner across the top.
I have a toddler and recently moved to the Burke area thanks to the great advice I got on this forum. I love it here. My toddler and I have enjoyed the community pool, tot lots, parks, library activities, and local playgroups. There are many mom's groups in the area. I'm also not a big driver, but I get around just fine here to run errands and go to activities with my toddler.
You've gotten very good advice already, I just wanted to add that when looking at homes, you also consider West Springfield and some parts of Fairfax (e.g., Middleridge, Fairfax Club Estates, Country Club Estates, and Kings Park West). There are many homes on the market in those areas and you are next door to Burke.
As far as taxes, I would just add that in VA you have to pay an annual personal property tax on vehicles.
Also, the VRE has a shuttle that stops in many neighborhoods and takes passengers to the Park-n-ride so depending on where you live, you don't even need to drive to the lot.
Burke is really nice with excellent school systems, but it is not metro-accessible and a commute to DC would be, I would think, well over an hour with traffic. Houses are expensive there! You can't get a SFH in NOVA for under abput $550K.
I have a toddler and recently moved to the Burke area thanks to the great advice I got on this forum. I love it here.
Glad it's worked out!
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Originally Posted by mlv311
As far as taxes, I would just add that in VA you have to pay an annual personal property tax on vehicles.
Quite so, and nobody likes it, but the state picks up 70% of the tab for you, meaning that unless you drive several new Mercedes or Beamers, the total hit isn't likely to come as that much of a damaging blow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlv311
Also, the VRE has a shuttle that stops in many neighborhoods and takes passengers to the Park-n-ride so depending on where you live, you don't even need to drive to the lot.
And if you do park in the lot, it's free, as against $3.75 per day at Metro-operated lots.
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