Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-20-2013, 12:58 PM
 
8 posts, read 19,241 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi All,

I'm moving to Northern Virginia next month with my husband and two elementary school going kids.

His job will be in Reston, VA area. My husband would not mind up to a 30 minute commute to work.

Our priorities include finding the best school(s) and a decent town home (to rent, budget range:$1750 to $2500 monthly).

I think Loudon and Fairfax are the two counties nearby.

I would appreciate all the help and guidance we can get in finding a good school and nearby housing to rent.

TIA!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-20-2013, 01:30 PM
 
Location: Ormond Beach, FL
1,615 posts, read 2,149,075 times
Reputation: 1686
I don't think there are any schools to avoid in the Reston area. The biggest problem with Loudoun County schools is the boundaries for the schools keep changing because they will be building more schools over the next decade. You should be able to find something to rent near where your husband works. Might try using Zillow on Reston VA and but a 5 mile radius on to start.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,253,766 times
Reputation: 1331
Live Work and Play in Reston! It is our motto!
Welcome to Reston Association

...

Let me know if you have any questions - I've lived in the South Lakes area of Reston for a little more than a decade.

Last edited by FindingZen; 07-21-2013 at 06:35 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 04:43 PM
 
Location: State of Waiting
633 posts, read 1,014,847 times
Reputation: 1592
Look for a home in Reston. You have it ALL there - shopping, activities, great schools, and gorgeous neighborhoods. What's not to like?

I would stay in Reston because if you like it there and want to buy, you will be happier when it comes to property taxes. The taxes in Loudoun are higher than Fairfax.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 05:19 PM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
15,154 posts, read 27,850,526 times
Reputation: 27291
Agree that best bet is stay in Reston, a 30 min. commute could sometimes be as little as 5-10 miles.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2013, 10:55 AM
 
8 posts, read 19,241 times
Reputation: 10
JfromReston, thanks a lot for your input. This is really helpful.
I do have to share that my husband's office is going to be in Herndon instead of Reston and so we started doing research on schools and rental properties in Herndon. It seems that Zip code 20171 has some good schools including Oak Hill and McNair. There are some new or newly renovated town homes available within the zip code as well for rental and my husband's office will be 5 minutes drive from those properties. However, here are some of our concerns:

Herndon:
The town homes are right next to Dulles airport and airport noise is going to be a big factor? Can others staying in this Zip code please confirm?
Oak Hill seems like a much better school as compared to McNair but we are not sure if it would be the "assigned" school for us even though both schools are in the same Zip code?

Reston:
Reston sounds like a great area for raising kids. However, we are not finding any schools with high ratings such a 5 star on schooldigger or a 9/10 on greatschools.

JfromReston posted some good options for properties within our budget but we prefer newer properties and town homes and I'm not sure if that's a possibility in Reston?

I'm even more confused now with only a few weeks left in our moving date. Do I need to start looking at Vienna and Fairfax?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2013, 11:15 AM
 
8,984 posts, read 21,195,944 times
Reputation: 3808
Quote:
Originally Posted by nu2nva View Post
JfromReston posted some good options for properties within our budget but we prefer newer properties and town homes and I'm not sure if that's a possibility in Reston?
"J" would probably know better than me but I would predict any newer homes in Reston may be beyond your preferred budget.

Quote:
I'm even more confused now with only a few weeks left in our moving date. Do I need to start looking at Vienna and Fairfax?
Vienna and Fairfax will only more expensive as they are closer to DC. Over in Loudoun County, Ashburn and Sterling may have what more of what you're looking for except that your husband's commute may be variable unless he invests in tolls on the Dulles Greenway. As mentioned, Loudoun's changeable school boundaries could become an issue.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2013, 11:22 AM
 
406 posts, read 620,628 times
Reputation: 265
Type the address in this link and it will tell you the official school assignments:

FCPS Boundary Locator
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2013, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Reston, VA
2,090 posts, read 4,253,766 times
Reputation: 1331
Here is the Fairfax school boundary locator.
FCPS Boundary Locator

My husband works in Herndon and gets to the office in 10-15 minutes from South Lakes Reston.

Newer townhomes in Reston will be near the town center and higher priced than your budget and not in what I would consider the best family friendly part of Reston - more the young hip part. They also don't belong to Reston Association - so don't get access to Reston pools and tennis courts.

...

I don't think you are going to find newer townhomes in Vienna or Fairfax in your price range. The newest/nicest/biggest townhomes in your price range are going to be out in Loudoun county - Ashburn and Broadlands.

Last edited by FindingZen; 07-21-2013 at 06:35 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2022 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Virginia > Northern Virginia
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top