Where to Buy in NOVA ~ 1 commute to Fair Oaks & 1 to Belvoir - w/1 5yo (Arlington: townhouse, employment)

[spryguy]

My wife and I are moving from MD with our 5yo daughter. I am going to Belvoir and don't mind a commute as long as it is under 60 min but I would like to stay under 45 if possible; however, my wife on the other hand will be fairly unbearable at anything over 30 . I have heard that Fairfax has great schools, but is there any to avoid or recommended?

I was told to avoid 66 at all cost. Is 66 that bad?

Thanks everyone for the great forum!

[Mike from back east]

I drove many times between Chantilly & Belvoir, via the County Parkway. It's a good 45-60 mins, with quite a few stoplights. Cross-county roads are in woefully short supply there.

I recommend Chantilly-Fair Oaks, and places south of there along the County Parkway, possibly Centreville, Burke, etc.

I drove I-66 for years, it is dreadful.

s/Mike

[spryguy]

Thanks Mike. Are you in the area or CO?

Do you know how the Parkway/7100 or 66 compare to say route 50 into DC?

[dullnboring]

Something to keep in mind is that the government is transferring tens of thousands of jobs from various locations mostly in Arlington and Alexandria down to Fort Belvoir by 2011. This was a very unpopular and controversial move as many people felt it was done with little concern for the area's infrastructure and little notice given to area officials. A lot of employees are raging mad and quite a few are looking for new employment rather than dealing with such an unbearable commute. Regardless, the move is going to happen and commutes which are already nightmarish, are bound to get worse in the coming years with the addition of tens of thousands of new commuters (and the Fort Belvoir area is not served well by public transportation).

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by spryguy

Thanks Mike. Are you in the area or CO? Do you know how the Parkway/7100 or 66 compare to say route 50 into DC?

We were in FFX County 31 years (Chantilly 28 years), until June 2005, now in Colorado, where it is DIVINE!

Parkway/7100 are cross-county roads and don't go into DC.

Rte 50 can be used for getting into DC, but it's full of stop & go traffic lights. I-66 is best to get into DC from Fair Oaks area, but if you do go into DC from that area, probably best to take the Metro subway from Vienna. If you live inside the beltway and are on or close to Rte 50, then it may work.

During rush hours, I-66 is restricted to carpools inside the beltway. I recall that for I-66 the carpool minimum was two riders, or any motorcycle, even if only an operator. Restrictions apply INBOUND in the morning, and OUTBOUND in evenings. Tickets are not cheap. Those without carpools or a motorcycle can use Rte 50 or even the GW Parkway, but thousands choose the subway. There is nearly free bus service from Chantilly (and many other areas) to the subway in Vienna, where the parking lot usually fills up weekdays.

One of the key reasons we left that area is the sorry state of mobility and it's getting worse. I wish the people there the best and hope they find a way to chill out and enjoy what for most of them is a painful commute.

s/Mike

[rubytue]

I'd encourage you to try Lorton. The prison is gone, and things are looking up here! I live about 3 minutes from 7100 and under 15 to Belviour. As for 7100, my husband spent awhile working up at Dulles, now he is based in Old Town. He loved his 7100 commute. Even when its heavy, its maintains a decent flow. My neighbor worked at the gov't center (near Fair Oaks) and said it was 18 minutes door to door.

If you end up in Newington Forrest/Newington Commons area, its a great neighborhood, housing is decently (for the area) priced, and you have good schools.

Also, consider Burke. I have friends that live there, and its a great, family oriented community. I was meeting some friends there for dinner at a typical strip mall, and while waiting 80% of the folks walking by were families.

[spryguy]

Originally Posted by rubytue

I'd encourage you to try Lorton. The prison is gone, and things are looking up here! I live about 3 minutes from 7100 and under 15 to Belviour. As for 7100, my husband spent awhile working up at Dulles, now he is based in Old Town. He loved his 7100 commute. Even when its heavy, its maintains a decent flow. My neighbor worked at the gov't center (near Fair Oaks) and said it was 18 minutes door to door.

If you end up in Newington Forrest/Newington Commons area, its a great neighborhood, housing is decently (for the area) priced, and you have good schools.

Also, consider Burke. I have friends that live there, and its a great, family oriented community. I was meeting some friends there for dinner at a typical strip mall, and while waiting 80% of the folks walking by were families.

Thanks for the info. I actual drove around Lorton this weekend. It seems like a nice place. The family atmosphere is high on our list. Currently we do not live in a community and my wife and daughter are dying for friends! I am dying for them to have friends. Your neighbors commute will likely be the exact same commute my wife is going to do and a 20min commute is very acceptable.

A question on Lorton. When we drove through Lorton Station we noticed the community and homes were nice, but do any of the homes there have even a small yard for say a dog? The area we seen it didn't appear that any of the homes had yards.

Thanks for all the inputs!

[POWRNAPR]

Originally Posted by spryguy

A question on Lorton. When we drove through Lorton Station we noticed the community and homes were nice, but do any of the homes there have even a small yard for say a dog? The area we seen it didn't appear that any of the homes had yards.

The new construction in Lorton is notorious for "zero lot lines" which gives even the single family homes a very townhouse-y feeling. You will be lucky to find a home built recently with anything but a postage stamp back (or front!) yard!

I would encourage you to look into Fairfax Station (22039 zip). There is little new construction but there are many beautiful homes built within the last 10-20 years in Crosspointe and South Run. It's a great commute to Belvoir (~15-20 minutes--my H did it for 7 years) and ~20 minutes up the FFX Cty Parkway to Fair Oaks (add 15-20 minutes at peak rush).

GOOD LUCK, it's a great time to be a home buyer in NoVA!

[bemn]

I would consider Centreville as well. Sully Station I or II is very nice as is Virginia Run. We live in Virginia Run now. My husband commutes to Tysons or downtown depending on the day and his clients, he's an accountant. For you 7100 going to Belvoir would be a reverse commute as most traffic would be heavier going towards Reston. For your wife there are many options to getting to Fair Oaks from there....I-66, I-66 to the 7100 and then cut back on Fair Lakes Parkway, also Rt. 50. Once you learn the region is VERY easy to back door the commute on local roads. Centreville schools are VERY good....and ranked well. I would stay away from Lorton solely based on schools, I'm not high on Hayfield High. But, I could be outdated....I'd check the local schools' scores on line with Fairfax County profiles.
Another nice neighborhood in the area is Little Rocky Run.....and several new ones are popping up. This area is also very good for recreational activites for the kids and Lifetime Fitness in Centreville is a great gym!!!
I myself have to travel I-66 at times alone (when my boys are in school and not with me) and at times get in the congestion. However, most the time I'm outside the beltway and my commute is under 1 hour if I go as far as Fairfax Hospital (right by the beltway) during rush hour.......hope this helps.

[POWRNAPR]

Originally Posted by bemn

I would stay away from Lorton solely based on schools, I'm not high on Hayfield High. But, I could be outdated....I'd check the local schools' scores on line with Fairfax County profiles.

Most of Lorton now attends the brand new South County Secondary School in Lorton. (Hayfield SS is actually in Alexandria.) There are issues with the middle school (overcrowding) but they will hopefully be resolved before the OP's 5 year old is ready to attend!

Fairfax Station, which I posted about above, attends Lake Braddock, South County or Robinson Secondary.

Here are the mentioned schools' ranks by SAT scores for 2006:
Lake Braddock: 7, Robinson: 8, Centreville: 15, Hayfield: 18. (South County is currently unranked as it is too new.)

Hope this helps!