Aldie vs Gainesville

[K.Sumers]

Gainesville has more recreational things to do especially with smaller children. The schools in that area are great and close by. Tell your husband to leave before 6am to try to beat the gridlock or go through Wellington to get on 66 outside of Manassas.

[PK12]

With all due respect, your husband is being naive.

Tell us what your budget is and we could potentially help you find something closer.

Aldie and Gainesville both will be horrific commutes to Alexandria

[HEATHER72]

Aldie = Boonies. Gainesville = Boonies with shopping and restaurants nearby.

[K.Sumers]

Originally Posted by ammv0918

Looking to buy a house in Virginia Manor (Aldie) or Wentworth Green (Gainesville). We just relocated from Florida and have really no idea about both areas. I am a stay at home mom (temporarily) with a 3 year old and expecting another one in August 2015. Husband works in Alexandria. Trying to find out which area is the best fit for our family. Here is what we are looking for.


1. good schools, children's parks, recreation centers with kids activities, enrichment classes or after school programs
2. suburban country feel
3. Friendly atmosphere
4. Safe neighborhood
5. 30 min or less travel for basic necessities

I understand that commute from Gainesville to Alexandria will be horrible but my husband said not to put that into our decision in picking an area. I mean I wish it is a bearable commute.

Aldie, Gainesville, Bristow, South Riding are all closely located to each other. It depends on what focus in education and sports you are looking for for your children.

Gainesville and Bristow have more activities and are more accessible. South Riding and Aldie are newer and you will see a lot of growth coming. Schools in Gainesville are some of the best in the area and there are Montessori schools with a 5:1 ratio. You also get more bang for your buck in Gainesville and Bristow. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

K. Sumers
k.sumerskw@gmail.com

[spleuchan]

Originally Posted by PK12

With all due respect, your husband is being naive.

Tell us what your budget is and we could potentially help you find something closer.

Aldie and Gainesville both will be horrific commutes to Alexandria

I live in Haymarket, which is slightly past gainesville and work in Alexandria. If you have early hours, the commute isn't so bad. Its 45 minutes leaving at 5:30 in the morning and 50 minutes in the afternoon leaving at 3:00. There are a lot of cars, but it moves. If you have later hours, then you could be looking at double the time.

[kris12342004]

I don't have a lot of insight specific to Aldie or Gainesville but I have to say as a SAHM to two, one of whom was one when we moved to NOVA...if you don't take your husband's commute into account, are you OK with being alone all day with a newborn and 3 year old until 8 at night some nights? My husband worked in Alexandria for years. We live in Woodbridge, just 18 miles away. We didn't see him too often during the week. It can take upwards of an hour/hour and a half and on especially on summer Fridays...you would not believe NOVA traffic. It's legendary. I'm not sure you have a heck of a lot to gain by being 40 miles away in a new area with a new baby. I would honestly suggest renting near your husband's work while you have a newborn and learning about the area from there. That way you will have some relief earlier in the day or in case of emergency, your husband can actually get home. I just think if you are trying to entertain a 3 year old all day and night plus care for a new baby and get used to a new area...it sounds overwhelming. It also sounds like you may be planning on returning to work at some point, in which case will you be able to find work near home in Aldie or Gainesville? Because it will be pretty stressful if you both are across NOVA and need to get to your kids in a hurry, and both of you are stuck in traffic. The traffic is a very real, daily, stressful situation out here and it will impact your family. My husband tells me the same darn thing when we look for homes, thinking he'll be the one absorbing the brunt of it since he's the one in traffic. But when you are the one managing dinner, bedtime, etc five nights a week, or you've got 2 sick kids, you are absorbing a pretty good amount of stress too. I know this isn't precisely the question you asked, but it struck me that traffic isn't a factor in your decision, and it truly should be. Good luck with everything, and congrats on the little one on the way.