Place to Live Between Chantilly and Springfield (Burke, Oakton: cul-de-sac, for sale)

[kissmekate10]

My family will be moving to NOVA this summer. My husband will be working in Chantilly, but there is a good possibility that he could be working in Springfield a few years down the road. I have two elementary age children and I would like to find a town in between these two places so that they don't have to transfer schools a few years down the road. What family friendly town do you suggest that would be a decent commute to either Chantilly or Springfield?

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by kissmekate10

My family will be moving to NOVA this summer. My husband will be working in Chantilly, but there is a good possibility that he could be working in Springfield a few years down the road. I have two elementary age children and I would like to find a town in between these two places so that they don't have to transfer schools a few years down the road. What family friendly town do you suggest that would be a decent commute to either Chantilly or Springfield?

What's your housing budget?

[kissmekate10]

Probably between $600-650k. I would prefer a sfh, but am open to looking at townhomes as long as it is in a good school district.

[Hal Roach]

There seems to still be a glut of houses in Clifton for sale. I was surprised at how small the premium is for living on the north side of the Occoquan currently is.

[choff5]

Originally Posted by kissmekate10

Probably between $600-650k. I would prefer a sfh, but am open to looking at townhomes as long as it is in a good school district.

This area, between Chantilly and Springfield is all the same school district, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools Some of Chantilly addresses are in Loudon County which is a different district but if Springfield work is in the mix, stay in Fairfax. There will be differences in elementary schools but it is all the same curriculum. And while it may sound like two separate towns from someone out of this area, it's all one big suburban scrawl.

[Vectorhead]

Springfield and Chantilly aren't that far apart. I live in West Springfield and worked in Chantilly for a couple of years. The commute was under 45 minutes, which is a pretty decent commute by NOVA standards. Plus there are lots and lots of ways to get from one to the other which really helps when there's an accident on your preferred route.

Your budget is very doable in West Springfield and the schools there are outstanding. I would recommend including it (zip code 22152) in your search.

[kissmekate10]

Probably out of our price range, but is Vienna or Oakton a doable commute to both places? How about Fairfax? Are these smaller places than Chantilly or Springfield? I hear Chantilly and Springfield are pretty large.

[choff5]

Originally Posted by kissmekate10

Probably out of our price range, but is Vienna or Oakton a doable commute to both places? How about Fairfax? Are these smaller places than Chantilly or Springfield? I hear Chantilly and Springfield are pretty large.

All three have more of a small town center than either Chantilly or Springfield. Can't comment on prices however. Now, despite my comment about it being all one school district, I'll have to take it back slightly. The City of Fairfax actually is a separate school division but it is contracted and ran as part of FCPS. It's the way it is in Virginia. School divisions are either by county or by city, each are a separate governmental jurisdiction. Vienna is a town but part of Fairfax County. Oakton is an unincorporated area of Fairfax County. City of Fairfax has its own governmental jurisdiction and a nice small downtown area. Truthfully it all runs into each other.

[Ffxdata]

You can absolutely find a townhouse in Oakton or Vienna for under $500k. A quite nice one for under $600k. There are a handful of SFH in Vienna for under $675k. There are more houses in your price range just south in Fairfax City which would be central to your needs.

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by kissmekate10

Probably out of our price range, but is Vienna or Oakton a doable commute to both places? How about Fairfax? Are these smaller places than Chantilly or Springfield? I hear Chantilly and Springfield are pretty large.

Keep in mind that NOVA is mostly one big sprawling suburb, and the different towns blend into each other. Neither Springfield nor Chantilly are urban in the slightest. They both have quite large areas of strip malls (like most other parts of NOVA) and areas of housing.

Communities like West Springfield and Burke are lighter on the strip malls and heavier on neighborhoods. One thing I like about West Springfield is that, because it's older, it doesn't have nearly the cookie cutter feel of some of the newer areas. Neighborhoods are wooded and houses vary a little more. Use Google Maps to look at the Carrleigh Parkway area. Carrleigh Parkway starts at Old Keene Mill but ends up in the middle of Accotink Park. It has lots of cul-de-sacs off each side and all the houses on both Carrleigh and the cul-de-sacs back up to Accotink. The houses are really lovely and large and I believe, for the most part, they're in your budget.