[Is it safe?] Moving to Main Line Road and E Glendale Ave near Braddock Metro (Alexandria: rent)

[pilot101]

Hey Guys,

I been living in Van Ness area in DC for many years, but finally decided to move due to rising rent costs. Luckily, my friend bought a townhome in Alexandria(Main Line Road and E Glendale Ave) and is willing to let me rent. I was planning to move there and was wondering. Is the neighborhood relatively safe? Are there areas I should absolutely avoid? Also any good places I should check out while I'm living there? I noticed there are nearby Giant and Harris teeter within walking distance(20 mins or so) too. I appreciate your feedback!

[CapnTrips]

The area as a whole is safe. However, that neighborhood is new, abuts the tracks and a fairly deserted area, so I'd use some caution after dark. In the past I've noticed from hearing and reading news stories that the area right around the metro station seems to draw the most criminal incidents. The area around Route One close to the Metro also still has some incidents occurring from time to time.


Still, I'd be comfortable living there.

[pilot101]

Originally Posted by CapnTrips

The area as a whole is safe. However, that neighborhood is new, abuts the tracks and a fairly deserted area, so I'd use some caution after dark. In the past I've noticed from hearing and reading news stories that the area right around the metro station seems to draw the most criminal incidents. The area around Route One close to the Metro also still has some incidents occurring from time to time.


Still, I'd be comfortable living there.

CapnTrips, thanks for your feedback! Yea it seems like east of the Braddock Road metro is where the crime occurs. I will try to avoid areas near route one too. As you mentioned, the neighborhood is new and I don't think there will a lot of foot traffic walking back home late night going on potomac yard trail/Main Line Blvd. That part makes me worry a bit. I also don't know how much lighting there will be at night. I guess I just need to be mindful of my surroundings. Other than that, the area seems awesome.

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by pilot101

Hey Guys,

I been living in Van Ness area in DC for many years, but finally decided to move due to rising rent costs. Luckily, my friend bought a townhome in Alexandria(Main Line Road and E Glendale Ave) and is willing to let me rent. I was planning to move there and was wondering. Is the neighborhood relatively safe? Are there areas I should absolutely avoid? Also any good places I should check out while I'm living there? I noticed there are nearby Giant and Harris teeter within walking distance(20 mins or so) too. I appreciate your feedback!

I lived in Old Town Alexandria for a number of years. Yes, that area is relatively safe. Keep in mind, though, that the development you're considering abuts the busiest rail corridor on the East Coast and the Metro tracks shared by the Blue and Yellow Lines. Expect to hear freight trains rumble by often and the townhouse to vibrate (my old condo building on the other side of the tracks vibrated). Also expect to hear the occasional whistle as trains approach the bridge over Braddock Road (or the King Street station).

When I lived in Alexandria, the Giant you referenced (on Monroe Avenue) was notoriously crummy and in bad need of a makeover. Hopefully, it's been renovated within the last year or two.

Harris Teeter is new. There's also a Trader Joe's a few blocks away on St. Asaph. Both are about a 20-25 minute walk. Just keep in mind that you have to cross three busy arteries (Henry, Patrick, and Washington) to get there and back.

In terms of good places to check out, you're fairly equidistant from the cores of Old Town and Del Ray -- two areas that offer a number of shopping and dining opportunities. Del Ray is much more family-oriented; Old Town is much more tourist-oriented.

Alexandria has changed and grown so dramatically over the years that there's no area that I would say to avoid at all costs. A few blocks on the north side of Old Town still feature public housing and are a bit dicey, but I wouldn't consider them dangerous. The path from Braddock Road to your development is new and well-lit.

All in all, it's an urban area with urban characteristics, so if you keep your street smarts, you should do just fine.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by jeff22152

I
When I lived in Alexandria, the Giant you referenced (on Monroe Avenue) was notoriously crummy and in bad need of a makeover. Hopefully, it's been renovated within the last year or two.

It's a completely different and new Giant in a different location, near Rt 1 and a new section of Glebe. The one you refer to on Monroe was torn down this year and an Aldi is going in there.

E. Glendale is where there are older brick rowhouses just across from George Washington Middle School. OP might be referring to these, as I don't think they've built new townhouses that far south on Main Line Blvd.

I really like what's being done in that whole area of Main Line and Potomac Ave (what used to be poorly-used or unused land after the Potomac Yard rail yard was removed). Lots of families and young adults use the recreation path along Main Line, plus the basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, the water sprinkler park and playground for the kids.

Trouble spots are mostly centered around the public housing areas in the vicinity of Wythe, Montgomery, and Madison, which are on the other side of the RR tracks in the Parker Gray neighborhood. Unfortunately, a man was shot and killed there this week (on Montgomery), just a few blocks from where someone else was shot and killed late last year (on Belle Pre Way). I believe these were cases of people who knew each other and/or drug sales.

That said, such crime is pretty rare, and I have never been bothered going down Wythe, Pendleton, or Oronoco on my way to Old Town for years, but that's just anecdotal. Check crime reporting sites if you're concerned. There aren't any spots in Del Ray I'd be concerned about, and if going by foot/bike to Old Town or the few businesses on Braddock, I wouldn't worry about going by either the trail to Braddock Rd (where it ends by 7/11) or by going down Mt Vernon Ave to E Braddock.

[jeff22152]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

It's a completely different and new Giant in a different location, near Rt 1 and a new section of Glebe. The one you refer to on Monroe was torn down this year and an Aldi is going in there.

E. Glendale is where there are older brick rowhouses just across from George Washington Middle School. OP might be referring to these, as I don't think they've built new townhouses that far south on Main Line Blvd.

I really like what's being done in that whole area of Main Line and Potomac Ave (what used to be poorly-used or unused land after the Potomac Yard rail yard was removed). Lots of families and young adults use the recreation path along Main Line, plus the basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, the water sprinkler park and playground for the kids.

Trouble spots are mostly centered around the public housing areas in the vicinity of Wythe, Montgomery, and Madison, which are on the other side of the RR tracks in the Parker Gray neighborhood. Unfortunately, a man was shot and killed there this week (on Montgomery), just a few blocks from where someone else was shot and killed late last year (on Belle Pre Way). I believe these were cases of people who knew each other and/or drug sales.

That said, such crime is pretty rare, and I have never been bothered going down Wythe, Pendleton, or Oronoco on my way to Old Town for years, but that's just anecdotal. Check crime reporting sites if you're concerned. There aren't any spots in Del Ray I'd be concerned about, and if going by foot/bike to Old Town or the few businesses on Braddock, I wouldn't worry about going by either the trail to Braddock Rd (where it ends by 7/11) or by going down Mt Vernon Ave to E Braddock.

Thanks for the clarification on Giant. I've seen the new one along Route 1, and should have made the connection that it replaced the dump on Monroe.