Is Occoquan underrated? (Arlington, Alexandria, Woodbridge: apartments, living in, shop)

[songbirdsmile]

Granted, I have never lived in Occoquan, but I've visited and enjoyed how charming and historic it was, right on the water, not far at all from DC.

But I rarely ever hear people talk about Occoquan the way they do other NoVA places like Arlington, Alexandria, McClean, etc.

I guess because it's so much smaller? But it still seems like it would be on people's radar as a quaint place to live that is close to DC but has its own unique vibe.

Thoughts?

[oneasterisk]

It's so small and parking is awful.

[NOVA_guy]

It’s just an upgraded version of Woodbridge imho.

[HokieFan]

When we lived in Lake Ridge, we enjoyed going to Occoquan for dinner and drinks on the occasional weeknight. I would not live there - it’s a cut through during rush hours, it’s jammed packed on the weekends and parking is horrible.

Also, it’s in the pipeline for a developer to come in, tear down some buildings and build a mixed use property - retail and 50-something apartments. There will certainly have to be a garage attached as well. The charm of the historic district will soon be eradicated.

[DAXhound]

We used to like Blackbeard's Inn. Don't know what became of it. Growing up in Springfield, we tended to avoid 95, except for work into DC. Woodbridge and Springfield look so close on a map, even of metro DC, but it seemed like a world away.

[SmartMoney]

I live one block outside of the Town's limits, but do benefit by the Town's small police department. They have done a great job slowing traffic over the bridge - they are enjoying an aggressive (but needed) reputation in that area. Once the "flyover" is done with Old Bridge/95/123, I expect things to quiet down quite a bit.

We enjoy the walk to dinner, occasional shopping or concert at the park. Custard at 3rd Base is a must. I love it here, I hope word doesn't get out.

[Turnerbro]

It’s nice but I agree with the parking problems.

[someguy1234]

Occoquan is a cute place for sure. IMHO, Occoquan has the same problem that most small river towns do. I'm sure it's nice if you live on Poplar Lane...even better if you have waterfront property. If you don't, there's not much you can get to without a car, which sort of negates the point of living in a small river town. Overall, it's pretty quiet as long as you're not near Gordon.

[ChristineVA]

I go there expecting so much more and then I get underwhelmed. Not sure what it is a want....