Gainesville vs Lorton vs Centreville?

[yamota]

I used to live in Gainesville a few years ago, back just before they developed that land on the corner of 66 and 29 and turned it into the big shopping center it is now. I enjoyed living in Gainesville, the neighborhood was good, it was quiet, manassas mall was closeby.
But the one thing that drove me nuts was the commute. I work in DC and sometimes my daily one way commute to DC took 2 and a half hours or more! I couldn't take it, having to stand in bumper to bumper traffic for that long, every single day. And I don't have one of those cushy jobs where you can work from home sitting in my underwear like some people.

[newandconfused]

Well - sounds like Lorton might be the way to go ..

anyone know of any good neighborhoods in the area that feeds into Silverbrook elementary (I think thats the best elementary in the area?) as well as that new South County junior high?

[cathyatexit]

Originally Posted by newandconfused

Well - sounds like Lorton might be the way to go ..

anyone know of any good neighborhoods in the area that feeds into Silverbrook elementary (I think thats the best elementary in the area?) as well as that new South County junior high?

I wouldn't discard Gainesville so quickly. We moved to Gainesville 3 years ago from New England. We were all over the Northern Virginia map researching schools, looking at homes, driving commute distances, etc. We chose Gainesville and are very happy here. My husband commutes to Fairfax and sometimes to DC. There are days when the traffic is bad, but it has improved a great deal since we moved here. They have widened Rt. 66 and are in the process of making huge infrastructure improvements on 66/Rt29 and adding connecting roads in several areas. There are numerous shopping centers, restaurants and professional facilities opening daily! The new Wegman's opens in November. There is also a proposed VRE extension into Haymarket.

And you're right, you will get more home for your money in Gainesville, especially now. Home prices in Prince William County dropped 28% the first quarter in 2008 compared to that in 2007. BUT, homes sales are greater in Prince William County than ANY OTHER county in Virginia due to this decline. They were actually up 3% while others were all down. This means you can buy now at a great price as a greater investment.

And, we are very pleased with the schools. We have been to 3 schools (2 elementary and 1 middle school) so far and have had great experiences - better than Massachusetts where we came from.

Some more to consider... Good luck!

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by yamota

I used to live in Gainesville a few years ago, back just before they developed that land on the corner of 66 and 29 and turned it into the big shopping center it is now. I enjoyed living in Gainesville, the neighborhood was good, it was quiet, manassas mall was closeby.
But the one thing that drove me nuts was the commute. I work in DC and sometimes my daily one way commute to DC took 2 and a half hours or more! I couldn't take it, having to stand in bumper to bumper traffic for that long, every single day. And I don't have one of those cushy jobs where you can work from home sitting in my underwear like some people.

Why werent you taking the VRE?

[newandconfused]

Originally Posted by cathyatexit

I wouldn't discard Gainesville so quickly. We moved to Gainesville 3 years ago from New England. We were all over the Northern Virginia map researching schools, looking at homes, driving commute distances, etc. We chose Gainesville and are very happy here. My husband commutes to Fairfax and sometimes to DC. There are days when the traffic is bad, but it has improved a great deal since we moved here. They have widened Rt. 66 and are in the process of making huge infrastructure improvements on 66/Rt29 and adding connecting roads in several areas. There are numerous shopping centers, restaurants and professional facilities opening daily! The new Wegman's opens in November. There is also a proposed VRE extension into Haymarket.

And you're right, you will get more home for your money in Gainesville, especially now. Home prices in Prince William County dropped 28% the first quarter in 2008 compared to that in 2007. BUT, homes sales are greater in Prince William County than ANY OTHER county in Virginia due to this decline. They were actually up 3% while others were all down. This means you can buy now at a great price as a greater investment.

And, we are very pleased with the schools. We have been to 3 schools (2 elementary and 1 middle school) so far and have had great experiences - better than Massachusetts where we came from.

Some more to consider... Good luck!

Thanks for the input! We will give that some thought as well .. unfortunately the locations that I have to work I will not be able to take the VRE, so I would have to drive .. If we move out there I might have to buy a hybrid to sneak onto the HOV lanes LOL

[novanative75]

Originally Posted by knopfler

My gut feeling is that Gainesville schools are better than either Centreville or Lorton, but I don't have the data to back that up.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The schools in Fairfax County are better, on average, than the school in Prince William County. I would rank Centreville has having the best schools of these three, followed by Lorton and then Gainesville. I worked in FCPS for years.

Lorton is a good area, people are so shadowed but the prison and the name but there are great schools out there and South County has one of the best principals in the county.
I am partial to Centrevillle and Chantilly and think it is a great area for families with affordable living and great schools.

[newandconfused]

Originally Posted by novanative75

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The schools in Fairfax County are better, on average, than the school in Prince William County. I would rank Centreville has having the best schools of these three, followed by Lorton and then Gainesville. I worked in FCPS for years.

Lorton is a good area, people are so shadowed but the prison and the name but there are great schools out there and South County has one of the best principals in the county.
I am partial to Centrevillle and Chantilly and think it is a great area for families with affordable living and great schools.

Thanks for the insight .. what are the two best elementary schools in Lorton? I've heard great things about South County (except for the over-crowding issues).
Centreville is nice, but we're not sure if we can find a house we like for our price range, as well as the commute will still be a little bit harder.