annandale neighborhood (Chantilly, Fairfax, Lake Barcroft: crime, lawyers, house)

[krishna1]

How is the neighborhood on sipes lane/ pine dr , annandale, 22003?
I mean crime wise, general reputation and schools.

[DC Oldtimer]

This is just my personal opinion as someone who has lived not far from there for > a decade.

I do not recommend living in the part of Annandale that lies inside the beltway. The part outside the Beltway is fine.

I don't know which elementary school children on Sipes drive are assigned to, but I am guessing Annandale Terrace. I'm not an expert on it, but am not under the impression that it is a sought-after elementary school. To the contrary, I am under the impression that being in that elementary school district is a negative to home value.

For info on schools, go to www.greatschools.net

Poe Middle School and Annandale HS are not among the more highly regarded in the Fairfax County Public School System. Nonetheless, one should keep in mind that we dont have bad schools in Fairfax County. It's just that some schools are heavily populated by the children of doctors, lawyers, and scientists (Woodson, Langley) while others are heavily populated by the children of low SES parents. That is what explains the difference in test scores ... not a difference in teacher quality.

[JD984]

I'm not sure about the neighborhood near the intersection of Pine/Sipes, but there are other Annandale neighborhoods, such as Sleepy Hollow Woods and other inside-the-Beltway neighborhoods near Mason District Park that are very safe and stable. The school pyramid for Sleepy Hollow Woods is Belvedere-Glasgow-Stuart; much of Lake Barcroft also feeds into this pyramid. The schools do have many ESL students, but they also educate many children of doctors, lawyers, scientists and Government employees.

[DC Oldtimer]

I agree Sleepy Hollow is nice but I still wouldn't live over there. Too close to some creepy neighborhoods for me.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by DC Oldtimer

I agree Sleepy Hollow is nice but I still wouldn't live over there. Too close to some creepy neighborhoods for me.

Obviously, it's ultimately a matter of personal taste. However, much of the housing stock in the Sleepy Hollow area is of high quality and situated on decent-sized lots with plenty of trees, and it's not exactly as if the residents of the near-by neighborhoods you consider "creepy" rampage through the more affluent neighborhoods, scavinging for food, shelter or extra parking spaces. [Indeed, most of them are too busy working, often at multiple jobs, performing tasks that folks who live in nicer areas aren't willing to do.]

[nm25]

I was wondering about the neighborhood safety and crime around Lanier Street. I noticed there is a shopping center that is nearby that area and I am wondering how safe it is to buy a house that backs into it.

[horseplayer]

Sleepy Hollow is a commuter's gold mine. It's also accessible to top private schools, if required. I saw a split foyer sitting on the market for 449K at Buffalo Ridge last summer. 15,000 SF lot, which is a ranch by Chantilly standards.

[DiderotsGhost]

Originally Posted by krishna1

How is the neighborhood on sipes lane/ pine dr , annandale, 22003?
I mean crime wise, general reputation and schools.

I haven't been on that particular street, but I used to ride the bus down Jayhawk every day and lived near Americana & Oreana and never saw any problems. Guess it depends on what you are looking for naturally, but I'd disagree with DC Oldtimer if he/she is suggesting that the area is bad for crime.

Couldn't say much about the schools since I don't have children.

[Yankeesfan]

I don't know much about that area but you can go here and enter the address to see which schools you would be assigned to:

Fairfax County Public Schools Boundary Information

and here to research the schools:

Fairfax County Public Schools - School Profiles

There's a boundary study underway for Annandale which may be relevant:

Fairfax County Public Schools Boundary Information

[car54]

I remember my parents laughing at those funny looking little metal boxes on Pine Dr/Sipes La which were built in 1950...one of the earliest developments in Annandale. I believe they cost about 6-8 grand new. My father owned some of the land they were built on.

They were tiny, no basement, METAL boxes with flat roofs....but they were on almost quarter acre lots. Almost all have been torn down or renovated to where they are unrecognizable....but a few of the originals are still there.

Don't listen to these Woodson xenophobes.....there's nothing wrong with Annandale inside the Beltway. I've never seen any residence in outside-the- beltway Annandale that I would trade my 2 acres of woods off Hummer Rd in <gasp> inside-the-beltway Annandale!

But there has always been this rivalry (even before the Beltway was built), and I don't think the Woodsoniites have ever gotten over the regular Friday night thrashings handed to them by the Annandale Atoms football squad (of which yours truly was a proud member!) back in the 60s....