Bad parts of Alexandria and Arlington? (Fairfax, Hybla Valley: apartment complexes, condos, crime)

[zotmeister]

Does anyone know if there are parts of Alexandria or Arlington I showe avoid in finding a place to live. Please provide boundaries of area by street name.

Thanks

[notinnj]

By "bad" I will assume that you are referring generally to crime. There are no areas of Alexandria or Arlington where I would consider it dangerous, but there are certainly some areas where crime is more prevalent. I am more familiar with Alexandria. Parker Gray, also called North Old Town, and in particular within the rectangle north of Pendleton, west of Columbus, south of Montgomery, and west of the tracks. Now, it isn't uniformly "bad" within those boundaries, and there have been some recent signs of improvement according to those who live there. I wouldn't write this area off, but be very aware of exactly what you are considering when looking at a place to live. An example is the Colecroft condos which are on the edge of this area on the tracks at Braddock Rd. They are nice, safe, and a quick hop to the Metro stop. There are also some blocks where many attractive homes have been renovated.

[AnalyzeThis]

notinnj hit the nail on the head with that area. I walk it multiple times a week to go to a boxing class on Pendleton/N. Henry and on one side there is some public housing and the other, town homes selling for $500K+. While I routinely walk late at night and early in the morning to the Eisenhower Metro and run in the evenings along Eisenhower/Duke/King street, I could not see myself doing the same right around the Braddock area. Just walking from the metro to N. Henry I have been harassed by a druggie woman looking for cash and lots of "men" hanging around the block I assume because they either (1) work odd hours or (2) don't work at all. I can't say I have felt my life was in danger but I have been in situations where I could see how a situation could go from an annoyance to dangerous quickly. If you are a single woman I would stick VERY close to the Braddock metro if you will do alot of walking to/from (like Colecroft) or consider something around the King street metro or Eisenhower metro.

[robbobobbo]

Concur with Parker Gray descriptions. Also, Arlandria, an area on the boundary between Alexandria and Arlington, on Mt Vernon Ave, is a lower-income area that has more crime than typical for Alexandria.

[Kingofbmore]

Hyba valley and the landmark area are pretty bad

[Veritas Vincit]

It's all relative. In Arlington terms, well, you generally want a N in front of your street name. I don't think there's something like a real hood in Arlington but there's certainly some neighborhoods that have a bit of 'urban grit' (and they're generally south of Arlington Blvd).

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Kingofbmore

Hyba valley and the landmark area are pretty bad

to clarify Hybla Valley has an Alexandria mailing address, but it is in Fairfax County.

Landmark area has a mix of income levels and housing types. It is not the most attractive area of the City, and its schools are not highly sought after, but you are unlikely to be a crime victim there, I think. I can say I ride my bike through the area often, with no particular fear of crime. There were some incidents on the Holmes Run Trail there a few years ago, but I don't think any recently.

[Old Dominionite]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

to clarify Hybla Valley has an Alexandria mailing address, but it is in Fairfax County.

Landmark area has a mix of income levels and housing types. It is not the most attractive area of the City, and its schools are not highly sought after, but you are unlikely to be a crime victim there, I think. I can say I ride my bike through the area often, with no particular fear of crime. There were some incidents on the Holmes Run Trail there a few years ago, but I don't think any recently.

I completely agree. The only thing I'll add is that crime in these areas is often confined to a couple of "problem" apartment complexes.

[Old Dominionite]

It's amusing to see this thread resurrected after nearly 10 years. The comments made about Parker Gray in 2009 (while somewhat overblown even then IMO) don't hold up in 2018.

[r small]

The area around E. Reed Ave. and Rt. 1 in Alex. used to be pretty bad. Lots of crime and drug activity. Maybe not as bad now. Shirlington Rd. in South Arlington up the hill from the Weenie Beenie used to be a little rough. But last time I was up that way I saw a lot of pricey looking new town houses so it looks that gentrification is changing that neighborhood. The public housing project in north Old Town known as the "Berg" has had some problems through the years. A cop was shot and killed there quite a few years back. That's all that I can think of.