NOVA-Fairfax County crime issues? (Richmond, Arlington: neighborhoods, schools, living in)

[salomea]

Moving to Fairfax county soon, just wanted honest opinions as to how safe the area is...I read the fairfax gov website on crime incidents, and it seems there are a lot of bank robberies, assaults, etc. ....I would like to know how residents feel about the area, good or bad? Thanks for your help.

[jb124]

Originally Posted by salomea

Moving to Fairfax county soon, just wanted honest opinions as to how safe the area is...I read the fairfax gov website on crime incidents, and it seems there are a lot of bank robberies, assaults, etc. ....I would like to know how residents feel about the area, good or bad? Thanks for your help.

I lived in FFX Co for quite a few years, from age 6 until 32 (and now live in neighboring Arlington Co) and have only been the victim of a crime once while I lived there (some kids were joyriding through our neighborhood back in like 1999 and shot out the side window of my car with a BB gun). FFX is generally very safe as long as you mind your own business and use common sense. We have gangs nowadays, but generally speaking gang crimes are targeted at rival gangs or at worst their parent ethnic groups (and if you happen to be in an ethnic group that typically has gangs associated with it, chances are you already know how to stay out of the way).

Where are you coming from? If it's any normal city or suburban area you should be fine. People from 'the country' might be a little put off by our apparent rudeness, as everyone is always in a hurry in suburbia. Also, people from areas with little diversity (all white or all white with blacks as the most populous minority, for example) might experience some culture shock at first with the many cultures represented here.

Fairfax is great, I love the fact that I grew up in an area with such vast cultural diversity and great schools. They have a good public transportation system, infrastructure, public saftety, hospitals, etc. I don't know if you have kids or not, but if I had kids, I'd have absolutely no hesitation raising them in FFX county. Arlington and Loudon counties are also good alternatives, depending on your tastes (Arlington is more urban, Loudon is somewhat more rural, although it's rapidly catching up with FFX in the suburbia department).

[salomea]

jb124, thank you so much for your reply. I am originally from northern NJ, lived right outside NYC, so I am used to the suburban lifestyle, however, I have been in SC for many years now, and I am so happy we are moving to a busier way of life! (SC is way too country for me..) I do have a daughter, she is ten, so I am so glad that you have good things to say about Fairfax county. I also grew up with a lot of diversity, and I am looking forward for my daughter to experience that in NoVa. I am due to start my masters program at George Mason Univ. in the fall, so we'll be moving up there this summer. I really appreciate your input, since we have never been there before, thanks again!

[salomea]

Any other opinions? I appreciate your help because I have never been there and this is the only option for information right now. Thank you.

[claremarie]

Crime is not really an issue for the vast majority of northern Virginia residents. There are a million people (or more) living in Fairfax County, most of whom will never witness a bank robbery, assault, homicide, carjacking, or the like. I've been living here for 20 years, and have never felt unsafe. My kids roam about the neighborhood, back and forth to the pool in summer and in the woods in winter, and I've never worried about them. Children are far more likely to be hit by a car than to be the victim of a criminal attack.

[saganista]

I grew up in North Jersey as well (Morris County) but have essentially lived in Fairfax County since 1972, and the bottom line is that crime simply isn't an issue here. That doesn't mean there isn't any. It means that there is so little that it doesn't get onto one's personal walking-around radar at all. Otherwise, there are a lot of similarities between the two areas, the major idfference being that North Jersey is older than NoVa. Development there was already substantially complete by the time of WWII, but here that didn't really occur here until the 1960's in the eastern part of the county and the 1990's in the western part. So this is a newer area without the feel of an as-is history behind it. Otherwise, as has been indicated, it's a great area. While some of it can be expensive, we have some of everything that there is here. The pace of life did used to be slower here as well, but we've pretty well closed that gap over the last 30+ years, as what was once sleepy, southern countryside has turned into a diverse, cosmopolitan, center of economic and cultural activity. If that sounds like a good thing, I'm sure you'll do fine here...

[Yankeesfan]

Fairfax County is statistically the safest jurisdiction of its size in the nation. There are a few areas to stay away from, such as along Route 1 (Richmond Highway). But even just a short distance away from Route 1 the neighborhoods are nice and very safe. There are a few other "hot spots" in the county to avoid but overall it's a great place to raise a family.

[salomea]

Thank you all for your replies, I feel a lot better now about moving up there. I appreciate all your help!

[5stones]

ok mods, I don't know what I said that got my post deleted???
sorry.

[Yankeesfan]

5stones, my post was deleted because it was a response to a racist post that was also deleted. Thank you, moderators, for cleaning up the board.