Fairfax Station/Burke Area (Arlington, Springfield: renting, coop, landscaping)

[cuab773]

Does anyone have any experience with these areas? good/bad and why?

We are looking at relocating here and it seems to be on the outside a very nice community. I was wondering if there will be kids/families around for my 3 small children to meet/play with. I will also be a SAHM so definitely want to be in an area where we can get out and meet other SAHM's/kids.

Also, does anyone have any experience with either the Spring-Mar Coop Preschool or St. George's UMC preschool?

Thanks so much!

[NEnewbie]

Hi,
We just moved here a few weeks ago, so I can only give my limited opinion based on that time. We are renting in Burke and will eventually look to buy in either Burke or Fairfax Station. I am a SAHM with 5 and almost 7 year old boys.

Here are my observations:

Pros:
-Everyone seems pretty friendly
-Town pools in Burke are affordable and look really nice.
-Schools are great so far (keep in mind it's only been 3 weeks)
-Burke has a pretty "townish" feeling though it isn't officially a town.... I think the Burke Centre conservancy helps this
-Within Burke Centre things are well kept as far a landscaping etc
-Tons of stores (from walmart and target to grocery stores to a wonderful mall) all within a few minutes drive
-Traffic doesn't seem to be too bad around here... granted I'm driving around between 9 and 3 while the kids are at school.
-Wonderful system of walking trails and small playgounds

Cons:
-Streets are large and traffic moves fast
-Haven't loved any of the grocery stores yet... may just take some getting used to
-Lots (in Burke at least) are mostly on the smaller side and don't seem to have much in the way of yards
-Playgrounds aren't fenced (only a problem if you have a runner)
-Figuring out the kids' team sports has not proven easy

Not sure how helpful this is, but thought I'd offer my two cents. Good luck with your decision.

[mlv311]

We live close to the area (relocated here 3 years ago) and love it. It is very family-friendly, safe, and easily accessible to shopping and amenities, including parks, libraries, etc. I'm also a SAHM with two small kids. While there are many SAHM (and dads) in the area, you won't necessarily find them at your neighborhood or local tot lot. But there are many moms groups in the area and they are very active. I have found it very easy to keep my kids active and socializing with other moms and their kids.

I know moms who have their kids in the preschools you mentioned. Spring-Mar is very popular because it's a coop. If you are looking into other preschools in the area, I highly recommend Burke Presbyterian Preschool. They have a holistic approach to child development. The director and many teachers have been there for over 10 years. I've been very impressed with them.

If you have other questions, feel free to send me a message.

[mlv311]

Originally Posted by NEnewbie

-Haven't loved any of the grocery stores yet... may just take some getting used to

NEnewbie: Have you gone to Wegman's? It isn't too far away. They have competitive prices on commonly used items and it's huge (you will find almost anything you need there). I love their customer service; they train their employees well.

[NEnewbie]

Thanks for the Wegmans rec. I haven't been yet, but I saw an ad and was thinking about checking it out this weekend.

[cuab773]

Thanks so much for all of the helpful advice and thoughts!

That's exactly what I was wondering as it seemed to be what you were describing when we visited but we were only there for a few days so I wanted to make sure we weren't missing any obvious "warning" signs

I will definitely look into the preschool mentioned above as well!

Do you know anything about coop preschools? Other then the fact that you volunteer time etc., do you know anything about what requirements the teachers have? I also plan on asking the contact I have for them when I call them back next week.

Thanks!

[mississippimagnolia]

Hey cuab! Welcome to Burke! We really like this area! This is the third time we've lived in the D.C. area as grown ups. Both my husband and I lived here a couple of times as kids as well.

Schools are excellent! I have kids in the elementary and secondary schools. (Plus one away at college).

Tons of kids in our neighborhood. My youngest is in our backyard with about five or six kids right now. It's fixing to rain, so I imagine I'll have a houseful in a few minutes.

It's very, very friendly. Most of my neighbors are either federal government or military (or retired). We've all moved around a lot. It's a very welcoming place. I am a stay-at-home mother as well. There are plenty of stay-at-home moms in my neighborhood.

My husband gets on the VRE for an easy, easy, easy commute into D.C

I can't list many cons. Any cons I list would simply be part of living in any DC suburb...traffic, ridiculous cost of living, ...stuff like that.

All roads lead back to DC over and over again for us. My husband works for the federal government. This is certainly not a place we would choose to live for any length of time. But it's fun for a couple of years at a time. And Burke really is a great community!

[car54]

Originally Posted by NEnewbie

Thanks for the Wegmans rec. I haven't been yet, but I saw an ad and was thinking about checking it out this weekend.

Weekends can be rough at Wegman's...and IMPOSSIBLE on the day(s) before major holidays. Needless to say, the place is very popular.

I go to Wegman's on weekdays in the late morning or early afternoon, not too crowded then....

[bmwguydc]

There's also a small Whole Foods at Rolling & Old Keene Mill in Springfield, and for a Trader Joe's you would need to go to Fairfax or Springfield. The larger Whole Foods is out near Wegman's in Fair Lakes, and there's a decent sized one in Vienna. Harris Teeter is not in the immediate area, but there's one that recently opened near Fair Oaks. There was a rumor of HT returning to Fairfax, but it has not panned out yet, and I think that another chain is eyeing the space, at least according to a business owner I know in the same plaza.

I tend to go to Wegman's late at night, or very early in the morning. There's been more than one time when I was one of the last customers at midnight, but it's just so much easier than navigating the congestion in the parking lot and the store, itself. And, I know many people who come from Arlington and DC to that Wegman's, which is one reason why it's always so busy, since it's the closest to many areas of the city.

[statecollege]

I'm a West Springfielder. Can't go wrong with this area.