Whats the vibe in falls church?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two types of people in FCC - the ones that have lived there for a long time (many of these are people inheriting or buying out their childhood homes) who are nice, normal, down to earth people and the "new money" who are buying for status/schools, many of whom are super snobby, lots of lawyer+SAHM families, mostly white, don't want to socialize with the long-time residents of the city because they think they are better than us. It's changing the whole "vibe" of the city, to use OP's words. Poplar Heights pool in August is a great example of this.

agree about FCC but at PH Pool its mostly non FCC families, and TBH the biggest snob families that come to mind there are not FCC families

It's all the new money husband is a lawyer families buying in Poplar Heights. We haven't loved the neighbors that have moved in the past couple of years.

I don’t think it’s people in Poplar Heights who spend half their time making sure people know they live in FCC rather than the “other” Falls Church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you really want to see what kind of people live in FCC, and trust me when I say there is not only "two kinds of people" there, then head on over tomorrow and enjoy the Memorial Day Festival and parade and 3K fun run that have all been great institutions in FCC for many decades. If you can walk or run 3K at 9 am you'll get a free shirt!

My girls march in the parade ever year. It's all white families.

Absolutely not true. There are many POC watching the parade and marching in it and have been for many years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two types of people in FCC - the ones that have lived there for a long time (many of these are people inheriting or buying out their childhood homes) who are nice, normal, down to earth people and the "new money" who are buying for status/schools, many of whom are super snobby, lots of lawyer+SAHM families, mostly white, don't want to socialize with the long-time residents of the city because they think they are better than us. It's changing the whole "vibe" of the city, to use OP's words. Poplar Heights pool in August is a great example of this.

agree about FCC but at PH Pool its mostly non FCC families, and TBH the biggest snob families that come to mind there are not FCC families

Ooh, dish. I’m a member of PH Pool but don’t get to see the soap opera side of it. I’m guessing it isn’t the families there at 1pm on a Saturday that are causing much drama.

You need to go on weekdays when the moms sit around and gossip while their kids swim. Last summer there was a lot of tea spilt and maybe even some tears.

[Anonymous]

All this gossiping sounds like a big bummer. But is it so different to N Arlington moms? McLean moms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this gossiping sounds like a big bummer. But is it so different to N Arlington moms? McLean moms?

I don’t think McLean or Arlington moms are gossiping at the pool. Not at all. The moms here are all worldly professionals who could care less about rumors of others’ misfortunes.

[Anonymous]

There are two other pools that FCC residents patronize besides Poplar Heights, they are High Point and Lee-Graham. Also, many FCC residents visit the Upton Hill NV Regional Park Authority pool on Wilson Blvd near Seven Corners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this gossiping sounds like a big bummer. But is it so different to N Arlington moms? McLean moms?

I don’t think McLean or Arlington moms are gossiping at the pool. Not at all. The moms here are all worldly professionals who could care less about rumors of others’ misfortunes.

Clearly this is sarcasm, right? I imagine there are lots of pools filled with catty parents around the DMV…

[Anonymous]

Recently moved to Falls Church primarily for the schools and walkable neighborhood (restaurants, lovely library, parks, etc. Very happy with the decision. People are not any different from northern Arlington. Very blue and liberal which is what we wanted. Coming from DC (which we liked too) the development is welcome. We want more walkable options, not less. Downside is not much income diversity but there are many feds and foreign service families which makes the school system more transitory. But that is ok with us too as we like meeting new kids every year, by seeing some friends move away can be a bummer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are two other pools that FCC residents patronize besides Poplar Heights, they are High Point and Lee-Graham. Also, many FCC residents visit the Upton Hill NV Regional Park Authority pool on Wilson Blvd near Seven Corners.

Actually I would say that most people at Poplar Heights are not FCC residents - we're a Shrevewood family and most everyone we see at the pool is someone we know from school. Everyone we know in FCC goes to Tuckahoe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as a long-time (if 15 years counts as a long time) Falls Church City resident, all the new construction and the traffic and congestion it is causing is horrendous and will NOT be worth it in the end. The West Falls Community was just delayed another year due to financing. I would not be surprised if the other two communities currently under construction (Founders 2 and the supposed Whole Foods) are delayed due to financing issues as well. We're going to be under construction for the next decade. More and more people, especially those with young children, are going to be moving in and I feel like the schools are going to go downhill as a result. We may have just increased capacity, but it won't last forever and then there's nowhere else to put new schools. This is poor city planning at its absolute worst.

I think the traffic problems are completely overrated by FCC residents. It is not that bad. The City is doing the right thing by concentrating development near WFC and along 7. Better than an endless row of car dealerships and nail salons that could be in Woodbridge.

I lived between Tyson's and FCC along route 7 for years. The traffic is indeed horrendous. And it doesn't magically get better as soon as you pass under the O&D trail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falls Church has some of the worst schools in the entire county. However the schools in FCC are tolerable, although nothing to write home about (except to the people who live in falls church ffx co)

Oh, STFU. You haven't a clue. Some of the best schools in the state are in the Falls Church part of the county or FCC - Marshall HS, Longfellow MS, Haycock ES, Meridian HS, etc. And the ones that you probably intend to bash here - Falls Church HS and Justice HS - still offer dozens of AP and IB courses.

You know this state has really gone in to shambles when Marshall is considered best in the state.

25- 30 years ago it did not have a good reputation at all, but the demographics in that part of Falls Church has been trending upscale ever since. Just look at all the threads dedicated to Pimmit Hills, once a working class hood, but now one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the region. Marshall also has very high income areas zoned to it like those closer to Vienna. Marshall High School is now top tier in FCPS and Virginia.

Pimmit Hills is still redneck confederate land

It reminds me more of Vienna now. Small 50's ramblers getting torn down daily to build ginormous mansions. I love walking through there though to look at the architecture. Some of it is mindblowing...and not in a good way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well they don't use the term "vibe" does that help?

[phone]

[Anonymous]

Dumpy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never been but what is the general vibe of the families there? Crunchy? Artsy? Buttoned up? Corporatey? Bunch of GS 15s? I keep hearing the public schools are great and it has a small town vibe, but to me it very much depends on who is in that small town with you.

Two words come to mind: pretentious progressivism.

Amy Coney Barrett lives there.

yes, it is the same as 20 years ago. There was a notable white national who also lived there. I also doubt Pimmit Hills is really upscale; it seems like a lot of 5,000 / 6,000 + square foot Virginia McMansions that are increasing prices. The real wealth is in Great Falls, McLean and North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, and for the person who always comes on these threads to talk about the City's segregated past: Yes, there were ugly, shameful decisions made 70+ years ago regarding school and neighborhood boundaries. The current situation is much more inclusive, with representation and awareness for people of all ethnicities, sexualities, and perspectives. (Except for the people who like the food at the Four Ps. Not sure I'll ever understand them.)

There is still a lot of work to be done -- affordable housing is a major issue, and the secondary campus has seen a string of problems this year. But there is genuine diversity in neighborhoods, classrooms and friend groups, and responsiveness from schools/government when problems arise.

What do you mean by “genuine diversity”? If you’re referring to demographics, it’s is markedly less diverse than neighboring Arlington or Fairfax. FCC is 76% white and <3% poverty. The BLM rally at Cherry Hill in June 2020 was almost comically performative for a city with ~4% Black population. Politically there is virtually no diversity at all.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/fallschurchcityvirginia,arlingtoncountyvirginia,fairfaxcountyvirginia/PST045222

There are a TON of mixed race kids/families in FCC. They may identify as white when that doesn't tell the whole story. My child was one of only a handful of white kids in his boy scout troop in FCC.

Mixed race?? Isn’t Fairfax County heavily Asian?