Tell Me About Fairfax Station

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, all of the schools are fine out here. Robinson, Lake Braddock, South County...your kids will be fine.

OP here... yes, I figure it is all better than what we are zoned for in ACPS.

It's not better. Lived here (in Fairfax Station) for 7 years. Bought here for a "top FCPS" elementary school. Huge mistake. We left and enrolled in private school 3 years ago. We are now staying in private and moving to be closer to the schools kids attend, which are much closer to the city. Should have never moved here. We have to downsize massively to pay for school but we are never going back to public ever. FCPS is horrible. Should have been closer in the entire time. Likely moving to Falls Church or Arlington but my top choice would be Alexandria (but the high school they are going to is in Arlington).

Also, it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. I am constantly driving 20 mintues to extracurricular activities nearly every day. I also work in downtown DC several days a week. It is a complete nightmare.

Moving within 6 months...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd avoid the Lorton part of FFX Station. Look for houses in the Robinson or Lake Braddock pyramid. Specifically Fairview, Oak View or Sangster for ES.

We have friends with kids at Fairview and Oak View, all happy with the schools.

Sangster is awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of Fairfax Station out toward Clifton is pretty rural. You might have well water and septic there, so be aware when you’re looking at homes if you don’t want that. Some is more of a standard suburb, but more of a “bedroom community” feel vs. other areas that have some shopping centers, office buildings, etc. The big neighborhood in Fairfax Station (the non-rural part) is Crosspointe. It’s very nice with newer and larger homes than you’ll find in many areas of Fairfax County. It’s in the process of turning over from older homeowners and empty nesters to new, younger families. I live near there and always thought it was nice, but it’s becoming pretty desirable now and homes go fast and are now out of our price range sadly!

South Run is also in Fairfax Station. It’s a traditional neighborhood and not on 5 acre lots but is a little older and has more trees and privacy than Crosspointe. For school purposes, South Run is Lake Braddock vs South County for Crosspointe. Both are very nice neighborhoods.

Op here. South Run looks great for us—I should point out we don’t need truly rural, just more space, trees, etc.

One thing—I see very few houses for sale or recently sold there. Am I correct that houses there don’t come up very often and we should watch it carefully?

They don't come up often. Many people I know waited three years for one to pop up. There have been more lately that recent years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been following because we are also considering a move out to this area. Anyone know what the commute into DC would be? We are in Falls Church now that takes about 45-50 mins with traffic at 7:30am. Am I looking at an hour long commute or more like 1hr 20 mins?

Thanks.

Where in DC are you going?

I live in Fairfax Station near South Run. My commute to L st is 1.5 hours if I am driving alone. It is awful. If I carpool with a neighbor sometimes, it is one hour.

+1 same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re much better off in Fort Hunt area. Especially Waynewood area. Great suburban vibe and You feel like you’re far from dc but you’re still close to old town and dc right up the GW Parkway.

I never understood the point of moving out in the sticks like FX Station. If you want to live so far away from things, then just move out of the dmv entirely. Unless you just love commuting.

How are the middle and high schools in Fort Hunt/Waynewood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, all of the schools are fine out here. Robinson, Lake Braddock, South County...your kids will be fine.

OP here... yes, I figure it is all better than what we are zoned for in ACPS.

It's not better. Lived here (in Fairfax Station) for 7 years. Bought here for a "top FCPS" elementary school. Huge mistake. We left and enrolled in private school 3 years ago. We are now staying in private and moving to be closer to the schools kids attend, which are much closer to the city. Should have never moved here. We have to downsize massively to pay for school but we are never going back to public ever. FCPS is horrible. Should have been closer in the entire time. Likely moving to Falls Church or Arlington but my top choice would be Alexandria (but the high school they are going to is in Arlington).

Also, it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. I am constantly driving 20 mintues to extracurricular activities nearly every day. I also work in downtown DC several days a week. It is a complete nightmare.

Moving within 6 months...

What was wrong with the FCPS school your kids attended?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, all of the schools are fine out here. Robinson, Lake Braddock, South County...your kids will be fine.

OP here... yes, I figure it is all better than what we are zoned for in ACPS.

It's not better. Lived here (in Fairfax Station) for 7 years. Bought here for a "top FCPS" elementary school. Huge mistake. We left and enrolled in private school 3 years ago. We are now staying in private and moving to be closer to the schools kids attend, which are much closer to the city. Should have never moved here. We have to downsize massively to pay for school but we are never going back to public ever. FCPS is horrible. Should have been closer in the entire time. Likely moving to Falls Church or Arlington but my top choice would be Alexandria (but the high school they are going to is in Arlington).

Also, it takes FOREVER to get anywhere. I am constantly driving 20 mintues to extracurricular activities nearly every day. I also work in downtown DC several days a week. It is a complete nightmare.

Moving within 6 months...

What was wrong with the FCPS school your kids attended?

Huge bullying problem. Teachers barely teaching. Smarter kids getting ignored. School leadership astoundingly awful ignoring problems. Vaping. Kids making out in the school bus. An hour bus ride for a house 1.5 miles away. Lack of paying attention to the digital tools teaching kids also causing online bullying. It was a horrific school experience for both of my kids. They hated going every day. Sangster. Supposed to be a great school. I thought the quality of education was terrible, the teachers were not good except one we encoutered, and the school leadership is so beyond poor letting problems fester that it is not even funny. Left for Catholic school years ago. It was so bad, I pulled the kids out in October their last year at Sangster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re much better off in Fort Hunt area. Especially Waynewood area. Great suburban vibe and You feel like you’re far from dc but you’re still close to old town and dc right up the GW Parkway.

I never understood the point of moving out in the sticks like FX Station. If you want to live so far away from things, then just move out of the dmv entirely. Unless you just love commuting.

I don't really agree. I've lived in Alexandria City, the county portion of Alexandria, South Arlington, Georgetown, and Fairfax (not Fairfax Station). The worst was by far the county section of Alexandria, not far from Fort Hunt. It was far away from all the relevant portions of northern Virginia, and the local retail/restaurant options were horrendous. The whole area is dumpy outside of a mile or two from the river. Waynewood is fine, but again, hemmed in by Route 1, the river, and Fort Belvoir. I find the area extremely inconvenient, ignoring the school situation above elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live and work in Old Town. I am looking for a larger home, better schools, and a more rural feel (we grew up in a rural area).

One area that we are considering is Fairfax Station but I am a little confused about a few things. Namely, where does "Fairfax Station" actually begin and end? It's a little unclear on a map.

Generally, which are the desired school pyramids out there? Being from an area where everyone goes to the same school, FCPS boundaries are a mystery to me.

Also, one thing I've noticed looking at home listings is how many foreclosures there are in the Fairfax Station/Clifton area. Is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks!

It has a lot of white trash boomers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Used to be sought after locale during the 80s. Still a nice place to live (if you are retired or working from home) but don’t expect any sort of price appreciation for decades. Same for Clifton and surrounding areas.

Why no price appreciation? I feel like the houses in the desirable areas are getting snapped up fast and appreciating.

It is a long drive to anywhere.