Life in Falls Church
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Anonymous
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Hi all,
We are relocating to the DMV and are seriously considering a house in Falls Church City. In our naive minds, it would be a good spot because we have young kids about to enter schools, enjoy the mix of small town and big city life, and like the downtown vibe as a nice alternative to going into DC proper. We can just barely afford a house there. Could anyone weigh in on the community in Falls Church that they have experienced? Generally friendly? Generally family and kid-oriented? Generally able to talk about something other than work? I'll be commuting into downtown a few days per week, and my spouse will WFH, if that matters. Any real world experience or thoughts would be helpful. Much appreciated. |
Anonymous
| OP here again with one more question...seems to be a 10-20% premium on houses in FCC versus just over the county line, we assume because of the schools? All of the area schools seem pretty excellent, so curious what drives that premium? |
Anonymous
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We used to live there, but moved further west.
It's a good area for the things you listed. Commute into the city is easy, access to lots of trails, nice small town feel, lots of good, diverse food options (both groceries and restaurants), schools decent, etc. I loved it. |
Anonymous
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It's a great place to live for all the reasons you listed plus more. Schools are very good, on a par with the top schools in Fairfax and Arlington. The difference is it's much easier to communicate with school officials, school board members, etc. and have more of a say in everything. Some don't like that the small size of the high school can be limiting for students who are good athletes and the range of available classes is slightly different from bigger high schools. My family never thought either of those factors negatively impacted our kids. In fact, it's easier for an average athlete to get on a school team which benefited us.
House prices definitely reflect the high regard many have for the schools as well as the small town feel in an urban environment. City services are also mostly very good especially library, parks, special events, rec classes and sports opportunities. |
Anonymous
| FCC is not diverse, if that matters to you. |
Anonymous
It does. I will definitely look more at that. I assume that includes the schools (i.e. they don't draw from nearby communities?) |
Anonymous
What does that even mean? |
Anonymous
| If you decide to go the Falls Church/Fairfax County route (as we did), look carefully at the school pyramid you're getting into. Some are better than others. |
Anonymous
Correct - many years ago the then-town of Falls Church (which is now Falls Church City) redrew its borders to exclude the town's Black neighborhood to disenfranchise the Black residents and keep them from voting in local elections. The area that was carved out is now part of Fairfax County, rather than Falls Church City, and is heavily Hispanic today. The kids there go to Falls Church High (which is part of the Fairfax County schools) rather than to Meridian High (which is the Falls Church City high school). |
Anonymous
+1. Generally speaking, you should look to avoid Falls Church in Fairfax County, as their schools are subpar to say the least. |
Anonymous
"Generally speaking"? LOL. You can live in the Falls Church part of Fairfax County and be zoned for one of four different high schools: McLean HS, Marshall, HS, Falls Church HS, and Justice HS. McLean HS is considered the strongest of the four, followed by Marshall HS, then Falls Church HS, and finally Justice HS. Both McLean HS and Marshall HS are ranked higher by US News among the top high schools in Virginia (#3 and #5, respectively) than Meridian HS, which is the high school for Falls Church City and ranked #13. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings |
Anonymous
The schools in 22043 are just as good or better. |
Anonymous
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OP, we live in 22043 on the border of Falls Church City and Fairfax County. We participated in many Falls Church activities through the years. Our kids played sports through FCC Rec and were on the same Little League teams. Our local pool membership pulls from FCC and Fairfax County. So we get lots of exposure to kids from various school pyramids (Meridian, McLean and Marshall, plus those that go to St. James).
I don't think you can go wrong with any of those schools. |
Anonymous
Thank you! This is helpful. |
Anonymous
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From friends who live there, it's way too small if you don't like people who gossip, think that FCC is THE BOMB, and are all up in your business. The schools are excellent, but they are also very small, so you are going to be going to school with the same kids from K-12. Plus the property taxes are higher than surrounding areas.
It is a great place to live I'm sure, but I prefer Arlington which is much bigger. |