Is Arlington the Best Place to Live in the DC Area?

[Anonymous]

There are good parts of Arlington (North) and no so good parts of Arlington (South). There are strip malls and some walkable neighborhoods, every part of Arlington is not equal.

What is your budget? That will determine where to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want public schools then Arlington seems like the best urbanized suburb in terms of proximity. We prefer Alexandria, but my child attends private school.

Arlington schools have declined significantly. And current school board and superintendent believe equity means a race to the bottom.

Thats what you get with open borders.

[Anonymous]

Arlington is like you describe but I wouldn’t say ‘“it’s so wonderful and everyone wants to live there.” It’s a pretty safe bet if you have to make a quick decision without seeing other neighborhoods and can afford it. I don’t love how homogenous it feels. Lots of young white yard sign liberal families who all put their kids in soccer and gymnastics, do play dates at the neighborhood parks and travel. Lots of lawyers. That’s my impression (of n arlington) at least. I work in arlington and live nearby.

I’m not too familiar with Maryland but it always seems nicer than va (where I live). I have the same impression of Bethesda being snobby.

[Anonymous]

Vienna.

[Anonymous]

Some people will claim it’s all ugly housing and strip malls, but that is silly. I’d say almost anything along the orange line corridor is going to give you what you’re looking for. I’m near East Falls Church, but also looked a lot near Westover. It’s possible to find a home walkable to metro, trails, parks, a few restaurants, etc. depending on exact location. If you’re closer to Westover there’s a cute little area with ice cream shop, restaurants, library, etc. Getting to DC for dinner out or a show isn’t hard.

You could also look in Falls Church City, which borders Arlington. And there are some walkable parts of Vienna although a bit further out. Obviously your dollar will stretch a bit further there so it depends on what exactly you need in a house.

But my family has been happy so far in Arlington. Our kids attend Tuckahoe and we’ve had a good experience with the school so far.

[Anonymous]

Arlington is a great place in my opinion. The problem is everyone agrees and the demand is through the roof for housing there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're moving long-distance and don't know the DC area well, but have done a lot of online research.

For someone who wants the traditional 4-bedroom house, walk to school and playgrounds, but also an urban feel, not all strip malls and developments, and close enough to DC to go in and enjoy the city most weekends, Arlington seems by far the best place to live...maybe even the only place.

Bethesda is the only other one that seems to be in that range, but feels more suburban and more snobby. In Silver Spring, the nice single-family homes seem to be further out from downtown and the big downtown complex feels kind of manufactured/too commercial (Dave & Busters, burgers, pizza). I've always lived in big cities and really love the full experience of world-class museums, historical sites, parks, restaurants, at my doorstep. Arlington seems to offer easy access to that.

Am I missing something or is Arlington really the best? And is that why all the homes are like $1.3-$1.8 million dollars, because it's so wonderful and everyone wants to live there?

Are there any other suburbs I should be looking at? We looked at DC too, but prices don't seem much better there.

You should be looking at NW DC, which provides you with easier access and has neighborhoods that are suburban in nature yet far more attractive than Arlington.

Arlington is ugly and the public schools are really no better than those in NW DC.

[Anonymous]

I am from Southern California and move to Arlington about 22 years ago. I’ve lived in Ashton heights and now ballston area.
It is fine, and probably the only place in the dc area I could tolerate this long.
We have stayed close to the orange line because that is the most urban/walkable part of north Arlington. We have tweens now walking to parks is replaced with walking to movies/ice skating and things like that.
It is very expensive for a reason - high demand and low supply. I would look elsewhere if you are under 1.7m.

[Anonymous]

We went from N Arlington to Bethesda and I like it worlds better. Different strokes...

[Anonymous]

We love our neighborhood! We are near Clarendon Metro, and there's tons to walk to. When our son is older, he'll be able to walk to elementary school and high school (though the middle school is about a mile away). I think Arlington has some of the BEST playgrounds, and there are so many since Arlington is dense. We have 6 playgrounds within a 15-minute walk which is amazing.

But there are downsides - namely, the housing stock is old and crappy and small for enormous price tags. We are basically living in a tear-down on expensive land.

The trade-off is worth it for us since we are one and done, but I can see other people having a different calculus and opting for more space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're moving long-distance and don't know the DC area well, but have done a lot of online research.

For someone who wants the traditional 4-bedroom house, walk to school and playgrounds, but also an urban feel, not all strip malls and developments, and close enough to DC to go in and enjoy the city most weekends, Arlington seems by far the best place to live...maybe even the only place.

Bethesda is the only other one that seems to be in that range, but feels more suburban and more snobby. In Silver Spring, the nice single-family homes seem to be further out from downtown and the big downtown complex feels kind of manufactured/too commercial (Dave & Busters, burgers, pizza). I've always lived in big cities and really love the full experience of world-class museums, historical sites, parks, restaurants, at my doorstep. Arlington seems to offer easy access to that.

Am I missing something or is Arlington really the best? And is that why all the homes are like $1.3-$1.8 million dollars, because it's so wonderful and everyone wants to live there?

Are there any other suburbs I should be looking at? We looked at DC too, but prices don't seem much better there.

We need your budget. You can get the bolded in DC. Cleveland Park, AU Park, Chevy Chase, Palisades, etc. If you can afford private school, then no need to live in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're moving long-distance and don't know the DC area well, but have done a lot of online research.

For someone who wants the traditional 4-bedroom house, walk to school and playgrounds, but also an urban feel, not all strip malls and developments, and close enough to DC to go in and enjoy the city most weekends, Arlington seems by far the best place to live...maybe even the only place.

Bethesda is the only other one that seems to be in that range, but feels more suburban and more snobby. In Silver Spring, the nice single-family homes seem to be further out from downtown and the big downtown complex feels kind of manufactured/too commercial (Dave & Busters, burgers, pizza). I've always lived in big cities and really love the full experience of world-class museums, historical sites, parks, restaurants, at my doorstep. Arlington seems to offer easy access to that.

Am I missing something or is Arlington really the best? And is that why all the homes are like $1.3-$1.8 million dollars, because it's so wonderful and everyone wants to live there?

Are there any other suburbs I should be looking at? We looked at DC too, but prices don't seem much better there.

We need your budget. You can get the bolded in DC. Cleveland Park, AU Park, Chevy Chase, Palisades, etc. If you can afford private school, then no need to live in Arlington.

I live in Arlington and would recommend living elsewhere if you are planning on private schools. A lot of the good privates are not close by and so either you are stich with a limited set of schools or a long school commute (and friends far away).

[Anonymous]

Currently live in Arlington but have lived in Silver Spring and my parents live in Potomac.

I think Arlington is the best combination of commute, schools, and urbanized suburb lifestyle. I think that for elementary school it has the best schools because the class sizes are the smallest compared to MCPS and FCPS. But overcrowding is definitely a thing. I also think if you work downtown it has the best commute and compared to MD if you have a high salary the most reasonable taxes. Driving and metro is a lot easier but I do feel like Montgomery county’s bus system is more robust.

If I didn’t commute into downtown dc I would live in Bethesda. The people are snobby both places. But I like the housing stock more in Bethesda and it also has a lot of retail and good schools.

I have friends that like McLean but it doesn’t seem as walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want public schools then Arlington seems like the best urbanized suburb in terms of proximity. We prefer Alexandria, but my child attends private school.

Arlington schools have declined significantly. And current school board and superintendent believe equity means a race to the bottom.

Thats what you get with open borders.

Ignore the dumb MAGAs on DCUM. There aren’t that many IRL.

[Anonymous]

It’s the least horrible option in this swampy hell hole.