Recommendations for neighborhoods in Fairfax County? [VA]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the DMV from the San Francisco Bay Area and we've spent most of our attention on looking at Bethesda / Chevy Chase, mostly because my spouse is from the Northeast and thinks MD feels more like NY/NJ. I'm trying to convince him to look at Northern Virginia in part because the state and local income taxes are so much more reasonable, but we don't know where to really begin. Cultural differences aside (if there really are any), he doesn't like that NOVA has so many big roads and strip malls and doesn't seem to have more walkable neighborhoods. He thinks B/CC neighborhoods are full of beautiful older homes and VA seems to have a lot more recent McMansions. Is that really true? Are there exceptions?

We've heard traffic can be very bad in Virginia, particularly on main roads and over the bridges, and although we're both WFH, we would like to go into DC regularly to visit museums with the kids. Here in the Bay Area, we're lucky enough to be able to walk to school, the public library, the grocery store, neighborhood parks, and we'd love not to have to get into the car and sit in traffic to do everything.

Would love some help with recommendations on neighborhoods to look at? Some have mentioned McLean and Vienna, but we don't know which parts. Our budget is $2M, give or take. Excellent public schools are very important to us.

I live in central Fairfax County and rarely sit in traffic for anything. I’ve lived in NOVA in different places for almost 25 years.

Well, I live in FFX as well, and have lived in NoVA for 22 years, and I feel like sitting in traffic is a regular part of life here.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax Station or Clifton

[Anonymous]

Generally speaking, the closer you live to DC (VA and MD), the more traffic you’ll have, often bumper-to-bumper, along with fewer and smaller park areas. In close-in areas, in addition to the neighborhood traffic, you get all the traffic from those farther out driving to and from DC during weekdays and on weekends. As a result, in parts of Virginia and Maryland closest to DC, it might take you 15 minutes to drive a few miles to and from a grocery store, whereas the same distance in Fairfax might take 4-6 minutes. The same goes for schools, fitness clubs, parks, etc.

As another poster indicated, I wouldn’t factor access to museums into the equation. As a resident, it is easy enough to park at any one of the many metro stations with parking (free on weekends) and then take a 10-20 minute metro ride into DC for a day at one or more museums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the DMV from the San Francisco Bay Area and we've spent most of our attention on looking at Bethesda / Chevy Chase, mostly because my spouse is from the Northeast and thinks MD feels more like NY/NJ. I'm trying to convince him to look at Northern Virginia in part because the state and local income taxes are so much more reasonable, but we don't know where to really begin. Cultural differences aside (if there really are any), he doesn't like that NOVA has so many big roads and strip malls and doesn't seem to have more walkable neighborhoods. He thinks B/CC neighborhoods are full of beautiful older homes and VA seems to have a lot more recent McMansions. Is that really true? Are there exceptions?

We've heard traffic can be very bad in Virginia, particularly on main roads and over the bridges, and although we're both WFH, we would like to go into DC regularly to visit museums with the kids. Here in the Bay Area, we're lucky enough to be able to walk to school, the public library, the grocery store, neighborhood parks, and we'd love not to have to get into the car and sit in traffic to do everything.

Would love some help with recommendations on neighborhoods to look at? Some have mentioned McLean and Vienna, but we don't know which parts. Our budget is $2M, give or take. Excellent public schools are very important to us.

The cultural differences will be less pronounced for your spouse in MD. To New Yorkers, VA is considered southern. This will be debated, but those who are truly not from the south will understand. Ultimately, the answer depends on commute, and nothing more. MD is slightly cheaper than VA. For VA, the PP who mentioned the McLean HS side of McLean is spot on, regarding walkability - unless you insist on a new house, then you will have to move further out for the money. Vienna is very walkable and family friendly, and tends to skew slightly younger than McLean. You will get more land, the further out you move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I highly recommend Annandale or anything in the Justice pyramid

+100
I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the DMV from the San Francisco Bay Area and we've spent most of our attention on looking at Bethesda / Chevy Chase, mostly because my spouse is from the Northeast and thinks MD feels more like NY/NJ. I'm trying to convince him to look at Northern Virginia in part because the state and local income taxes are so much more reasonable, but we don't know where to really begin. Cultural differences aside (if there really are any), he doesn't like that NOVA has so many big roads and strip malls and doesn't seem to have more walkable neighborhoods. He thinks B/CC neighborhoods are full of beautiful older homes and VA seems to have a lot more recent McMansions. Is that really true? Are there exceptions?

We've heard traffic can be very bad in Virginia, particularly on main roads and over the bridges, and although we're both WFH, we would like to go into DC regularly to visit museums with the kids. Here in the Bay Area, we're lucky enough to be able to walk to school, the public library, the grocery store, neighborhood parks, and we'd love not to have to get into the car and sit in traffic to do everything.

Would love some help with recommendations on neighborhoods to look at? Some have mentioned McLean and Vienna, but we don't know which parts. Our budget is $2M, give or take. Excellent public schools are very important to us.

The cultural differences will be less pronounced for your spouse in MD. To New Yorkers, VA is considered southern. This will be debated, but those who are truly not from the south will understand. Ultimately, the answer depends on commute, and nothing more. MD is slightly cheaper than VA. For VA, the PP who mentioned the McLean HS side of McLean is spot on, regarding walkability - unless you insist on a new house, then you will have to move further out for the money. Vienna is very walkable and family friendly, and tends to skew slightly younger than McLean. You will get more land, the further out you move.

I’m truly not from the south and I don’t understand.

[Anonymous]

So you both WFH??
And it doesn't sound like a commute to anywhere in the region is a factor, right?

Why move here? Why not to a lower COLA area?

[Anonymous]

Ignore the people recommending Annandale and Justice.

Look at City of Falls Church. There is traffic here, but I think it’s easier to avoid highways when you live closer to the city. Great schools, nice community feel and it’s not hard to get into the city for museums either!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the DMV from the San Francisco Bay Area and we've spent most of our attention on looking at Bethesda / Chevy Chase, mostly because my spouse is from the Northeast and thinks MD feels more like NY/NJ. I'm trying to convince him to look at Northern Virginia in part because the state and local income taxes are so much more reasonable, but we don't know where to really begin. Cultural differences aside (if there really are any), he doesn't like that NOVA has so many big roads and strip malls and doesn't seem to have more walkable neighborhoods. He thinks B/CC neighborhoods are full of beautiful older homes and VA seems to have a lot more recent McMansions. Is that really true? Are there exceptions?

We've heard traffic can be very bad in Virginia, particularly on main roads and over the bridges, and although we're both WFH, we would like to go into DC regularly to visit museums with the kids. Here in the Bay Area, we're lucky enough to be able to walk to school, the public library, the grocery store, neighborhood parks, and we'd love not to have to get into the car and sit in traffic to do everything.

Would love some help with recommendations on neighborhoods to look at? Some have mentioned McLean and Vienna, but we don't know which parts. Our budget is $2M, give or take. Excellent public schools are very important to us.

The cultural differences will be less pronounced for your spouse in MD. To New Yorkers, VA is considered southern. This will be debated, but those who are truly not from the south will understand. Ultimately, the answer depends on commute, and nothing more. MD is slightly cheaper than VA. For VA, the PP who mentioned the McLean HS side of McLean is spot on, regarding walkability - unless you insist on a new house, then you will have to move further out for the money. Vienna is very walkable and family friendly, and tends to skew slightly younger than McLean. You will get more land, the further out you move.

Have lived in both McLean and Vienna and agree with this assessment. But I'll add that there are parts of Vienna that are not walkable.

[Anonymous]

Kings Park West in Fairfax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax Station or Clifton

Only if you don't have to use 66.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the DMV from the San Francisco Bay Area and we've spent most of our attention on looking at Bethesda / Chevy Chase, mostly because my spouse is from the Northeast and thinks MD feels more like NY/NJ. I'm trying to convince him to look at Northern Virginia in part because the state and local income taxes are so much more reasonable, but we don't know where to really begin. Cultural differences aside (if there really are any), he doesn't like that NOVA has so many big roads and strip malls and doesn't seem to have more walkable neighborhoods. He thinks B/CC neighborhoods are full of beautiful older homes and VA seems to have a lot more recent McMansions. Is that really true? Are there exceptions?

We've heard traffic can be very bad in Virginia, particularly on main roads and over the bridges, and although we're both WFH, we would like to go into DC regularly to visit museums with the kids. Here in the Bay Area, we're lucky enough to be able to walk to school, the public library, the grocery store, neighborhood parks, and we'd love not to have to get into the car and sit in traffic to do everything.

Would love some help with recommendations on neighborhoods to look at? Some have mentioned McLean and Vienna, but we don't know which parts. Our budget is $2M, give or take. Excellent public schools are very important to us.

The cultural differences will be less pronounced for your spouse in MD. To New Yorkers, VA is considered southern. This will be debated, but those who are truly not from the south will understand. Ultimately, the answer depends on commute, and nothing more. MD is slightly cheaper than VA. For VA, the PP who mentioned the McLean HS side of McLean is spot on, regarding walkability - unless you insist on a new house, then you will have to move further out for the money. Vienna is very walkable and family friendly, and tends to skew slightly younger than McLean. You will get more land, the further out you move.

Have lived in both McLean and Vienna and agree with this assessment. But I'll add that there are parts of Vienna that are not walkable.

PP here excellent point. I should have pointed out that the parts near Vienna's downtown is what I would consider, but I can not speak to the schools (for resale value).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you both WFH??
And it doesn't sound like a commute to anywhere in the region is a factor, right?

Why move here? Why not to a lower COLA area?

This.

Neither nova/md are particularly cute or walkable, and overpriced if you don’t have to be here for work. Your budget is healthy enough to find a cute, walkable New England town that would have the feeling your spouse wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you both WFH??
And it doesn't sound like a commute to anywhere in the region is a factor, right?

Why move here? Why not to a lower COLA area?

+1. Northeast to DMV can be a big change, culturally, OP (hint: ask others who have actually done so).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look in town of Vienna in walking distance of the Whole Foods if you want walkable.

Withing the Town of Vienna you can be walkable to the library, Vienna Community Center, Town Green, W & OD path, tons of restaurants, sports fields and playgrounds. Vienna is extremely walkable.