Kid-friendly Neighborhood search

[Anonymous]

What about Great Falls? You couldn't buy in that range but could rent a house and Great Falls is completely outdoorsy even with places to fish and hike. I think the comute would be around 45 to an hour. If not Great Falls, I would second Vienna since it does have an small townish kind of feel as does parts of Falls Church. Gosh Monteray is so hard to top-hope you won't be disapointed here

[Anonymous]

real kid / family friendly and outdoor feel is Hollin Hall in Alexandria. It will make you feel like you never left Monteray. Bristrow is sooo far, commute is a killer.

[Anonymous]

OP, will your husband be working or staying at home?

[Anonymous]

I have to disagree with those who say to go outside the Beltway if you want more access to the outdoors. I live in North Arlington and even though it is "urban," it is very outdoorsy. There are great bike trails and parks, and people are always outside walking their dogs, biking, running, hanging out. On my street (we live near Yorktown HS), there are always kids playing outside, older folks out gardening, parents out chatting in the streets, etc. We have lots of neighborhood parties and we know each other by name. On a beautiful warm spring night like tonight, we'll see all the families walking to the local Baskin Robbins and will be heading there ourselves shortly!

When I lived in Fairfax I almost never saw anyone out walking around (except dog owners)-- maybe because there was nowhere that was easy to walk to, and I didn't know most of my neighbors. I won't say ALL Fairfax neighborhoods are like that-- that was just how mine was. It is really a matter of whether you want a more suburban feel--there are great amenities and nice neighborhoods in Fairfax, but I think people are generally more self-contained than they are in Arlington or a neighborhood like Del Ray (also nice and community oriented). In contrast, Arlington is very pedestrian friendly and has a great community feel. Within Arlington there are distinct neighborhoods and people seem to have their preferences, but I don't think you can go too wrong anywhere here.

I also advise living as close in as you can because the traffic around here is killer. It isn't just the time you spend commuting; it is the stress because people drive like maniacs. I love living here but the drivers (esp. at rush hour) are very rude and aggressive.

Whatever you do, good luck!

[Anonymous]

Check out the "East Bethesda" neighborhood. It's really not known by it's formal name. It's better known as "that neighborhood in downtown Bethesda." Very much like Del Ray in VA. Older charming wood homes, with porches. A suburban oasis that is literally steps awa from the restaurants and nightlife of downtown Bethesda. The school cluster is terrific, culminating in the nationally reknowned BCC high school with it's IB program. It's right on the metro, so getting to Crystal City would be a breeze. You can't buy for much under 900K there these days, but you should be able to find a house for rent in that price range. There are quite a few NIH families renting there (it's a 5 minute drive) and a fair amount of military (Bethesda Naval is also a 5 minute drive away) as well. Take a drive through the neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon, and you'll see for yourself that this is a lovely, kid-friendly neighborhood.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I'd suggest looking either in Fairfax County or Prince William County along the I-95 corridor. There are several commuting options to Crystal City. First of all there is the metro. The last stop on the blue line is Springfield-Franconia. Island Creek is a nice neighborhood that is walking distance to that metro. You could also take the VRE to Crystal City. There are stops at the Springfield-Franconia metro, Lorton Station, and other stations in Prince William County but I'm not sure where those stations are. Lorton Station is a pre-planned community, but the homes are close together. Your other option would be to be near a park-and-ride lot. There are lots of these in Fairfax and Prince William Counties. Most people slug (i.e., unplanned carpool) in/from work (Pentagon, Crystal City, certain stops in the district), but buses also stop at these lots and go to the same destinations. We used to live in Burke (also home to another VRE station) and my husband would slug to the Pentagon. It worked out very well and he always had the bus to fall back on.

Good Luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here- thanks to everyone for all of the great ideas.
I have been all over the internet and (surprisingly) have found affordable areas up in Gaithersburg and Germantown. Rents below 2500 (buying is a little high). any thoughts on Saybrooke, Germantown or areas in Gaithersburg? It looks like I'd have about a 50 min metro evolution (not counting drive time).
There is an added bonus for this area--my brother and his family live up there!

[Anonymous]

OP, Germantown and Gaithersburg are so, so far from Crystal City! You will be spending huge amounts of time commuting. You'll have to drive to the Shady Grove stop, park, take the Red Line and then transfer. You just don't understand what you're getting into. . . .

[Anonymous]

DEL RAY! It is such a friendly, family oriented community. It is like a small town in the middle of a big city. All the restaurants & shops are independent & there are a bunch of playgrounds & preschools. The cost of living is a little more, but DC traffic is horrible & the commute from most of the suburban neighborhoods becomes an hour + just with traffic & more when it is rainy, snowing, or even minor accidents.

[Anonymous]

It is a heck of a schlepp, but many of the Marine Corp officers I know choose to live down near Quantico. It is far enough away that it doesn't feel so suburban. I personally wouldn't want to live that far from my job, but it seems to work for them.

[Anonymous]

Hello- I usually don't post but I thought I'd throw another one in- Fairfax City. It's about a ten minute bus ride to Vienna Metro and you can definitely reach Crystal City in under an hour. The housing prices are finally falling from some genuinely obscene levels to a more reasonable 400K. There are a number of rental houses as George Mason University is near the old town area and this definitely a place where young families look to raise their children.

As for Arlington and Del Ray - they are fantasctic places to live if you can afford a house. My family rented in Clarendon until we finally had to admit that there was no way we'd be able to find a house for five with any semblance of a back yard. I do wish that we could walk to more things like we did in our old area, but we made a conscious decision to find a house near to the university and are able to walk to the parks, pool, grocery, theatre, and library in under twenty minutes. What's more is that I was pleasantly surprised by th genune mix of cultures that reside in a real small town like atmosphere.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, Germantown and Gaithersburg might as well be New York for the time it would take your DH to get to Crystal City every day. At least 1 hour 15 minutes each way, and it's not exactly the most pleasant time one could have because he'd be traveling with the morning rush. If he had to drive for some reason, I can't imagine how long it would take. Arlington (North or South), Burke, Springfield, Vienna, Dunn Loring, and Mount Vernon in Alexandria are really your best bets. Good luck and welcome to the area! It's great to live here.

[Anonymous]

As a previous poster mentioned, you ought to check out the areas along the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) routes. VRE only has a handful of stops, one of which is Crystal City.

[Anonymous]

Reston or Annandale areas in VA might work for you -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:second Delray - cute houses, neighborhood. Right off the highway so easy commute to everywhere but you would never know the highway was so close being on the little main street with the cute shops, restaurants, etc. Clarendon has a lot going on, too. But this is just what appeals to me & my family.

It really depends on what you are used to and what you want - where are you coming from? Do you want urban-ish? Or are you looking more for small-town feel? Do you want a diverse neighborhood? Do you want things within walking distance or does it not matter so much? There are different neighborhoods that have different feelings and amenities.

Give us a little more info and then I think people can be even more specific with their advice.

OP here---thanks to everyone for the suggestions--I have been scouring the rental sites!
In response to PP-We are looking more for a smalltown feel. Walking distance is not neccassary, although some of the communitites I have seen that have their own shopping district are appealing. We would actaully prefer to be out in the country (looked in Bristow) but I am afraid the commute would be too long and I would never see my husband and son suring the week.
We are presently living in Monterey, Ca. and renting a SFH in a nice subdivision that is about a 40min commute to work for me. The 40 min is doable, we still get time in the AM (usually) and a couple of hrs at night.
My husband is an outdoor nut and would be miserable without at least a backyard to work on and some woods nearby. We both put a high priority on a neighborhood that is full of kids and has a community-feel (that's the main reason I mentioned a pool and rec center). we want a neighborhood where our son can play and make friends.
I am willing to lengthen my commute so my son and husband can have all of these things. But I dont want to deny my son the time with me during the week.
Can I have it all?!?!?

Based on the woody landscape that you mentioned, I'd suggest Reston. I'm not a suburb person, but I do like REston. It's a planned community. There are paved trails for walking/biking, community pools, community center, good schools. It's still not as remote as Bristow, VA.