Thoughts on this North Springfield home?
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Anonymous
The closest VRE station is Backlick Road which was 7 minutes away according to google directions (of course traffic not included). I heard there was a bus that goes to Pentagon metro but am not sure exactly where that bus stop is in relation to this property. Schools and commute aside - did you like growing up in that area? Have you been back recently? I understand it not at nice as West Springfield/Burke but we are looking for a little more diversity than those areas offer even if North Springfield is only providing a small bump in that category. |
Anonymous
Not that poster, but you can get a much nicer house (updated 2 story colonial w/2 car garage) for just a bit more (mid-upper $400s) in West Springfield that feeds into slightly better schools (Newington area). |
Anonymous
This is on the other side of my neighborhood and we love living here. But everyone has a different idea of what they want. I commuted into DC the last few years and it's not bad if you do it right. There are so many options (metro, VRE, slugging). Lake Accotink is great if you like parks and trails. There's a lot of international markets and grocery stores. Everything I need is in a pretty close radius. My daughter is attending Crestwood Elementary. It is a Title 1 school that's over 70% Hispanic. This doesn't bother me at all but that may not be the case with you. She had a great teacher and a class with 15 kids. And picked up some Spanish, as well. 
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Anonymous
I think you would be surprised by some of the West Springfield schools. There is actually quite a bit of diversity in a few of them. With that diversity the schools (Hunt Valley comes to mind) are very high performing, in part because the "diversity" is highly educated with parents who value success through education. I guess that is why the houses in those boundaries go so quickly, with many of them going within a day or two after hitting the market. |
Anonymous
Thanks for this very helpful feedback. What is a high mobility rate in this context? Is that people leaving the school/area? Why would it be a fight to get into AAP from this school? We are definitely interested in that option as both my husband and I are products of public school gifted programs. |
Anonymous
We rented for 2 years in Springfield (south of the now-closed mall and very close to Springfield metro) in a house with that floorplan. We liked it, very open and spacious for a house that size. The original floors are decent, and the big rec room in the basement is very useful. We just bought a house in West Springfield, for the schools. I'd say this house is a decent house, somewhat close to metro and VRE, good for slugging, near schools on the lower end for Springfield (which has pretty good schools). For that asking price, you can get a same-size house in West Springfield, or a larger house in Burke with better schools. |
Anonymous
If the commute is important for you - then for the VRE station and bus and any other option - don't rely on google or what you hear. Make sure to actually go and do the commute. If you do it now, double it to account for the fact it's summer and summer traffic is lighter. Yes, I have been back many times and tried to live in the area a few years ago. The commute got worse and worse. I am guessing you mean diversity in terms of neighbors who are not your same race or ethnicity. There are two large low income apartment complexes in the area also. A portion of N Springfield does have original homeowners which means old, white senior citizens and then their families who may have moved back to the area or keep the house in the family. If you are looking for a nice middle class/ upper middle class community feel, move to West Springfield or Burke. Yes, it is still largely white but there is a mix of other races and ethnicities who are all in the same income bracket. This does make a difference in terms of neighborhood appeal, upkeep of the home, upkeep of community resources, etc. |
Anonymous
this is what I was going to say. You can be in better schools in west springfield for about the same price. I like the house thought. |
Anonymous
| Do the DC-area public schools have a large population of non-native English speaking students? If so, it is across the board or in certain areas? I have always heard that the public schools in this area are amazing, and am relying on that fact. |
Anonymous
The good schools in Fairfax County public schools are generally amazing and the so-so schools are pretty darn good. There are pockets here and there that tend to have a lot of multi-family new immigrant households, which means their kids have the expected challenges as any kid would in that situation. I think those areas tend to be the schools that people try to avoid. The part of Springfield right around the mall is one of those areas. But just go a few miles down Old Keene Mill Rd into West Springfield and Burke and it is a whole different ballgame, just one spectacular school after another. As a few posters noted earlier, even though there are immigrant families in the West Springfield schools, those parents tend to be educated professionals, so even if there are some language barriers the schools aren't impacted negatively like they are on the other side of town. |