Most Stay-at-home Dad friendly neighborhood/elementary school in Fairfax County?

[Anonymous]

And a link -- http://www.dcmetrodads.com/index.php

[Anonymous]

Look at nvsl website to narrow into pool community. Make sure u check though that the house is part of it.

[Anonymous]

There are a few SAHD and many WAHD in Town of Vienna.

I see lots at school drop off and on the W&OD trail.

[Anonymous]

Burke is very family friendly but not walkable. Vienna is more walkable and the commute to work in Burke would be easy. however, there are long waiting lists to join the pools in Vienna.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would live in Burke if your wife will be working in Burke. Burke is a very family friendly community with good schools. Housing is affordable. We don't live there but have been to a swim club. Many HOAs also have multiple community pools.

Not that many stay at home dads anywhere. Sorry.

For the record, there are 660 members of the Stay-at-home dads group, DC Metro Dads. See: http://www.dcmetrodads.com/index.php

As the 08:03 poster has experienced, SAHDs are more prone to find themselves feeling isolated, but that doesn't mean there aren't growing numbers of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would live in Burke if your wife will be working in Burke. Burke is a very family friendly community with good schools. Housing is affordable. We don't live there but have been to a swim club. Many HOAs also have multiple community pools.

Not that many stay at home dads anywhere. Sorry.

For the record, there are 660 members of the Stay-at-home dads group, DC Metro Dads. See: http://www.dcmetrodads.com/index.php

As the 08:03 poster has experienced, SAHDs are more prone to find themselves feeling isolated, but that doesn't mean there aren't growing numbers of us.

I was not trying to offend. I don't know the exact ratio but 660 compared to the XXXXXX number of stay at home moms. I personally have met one stay at home dad in the past 3 years. We live in Alexandria. I am not saying that they don't exist. We just don't know many. We know a few dads who are currently unemployed but they don't say they are stay at home dads to us. They are actively looking for a new job.

DH has a flex schedule and gets home at 3:30. He does most afternoon pick up, extracurricular activities and dinner prep. There are quite a few dads who also seem to have flex schedules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke is very family friendly but not walkable. Vienna is more walkable and the commute to work in Burke would be easy. however, there are long waiting lists to join the pools in Vienna.

If you want walkable to the grocery store, this poster is correct. Ifyou are just looking at general walkability, Burke is perfect.

The Burke/West Springfield area was developed a little later than other areas, so it is better laid out in terms of traffic patterns and is mostly single family homes.

The homes and neighborhoods in that area are woven with county parkland. Nearly every neighborhood is accesible by foot to county parks, walking trails and biking trails. Many people walk their kids to school. The only school that does not have a lot of walkers is Irving MS, and perhaps Terra Center Elementary, and that is because it right on Old Keene Mill Rd. and Burke Center Pkwy.

Drive through the area at any time of day and you will see people everywhere biking, running, walking and playing outside. The trail system is exceptional in that area and is always in use. If you live in a neighborhood along Burke Center Pkwy or around Huntsman/Fairfax County Pkwy, you will have an easy walk to some stores, resttaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and Starbucks.

It is an area where people know their neighbors and families are outside interacting with each other. The walkability is more of the neighborhood sidewalk dog and kid walking kind,where you are out walking to gab with the neighbors as the kids play vs the walkability to the store kind.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a full time SAHD, but I am am elementary school teacher and I'm home for the summer. We moved to zip 22152 in '09 and love it. Our lot is a decent size at .25 acre. We know a ton of people in the neighborhood and it's very family friendly. My DS walks to and from swim practice each morning and enjoys the sport. Although the team is not in a high division (as mentioned earlier in this thread), the atmosphere may be a bit more relaxed. We have numerous swimmers who swim year round through clubs such as NCAP, Makos, SDS, so that is an option for those who want to take it up a notch. The only doubt I would have is you say you want to buy in the $700-800k range, which tells me the houses in our neighborhood might be older than what you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Burke would be a great fit. I live right on the border west Springfield/Burke, and there are always lots of dads at the bus stop in the afternoon. Maybe they all flex, but there are definitely involved father's around. Our pool is welcoming and accepting new members, kids ride their bikes around the streets (no through traffic in our neighborhood, it's a closed loop), and a nice mix of families and retirees.

Houses are in the $5-600s though, so you may be underwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

Laurel Hill in Lorton has plenty SAHD/WAHD's. The elementary school is pretty good and is right in the neighborhood. There are plenty of homes currently for sale in your price range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Laurel Hill in Lorton has plenty SAHD/WAHD's. The elementary school is pretty good and is right in the neighborhood. There are plenty of homes currently for sale in your price range.

And they have a swim team -- Laurel Hill Tritons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a full time SAHD, but I am am elementary school teacher and I'm home for the summer. We moved to zip 22152 in '09 and love it. Our lot is a decent size at .25 acre. We know a ton of people in the neighborhood and it's very family friendly. My DS walks to and from swim practice each morning and enjoys the sport. Although the team is not in a high division (as mentioned earlier in this thread), the atmosphere may be a bit more relaxed. We have numerous swimmers who swim year round through clubs such as NCAP, Makos, SDS, so that is an option for those who want to take it up a notch. The only doubt I would have is you say you want to buy in the $700-800k range, which tells me the houses in our neighborhood might be older than what you are looking for.

I think he might actually be pleasantly surprised as opposed to underwhelmed. What you get in the low to mid 600s in that zipcode and next door in Burke is what you would get for $700 or more in other areas.

The houses in the $700+ range around here are quite nice and spacious.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Fairfax and went to Robinson 10 years ago before settling in Arlington. I'd recommend Robinson because of bias but also be aware of the size of the schools. Robinson is an excellent school but one of the largest so I would consider that if you are looking for something more intimate. That being said, the neighborhoods within walking distance are pretty nice but Robinson also covers a large area so you could live in Burke or closer to Clifton if you want more land/ higher end home. The school size can be intimidating but I think the administration is great, very experienced, sports and arts programs are great, etc. A very large number of my peers went to college with both athletic and academic scholarships. Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke would be a great fit. I live right on the border west Springfield/Burke, and there are always lots of dads at the bus stop in the afternoon. Maybe they all flex, but there are definitely involved father's around. Our pool is welcoming and accepting new members, kids ride their bikes around the streets (no through traffic in our neighborhood, it's a closed loop), and a nice mix of families and retirees.

Houses are in the $5-600s though, so you may be underwhelmed.

OP here. Thank you (and many others) for your helpful contributions of information. My wife and I do like some of the $5-600K Split levels and other 70s era home models. We are especially attracted to smaller homes that are built with quality materials (brick, copper pipes, hardwood, etc.) in neighborhoods such as Kings Park. Part of our challenge in selecting a modest home/neighborhood significantly below our budget is that my wife went to straight ivy leagues through Medical School and Residency, and she doesn't want to be too embarassed when we invite her wealthier friends over for a visit. At the same time, she is a West Springfield Elementary graduate and I went to JMU. Is your pool Fox Hunt or Orange Hunt?

Adding the names of specific elementary schools and swim clubs to these posts is more useful than recommending all of Burke and West Springfield. From Great Schools' reviews, Bonnie Brae appears to be having conflicts between two different demographic groups, whereas Sangster might be too "competing with the Jones" and materialistic for our tastes. Being around a high percentage of other Moms and Dads, regardless of employment status, who commit lots of time towards thoughtfully raising their children is what's most important to us in selecting our final home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke is very family friendly but not walkable. Vienna is more walkable and the commute to work in Burke would be easy. however, there are long waiting lists to join the pools in Vienna.

Define: "easy commute." I can't imagine getting from Vienna to Burke in less than twenty minutes, but perhaps you know of a transportation method or driving route that I haven't discovered yet.