N. Arlington versus Vienna

[Anonymous]

I know many people in both areas and I'm sure you can find what you like in terms of community in either place. You could attend a community event in each to get a better feel. Or even just hang out for a weekend in each.

Your decision might come down to housing/yard - that will be the biggest difference IMO (if commute isn't an issue).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

The neighborhood and community surrounding Yorktown are very affluent. There is a small section of housing near Rosslyn that was redistricted over 20 years ago to Yorktown. That area is more mixed in terms of SES.

Vienna is very affluent, too, and Yorktown has more low-income kids than Madison. So you were basically just wrong. Got it.

And where do you live? Just trying to get a feel for the community vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

The neighborhood and community surrounding Yorktown are very affluent. There is a small section of housing near Rosslyn that was redistricted over 20 years ago to Yorktown. That area is more mixed in terms of SES.

Vienna is very affluent, too, and Yorktown has more low-income kids than Madison. So you were basically just wrong. Got it.

And where do you live? Just trying to get a feel for the community vibe.

I think Yorktown has more of a range of incomes. Vienna is more homogeneous, but it has apartments within it's boundaries too.

[Anonymous]

There aren't many families in Vienna that send their children to private high school. Do most people who live within the boundary of Yorktown High School send their children there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There aren't many families in Vienna that send their children to private high school. Do most people who live within the boundary of Yorktown High School send their children there?

Private schools are sparse in Northern Virginia. Most of the ones in the area are in Montgomery County and Northwest DC. There is Potomac in McLean which is close to Northern Arlington and Flint Hill in Oakton which is close to Vienna. Congressional is in northern VA do and commutable from either. They are very expensive and if the OP's budget is $1M, it may be out of their budget or more than they would want to pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There aren't many families in Vienna that send their children to private high school. Do most people who live within the boundary of Yorktown High School send their children there?

I love in that neighborhood. I see lots of Gonzaga and Visitation stickers on cars. I think that Yorktown is pretty much the definition of homogeneous.

[Anonymous]

Vienna, without a doubt (and I live in N. Arlington)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in both. People in Vienna are far friendlier. They are more community-focused and less work-obsessed.

[b]really? See, I've lived in Vienna for about 15 years and I find it snobby and full of tiger mom types who are obsessed with their children. So competitive, even over dumb things like kid activities and sports. Everyone here takes themselves very, very seriously. Lots of moms micromanaging their girls' social lives and mom cliques.

I wish I had something nice to say about North Arlington, but apart from its being close to DC, I really don't. People there mostly range fron the tolerably nebbish to the terribly obnoxious. We were more than happy to leave. Vienna is a breath of fresh air in comparison.

[Anonymous]

We live in Vienna, love the location and the schools our child has attended. Area is very convenient for lots of reasons. Not perfect, but no place is.

If you haven't already -- visit both locations as much as you can, if you've truly narrowed down the search to those two areas. Go to each on a Saturday and hang out, check the farmer's markets if that's your thing, visit the grocery stores or coffee shops or whatever. If your kid(s) are school-age, ask for a school tour and say you're choosing an area -- schools do get those requests.

Don't give too much credence either way to online forums or "great schools" web sites or anyone who bashes either community too hard -- those are outliers. Go and see for yourself.

Spend time driving around both and absolutely be certain to do test drives to the work location in Oakton from Vienna and then from North Arlington. Pick a residential neighborhood in each and do your commute to Oakton from there to see what it's like. It's a pretty rough gauge of a commute but could tell you a lot. I think commuting to and from Oakton from N. Arlington could be a pain but from Vienna it's short; you'd hit some stoplight backups if you have to take Rt. 123 (Maple Ave.) but there might be shortcuts to where you work. Do it at morning and evening rush times if you possibly can.

It's good to get opinions here but best to invest some time visiting the locations you're considering and checking out the neighborhoods and traffic patterns.

[Anonymous]

We live in Vienna, love the location and the schools our child has attended. Area is very convenient for lots of reasons. Not perfect, but no place is.

If you haven't already -- visit both locations as much as you can, if you've truly narrowed down the search to those two areas. Go to each on a Saturday and hang out, check the farmer's markets if that's your thing, visit the grocery stores or coffee shops or whatever. If your kid(s) are school-age, ask for a school tour and say you're choosing an area -- schools do get those requests.

Don't give too much credence either way to online forums or "great schools" web sites or anyone who bashes either community too hard -- those are outliers. Go and see for yourself.

Spend time driving around both and absolutely be certain to do test drives to the work location in Oakton from Vienna and then from North Arlington. Pick a residential neighborhood in each and do your commute to Oakton from there to see what it's like. It's a pretty rough gauge of a commute but could tell you a lot. I think commuting to and from Oakton from N. Arlington could be a pain but from Vienna it's short; you'd hit some stoplight backups if you have to take Rt. 123 (Maple Ave.) but there might be shortcuts to where you work. Do it at morning and evening rush times if you possibly can.

It's good to get opinions here but best to invest some time visiting the locations you're considering and checking out the neighborhoods and traffic patterns.

+1 from a fellow Vienna resident

[Anonymous]

OP, we can debate the merits of each neighborhood ad nauseum, but it really does come down to commute around here.

[Anonymous]

NP here. I have lived in N. Arlington, and now live in Vienna. We moved here after marriage (15 years ago).

I commute to reston (1x/week), Ballston (1x/week) and work at home 3x / week.

Commute times:
Vienna to Reston: 15 min (doesn't matter when...)
Vienna to Ballson: 40 minutes on most days, leaving Vienna at 7:30, but can be really bad...off rush hour, it can be as little as 20 min
Work at home: it depends...if I have to walk the dog, it can take 5 min; otherwise about 15 seconds. (house is small).

School: we are happy with our schools...Louise Archer/Thoreau (or Jackson)/Madison

Amenities: Arlington has more of a night life, but Vienna is more family friendly. We have our small business food places and coffee (e.g., Maple Ave Restaurant; etc).

[Anonymous]

You might want to consider living in Oakton. You can get more sq. footage and Oakton has excellent schools.

[Anonymous]

Commute is the number one priority here and out of those two, I'd most definitely pick Vienna. I live in Town of Vienna, but I also really like N. Arlington. We considered it but ultimately chose Vienna for a few main factors. #1 Commute- We go to Tyson's. Much more bang for your buck. More diverse. More family friendly.

Both areas have great walkability to amenities, which seems important to you since you've picked these 2. If it's not than Oakton would be a good bet too. Schools are great, homes are nice. But you will be driving mostly everywhere unless you live right by the Oakton strip mall on Chain Bridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might want to consider living in Oakton. You can get more sq. footage and Oakton has excellent schools.

You can get a bigger house in Oakton, but it's a bit amorphous. There is no real center. Vienna has a greater sense of community.