Question about communities in Herndon area

[Anonymous]

Make sure to ask about HOA fees for each area. CH has a low HOA fee because it is managed by neighborhood volunteers. Among the lowest HOA in the area with excellent neighborhood and walkable elementary school and community pool.

[Anonymous]

we looked at pretty much all the neighborhoods above 10 years ago, but wound up just a little further South in 22033 in Greenbriar. Good schools, all walkable. Library and shopping center also walkable.

Just throwing it out there as another option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20171 also includes Fox Mill Estates. We love it here. The elementary school is great, several pools in the area, and the neighborhoods are easy for kids to get around in.

I've heard (elsewhere) that South Reston is not the safest place and the same for parts of Herndon. Are all of these neighborhoods excluded from those admonishments? I know none of these are technically in "South Reston," but Fox Mill Estates at least looks pretty close.

We have lived hear for 13 years and have not seen any crime. The BB&T has been robbed a few times but that is it. I can’t think of anything happening at the shopping center. Parents let their kids walk to school on a daily basis. Kids are currently walking and biking to the pools without supervision. You can walk to the other neighborhoods you are discussing from Fox MIll. The biggest complaint that I have heard is the lack of a traffic light at Pinecrest and Fox Mill, which is currently being rectified.

People seem to greatly exaggerate the crime stats in the area. Stuff happens every where. The crime in South Reston is minimal, and it the rare event seems to be in apartment/townhouse areas not single family homes. I have not even heard of much crime in Dogwood, which is near by. I read the Facebook groups and this idea that South Reston is dangerous is brought up fairly regularly but I have never seen the stats to back up the concern.

DP, same - there is really no crime. The BB&T get robbed every couple of years (usually unsuccessfully) - which is a stand alone building that is not inside the neighborhood, to be clear, it's technically in another zip. The bank at the neighborhood shopping center does not get robbed. Actual crime in the neighborhood is limited to if you leave your unlocked bike at the playground overnight, you risk someone riding it back to their house. The neighborhood news letter reports the "crime" report which includes the fact that like 11 people left their garage doors open at night and that's not recommended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we looked at pretty much all the neighborhoods above 10 years ago, but wound up just a little further South in 22033 in Greenbriar. Good schools, all walkable. Library and shopping center also walkable.

Just throwing it out there as another option.

Nice area but a little far from Silver line. Also elementary school rarings are in decline.

[Anonymous]

The Hiddenbrook area is nice. I like the pool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we looked at pretty much all the neighborhoods above 10 years ago, but wound up just a little further South in 22033 in Greenbriar. Good schools, all walkable. Library and shopping center also walkable.

Just throwing it out there as another option.

Nice area but a little far from Silver line. Also elementary school rarings are in decline.

the OP didn't mention silver line access.

I honestly have no idea why the GS ratings are declining. The neighborhood is the same as before. The only thing I can figure out is that GBW decreased in size when the AAP center at Poplar Tree opened (GBW AAP was WAAAY overstuffed before-thank goodness our school is now smaller!) It is a great neighborhood school. A lot of the teachers are our neighbors. We have had a wonderful experience there. We're going through for a second time now (we have a high schooler and a young elem schooler) and our girls have had good experiences there.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to Leescorner, no complaints. Teachers and staff are nice, very active PTA and nice community feel. We feel safe there and my kids love it there. All FCPS schools have been lacking lately with the shrinking curriculum. Leescorner has one AAP class but your AAP kid can also be transferred to Oakhill with no issues. So if you're in Franklin Glen your kid will go to LC, if eligible for Level IV AAP they can stay at LC or move to Oakhill. We live across from Franklin Glenn and my kids have a lot of great Franklin Glenn friends.

[Anonymous]

I've heard (elsewhere) that South Reston is not the safest place and the same for parts of Herndon. Are all of these neighborhoods excluded from those admonishments? I know none of these are technically in "South Reston," but Fox Mill Estates at least looks pretty close.

When DCUM talks about crime in South Reston, they are usually referring to the area straddling Reston parkway near Southgate, nowhere near these neighborhoods.

OP, with three decent choices, I would consider how you expect your kids to be traveling through the area now and in the next few years--will they want to walk or bike? Then FG or FF are preferable because of the trails. Do you run to the grocery on the daily? Then being able to walk to Giant might be a plus, etc. We found it useful to try to map out our daily life when we chose a neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Would you happen to have a map of the tot lots? I am new to the area and have had no luck finding them and i hear there are 14! my toddler would love that!

Anonymous wrote:I live in Franklin Glen. Poster mentioning pool drama is correct. Honestly there is always drama in the neighborhood as is evidence by the postings on Facebook. FG gets lots of cut through traffic which you should consider when looking at houses. I am not impacted by the traffic, but many homes are and there were many discussions about how to address it. Things died down with COVID, but I suspect the issue will arise this fall. Some people feel LCES has gone down hill a bit over the past few years. As a parent with two elementary aged children at LCES there is nothing impressive about the school, IMO.

Also, part of the neighborhood is across the parkway. Many people probably think that area belongs to FF, but part is definitely FG. A few other parts of the neighborhood are only connected by trails (roads off Stringfellow).

There are several Tot lots, tennis courts, and the pool is large enough for the community size. FG is only about 700 homes, I believe FF is over 2000. I am not sure if the size of CH.

FG looks nice, but there are complaints of cliques. LCES is fairly diverse, but FG itself is less diverse, though that has definitely changed over the last few years (a positive, IMO).

I have no idea whether FF or CH experience the same issues I mentioned above. My guess is you have some of this in every neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you happen to have a map of the tot lots? I am new to the area and have had no luck finding them and i hear there are 14! my toddler would love that!

Anonymous wrote:I live in Franklin Glen. Poster mentioning pool drama is correct. Honestly there is always drama in the neighborhood as is evidence by the postings on Facebook. FG gets lots of cut through traffic which you should consider when looking at houses. I am not impacted by the traffic, but many homes are and there were many discussions about how to address it. Things died down with COVID, but I suspect the issue will arise this fall. Some people feel LCES has gone down hill a bit over the past few years. As a parent with two elementary aged children at LCES there is nothing impressive about the school, IMO.

Also, part of the neighborhood is across the parkway. Many people probably think that area belongs to FF, but part is definitely FG. A few other parts of the neighborhood are only connected by trails (roads off Stringfellow).

There are several Tot lots, tennis courts, and the pool is large enough for the community size. FG is only about 700 homes, I believe FF is over 2000. I am not sure if the size of CH.

FG looks nice, but there are complaints of cliques. LCES is fairly diverse, but FG itself is less diverse, though that has definitely changed over the last few years (a positive, IMO).

I have no idea whether FF or CH experience the same issues I mentioned above. My guess is you have some of this in every neighborhood.

Do you live in the neighborhood? Community amenities are for the residents who pay to maintain them. Most of them have signs stating this. There are many parks owned by the county with wonderful playgrounds for little kids, including local elementary schools. People aren't going to publicly post a map of amenities that are not for public use.

If you live there, going for walks down paths to find one sounds like a great activity for a toddler. Or ask your neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Franklin Farm will be closer to the new datacenter. May affect house values.

https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/03/19/fairfax-county-oks-chantilly-land-sale-to-data-center-builder-as-some-cry-foul/

[Anonymous]

My bad, it's actually FG that's closer. May be that's who the houses take longer to sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My bad, it's actually FG that's closer. May be that's who the houses take longer to sell.

The data center is on the other side of Route 28 from FH, CH or FG. The property the county is selling is adjacent to the airport and some other industrial buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My bad, it's actually FG that's closer. May be that's who the houses take longer to sell.

this thread is from 5 years ago.

[Anonymous]

I think you're confused. Most houses in Franklin Farm go to Oak Hill or Crossfield. Only a few streets (mostly older houses) go to Navy.