Is Arlington the Best Place to Live in the DC Area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown FCC is probably the most walkable area in DC. Route 7 goes down the middle of it but only at 30 mph. Other parts of Arlington and DC that are "walkable" have cars zooming around too fast for my comfort.

Old town Alexandria is arguably more walkable with a lot more inside it. Route one has fast moving traffic but King street is incredibly slow and Washington is reasonable. I don't this FCC can hold a candle to Alexandria in the walkability aspect but the schools are a concern for many.

It's also close to DC

[Anonymous]

OP, are you still here? Arlington is a fine place to live but if we didn’t have the resources to send our kids to private, I wouldn’t move here again. By the time our kids are at the high school level, I think the overcrowding will be intolerable. The County needs a 4th high school and there’s no money for it. I don’t know what other places in NOVA are better in that regard, but I’m sure others on this Board have ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, West Springfield by far

Why do you say that?

NP but west springfield has a reputation for being racially diverse (though not economically diverse). WS high has the smallest achievement gap between black and white students. It also is a very friendly place. If you are a UMC/MC POC seeking a white picket fence place where you feel welcome, there is no better place than WS.

Probably more UMC for new arrivals. Used to be more MC.

What is UMC? MC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, West Springfield by far

Why do you say that?

NP but west springfield has a reputation for being racially diverse (though not economically diverse). WS high has the smallest achievement gap between black and white students. It also is a very friendly place. If you are a UMC/MC POC seeking a white picket fence place where you feel welcome, there is no better place than WS.

Probably more UMC for new arrivals. Used to be more MC.

What is UMC? MC?

That is the great philosophical question that this board's users have spent thousands of pages of posts debating...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, West Springfield by far

Why do you say that?

NP but west springfield has a reputation for being racially diverse (though not economically diverse). WS high has the smallest achievement gap between black and white students. It also is a very friendly place. If you are a UMC/MC POC seeking a white picket fence place where you feel welcome, there is no better place than WS.

Probably more UMC for new arrivals. Used to be more MC.

What is UMC? MC?

That is the great philosophical question that this board's users have spent thousands of pages of posts debating...

Ha, you beat me to it. I’ve been sucked into pages upon pages of this debate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, West Springfield by far

Why do you say that?

NP but west springfield has a reputation for being racially diverse (though not economically diverse). WS high has the smallest achievement gap between black and white students. It also is a very friendly place. If you are a UMC/MC POC seeking a white picket fence place where you feel welcome, there is no better place than WS.

Probably more UMC for new arrivals. Used to be more MC.

What is UMC? MC?

Upper Middle Class and Middle Class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

THat house in Bethesda has a walk score of 13 so is pretty car dependent. there are some big homes near Yorktown where at least you can walk to a Safeway and Harris Teeter (and some random takeout places). That is not my favorite part of Arlington but there are some big homes over there.

This is a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood in Arlington if OP could live with a 3 bedroom, one-level home. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/707-N-Ivy-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12086789_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, West Springfield by far

Why do you say that?

NP but west springfield has a reputation for being racially diverse (though not economically diverse). WS high has the smallest achievement gap between black and white students. It also is a very friendly place. If you are a UMC/MC POC seeking a white picket fence place where you feel welcome, there is no better place than WS.

Probably more UMC for new arrivals. Used to be more MC.

What is UMC? MC?

It's actually a continuum on both sides of the scale so labels like this are meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

THat house in Bethesda has a walk score of 13 so is pretty car dependent. there are some big homes near Yorktown where at least you can walk to a Safeway and Harris Teeter (and some random takeout places). That is not my favorite part of Arlington but there are some big homes over there.

This is a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood in Arlington if OP could live with a 3 bedroom, one-level home. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/707-N-Ivy-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12086789_zpid/

Gotcha- i actually don’t know Bethesda but was only agreeing that I don’t know of any homes on the R-B corridor that are that large. I could have been clearer about that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

THat house in Bethesda has a walk score of 13 so is pretty car dependent. there are some big homes near Yorktown where at least you can walk to a Safeway and Harris Teeter (and some random takeout places). That is not my favorite part of Arlington but there are some big homes over there.

This is a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood in Arlington if OP could live with a 3 bedroom, one-level home. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/707-N-Ivy-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12086789_zpid/

That home in Bethesda is .7 miles from an Apple Store in Bethesda Row. You can walk to dozens of restaurants, a grocery store, and retailers that are much nicer than anything in that depressing strip mall at Harrison and Lee Highway from the Bethesda home. Just click on the map and look 4-5 blocks east of the Bethesda home.

There is nothing like that home anywhere near a retail area like Bethesda Row in Arlington. Not only that it is in a 7/9/9 school pyramid and zoned for Whitman HS, which is far better than a high school like Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

THat house in Bethesda has a walk score of 13 so is pretty car dependent. there are some big homes near Yorktown where at least you can walk to a Safeway and Harris Teeter (and some random takeout places). That is not my favorite part of Arlington but there are some big homes over there.

This is a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood in Arlington if OP could live with a 3 bedroom, one-level home. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/707-N-Ivy-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12086789_zpid/

That home in Bethesda is .7 miles from an Apple Store in Bethesda Row. You can walk to dozens of restaurants, a grocery store, and retailers that are much nicer than anything in that depressing strip mall at Harrison and Lee Highway from the Bethesda home. Just click on the map and look 4-5 blocks east of the Bethesda home.

There is nothing like that home anywhere near a retail area like Bethesda Row in Arlington. Not only that it is in a 7/9/9 school pyramid and zoned for Whitman HS, which is far better than a high school like Yorktown.

But for $1.3 to $1.8 million can you do better in Bethesda? Wouldn't you end up with a home not that much nicer than the Arlington homes near Clarendon?

[Anonymous]

We've lived in 22202 for two decades and plan to be here for the foreseeable future. I don't agree that this neighborhood is "rat race" (except maybe some pockets on Arlington Ridge) - mostly down-to-earth families who don't care about keeping up with the Joneses. Our kids are public, others in neighborhood choose private. We've been happy with Wakefield and FWIW out of the current senior class we already know of kids admitted to two Ivies and Georgetown. Highly walkable to almost anything you need, easy bike/jog to DC. It doesn't have "status" like N Arl but does have a good sense of community and connection. Good luck with your search.

[Anonymous]

Where are you people walking to that you HAVE to live in Arlington, Bethesda, etc, etc? lol

I lived in Arlington for a few years and drove most places. Most of Arlington isn't even walkable unless you are on Clarendon Blvd/Wilson Blvd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

DP. But the above person isn’t wrong. The lot sizes aren’t big enough on the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to build a house bigger than about 6000SF. Many of the new builds are 5000-6000 SF and live like a townhouse due to all the stairs. The rooms are spread over 4 levels and smaller. Far North Arlington has houses like the one linked above but those neighborhoods are car-dependent.

THat house in Bethesda has a walk score of 13 so is pretty car dependent. there are some big homes near Yorktown where at least you can walk to a Safeway and Harris Teeter (and some random takeout places). That is not my favorite part of Arlington but there are some big homes over there.

This is a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood in Arlington if OP could live with a 3 bedroom, one-level home. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/707-N-Ivy-St-Arlington-VA-22201/12086789_zpid/

That home in Bethesda is .7 miles from an Apple Store in Bethesda Row. You can walk to dozens of restaurants, a grocery store, and retailers that are much nicer than anything in that depressing strip mall at Harrison and Lee Highway from the Bethesda home. Just click on the map and look 4-5 blocks east of the Bethesda home.

There is nothing like that home anywhere near a retail area like Bethesda Row in Arlington. Not only that it is in a 7/9/9 school pyramid and zoned for Whitman HS, which is far better than a high school like Yorktown.

But for $1.3 to $1.8 million can you do better in Bethesda? Wouldn't you end up with a home not that much nicer than the Arlington homes near Clarendon?

Right - you can’t. Money goes father in N. Arlington for schools that are 7/10 as good as Bethesda. Seems like a fair enough trade to me. And the Apple Store in Clarendon isn’t that far. Do you need to go to Apple that often that you need to be walking distance?