What’s the allure of Fairfax County

[Anonymous]

kids being split off to AAP.

This is what I hate most about Fairfax County. The children are not such outliners that they are in need of specialized instruction and yet are separated from siblings and friends. It's just a horrible disruption to community and family dynamics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

kids being split off to AAP.

This is what I hate most about Fairfax County. The children are not such outliners that they are in need of specialized instruction and yet are separated from siblings and friends. It's just a horrible disruption to community and family dynamics.

100% it totally changes the dynamic of neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

We’re non aap in a center school. That is also a bizarre dynamic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re non aap in a center school. That is also a bizarre dynamic

We ruled out Center schools when we were house hunting because we did not want to put our children in this situation. AAP is the worst thing about FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:North Arlington and dc are fine, OP, but they are not better than most of Fairfax. It just depends on where you work, your budget, market timing, and what’s important to you…which you know because you moved AFTER the kids moved out. You sound very immature for someone whose kids are grown.

Actually, we moved there before the kids were even born and then moved after they grew up.

Yes, that's what PP said. She said you moved AWAY from Arlington after your children were grown. You can't read can you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It' funny how OP dropped in that she raised her kids (or he raised his kids, who knows) in North Arlington. I don't really see the difference between Arlington County and Fairfax County - you have the same issues with crowded neighborhoods, terrible/no sidewalks, and sitting on top of the highway/busy roads. Add to that the schools are in decline (most of my friends in Arlington have switched to private), I can't see why s/he's complaining about just Fairfax, LOL!

The schools aren’t “declining” except in the minds of crazy suburban women. And if they ARE declining, they’re declining across the board - including Fairfax. The school rankings as currently reflected in Niche, US news etc are no different now than they were 10, 20, even 30 years ago.

OMG, I just can't with people who go on and on about U.S. News/Niche/Great School rankings. Just stop, those things are such BS. I trust my friends' experiences much more than some random magazine/website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think OP was fair to judge the entire county of one industrial area.

However, having lived in Fairfax Co and Arlington, I will say I like where I live in Arlington (walkable to Westover and EFC metro) a lot more than much of Fairfax. I like the mix of older and newer homes, all the parks and trails that are walkable nearby, and the emphasis on neighborhood schools (which carries over into seeing the same kids in sports and other rec activities) versus kids being split off to AAP. I also feel like we spent way more time in the car in Fairfax (we were in Centreville and things just felt much more spread out).

But I also know there are desirable parts of Fairfax and people have budgets and cannot always afford to live close-in (or have jobs farther out) so that is the draw. I think there are parts of Fairfax (near City of FFX and Vienna that seem cute enough) and nice areas in McLean. Clifton is also cute although too red politically for me.

That said, I really don’t get the appeal of the far flung parts of Fairfax. Once you hit Centreville/Chantilly you are just so far from DC, yet still paying the heightened DC area housing prices, to live in a fairly unattractive suburb that could be plopped down anywhere in the US. The drive along 50 and 29 is just ugly run down shopping center after run down shopping center with cash for gold signs in the median. At that point why not just go over the border to Loudoun County and embrace the HOA, better maintained neighborhoods where things are newer.

Western FFX just seems like the worst of all worlds. But some other parts are nice.

Didn't you say you live in Arlington, LOL? This should be familiar to you then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think OP was fair to judge the entire county of one industrial area.

However, having lived in Fairfax Co and Arlington, I will say I like where I live in Arlington (walkable to Westover and EFC metro) a lot more than much of Fairfax. I like the mix of older and newer homes, all the parks and trails that are walkable nearby, and the emphasis on neighborhood schools (which carries over into seeing the same kids in sports and other rec activities) versus kids being split off to AAP. I also feel like we spent way more time in the car in Fairfax (we were in Centreville and things just felt much more spread out).

But I also know there are desirable parts of Fairfax and people have budgets and cannot always afford to live close-in (or have jobs farther out) so that is the draw. I think there are parts of Fairfax (near City of FFX and Vienna that seem cute enough) and nice areas in McLean. Clifton is also cute although too red politically for me.

That said, I really don’t get the appeal of the far flung parts of Fairfax. Once you hit Centreville/Chantilly you are just so far from DC, yet still paying the heightened DC area housing prices, to live in a fairly unattractive suburb that could be plopped down anywhere in the US. The drive along 50 and 29 is just ugly run down shopping center after run down shopping center with cash for gold signs in the median. At that point why not just go over the border to Loudoun County and embrace the HOA, better maintained neighborhoods where things are newer.

Western FFX just seems like the worst of all worlds. But some other parts are nice.

Personally, we felt like North Arlington was the worst of all worlds. So much concrete, such ugly single-family houses (especially the hideous new houses oversized for the lots), mediocre public schools, no good private school options, and so many mediocre white people who are afraid to let their kids be around Black and Hispanic kids but don’t want them outperformed by Asian kids.

We moved away from Arlington when our two bedroom house was dwarfed by McMansions on all four sides. That sweet little house is gone now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think OP was fair to judge the entire county of one industrial area.

However, having lived in Fairfax Co and Arlington, I will say I like where I live in Arlington (walkable to Westover and EFC metro) a lot more than much of Fairfax. I like the mix of older and newer homes, all the parks and trails that are walkable nearby, and the emphasis on neighborhood schools (which carries over into seeing the same kids in sports and other rec activities) versus kids being split off to AAP. I also feel like we spent way more time in the car in Fairfax (we were in Centreville and things just felt much more spread out).

But I also know there are desirable parts of Fairfax and people have budgets and cannot always afford to live close-in (or have jobs farther out) so that is the draw. I think there are parts of Fairfax (near City of FFX and Vienna that seem cute enough) and nice areas in McLean. Clifton is also cute although too red politically for me.

That said, I really don’t get the appeal of the far flung parts of Fairfax. Once you hit Centreville/Chantilly you are just so far from DC, yet still paying the heightened DC area housing prices, to live in a fairly unattractive suburb that could be plopped down anywhere in the US. The drive along 50 and 29 is just ugly run down shopping center after run down shopping center with cash for gold signs in the median. At that point why not just go over the border to Loudoun County and embrace the HOA, better maintained neighborhoods where things are newer.

Western FFX just seems like the worst of all worlds. But some other parts are nice.

Didn't you say you live in Arlington, LOL? This should be familiar to you then.

Ehhh it’s different. Some of the shopping centers in Arlington are definitely old and ugly, but at least they’re built to human scale and the county has a plan to create a more walkable/more aesthetic area along Langston.

The big shopping center along 50/29 are along roadways that are 3-4 lanes in each direction with mammoth parking lots in front of all the buildings. It’s the ugly generic suburbia you can find anywhere. Not many old growth trees along the roadway.

But different people like different things and that’s ok. I like the scale of Arlington much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think OP was fair to judge the entire county of one industrial area.

However, having lived in Fairfax Co and Arlington, I will say I like where I live in Arlington (walkable to Westover and EFC metro) a lot more than much of Fairfax. I like the mix of older and newer homes, all the parks and trails that are walkable nearby, and the emphasis on neighborhood schools (which carries over into seeing the same kids in sports and other rec activities) versus kids being split off to AAP. I also feel like we spent way more time in the car in Fairfax (we were in Centreville and things just felt much more spread out).

But I also know there are desirable parts of Fairfax and people have budgets and cannot always afford to live close-in (or have jobs farther out) so that is the draw. I think there are parts of Fairfax (near City of FFX and Vienna that seem cute enough) and nice areas in McLean. Clifton is also cute although too red politically for me.

That said, I really don’t get the appeal of the far flung parts of Fairfax. Once you hit Centreville/Chantilly you are just so far from DC, yet still paying the heightened DC area housing prices, to live in a fairly unattractive suburb that could be plopped down anywhere in the US. The drive along 50 and 29 is just ugly run down shopping center after run down shopping center with cash for gold signs in the median. At that point why not just go over the border to Loudoun County and embrace the HOA, better maintained neighborhoods where things are newer.

Western FFX just seems like the worst of all worlds. But some other parts are nice.

Didn't you say you live in Arlington, LOL? This should be familiar to you then.

Ehhh it’s different. Some of the shopping centers in Arlington are definitely old and ugly, but at least they’re built to human scale and the county has a plan to create a more walkable/more aesthetic area along Langston.

The big shopping center along 50/29 are along roadways that are 3-4 lanes in each direction with mammoth parking lots in front of all the buildings. It’s the ugly generic suburbia you can find anywhere. Not many old growth trees along the roadway.

But different people like different things and that’s ok. I like the scale of Arlington much better.

NP but I get that everyone is going to like where they live the most, but that's no reason to dump on someone else's choices. I have lived in DC, North Arlington, and now western Fairfax County. There have been pros and cons to every location. I loved being a city girl in my 20s, I enjoyed being close to DC in Arlington and being in a walkable area (we lived in Westover, we enjoyed being able to pop over to the beer garden, go to the library, farmer's market, or grab a slice of pizza without getting in the car); however I am also enjoying that we have a bigger, newer house with usable outdoor space, and while everything is a little more spread out in western Fairfax County, there's not as much traffic, and I have a lot more choices in terms of where to go to buy something, eat something, etc. It's also far more diverse than where I lived in North Arlington and the families in o ur neighborhood, anyway, seem a lot more inclusive. I am not white, I didn't feel welcome among the North Arlington moms groups and I was worried that would spill over to my children. I recognize that not everyone shares my experiences, but I'm happy with where we live now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think OP was fair to judge the entire county of one industrial area.

However, having lived in Fairfax Co and Arlington, I will say I like where I live in Arlington (walkable to Westover and EFC metro) a lot more than much of Fairfax. I like the mix of older and newer homes, all the parks and trails that are walkable nearby, and the emphasis on neighborhood schools (which carries over into seeing the same kids in sports and other rec activities) versus kids being split off to AAP. I also feel like we spent way more time in the car in Fairfax (we were in Centreville and things just felt much more spread out).

But I also know there are desirable parts of Fairfax and people have budgets and cannot always afford to live close-in (or have jobs farther out) so that is the draw. I think there are parts of Fairfax (near City of FFX and Vienna that seem cute enough) and nice areas in McLean. Clifton is also cute although too red politically for me.

That said, I really don’t get the appeal of the far flung parts of Fairfax. Once you hit Centreville/Chantilly you are just so far from DC, yet still paying the heightened DC area housing prices, to live in a fairly unattractive suburb that could be plopped down anywhere in the US. The drive along 50 and 29 is just ugly run down shopping center after run down shopping center with cash for gold signs in the median. At that point why not just go over the border to Loudoun County and embrace the HOA, better maintained neighborhoods where things are newer.

Western FFX just seems like the worst of all worlds. But some other parts are nice.

Didn't you say you live in Arlington, LOL? This should be familiar to you then.

Ehhh it’s different. Some of the shopping centers in Arlington are definitely old and ugly, but at least they’re built to human scale and the county has a plan to create a more walkable/more aesthetic area along Langston.

The big shopping center along 50/29 are along roadways that are 3-4 lanes in each direction with mammoth parking lots in front of all the buildings. It’s the ugly generic suburbia you can find anywhere. Not many old growth trees along the roadway.

But different people like different things and that’s ok. I like the scale of Arlington much better.

NP but I get that everyone is going to like where they live the most, but that's no reason to dump on someone else's choices. I have lived in DC, North Arlington, and now western Fairfax County. There have been pros and cons to every location. I loved being a city girl in my 20s, I enjoyed being close to DC in Arlington and being in a walkable area (we lived in Westover, we enjoyed being able to pop over to the beer garden, go to the library, farmer's market, or grab a slice of pizza without getting in the car); however I am also enjoying that we have a bigger, newer house with usable outdoor space, and while everything is a little more spread out in western Fairfax County, there's not as much traffic, and I have a lot more choices in terms of where to go to buy something, eat something, etc. It's also far more diverse than where I lived in North Arlington and the families in o ur neighborhood, anyway, seem a lot more inclusive. I am not white, I didn't feel welcome among the North Arlington moms groups and I was worried that would spill over to my children. I recognize that not everyone shares my experiences, but I'm happy with where we live now.

It's probably telling, by the way, that I'm worried that I just gave away my identity with this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It' funny how OP dropped in that she raised her kids (or he raised his kids, who knows) in North Arlington. I don't really see the difference between Arlington County and Fairfax County - you have the same issues with crowded neighborhoods, terrible/no sidewalks, and sitting on top of the highway/busy roads. Add to that the schools are in decline (most of my friends in Arlington have switched to private), I can't see why s/he's complaining about just Fairfax, LOL!

The schools aren’t “declining” except in the minds of crazy suburban women. And if they ARE declining, they’re declining across the board - including Fairfax. The school rankings as currently reflected in Niche, US news etc are no different now than they were 10, 20, even 30 years ago.

OMG, I just can't with people who go on and on about U.S. News/Niche/Great School rankings. Just stop, those things are such BS. I trust my friends' experiences much more than some random magazine/website.

Lol did you friend have a Time Machine? Because they couldn’t have first hand knowledge of then versus now without one.

[Anonymous]

Sooo, you lived in north Arlington for decades, but never ventured more than 2 or 3 miles from your house? Glad you were finally able to take that long trip over to exotic Ffx County.

This is the silliest post I've seen on here in a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sooo, you lived in north Arlington for decades, but never ventured more than 2 or 3 miles from your house? Glad you were finally able to take that long trip over to exotic Ffx County.

This is the silliest post I've seen on here in a while.

Do tell me why someone who lived in Arlington and worked in D.C would ever have to go to hellish Fairfax county?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sooo, you lived in north Arlington for decades, but never ventured more than 2 or 3 miles from your house? Glad you were finally able to take that long trip over to exotic Ffx County.

This is the silliest post I've seen on here in a while.

Do tell me why someone who lived in Arlington and worked in D.C would ever have to go to hellish Fairfax county?

? So hard for me to fathom that the bulk of someone's like would either be at their house or their office, and not explore the immediate world around them! We are surrounded by hundreds of beautiful natural areas, historical areas, and culturally significant areas! Locally so many things to do in Ffx in addition to all the other counties and cities around us. You have a weird chip on your shoulder re these 400 square miles.