Rose Hill vs. Falls Church

[Anonymous]

We're trying to decide between two homes that are very comparable (newer, on cul-de-sacs, average schools). One is in Falls Church (county, 22042) near Annandale and Gallows roads. The other is in Rose Hill, Alexandria (county) 22310, just outside the Beltway, near Franconia and Ridgeview.

Any thoughts about the relative merits of these neighborhoods?
Which one would appreciate more or hold its value (we hope to stay for at least 10 years)?
Which neighborhood tends to be more liberal/conservative (we're a same-sex couple with smal kids)?
Which one has a better reputation in terms of safety, kid-friendliness, etc.?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Must admit I don't know Rose Hill but know Falls Church well. I live in mclean bordering Falls Church. Falls Church seems quite liberal to me (you look online on how the proposed area voted). Annandale High School is ranked quite well and is extremely diverse (one of the HS with the most nationalities in the area I believe)....Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We're in 22042. There are so many things I love about Falls Church. There are tons of things to do with kids - lots of parks, play areas (Mobu Kids and others), lots of kid friendly restaurants. It's pretty liberal. I don't know any same sex couples here but I can't imagine anyone blinking an eye. Where I live is very quiet and safe. I think there is an online tool you can use to check police calls in the specific area you are looking at. Also, check out the schools. We don't have school age kids yet and haven't really vetted the local schools but that is our big concern about staying where we are.

One thing you didn't mention that I think is huge is commute. I don't know Rose Hill at all, but I think that commuting from Falls Church is decent depending on where you work - it is one of the reasons we are here.

[Anonymous]

I live in Falls Church 22043. I know a few same sex couples. It's a very kid friendly area.

[Anonymous]

I'd rate Falls Church as a better generic commute than Rose Hill.

I assume you've done your homework and are OK with your DCs going to a school that's maybe 15-30% white.

Ethnic liberals are a bit less tolerant of gays than your granola or limousine liberals, but more so than exurban conservatives who have a hard time detaching gay folks from all those parades with well-oiled men wearing feather boas (or leather maybe) dancing to some sort of techno beat. Plus, both areas are probably relatively full of limousine liberals who couldn't make the payments on their Bentleys.

The latter is probably a bit better for going downtown, but Falls Church is better for Tysons, most of Arlington, and Dulles-land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume you've done your homework and are OK with your DCs going to a school that's maybe 15-30% white.

Ethnic liberals are a bit less tolerant of gays than your granola or limousine liberals, but more so than exurban conservatives who have a hard time detaching gay folks from all those parades with well-oiled men wearing feather boas (or leather maybe) dancing to some sort of techno beat. Plus, both areas are probably relatively full of limousine liberals who couldn't make the payments on their Bentleys.

You seem like kind of a miserable person -- some people want so much to keep a divide between races, so that they can feel better about themselves over people of color.