Best kid/family neighborhoods in Arlington and Falls Church?

[Anonymous]

My DH and I just learned we are pregnant with baby #2, and although we have loved living in the Clarendon section of Arlington, we are starting to search for a home w/ a yard in a neighborhood with plenty of young families, good schools, etc. We are somewhat new to the area, and both work so we haven't been able to meet too many people in the area. We would love any feedback or suggestions of what neighborhoods we should target that represent the young (mid 30's) family demographics. Our budget is $800k-$1.2M.. any recommendations are much appreciated! If anyone has a realtor that specializes in these areas, that would be helpful too!

[Anonymous]

We love the area around the Lee Harrison shopping center.
A few different neighborhoods, but if you are going out Lee Highway toward Falls Church take a right on Harrison by Harris Teeter. Great family area.

[Anonymous]

At 1.2M you could get into something decent on the nice family neighborhoods walkable to Clarendon. Lyon Park etc.

[Anonymous]

For that amount of money, you might find a new house in the Haycock elementary district in Falls Church (22043 zip code). You get a slightly larger yard than in Arlington, but are still close to City of Falls Church and West Falls Church metro station.

Any of these neighborhoods in Arlington and Falls Church are going to have a mix of younger and long-time residents, but there will be plenty of young families.

[Anonymous]

At that price point, there aren't many parts of Arlington or Falls Church City that won't work for you. Sharon Chamberlin at McEnearney is fabulous, and her husband is a developer so she knows the area very very well. Give her a call.

And congrats on the pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

You might also want to look in the Chesterbrook area of McLean. There are some beautiful older homes in your price range, and you'll get a nice yard and top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anywhere in north Arlington is great. I really don't think you can go wrong.

[Anonymous]

If you love living in Clarendon, i'd stick with the orange line corridor out as far as Ballston. at your price range, I really wouldn't bother with Falls Church or McLean if you want something urban/walkable. (unless a bigger yard is something you'd choose over the walkability.) Agree with the poster who suggested Lyon Park. I might also look at things walkable to Ballston metro, and I'd definitely look at the Westover area - my friends who live there LOVE it. (I was unfortunately priced out of Westover - I had an upper boundary below $600K.) Also near Westover: Fostoria/Highland Park, Larchmont, Parkhurst. Westover is mostly not walkable to Metro, but it's a quick drive to a lot of places. Country Club and Ashton Heights are nice. (Disclosure: I'm in Country Club.) Or a bit farther out, Overlee/Berkshire? (You could also try to stay closer to Clarendon or keep an eye out for something in Lyon Village.)

good luck!

[Anonymous]

If you really want urban and walkable, I'd just stay put in Clarendon. Otherwise, I'd look at Falls Church and McLean, since they have some advantages over North Arlington in terms of things like larger lots and the number of attractive residential neighborhoods. A place like Lyon Park is convenient, but it's honestly not very pretty.

[Anonymous]

There are some great streets in Lyon Park, but I'd worry about the school there.

How walkable do you want to be, OP?

[Anonymous]

Why are people in Arlington so militant about insisting that people look nowhere else? It's always better to have more options, and Arlington has both advantages and disadvantages over other places. But some of the Arlington posters create the impression that they will hunt down anyone who moves out and haul them back.

[Anonymous]

OP talked about she wanted urban/walkable and could afford $1.2 million so it's kind of logical for folks to mention Arlington. That'll get you a pretty decent custom home on a house whose lot is bigger than 0.1 acres. OTOH, in a super-desirable area like Lyon Village, I imagine half the houses end up pre-bought, with a buyer ready to make an offer the day the place goes on the MRIS. There, having a good agent is ESSENTIAL.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend our neighborhood of Waverly Hills...super nice people, walkable to Ballston Metro, walkable to Lee Heights shops, big lots for Arlington, great schools. Good wishes for an easy pregnancy.

Oh, ps, we looked quite a bit in Lyon Park, too. I wouldn't worry about the schools there at all. I visited both the elementary and middle school and talked with the principals, parents, etc. Slightly higher number of ESOL, but terrific schools and I would have sent my kids to them with no concerns whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of the PP's (myself included) assumed that they might want something similar to their current place in Clarendon, with a similar commute. The "walkable" parts of Arlington are closer-in to DC than the walkable parts of Falls Church or Fairfax. If they mentioned commuting to Tysons or elsewhere, our answers might have been different. I just moved from Fairfax to Arlington for the commute into DC and the schools. (we were in a walkable part of Fairfax, but the commute was long and the local HS was not considered good.)

[Anonymous]

The OP didn't say she wanted "urban/walkable," at least not in this thread. If that's what she wants, Arlington is her best bet. If she wants a bigger yard for her kids in the suburbs, she should consider other places as well. Different areas appeal to different tastes. You can see the difference on some of the streets that cross into Arlington from McLean. The McLean side will tend to have larger homes on bigger lots, but the Arlington side will more likely have sidewalks and smaller houses. West Falls Church and the northern-most part of Arlington are more like McLean, although the former is less expensive.

For up to $1.2 million, she'll have plenty of options.