cameron station

[Anonymous]

I'd be interested in feedback on the Cameron Station neighborhood. We currently rent a townhouse in Fairlington, but it is outdated and cramped. However, we love the family friendly neighborhood feel and the close proximity to DC. DH and I both commute to the city so feedback on that would be appreciated. The Cameron Station neighborhood seems lovely, but I'm wondering what the neighborhood around the new community is like. Are there restaurants/shops? Not a fan of Landmark Mall. I would assume there are many young families in the area? Our DS is only 1 so I am not concerned about schools yet since we plan to rent for a couple more years until we know if we'll be in the area long term. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

As long as you don't need to be concerned about the schools and you don't leave Cameron Station itself - the area is nice.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in Cameron Station almost a year, and love it. We've been in the area for 4 1/2 years, and it is the most family-friendly place we've lived.

First, Cameron Station is huge. Its not just 3 blocks of new townhomes - its like 263 acres or something like that. Its also bordered by two parks. Lots of little pocket parks throughout the subdivision.

Second, if you got east on Duke Street, there's several newer shopping centers with trendy hangouts. Mango Mikes comes to mind, as well as a Japanese Steakhouse and Chipolte in the Harris Teeter shopping center. Couple more miles down and you have Whole Foods.

There's not-so-trendy but still good food along Van Dorn. There's a couple Italian restaurants, as well as a great Thai restaurant.

Panera is on Duke on the East side of 395. There's Barnside Diner (something like that) on the west side of 395.

We tend to shop in Kingstowne a lot - more convenient than other places in Alexandria.

I walk to gymboree on Pickett St. We grab good gyros and great baklava at the Mediterranean Cafe. The pizza place in that shopping center is hit and miss, and I was not impressed with the chinese food.

As far as commute, the community has a shuttle to the metro. I drive, and work in Arlington. It takes me 20-25 minutes to get to work leaving at 7:30.

My kids are 2 and 4, and on our small block, there's 6 other kids between 1-6. Its fun to walk outside to the corner park and have the kids run around and play together.

We love it.

[Anonymous]

My ex lives there and my daughter spends time there. We lived with him for awhile this summer and I actually really enjoyed it. It's a very family-friendly neighborhood - the other moms at the pool are nice, there are a couple of nearby playgrounds and a nice pond, and some trails for running. I enjoyed exploring the neighborhood ethnic restaurants. I didn't like the area right around CS, though - there always seemed to be a lot of traffic and there was a lot of random pedestrian traffic even on the 395 on-ramps, which I found unnerving. Great development, though.

[Anonymous]

We considered living there but then warned that the schools are not good at all.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We considered living there but then warned that the schools are not good at all.

Samuel Tucker elementary is pretty good. Not as good as the top schools in Fairfax County but a pretty good elementary school. Middle and High schools are not good at all. So it's a great little community for those with small children. Most people move at some point while their kids are in elementary school, before middle school. We live there with a 2 and 4 year old and plan to move within 3 - 5 years to a better school district.

[Anonymous]

Given that it's mostly townhouses and condos (albeit LARGE ones) with no yards, I suspect it attracts a similar population to Fairlington - families live there and enjoy the amenities while the kids are younger, then they move out for more space (and better secondary schools) once the kids get older. And both complexes attract military families due to easy proximity to the Pentagon, Belvoir and MARC center.