Thoughts on Fairfax neighborhoods

[Anonymous]

OP here. My husband will commute to Pentagon City. I guess I'm underestimating the traffic issue since so many have asked about this...

[Anonymous]

Have you considered Arlington, Alexandria, or DC then? Several recent threads on the benefits of one vs the other.

[Anonymous]

Nothing is more important than commute in DC. You could be looking at 90+ minutes from parts of Fairfax County to Pentagon City. Each way. Focus on close-in, or very metro-accessible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you very much 12:23. This helps me a ton!

Be prepared to pay 1 million for rambler shack. The schools are pretty much all the same, it's the difference in HHI per each area.

[Anonymous]

She wants excellent schools, so I don't see how DC or Alexandria meet that criteria.

OP, in addition to many parts of Fairfax, you may want to look at Falls Church City (homes within the Falls Church City school district). Schools are very strong and it's a very nice family-oriented area.

Otherwise, McLean for close-in, Vienna for metro-accessible. Vienna may be a bit far for that commute though.

When you come to scope out homes, it is imperative you test the commute during prime rush hour, both am and pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. After some research, I also would like for AAP to be an option. That should narrow our search significantly- right?

If your kid gets into AAP, they get transportation to the local AAP center from the base school. So that shouldn't narrow your search, unless you have several kids, think some but not all will get into AAP, and want them all to attend the same school.

If you want to be close to DC and in the "best" pyramids, check out schools in the Langley and McLean pyramids. If you want a small-town feel, check out the Town of Vienna and nearby areas and schools in the Madison pyramid. If you want more land, check out houses in the Oakton pyramid.

Why would you leave out Marshall? I think that's an excellent school maybe not as good of a reputation but it's under massive expansion and reno with excellent scores.

[Anonymous]

Pentagon City is a tough commute from much of Fairfax County, even the closer in "good" ones named in the thread. I live in the Marshall district, right by the WFC metro, and it's a good 45 minutes to Pentagon City in rush hour, and I can take 66 HOV. Via metro, now that the blue line sees less service, I would guess it would take at least 30 minutes from WFC to Pentagon City (with the switch at Rosslyn).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you very much 12:23. This helps me a ton!

Be prepared to pay 1 million for rambler shack. The schools are pretty much all the same, it's the difference in HHI per each area.

$1M will get you substantially more than a "rambler shack" in the Langley and McLean districts.

The schools in the county are part of a county-wide system, but they really aren't "pretty much all the same." If you'd spent much time in different schools, you'd know this.

[Anonymous]

If you are commuting to Pentagon City, I'd concentrate on North Arlington (north of Route 50) or the Chesterbrook area of McLean near Arlington. The commute will be better than from other areas, and Arlington has good schools as does McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are commuting to Pentagon City, I'd concentrate on North Arlington (north of Route 50) or the Chesterbrook area of McLean near Arlington. The commute will be better than from other areas, and Arlington has good schools as does McLean.

This is good advice. You should consider Arlington schools. They're very strong as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why would you leave out Marshall? I think that's an excellent school maybe not as good of a reputation but it's under massive expansion and reno with excellent scores.

The OP asked about "the best of the best," which to me suggests she'd be more interested in schools other than Marshall, unless she thinks her kids would be interested in the IB program there. I think it's a good school, but it draws from a grab bag of neighborhoods in Dunn Loring, Falls Church, McLean, and Vienna, and it doesn't quite get the same community support, or have the same breadth of strong extra-curricular programs, as the other schools previously mentioned.

Just my opinion. Others obviously may feel differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My husband will commute to Pentagon City. I guess I'm underestimating the traffic issue since so many have asked about this...

Traffic is horrific in thsi area and getting to pentagon city can be tough. N. Arlington would be your best bet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My husband will commute to Pentagon City. I guess I'm underestimating the traffic issue since so many have asked about this...

Traffic is horrific in thsi area and getting to pentagon city can be tough. N. Arlington would be your best bet

I totally agree. N Arlington is your best bet.

We had the same home budget and ended up buying a home in Alexandria for short commutes to work. We bought a very nice house but have a bit of buyer's remorse due to the poor public schools. We do live close to TJ.

I can tell you that you will get a shack or run down fixer upper in McLean for $1 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do your feathers get ruffled so easily? I am moving from Florida with absolutely zero knowledge of the Fairfax area. Education is a priority for us and I was hoping for some guidance. If you're not interested in helping, that's fine. Snarky remark is not necessary though.

Here is some guidance. FCPS has many great, great schools. From what I gather from FL transplants, FL school system is pretty poor, so anywhere you land here will likely be a great improvement. Your kid will be fine. Might even have a better experience at a regular ol' FCPS than at one of the "best" depending on your kid. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Traffic is horrific in thsi area and getting to pentagon city can be tough. N. Arlington would be your best bet

I totally agree. N Arlington is your best bet.

We had the same home budget and ended up buying a home in Alexandria for short commutes to work. We bought a very nice house but have a bit of buyer's remorse due to the poor public schools. We do live close to TJ.

I can tell you that you will get a shack or run down fixer upper in McLean for $1 million.

And I can tell you that this is ridiculous. $1M buys a very nice older home in McLean.

If you really thought $1M in McLean means a shack or run-down fixer upper, you'd think the same thing of a similarly priced house in North Arlington.