Considering a Move to Alexandria or Arlington Questions Re: Neighhborhoods
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Anonymous
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If you want to be walkable to Old Town Alexandria, you have basically Del Ray (just north) Rosemont (just northwest) Taylor Run (due west), Carlyle/Eisenhower East (just southwest) and some parts of Fairfax immediately due south (which have Alexandria street addresses)
Carlyle has no single family houses, I think, if that is what you are looking for. Rosemont and Taylor run will be somewhat challenging in your price range, I think - and Taylor Run I think is weak on walkability to shops, and not an easy walk to Old Town (because the direct route on Duke is a terrible place to walk). The areas in FFX just south of Old Town are cheaper, not much in the way of local retail (but more is coming with redevelopment I think) but also not the most pleasant walk to Old Town (you have to walk on a sidepath along Telegraph on a high bridge over the highway and RR tracks, and its a good distance) Best bet sounds like Del Ray, but the houses there are mostly not large, and if you thinking of needing public schools at some point, note that there is a fair amount of disagreement on the desirability of the schools there. There are many more parts of Fairfax County with Alexandria mailing addresses, some of which have been suggested, but they are far from walkable to Old Town. |
Anonymous
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Where are you moving from OP?
I think you are priced out of Arlington, based on what you want for your budget (not to say that there isn’t housing available, but it isn’t going to be a SFH in an excellent school district, walkable to metro and quaint dining/shopping boutiques). In Alexandria, Del Ray is probably your best bet, but your budget will be on the low side for a SFH. If you are OK with a townhouse, you could look in North Old Town or Cameron Station. ACPS aren’t great though. The Fairfax County Alexandria suburbs are really post-war commuter communities. There really aren’t any with a Main Street commerce area. They are pretty car-dependent and pre-date metro, so you’ll find the stations are sort of out of the way. You could look in the Belle Haven area (although it may be above your budget). Easy drive/bike ride to Old Town, walkable to the Belle View shopping center. Quick bus ride to metro. If you want a single family house, check in Hollin Hall. You could walk to the shopping center, and it’s a 10 minute drive to Old Town. Excellent ES, so you will hold your property value. These houses will be a little below your budget. They are on the smaller side. Ft Hunt (further south of Hollin Hall) doesn’t have a lot of walkability. It’s a lovely neighborhood and I loved living there, but it’s very suburban. Groveton has walkability to the Beacon Hill plaza, and will be far below your budget, but that is not the old town-like feeling you’re going for. Also the schools aren’t great (for property value purposes). Huntington is (maybe) gentrifying and walkable to metro, but schools aren’t great and housing is duplexes. 22310 really doesn’t have walkability. You could look at the parts of Bush Hill that are close to Franconia Rd, but the Rose Hill shopping center doesn’t have much draw for someone with a $750k housing budget. Rose Hill ES isn’t fantastic (since you want to follow the GS scores). There are lovely neighborhoods down Telegraph, closer to Ft Belvoir, but this puts you too far from Old Town and Metro. DC is a frustrating real estate market for many of us. You really need to decide what your priorities are, and what you are willing to give up. |
Anonymous
| 22310 has most of what 22308 has but with better commutes to Arlington and DC, better ES, MS and HS - Clermont/Bush Hill, Twain, Edison compared to Waynewood/Sandburg/West Potomac. 22310 is close to Huntington (but not walkable). |
Anonymous
Up the Parkway from 22308 with the option for Rt 1 is better than 95/Beltway. Although you could get to 22310 by going Parkway/Rt 1 to beltway against traffic or through Old Town to pick up telegraph. Waynewood is a better ES. Twain is a better MS. Edison is slightly better than West Po overall, but the Waynewood cohort would do equally well at either school. |
Anonymous
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There’s not going to be a whole lot of walkable/urban SFH properties in Arlington/Alexandria city in the $750 price range. Unless you are looking for a townhouse? Even then, it may be tough if you want something truly nice.
There are some nice areas of Alexandria/FFX county in that range for SFH if that’s what you are looking for. Some neighborhoods off Telegraph/zoned to Hayfield, Fort Hunt/22308, Belle View and other areas in 22307 and even some neighborhoods off Sherwood Hall Ln. in 22306 could fit the bill for your housing needs, but they won’t be walkable unless you are going to the neighborhood park or pool. |
Anonymous
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Tiny but cheap - near Ballston and in a decent school district.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/510-N-Frederick-St-Arlington-VA-22203/12073917_zpid/ |
Anonymous
| Rosemont in Alexandria. Walkable to Old Town and close to Del Ray. |
Anonymous
Not going to happen for $750k. |
Anonymous
| Walking from Del Ray into Old Town isn't going to happen - just too far. We walked all the time to OT from Rosemont but it's priced too high - unless you find a townhouse on East Chapman for sale - they are surprisingly large and the elementary school and a small park are just across the street. |
Anonymous
| If you are in 22308, there is a bike trail along the river from Mt Vernon past crystal city that is popular. There is also an express bus into DC. The Huntington metro is a short drive and the station has a large parking lot. Very cute little shopping center at Hollin Hall but for bigger shopping trips, short drive to Rt. 1. |
Anonymous
Why not? https://www.redfin.com/VA/Alexandria/24-B-W-Chapman-St-22301/home/148435716 |
Anonymous
From Al's Steak House on Mt Vernon (which is definitely Del Ray) to Bastille on Fayette Street is just over 3/4 of a mile - eminently doable walk. Now all the way to City Hall in the heart of Old Town is 1.7 miles. I would walk that, but I understand not everyone would. |
Anonymous
| Just buy a smaller place in Old Town! We love it here. The further you get from King towards 495, the more you'll get for you money in the SW quad. And North Old Town is up and coming. 22314 all the way! But you'll just need to be patient at your budget. |
Anonymous
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We live in Del Ray (22301) and love it. It sounds like everything you're looking for - restaurants, shops, exercise studios, grocery stores, easy walk/bus ride to the blue/yellow Metro (Braddock Road). Great community spirit and a lot of people really committed to making it a nice place to live.
Schools are debatable, but are getting better all the time (and there are plenty of private school options.) |
Anonymous
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Arlington is tough on that budget, but you might get lucky.
Here's a good one. Good schools, not on a busy street, and walkable to Westover. This one will likely get bid up. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1029-N-Liberty-St_Arlington_VA_22205_M50493-76829?view=qv Those Frederick St. owners were dumb to over-improve that house, if you ask me. Given the large size of the lot vs. the small size of the house and how close in it is to Ballston, it should sell for tear-down. |