New Yorkers moving to NOVA: need advice on where to move with young children
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Anonymous
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Hi all,
We are moving to Fairfax County from NYC and looking for a family friendly neighborhood with great schools and some sense of urban life. If not "city living", we want to feel like we are at least near a vibrant town. We would love the neighborhood to be kid friendly with lots of families and have an active community. Our kids are young and preschool-age. We are both in the arts and would love to be in an area that is more liberal than conservative. Herein lies the rub: our budget max is about $650K. We realize that in NOVA, this does not go far, which is why I'm seeking your advice. So far we love Falls Church and surrounding areas (thinking Shrevewood Elementary district may be doable and more affordable than TJ Elementary in Falls Church City), we like Vienna and are looking at Stenwood Elementary district and Flint Hills, Oakton Elementary district too. These are probably our top choices as they seem vibrant and townsy. We think that Annandale west of the beltway is pretty, I'm just a little concerned that it is too suburban. We might be fine with total suburbia if it feels active. The Wakefield forest area is pretty and Truro is interesting to me. We like mid-century and modern homes, so that could be a fun neighborhood. Please fill in the holes. We are looking for some great affordable neighborhoods. (who isn't, right!) I think Haycock, Archer, TJ Elem. districts are probably out due to budget. I'm not even looking at McLean or Arlington, everything I see there is way beyond our budget and what is in our budget is a major fixer upper that we can not afford. For now we are focused on Marshall, Madison or Woodson HS districts. Thinking about Lake Braddock too, although it feels remote to us, but again we have no context for the community, being out of towners. If you live there and love it, I would love to hear from you. We do not commute to the city so transportation is not an issue. The priorities are: great schools, active community with like-minded peeps and as close to a town as we can get. Thanks so much! I look forward to reading about your thoughts and experiences in NOVA. |
Anonymous
| What kind of place are you looking for? SFH? Townhouse? Condo? How many bed/bath? That will determine where you can live within your budget. |
Anonymous
| Good luck on the culture shock OP. City of Falls Church is probably the best culture fit, tough in that budget. |
Anonymous
| Vienna es is more townsy than Oakton es. |
Anonymous
Agreed. Does it have to be Virginia? Most New Yorkers who moved to this area are more comfortable in DC or Maryland. |
Anonymous
I had the same question. I'm sure you have a good reason, OP, such as commute or family. But if you are city folk, DC might be a better fit. And the schools are not universally bad. We bought our house in DC for under $500k and our kids happily attend a great public school. |
Anonymous
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I think you are looking in the right area - something near Route 7 and Idyllwood Road. Maybe Pimmit Hills. Our schools are a 9/10 and lots of our neighbors are from Massachuetts or other areas, but not native Virginians (I'm from MoCo). And I can walk to shops, we have an active moms group and association with events for kids, book club, etc.
You could also try Alexandria - might be more liberal there. Maybe 1/2 of Alexandria is in the city of Alexandria, and the other 1/2 is in Fairfax County. Only maybe 3 elementary schools are decent in Alexandria, so do your homework (I think Trulia or Zillow shows the schools in the neighborhoods and the 1 out of 10 rating from greatschools). |
Anonymous
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OP, we did the same move. First recommendation: RENT RENT RENT. Nova is waaay different, and the traffic alone will shock you. As many will say, where you work is a huge factor in where to live. If there was no traffic, it would be easy. Traffic is a killer, so, you probably need to post where you will both work, generally. I think the top 4 high schools in Fairfax, outside of TJ, are Langley, McLean, Madison and Marshall. Go on to the FCPS website, and then view the maps for where to live to go to one of those schools. Also, a lot of Va is simply suburban sprawl. The town structure from up north does not really exist. Prepare to be shocked.
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Anonymous
I meant only 3 decent ones within the city limits |
Anonymous
| If you don't commute to the city, why not consider Frederick, Leesburg, Fairfax City, Herndon, or Reston? |
Anonymous
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The Town of Vienna would seem to be the best fit if you are looking for something that feels like a town within a larger suburban jurisdiction. My top pick would be somewhere zoned for Vienna ES/Thoreau MS/Madison HS.
If you are Jewish, and hoping to find other Jewish familes, the best places in Fairfax are either the Wakefield Forest/Mantua areas (Woodson HS) or the area near Temple Rodef Shalom in West Falls Church (McLean HS). The other places you've mentioned aren't really "townsy," but they aren't in the middle of nowhere, either - I'd probably go with the Shrevewood area (Marshall HS) over the Flint Hill or Oakton ES areas (Madison HS) for overall convenience. People in DC and MD like to paint all of Virginia as conservative, and some of our state politicians invite such claims, but close-in NoVa is mostly liberal/Democratic. The more conservative parts of Fairfax are probably Great Falls, Clifton, and Fairfax Station. |
Anonymous
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OP Here. Thank you all for all the feedback! My husband will be a professor at George Mason, so we will need to be within 30 min. drive tops to GMU Fairfax Campus which is why we're looking at FFX county. I think the areas that would make the most sense commute-wise would be Annandale/Fairfax/Falls Church/Vienna/Tysons. Am I right?
What do you all think of Pimmit Hills? I have seen some really nice homes that seem affordable there but don't know much about the area. How about Canterbury Woods/Wakefield Forest? Thank you all again- so helpful. We will probably rent before buying to suss all this out, but would be helpful to know even which area to rent in. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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NYC to FFX County....wow, yeah, rent.
We will be waiting for you in DC, where you will be running, screaming..... |
Anonymous
| Bravo!!!(I was the person recommending to rent) Given that you have kids, try and rent in an rea where you want them to go to school, which sounds like the public track. Pimmit Hills seems to touch a nerve on this borad, no idea why? Many are pro or anti-Pimmit Hills, to an extreme level. I have heard some issue there with crime and gang activity. Just saying that be be inciteful to some. If you live in FFX, and he drives to Mason, you are going opposiute the traffic, which is great. I would focus on the Falls Church, Vienna areas. I am not too sure how to shop for real estate via political outlook...good luck w that! |
Anonymous
| We moved here 6 years ago from NY (lower Westchester county with one commuting into Manhattan). We rented a TH in Vienna, then ultimately bought a SFH in Vienna. We rented for 5.5 years, slowly increasing our budget from the $600's to mid $800's (we were able to do it from the beginning, we just didn't want to do it. Now we need the space of our 1979 colonial since were are expecting our 4th baby soon and have no regrets). Several of our doctors are located near George Mason, and at the right time of day the drive is a breeze. There are some really nice neighborhoods near Mason, but you probably will not get that "townsy" feel. Good luck, OP. This certainly is not an easy decision. Other PP's are absolutely correct about the traffic here. Oh, and be prepared for the entire area to become paralyzed by any snow/ice/winter storms. The management is NOTHING like NY (btw, I am a native Virginia; my husband is the NY'er). |