Tell me about Shirlington/Fairlington

[Anonymous]

Live in MD now, but considering a move to VA for better commutes. These areas popped up as possible options for us. We'd be renting and would like to find a 2-3 bedroom place (ideally a townhouse) for less than $2600-2700/month that would allow for good commutes into DC.

We are a young professional couple and have a 3yr old DC. I've heard the areas are pretty family friendly. Are they safe? Are there better or worse parts to these areas? It looks like there is easy access to some parks. What are the schools like (both public and any nearby privates)?

We are just quite ignorant and would love to hear more about these areas. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

You could rent a nice townhouse in Kingstowne for that price, and be in a decent elementary school district.

[Anonymous]

Why not rent a single family home in NOVA near a VRE station - example Rolling Road. It's free parking, 30 min commute, greats schools.

We lived in Fairlington and loved it. We bought there newly married, had 2 kids and - like everyone else - needed to move - for space - when they were school age. You won't find many families w/older kids who have stayed - unless it's changed.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Fairlington and love it. However, after two kids we are starting to feel the lack of needed space. It's a great community. Lots of places within walking distance, side walks with constant foot traffic, parks, pools,tennis courts and an overall sense of great community. There are different floor plans so familiarize yourself before committing to rent. How many kids and ages??

[Anonymous]

Fairlington is awesome. We rented there before buying a home. Great playground, community center, pools, tennis and co-op preschool. The garden apartments/town homes are charming and well maintained. Easy to get to DC and any part of NOVA. Our rent was about $2500 for a 3br. Lots of common green space makes up for lack of yard...but you don't have to maintain it. You will find it is a steppingstone for tons of young families.

[Anonymous]

Fairlington is great! We lived there for 10 years and absolutely loved it until my husband and I got jobs where Fairlington was no longer a central location for our commutes. We actually held on to our property which is now up for rent! Let me know if you would like me to send you the link through email. It is listed as $2100 and in good condition!

[Anonymous]

Seriously considered those areas but really felt like the schools stuck. I suspect given the demographic changes, in a few years they will be much better. But I just didn't feel comfortable taking that chance. Otherwise really liked the location and feel.

[Anonymous]

We loved living there, but left shortly after having our 2nd child. Like others have mentioned, some of the floor plans are too small for an expanding family. If you are only having 1 child, it could work for you. Abingdon is the local elementary schools and seemed fine to us. We had a few neighbors whose older children attended and they were happy with the school. If you're not comfortable with the demographics yet like the pp (I can only guess what that means), Claremont is another option.

[Anonymous]

OP - all of this sounds great. We envision only having one child, so I don't think the space concerns would be as great for us. Plus, we'd just be renting. It sounds like it had a good community life. There are not very many young kids where we live now. I'd like to find a place where DC could have neighborhood friends to play with. It sounds like these are areas we will want to check out. We won't be looking to move for another couple of months, but otherwise I would have been interested in seeing your rental property.

What would a commute to DC look like from Kingstown? Is that area as family friendly as shirlington/Fairlington?

[Anonymous]

OP again...

The schools would not be a deal killer as we'd most likely be looking into private schools. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Don't do Kingstown ~ no reason to choose it over Fairlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We loved living there, but left shortly after having our 2nd child. Like others have mentioned, some of the floor plans are too small for an expanding family. If you are only having 1 child, it could work for you. Abingdon is the local elementary schools and seemed fine to us. We had a few neighbors whose older children attended and they were happy with the school. If you're not comfortable with the demographics yet like the pp (I can only guess what that means), Claremont is another option.

I didn't say I wasn't comfortable with the demographics; I think I said pretty much the opposite. I think Abingdon is a fairly awful elementary school but given the number of young highly-educated parents moving to the neighborhood, there is a reasonable chance the school will get noticeably better over the next several years.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am curious where do people who rent look for places? I am the poster who has a property in Fairlington that we are trying to rent. We are having a hard time renting it right now (not sure if it is the time of year) considering we had no challenges this time 3 years ago. Anyway, the property is in good condition and we are trying to target a demographic like yourself (young professionals and families). Any ideas other than craigslist or truila?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Pp I think I've seen your ad...for us the "no pets" is a problem. It seems like most landlords in the neighborhood are flexible about pets so maybe that's limiting your applicant pool? Of course it could also be the time of year. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am curious where do people who rent look for places? I am the poster who has a property in Fairlington that we are trying to rent. We are having a hard time renting it right now (not sure if it is the time of year) considering we had no challenges this time 3 years ago. Anyway, the property is in good condition and we are trying to target a demographic like yourself (young professionals and families). Any ideas other than craigslist or truila?

Thanks!

This is OP. We usually check padmapper, hotpads (my personal favorite), military by owner (we are not military, but they sometimes have homes we don't see listed in other places) and Realtor.com (when listed through an agent). Good luck renting out your property!