Tell me about living in Ashburn

[Anonymous]

We currently live in Arlington and we love love love it. My husband is looking for a new job. I work from home, so I'm flexible. He has some opportunities in Ashburn. I'm hesitant to move out "that far" but are open to it if it's good for us and our family. Our daughter is 15 months and we're hoping for at least one more in the near future.

Can you tell me anything about the neighborhoods, schools, general social scene (family stuff, not partying).

THANKS!

[Anonymous]

What do you love, love, love about Arlington?

That you can walk places?
The diversity in dining choices?
The pulse of being close to the city?
Diversity of people around you?

One thing the Ashburn offers that Arlington does not - you are close to a Wegmann's.

[Anonymous]

I don't live in Ashburn, but have many friends who do. There are tons of young families with young kids, neigborhoods are very cookie-cutter, but you can get a much larger, much newer house than you ever could in Arlington at the same price. It's true there aren't a lot of diverse restaurants, but I think Ashburn and Leesburg are both starting to get some decent places. Lots of shopping and outdoor activities, but you do need to drive to them.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who lives in Ashburn and her house is really nice and big - paid about the same as we did for our small Cape in Arlington. Her neighborhood is full of families and she is able to walk to a playground as well as a shopping center and movies, etc. However, she doesn't really like living there and wishes they bought closer in. She said many of the people in her neighborhood are much more conservative than she is - I was out there around election time and there were tons of McCain signs compared to closer in suburbs. So, if that is important to you, you might consider that. She also was saying they would not be able to leave any time soon because the real estate market had really taken a beating and their house was not worth what they paid for it in 2006. So, that is something to consider as well. Personally, I would consider moving further out if my DH had a job in Ashburn, but would not move that far - maybe Reston is an option??

[Anonymous]

What do their political views have to do with anything that the OP asked ?

[Anonymous]

My experience as well are that politicial views are very different in close in NOVA in comparison to Ashburn.

I have friends in Ashburn and the entire block are Republicians and they let you know it. If this is not you point of view, there is no place for you in conversation. In contrast, when I talk politics at neighborhood events, people are generally open to hearing and discussing different POVs.

[Anonymous]

It's so frustrating when people bash the suburbs as being bland, boring and non-diverse. I don't live in Ashburn, but we considered it before moving to South Riding in Loudoun County. I find both suburbs to be quite diverse. There's actually a lot of things to do within the community, and DC is only 35-40 minutes away if you go against traffic. I love living far enough out that we have a bigger home with a back yard, our schools are very good, there are lots of friendly neighbors and tons of young kids all around.

OP, if you're accustomed to walking most places, yes it will be an adjustment, but you'll find most everything you need in Ashburn, if not Reston or Tysons. Property values are already below 2003 prices, so it's a great time to walk in and pick up a 3000 sf+ SFH with a big back yard for less than $450K. You might check out South Riding too; it's only 15 minutes away from Ashburn and is also a master-planned community. The one thing that kept us away from Ashburn at the time was the crime in Sterling/ Herndon, as well as the fact that Ashburn was 98% complete, whereas South Riding was still growing. I read in the paper that property values in neighboring Sterling fell on average 34% year over year in 2008. They fell only 9% here in South Riding.

Maybe go out to Ashburn one Saturday, bring a picnic lunch, eat at a park, walk around a village square and decide for yourself what level of diversity Ashburn/ Loudoun has. You might be surprised, or you might decide it's not for you, but you'd have seen firsthand what it has to offer. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Where is there a village square in Ashburn?

[Anonymous]

I can't tell you exactly where it is because I don't live there, but the one I'm thinking of is near the Ashburn Sports Club. Granted, it's not as large and eclectic as you might see in DC or Alexandria, but it has lots of shops and small restaurants with diverse cuisines.

Plus if you like to bike and get around, the WO&D trail runs right through Ashburn. On Saturdays when I'm there, it's always very busy with joggers, bikers and families.

[Anonymous]

I'm still giggling a little bit about the poster who suggested that OP might miss "the pulse of being CLOSE TO the city." Some parts of Arlington are walkable, some parts are near Metro, but I don't know anyone who looks to Arlington for particular pulse... no cigar. Not that DC is on anyone's "Cities With Much of a Pulse" list, anyway, actually.

Never heard of Ashburn.

[Anonymous]

What ever you do....before you move, make sure you "dry run" the commute in the morning and evening. We used to live in South Riding and even going 2 -3 miles on Rt. 50 can take SO MUCH longer than you think. The gridlock can be really bad out there - very few arteries to get you where you need to go.

[Anonymous]

I don't live in Ashburn now but used to and have F&F who do. Note, my move really had nothing to do with Ashburn but that's another story...

Pluses:

- It is kid heaven. There are so, so many young families and kids. There seem to be many more activities, sports and places that are kid friendly than the closer in burbs.
- Neighborhoods seem much more close knit than closer in. My anecdotal evidence is that where I live now (McLean) there is a lot wider age range of neighbors, where Ashburn being a "newer" area has many more children and home owners closer to each other in age and life stage. Children=more things in common with neighbors. Our F&F there have very strong neighborhoods. They have block parties on major holidays, carpools, play dates on the street, etc.
- Good schools but maybe not with the rep of Arlington/FFX yet. By the time your DC is in high school this shouldn't be an issue.
- Tons and tons of SAHMs
- Cost of living (housing and things like groceries is better). Our friends paid about what we paid for a new, huge and very nice house in Ashburn where ours was 30+ years old, needed lots of work and is much smaller.
- Wegmans!!! Seriously, if you have been there you understand...
- Lots of community sponsored outdoor events in the Spring/Summer e.g. Broadlands Live, Belmont CC concert series, etc.

Minuses:
- It is far out. If DH loses or needs another job, options are more limited. If you have to get on the Dulles access road to commute or go places frequently, you need to add that into your cost comparison because it is not cheap. Also, don't let anyone tell you it's 20 min from Tyson's. It's 20 min in the dead of night and more like an hour or more during rush hour.
- It could be considered more generic IF you don't find the right places to go. There is non chain stuff, you just have to seek it out more than you might in Arlington.

Overall in your situation, I think it is worth a serious look. I suspect you and DC might be very happy with your day to day life; options for SAHMs and sense of community in Ashburn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What ever you do....before you move, make sure you "dry run" the commute in the morning and evening. We used to live in South Riding and even going 2 -3 miles on Rt. 50 can take SO MUCH longer than you think. The gridlock can be really bad out there - very few arteries to get you where you need to go.

I absolutely agree with this. I'm the PP who lives in South Riding and the only solution to Rt. 50 is a network of back roads that only the locals know and use. If I take my son to Pre-K using the straight shot over on 50, it's 30 mins in the morning. If I use the back roads through neighborhoods, it's 15 minutes at a steady pace of 30-40 mph.

It might take awhile, but you learn which roads to avoid. OP is a SAHM, she'll also learn what time is best to run her errands into Tysons or DC. I can get to Tysons from South Riding in 30 minutes if I go at 10:30 am or 2:30pm. When I do, I'm still always amazed and proud of my driving, LOL because it normally is gridlock most times of the day.

By far the best thing is exactly what the PP above mentioned: it's kid heaven, there are a ton of SAHMs and in suburbs, it does seem like the people there self-select by virtue of being parents. So, your neighbors are way more likely to be your age, have young families, etc, so it's very easy to find and make friends.

[Anonymous]

OP please note if you aren't aware that what people are referring to as South Riding is not part of Ashburn but is another closeby community off route 50. I believe part of the Brambleton community in Ashburn is close to South Riding. Many parts of Ashburn (e.g. Ashburn Village or Broadlands) have better access to both the Toll Road and Route 7 depending on where you are. Not trying to say anything bad about South Riding just want to make sure we aren't confusing you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP please note if you aren't aware that what people are referring to as South Riding is not part of Ashburn but is another closeby community off route 50. I believe part of the Brambleton community in Ashburn is close to South Riding. Many parts of Ashburn (e.g. Ashburn Village or Broadlands) have better access to both the Toll Road and Route 7 depending on where you are. Not trying to say anything bad about South Riding just want to make sure we aren't confusing you.

Sorry hit submit too quickly... Not to say that doing a dry run isn't a GREAT idea no matter where you end up living!!!