N. Arlington versus Vienna

[Anonymous]

Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Vienna. No contest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't like to be stuck in Vienna because jobs change.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't want to be stuck in Arlington because, well, it's Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.[/quot

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't want to be stuck in Arlington because, well, it's Arlington.

Well if you lived in arlington commuting options would be a greater span. Vienna makes you stuck because it is locked in by 66 and scews west.

[Anonymous]

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

The neighborhood and community surrounding Yorktown are very affluent. There is a small section of housing near Rosslyn that was redistricted over 20 years ago to Yorktown. That area is more mixed in terms of SES.

[Anonymous]

In general, there's not a huge difference between N. Arlington and Vienna. Your kids will get a great education at either Yorktown or Madison. Also, a lot of the "vibe" can depend on what particular neighborhood you live in.

Many people choose N. Arlington because of its proximity to D.C. In your case, given the commute to Oakton and that you'll get much more house for your money in Vienna, I don't see why you would chose N. Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

The neighborhood and community surrounding Yorktown are very affluent. There is a small section of housing near Rosslyn that was redistricted over 20 years ago to Yorktown. That area is more mixed in terms of SES.

Vienna is very affluent, too, and Yorktown has more low-income kids than Madison. So you were basically just wrong. Got it.

[Anonymous]

We wanted a decent size yard, house, privacy and a 2 stall garage. We choose Vienna and are very happy. We are very down to Earth and are surrounded by liberals, although they are very nice. But seriously, we love Vienna. The classes in elementary school are large but the teachers have been wonderful.

[Anonymous]

We wanted a decent size yard, house, privacy and a 2 stall garage. We choose Vienna and are very happy. We are very down to Earth and are surrounded by liberals, although they are very nice. But seriously, we love Vienna. The classes in elementary school are large but the teachers have been wonderful.

Evidence that Vienna is not as liberal as Arlington. I think the vibe is pretty different. Vienna has a small-town feel that Arlington doesn't have.
Both schools are very good. I personally would not want to commute to Oakton from Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

UU Congregation of Fairfax is a great liberal leaning vibrant down to earth church community. We love it. It is very close to Vienna.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in both. People in Vienna are far friendlier. They are more community-focused and less work-obsessed.

I wish I had something nice to say about North Arlington, but apart from its being close to DC, I really don't. People there mostly range fron the tolerably nebbish to the terribly obnoxious. We were more than happy to leave. Vienna is a breath of fresh air in comparison.