Is Arlington the Best Place to Live in the DC Area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in DC and I love it way more than Arlington. There are neighborhoods with houses and yards, the nicest being Cleveland Park, if you can afford it. Brookland, Capitol Hill, Brightwood if you can’t. DC has so much more character than Arlington and way fewer strip malls and concrete. Plus a reverse commute from DC into Virginia is far easier than driving within Virginia.

Homes in Cleveland Park are lovely but the commercial strip there is just a strip mall - no better than any suburban strip mall, and worse than many of them. I don't think that stretch of CT Ave really has more character than Clarendon. 14th Street and the Hill have more character than Clarendon for sure, but not the Cleveland Park retail strip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in DC and I love it way more than Arlington. There are neighborhoods with houses and yards, the nicest being Cleveland Park, if you can afford it. Brookland, Capitol Hill, Brightwood if you can’t. DC has so much more character than Arlington and way fewer strip malls and concrete. Plus a reverse commute from DC into Virginia is far easier than driving within Virginia.

Homes in Cleveland Park are lovely but the commercial strip there is just a strip mall - no better than any suburban strip mall, and worse than many of them. I don't think that stretch of CT Ave really has more character than Clarendon. 14th Street and the Hill have more character than Clarendon for sure, but not the Cleveland Park retail strip.

Disagree. It feels more organic and it’s also part of a far more attractive residential area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in DC and I love it way more than Arlington. There are neighborhoods with houses and yards, the nicest being Cleveland Park, if you can afford it. Brookland, Capitol Hill, Brightwood if you can’t. DC has so much more character than Arlington and way fewer strip malls and concrete. Plus a reverse commute from DC into Virginia is far easier than driving within Virginia.

Homes in Cleveland Park are lovely but the commercial strip there is just a strip mall - no better than any suburban strip mall, and worse than many of them. I don't think that stretch of CT Ave really has more character than Clarendon. 14th Street and the Hill have more character than Clarendon for sure, but not the Cleveland Park retail strip.

Disagree. It feels more organic and it’s also part of a far more attractive residential area.

At least Clarendon still has independent coffee shops and bakeries. Firehook closing was a big loss for Cleveland Park.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is actually for the aspects that you describe. It’s the proximity also to offices in the downtown, some areas in Arlington are much closer to dc than the closest areas of Bethesda - but of course the bridge to cross. There are many areas that fit your requirements, but they would be farther to downtown. This is why the question of where your commute will be too is very important. If you work in Arlington or downtown dc, then it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

[Anonymous]

Here's the secret most people in the DC area won't tell you: It really doesn't matter. These high end suburbs are all very similar, none are particularly cute and the schools for the most part are very comparable. Sure, Montgomery County schools are probably better than Arlington, but the district is also huge - so when there's a snow event that hits further north, everything gets shut down.

It basically will come down to two things:
1. Work location/commute
2. Budget

Without knowing those, it is impossible to say what would be best.

We live in Arlington after 10 years in DC on Capitol Hill and love it. The schools aren't even in the same league as what we had on the Hill - so sure, maybe they aren't as good as MoCo, but they are far and above what we had before. Our commute downtown is actually faster than it was from the Hill (even as traffic returns to normal). We almost moved to Bethesda. But traffic there sucks, especially to/from downtown. We also considered NW DC but weren't crazy about the public school options, especially upper grades. And our dollars went a lot farther in North Arlington for housing. (Bonus is you don't have to deal with DC government)

If you aren't walking distance to downtown Bethesda, then all the arguments for walkability in Bethesda vs Arlington go out the window. Like the stores there? Check out Clarendon, Ballston or Mosaic District.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

99.9%

[Anonymous]

It is the best place to live in the DC area, for myself and my family.

DH has a high-paying job (so housing costs aren't a problem), he has the perfect commute (10 minutes on 395 or 40 along a bike path), we live in a house I love in a neighborhood with great kids and good friends, I am fine with our school situation or now, and my kids have great groups of friends. I do too. I like that there are a large number of people like me--stay at home moms with advanced degrees. This gives us a good amount of flexibility with playdates and we have a lot in common.

But if you care a lot about consistency appealing architecture, "culture" next door (as opposed to having to drive to good restaurants or museums), lower housing prices, and superb public schools, it's not going to be the place for you.

We rented for a long time before buying. I'd recommend that to anyone moving to a new place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is actually for the aspects that you describe. It’s the proximity also to offices in the downtown, some areas in Arlington are much closer to dc than the closest areas of Bethesda - but of course the bridge to cross. There are many areas that fit your requirements, but they would be farther to downtown. This is why the question of where your commute will be too is very important. If you work in Arlington or downtown dc, then it makes sense.

Another issue is that people don't think about what kind of commute they want. We lived close to a metro at first, and then my husband realized he hated the metro commute which involved a transfer at metro center and a ten-minute walk. So we moved to a place with a great commute via bike path. Glad we were renting!

[Anonymous]

Arlington is the consolation prize of the close-in suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

This x 1,000,000.

If you can afford it go with downtown Bethesda. Better schools than any comparable neighborhood in Arlington and better retail and restaurants too. The only comparable neighborhood to downtown Bethesda in Arlington is Lyon Village and Clarendon and they do not have houses like this over there that are walkable to retail like this:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/5308-Burling-Ter-20814/home/10639397

That house is $5 million and out of reach for 99 percent of people.

99.9%

There are houses like that near the Clarendon metro. Not in Lyon Village though. I can't afford them, but there are some big houses along the orange line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda near Bethesda Row >>>> Arlington on almost every metric (other than affordability and some DC commutes).

I disagree. I live in Arlington and I love that it feels small and cozy even though we are 10 minutes from DC. Downtown Bethesda is all chain stores and restaurants whereas Arlington has plenty of spots where it still feels very mom and pop. I love that. It really is a bubble in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're moving long-distance and don't know the DC area well, but have done a lot of online research.

For someone who wants the traditional 4-bedroom house, walk to school and playgrounds, but also an urban feel, not all strip malls and developments, and close enough to DC to go in and enjoy the city most weekends, Arlington seems by far the best place to live...maybe even the only place.

Bethesda is the only other one that seems to be in that range, but feels more suburban and more snobby. In Silver Spring, the nice single-family homes seem to be further out from downtown and the big downtown complex feels kind of manufactured/too commercial (Dave & Busters, burgers, pizza). I've always lived in big cities and really love the full experience of world-class museums, historical sites, parks, restaurants, at my doorstep. Arlington seems to offer easy access to that.

Am I missing something or is Arlington really the best? And is that why all the homes are like $1.3-$1.8 million dollars, because it's so wonderful and everyone wants to live there?

Are there any other suburbs I should be looking at? We looked at DC too, but prices don't seem much better there.

I guess you missed Woodside Park, a fraction of a mile from Metro, and the many small businesses in downtown Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

With the exception of a few neighborhoods, Arlington is really ugly. If you can overlook that, fantastic location and much better local store and restaurant options than Bethesda. For schools, Bethesda all the way. And Bethesda is prettier precisely because it is more suburban. So just depends on your priorities.