Advice on where to buy - Reston, Fairfax, Vienna, Oakton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why posters are saying Vienna has strip malls...they certainly aren't unique to Vienna. There are strip malls all over Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, Fairfax, Bethesda, etc... I can't think of any area that doesn't have a bunch of strip malls.

Probably because some Vienna posters lay on the "small-town" atmosphere thick enough to suggest it's some quaint village, all because of a few semi-cutesy blocks on Church Street. You are right that all these areas have strip malls, though many of the strip malls in Arlington have been demolished and replaced with new development.

NP here. The small town feel of Vienna isn't because of a few cutesy blocks of Church Street. Even before Church Street was redeveloped, Vienna had a small town feel. It's because of the community center with sports fields right next to it. A fire station and police station right nearby holding bike rodeos and open houses. The library right down the street with story times and the playgrounds and parks right in town. Add in the July 4th festival and fireworks, the Halloween Parade, the Church Street Holiday Stroll, the Walk on the Hill, Viva Vienna, the Vienna Youth Theatre plays, the weekly farmers markets, the Taste of Vienna, and the Fire Station Pancake breakfasts all within a 4 square mile radius, and you can practically live the life of a small-town Norman Rockwell painting. Sure, it's not as quaint looking as a small New England town, but it functions as well or better than most of small-town America. The strip malls you see from Maple Avenue only tell one-quarter of the story.

I lived there for over a decade and I just didn't get that vibe, the way I did when I lived in a small, historic town in another state further north, but carry on. It's cute.

[Anonymous]

Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Oakton is the best kept secret in DC.

[Anonymous]

Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Nice try, McLean booster! Madison has outranked McLean for several years now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Nice try, McLean booster! Madison has outranked McLean for several years now.

Different poster here. For what it's worth, McLean consistently has higher SAT scores than Madison and is also ranked higher by both US News and the Washington Post. Madison has had higher SOL scores in recent years. They are both very good schools, as is Oakton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Oakton is the best kept secret in DC.

There really aren't any secrets in the DC area when it comes to real estate. Oakton is very attractive, but the distance from DC is a turn off for those who need to commute to DC regularly. If you do not need to commute to DC, and the lack of a town center does not bother you, Oakton is an excellent area to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Oakton is the best kept secret in DC.

There really aren't any secrets in the DC area when it comes to real estate. Oakton is very attractive, but the distance from DC is a turn off for those who need to commute to DC regularly. If you do not need to commute to DC, and the lack of a town center does not bother you, Oakton is an excellent area to consider.

It also helps if you are rich. Oakton is expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Madison HS is consistently ranked just behind Langley and McLean.

Also, Vienna Metro is five to minute drive from many homes in Oakton/Vienna that feed to Madison.

Oakton is the best kept secret in DC.

There really aren't any secrets in the DC area when it comes to real estate. Oakton is very attractive, but the distance from DC is a turn off for those who need to commute to DC regularly. If you do not need to commute to DC, and the lack of a town center does not bother you, Oakton is an excellent area to consider.

It also helps if you are rich. Oakton is expensive.

Compared to Ashburn, Fairfax or Burke, perhaps. Not really, if compared to Vienna, McLean, or North Arlington.