Why is Arlington so hot?

[Anonymous]

It's a good enclave for white people who like diversity in theory and in the abstract but not in real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good enclave for white people who like diversity in theory and in the abstract but not in real life.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Proximity to DC and Tysons with pretty good schools. No other reason. Repeat: no other reason. Yes, if telework really becomes a major thing then Arlington home price will suffer mightily. However, it's not clear yet whether telework will really take off. So for now, Arlington's location and schools keep it afloat.

Really? You think proximity is the only reason people buy here? I live 2 blocks from a metro station, can walk my kids to multiple parks, can walk to several coffee shops and other non-chain businesses, live near running/bike trails, and have a backyard for gardening and a swing set. I can walk along a nice tree-lined street to my youngest’s preschool. And I have the proximity to other areas you mentioned.

Look, I totally get why people move to other areas besides Arlington. You do have to sacrifice on house and/or lot size here if you’re able to buy new construction. For some people the trade off isn’t worth it, especially if your job is farther out. So I’m not hating on the appeal of other areas. But I think it’s a huge disservice to say people only buy in Arlington because its proximity to other locations.

Lots of places offer these things, pp. They don’t make Arlington unique.

“Lots of places” do not offer all these attractions. Other places do offer the same things. They too are expensive for the same reason Arlington is expensive. In general, walkability + transit + good schools + access to multiple jobs centers is only available in certain pockets within the region. Those pockets cost more. Of course Arlington isn’t the only place in the region. But it’s one of a limited number of areas that offers this.

Not everyone cares enough about walking to a coffee shop or taking the metro to work to pay the price of housing in these pockets. And that’s good because we should want different areas to meet different criteria for people. But of the subset of people who desires this type of lifestyle, the inventory in these areas is limited. It’s not a value judgment on any other part of town. Just an explanation of the market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a good enclave for white people who like diversity in theory and in the abstract but not in real life.

North Arlington is the whitest place in the dmv.
It is the capitol of liberals who live the exact opposite of what they espouse.
There is zero diversity, inclusion or interest in lower income or minorities anywhere near their bubble of white solitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is the hottest area because NOVA is hot for jobs and real estate.
Arlington just seems hotter than other parts of NOVA because it is so small. Let’s be real here, we really mean north Arlington when people on this bored post 99% of the time.

Arlington is more expensive than places like fairfax or whatever because of its location and urban-like areas on orange line.

I agree people usually mean north Arlington when they say only Arlington but in this instance south Arlington is just as hot or hotter, and appreciating faster (at least at certain price points). Literally the only advantage north Arlington ever had was the schools, and now it’s clear they are all crap.

Why is this? There are no Metro stops anywhere in South Arlington, right?

Yes of course there are!!! Pentagon city, crystal city, the airport, and the new one at Potomac Yards (technically Alexandria but right on the border of Arlington).

Also the metro is permanently closing stations in north Arlington because ridership is down, so I don’t think the metro is as desirable as it once was.

[Anonymous]

replying to several comments here...

I have lived in FF county twice (diff locations) and now in Arlington. (military family.) Fairfax is nice enough, but Arlington is definitely more walkable and has more parks. Yes, other places HAVE parks but I can now walk to at least 5. It's super convenient to everything, including two metro stops and practically anything else I could want.

And by the way, I'm talking about South Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a good enclave for white people who like diversity in theory and in the abstract but not in real life.

North Arlington is the whitest place in the dmv.
It is the capitol of liberals who live the exact opposite of what they espouse.
There is zero diversity, inclusion or interest in lower income or minorities anywhere near their bubble of white solitude.

Have you been there?

North Arlington is everything north of Rt 50. There are more rich, white people above Rt 50 than below, but overall it’s certainly NOT the whitest place in the DC area. There are multiple affordable housing units and lower-cost apartment buildings. There is even a Title I ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is the hottest area because NOVA is hot for jobs and real estate.
Arlington just seems hotter than other parts of NOVA because it is so small. Let’s be real here, we really mean north Arlington when people on this bored post 99% of the time.

Arlington is more expensive than places like fairfax or whatever because of its location and urban-like areas on orange line.

I agree people usually mean north Arlington when they say only Arlington but in this instance south Arlington is just as hot or hotter, and appreciating faster (at least at certain price points). Literally the only advantage north Arlington ever had was the schools, and now it’s clear they are all crap.

Why is this? There are no Metro stops anywhere in South Arlington, right?

Yes of course there are!!! Pentagon city, crystal city, the airport, and the new one at Potomac Yards (technically Alexandria but right on the border of Arlington).

Also the metro is permanently closing stations in north Arlington because ridership is down, so I don’t think the metro is as desirable as it once was.

What? Which stations?

[Anonymous]

The attraction here for me is the lifestyle convenience and the family friendly environment. Anything you want to get done throughout the county: doctors appointments, sport practices, parks, grocery, play dates, shopping, restaurants, trails, hair, nails, gyms, shopping, airports, hospitals, multiple freeways are just a hop away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is the hottest area because NOVA is hot for jobs and real estate.
Arlington just seems hotter than other parts of NOVA because it is so small. Let’s be real here, we really mean north Arlington when people on this bored post 99% of the time.

Arlington is more expensive than places like fairfax or whatever because of its location and urban-like areas on orange line.

I agree people usually mean north Arlington when they say only Arlington but in this instance south Arlington is just as hot or hotter, and appreciating faster (at least at certain price points). Literally the only advantage north Arlington ever had was the schools, and now it’s clear they are all crap.

Why is this? There are no Metro stops anywhere in South Arlington, right?

Yes of course there are!!! Pentagon city, crystal city, the airport, and the new one at Potomac Yards (technically Alexandria but right on the border of Arlington).

Also the metro is permanently closing stations in north Arlington because ridership is down, so I don’t think the metro is as desirable as it once was.

What? Which stations?

McLean, East Falls Church, Virginia Square, and possibly 15-18 more. Not great for Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is hot because most families are priced out of McLean.

Arlington is more expensive than McLean you nitwit.

DP, but what are you smoking? Average sale of a SFH in McLean over the past 12 months was $1,350,000. In Arlington it was $995,500. Limit the sales to North Arlington and it's $1,146,540, still over $200K less.

Generally North Arlington and McLean have a fair amount in common, although North Arlington is more walkable and McLean has bigger houses and better schools. It also has fewer residents who start "look at me, can you believe it" posts than North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is the hottest area because NOVA is hot for jobs and real estate.
Arlington just seems hotter than other parts of NOVA because it is so small. Let’s be real here, we really mean north Arlington when people on this bored post 99% of the time.

Arlington is more expensive than places like fairfax or whatever because of its location and urban-like areas on orange line.

I agree people usually mean north Arlington when they say only Arlington but in this instance south Arlington is just as hot or hotter, and appreciating faster (at least at certain price points). Literally the only advantage north Arlington ever had was the schools, and now it’s clear they are all crap.

Why is this? There are no Metro stops anywhere in South Arlington, right?

Yes of course there are!!! Pentagon city, crystal city, the airport, and the new one at Potomac Yards (technically Alexandria but right on the border of Arlington).

Also the metro is permanently closing stations in north Arlington because ridership is down, so I don’t think the metro is as desirable as it once was.

I heard they may close some stations due to low ridership, but I don’t believe it’s supposed to be permanent. I mean several stations on the orange line just underwent major renovations, so it’s not like they’re going to board them up into eternity and never use the stations again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is hot because most families are priced out of McLean.

Arlington is more expensive than McLean you nitwit.

DP, but what are you smoking? Average sale of a SFH in McLean over the past 12 months was $1,350,000. In Arlington it was $995,500. Limit the sales to North Arlington and it's $1,146,540, still over $200K less.

Generally North Arlington and McLean have a fair amount in common, although North Arlington is more walkable and McLean has bigger houses and better schools. It also has fewer residents who start "look at me, can you believe it" posts than North Arlington.

DP. Average price per sq. ft. is higher in Arlington than in McLean. McLean has larger lots so they have bigger houses, but it costs more to buy the same house in Arlington than it does in McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is hot because most families are priced out of McLean.

Arlington is more expensive than McLean you nitwit.

And has worse schools and a crime rate that’s almost twice as bad. You get to live in the boring suburbs with none of the usual benefits (good schools and low crime). Traffic is never going to be as bad as it was pre coronavirus so the incentive to sacrifice these quality of life issues to live closer in Arlington are not what they once were.

Where is the crime rate up in Arlington specifically? I live near EFC and have not noticed any uptick in crime except the occasional car break-in, which seems to be more of teens rummaging through unlocked cars than actual break-ins from what I can tell. I’m sure the dense areas have higher crime rates than Bethesda. But that comes with any dense area. The more suburban areas in the county don’t seem affected by some huge crime surge (and I get ring camera updates, so I believe I’d notice).

PPs have posted links to sites where you can compare crime rates and Arlington is almost double the crime rate in Bethesda. And Bethesda has dense areas too - we’re not comparing Potomac and Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is the hottest area because NOVA is hot for jobs and real estate.
Arlington just seems hotter than other parts of NOVA because it is so small. Let’s be real here, we really mean north Arlington when people on this bored post 99% of the time.

Arlington is more expensive than places like fairfax or whatever because of its location and urban-like areas on orange line.

I agree people usually mean north Arlington when they say only Arlington but in this instance south Arlington is just as hot or hotter, and appreciating faster (at least at certain price points). Literally the only advantage north Arlington ever had was the schools, and now it’s clear they are all crap.

Why is this? There are no Metro stops anywhere in South Arlington, right?

Yes of course there are!!! Pentagon city, crystal city, the airport, and the new one at Potomac Yards (technically Alexandria but right on the border of Arlington).

Also the metro is permanently closing stations in north Arlington because ridership is down, so I don’t think the metro is as desirable as it once was.

I heard they may close some stations due to low ridership, but I don’t believe it’s supposed to be permanent. I mean several stations on the orange line just underwent major renovations, so it’s not like they’re going to board them up into eternity and never use the stations again.

You are correct that “permanent” is too final, but they are closing indefinitely. Studies (from Asia) show ridership on public transit declines after pandemics by at least 15% if not much more, and the metro system can’t absorb those loses. I heard a whole thing on npr on this. Shocking, I know.