Vienna VA - Pros/Cons of Living near Maple Ave Area?
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AbbyNTuck
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Anyone living in Vienna within walking radius to Maple Ave-- I'd love to get advice/observations please.
We are planning to move to Vienna soon from out of state. We're looking for neighborhood nestled-feel with walkability to "main street" shops/restaurants/community events. Vienna looks like it fits that bill online, and want to know if it really lives that way. We have kids in MS and HS. Pref for Madison HS thus far but will post on schools forum to get feedback there too. 1. Any thoughts on how living above Maple or below Maple might be different? 2. Any thoughts on living east or west of Park St.? 3. Is is safe and easy for teens to go out on foot/bike to meet friends for Starbucks, basketball in park, etc.? 4. Is it actually better for some reason (safety, traffic, noise, critters/rats, etc.) to NOT live walkable to Maple Ave area? Like 1-2 miles further out radius? 5. It seems there are lots of little homes transitioning to big homes in that area. What's that doing to the community and social feel? Trying to hone in on areas that would be walkable/bike to stores, coffee, etc. not just for parents but kids/teens too. Any advice appreciated! |
Anonymous
You are most subject to the major congestion on Maple Avenue if you live north of Maple and west of Park. In other directions, you have more options to avoid Maple traffic. Despite what some people claim, Vienna has a small town feel only in comparison to other DC suburbs. And, because most of what's walkable is along two parallel streets, Maple Avenue and Church Street, you really want to live within 1/2 mile of Maple in either direction if you plan to walk places regularly. It is safe and easy for teens to get around - keep in mind there is also a bike trail (the W&OD trail) that goes through the heart of Vienna. The teardowns are increasing property values, which some like and others (concerned about their tax bills) don't. You have a subset of older residents who complain about the newer builds, just as in other areas (Bethesda, Chevy Chase, McLean, Arlington and Falls Church) with a lot of teardown activity. The main reason to live further out is for more land and privacy. For the most part, all the schools near Vienna are good, even though some people in the Town of Vienna (all of which is zoned for Madison) can be cult-like in their devotion to Madison. |
Anonymous
| Taxes are higher in Town of Vienna. |
Anonymous
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We lived walking distance to Maple until fairly recently, and it was nice to be able to walk to the Halloween Parade and Viva Vienna rather than drive. We also like walking to the library and free stuff on the town green. I see gaggles of teenagers walking around all the time with no parents, and I don't know why it wouldn't be safe.
The ToV taxes are a bit much for what you get for them. Basically, just trash pickup an $50 discount on community center classes. We like Vienna - we have been here for about 8 years now. Traffic on 123 sucks, and it's about an hour to DC if you're north of 123 and take metro. |
Anonymous
| We live within walking distance of Maple. SW side. I love it. I walk to Starbucks a few times a week, we walk to dinner, the farmer's market, the Vienna festivals/activities, library, etc. Traffic on 123 isn't great, so I zip through the neighborhoods on the S side. Ayr Hill is my favorite st (on the N side) but we couldn't find a house there when we moved. The S side is mostly small ramblers and big new builds. The N side is more uniformly bigger houses. I have lived in other parts of NoVa (McLean, Alexandria and Arlington), and Vienna has the best community feel, IMO. |
Anonymous
+1 |
AbbyNTuck
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| Thank you all for responding-- very helpful. |
Anonymous
| You might want to take a look at the downtown portion of the city of Fairfax. Lots of interesting stuff there to, and more traffic avoidance options. Has GMU nearby, which has a great athletic center and lots of events. |
Anonymous
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I live in Vienna (not the town) but closer to Oakton and my area is very walkable.
We looked at a beautiful house near maple (south of Whole Foods) and decided to pass. There's A LOT of foot traffic on the streets around maple. A little too much for me to feel comfortable with teens and tweens home during the summer. There are a handful of homeless that wander around maple and the surrounding areas. We've lived in the Vienna/Oakton area for 20 years. |
Anonymous
Do you mind sharing more info on where you live and what you can walk to? Thanks! |
Anonymous
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Mom of three teenagers here. A nice, small-town tradition is that Thoreau MS kids walk from school to Chipotle/Noodles/Waters Field on Fridays after school. Kind of a rite of passage thing...
We live in 22181, just outside the town line. |
Anonymous
Thoreau parent here .... we are not from this area, but from what I've heard from the principal, what's happening down at Waters Field is nothing I want my kid involved in. Fortunately, my child has never gone. I wouldn't be pointing to this as a positive, based on what I've heard at school. That said, I have only positives to speak about Thoreau. |
Anonymous
What is happening at Water Fields? (NP here) |
Anonymous
What is happening at Water Fields? (NP here) |
Anonymous
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I live in TOV and love it. I think the South side near the community center/library/Whole Foods is the most "walkable" area of Vienna. That being said, I think the walkable-ness of Vienna is a bit exaggerated, aside from the few areas that are right near Maple. And then you're dealing with alot of car traffic (especially during rush hour with cut through traffic) and random strangers walking by in those areas. Beyond those few areas near Maple, it's a bit of a walk the way things are spread out, and something most wouldn't do regularly, especially since hopping in the car and finding parking is not that difficult. Walking down busy Park street doesn't seem to be that nice of a walk to me. Center street may be better.
South of Vienna close to Center or Park street is kind of the "sweet spot" of lots that are considered good locations, in my opinion. But I live on the South side and near Park so maybe I'm biased. In the not so distant past I think the North side was considered more upscale, but there's so been so much development (tear down and rebuilds) on both sides so that doesn't necessarily hold true anymore. We live in a tear down / rebuild. Neighbors have been very nice to us, haven't felt any animosity. The small house people are just as likely to be well educated upper middle class professionals as the big house people, this is Fairfax Virginia after all. I feel most realize the development helps property values and most builds have been in good taste. Just my opinion... |