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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Reston has more contemporary houses and more emphasis on nature. Alexandria is more about history.

Both places have art galleries, and the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria offers art classes too through the Art League.

Both places have excellent bike paths. Both are near some type of water (river or lakes). Part of Alexandria does have flooding. That may become more concerning with global warming?

Our kids love visiting the used bookstore at Lake Anne (in Reston).

Reston has a nice indoor ice rink (plus small outdoor one in the town center). The indoor place offers figure skating classes and lessons, plus ice hockey.

Both places offer Spanish immersion if you’re in the right school boundary or lottery in.

Reston has a great location of Lifetime Fitness with indoor and outdoor pools, a yoga studio, and child care and classes for kids.

OP, what are your family values? Do you have any special interests like figure skating or language immersion? Or just want a reasonable commute and good schools?

I used to live in Alexandria but personally prefer Reston (live in Vienna). I love driving down the big wide streets and seeing names like “American Dream Way.” [/quote]

This was great, thank you! We like doing things outdoors, walkable areas. My daughter is into swimming and we love traveling as well. Cute coffee shops, not too many chain stores, charm & quaint and diverse with a big sense of community would be on our list. Would love a place where kids can play together, play  outside freely but also provides entertainment for adults. I love nature but I also love the city and urban areas. Good schools and commute are also important, seems like the commute would be to Arlington mostly these days[/quote]

I know you asked about Alexandria and Reston, but would you consider Vienna? For cute, quaint, and charming with a sense of community, Vienna would fit the bill probably more than either Alexandria or Reston. And Oak Marr Rec Center nearby in Oakton is a central location for swimmers. It’s one of the locations for Machine Aquatics, see www.machineaquatics.com. Now, if your daughter’s swimming would be more recreational than competitive, you may not need a serious swim team. And of course there are other teams out there.

For commuting, you can always get a seat on the Vienna metro since it’s at the end of the (orange) line. By car the commute to Arlington isn’t bad, maybe 20 to 30 minutes if you leave by around 7 am, depending where in Arlington you want to go. The afternoon coming back is more variable, 30 to 45 minutes.

The Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria is charming with a great community, but people concerned about test scores and school ratings tend to move away.

Overall Alexandria does seem more quaint, whereas Reston seems again more focused on nature. Reston has more of a futuristic feel, with all the tech companies and the large amount of development happening. I like it so much but wouldn’t describe it as cute.

For entertainment, Vienna (if you would consider it) has Wolf Trap and Jammin’ Java. Nottoway Park has a summer concert series where kids dance and run around chasing fireflies.

If you pick Reston, you could pretty easily visit Vienna! 
[/quote]

We used to live in town of vienna and loved it, but looking for a different vibe this time around and more diversity as well but I do agree that vienna was quaint and beautiful! Im not completely writing it off...[/quote]

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