Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

I think it might be Fairfax County as a whole, but a lot of families including my own have kids super into sports.

This is OP. We’re in Arlington now, and some families are super into sports but many, many are not. One of the high schools has a big sports reputation but not the other two.

We also don’t do Kumon or similar and don’t plan to, and I’ve heard that might make us not the norm in Fairfax Co. It’s rare to do outside enrichment in Arlington, or at least among the people we know. Kids do lots of activities but not academic ones.

Oh people in Arlington do it, just on the downlow.

Reston runs the gamut of THs. From teeny-tiny to huge on one of the lakes. Also architecturally, with concrete, wood sided, and neo-colonial to name a few. I live a normal, UMC, but not rich lifestyle there and like it. My biracial family fits right in and I feel like I have everything I need within a 5-mile radius.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

I think it might be Fairfax County as a whole, but a lot of families including my own have kids super into sports.

This is OP. We’re in Arlington now, and some families are super into sports but many, many are not. One of the high schools has a big sports reputation but not the other two.

We also don’t do Kumon or similar and don’t plan to, and I’ve heard that might make us not the norm in Fairfax Co. It’s rare to do outside enrichment in Arlington, or at least among the people we know. Kids do lots of activities but not academic ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

Reston. You would be miserable in West Springfield, Burke, or Vienna.

Why is that?

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

Reston. You would be miserable in West Springfield, Burke, or Vienna.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

I think it might be Fairfax County as a whole, but a lot of families including my own have kids super into sports.

This is OP. Aggressively middle of the road might be my exact vibe! Haha. Not politically — our family is ultra liberal, non-traditional. But we are aggressively middle of the road in terms of income and interests and desires for our kids. We just want a normal, happy, healthy life.

My kids are not athletic, so the comment about Burke being super into sports is interesting. They are still young but they are more chess/ reading/drama kids at the moment.

Anonymous wrote:West Springfield and Burke are aggressively middle of the road. Tons of military and act like only they are “normal” - everyone else is somehow too poor or too rich. If that’s your vibe, go for it. Otherwise Reston is more interesting and has better access to Metro.

What about those of us in Fairfax?

Anonymous wrote:West Springfield and Burke are aggressively middle of the road. Tons of military and act like only they are “normal” - everyone else is somehow too poor or too rich. If that’s your vibe, go for it. Otherwise Reston is more interesting and has better access to Metro.

We post about our areas being “normal” feeling because that is a key plus factor we experience in living here. I imagine a fair number of us have also lived elsewhere in the DC area so are comparing it to our experiences elsewhere. Of course it doesn’t mean no where else is “normal”.

West Springfield and Burke are aggressively middle of the road. Tons of military and act like only they are “normal” - everyone else is somehow too poor or too rich. If that’s your vibe, go for it. Otherwise Reston is more interesting and has better access to Metro.

This is an interesting take on the area. I have lived in West Springfield for 35 years (came some years after college from the Midwest). We are not military. I think "tons of military" is not quite right, especially in recent years. Much of this area is now "too rich" for the military. Unless they are at the end of a career and have brought money from another home sale, they cannot afford to live here.

In any case, lots of military people are great and they make good neighbors. No regrets about living here.

Vienna or Oakton end of thread.

There are some nice townhouses in Reston that are really old and wide, and feel like a SFH inside. They border a golf course. I went to a coworkers shower there once.

West Springfield and Burke are aggressively middle of the road. Tons of military and act like only they are “normal” - everyone else is somehow too poor or too rich. If that’s your vibe, go for it. Otherwise Reston is more interesting and has better access to Metro.

It's hard to answer your question if you don't tell us the specific neighborhoods you are looking at. One townhouse community in Reston could be walkable to lots of fun things, near the trails and a lake, while another could be off of a busy road and require driving to get anywhere.

^ clarifying - military / former military might be a majority (not sure) but I mean it’s not a majority that are moving every 2-3 years.