Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you have to live in Loudoun County. Nice new and inexpensive neighborhoods. Great schools. Ashburn or Leesburg would be my suggestion. Easy commute to Reston.

really? which neighborhoods are you referring to. Wasn't the budget like $2500/month? The ones I know of are PACKED with kids.

well, compared to Vienna or Mclean or Arlington. something like this would be fine: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/3064752531.html

Anonymous wrote:PP must be a Haycock parent (rolling my eyes).

Wrong, Einstein. We live in DC. However, we have researched the Northern Virginia schools extensively, have visited a number of schools, and have friends in many of these districts who have given us their personal experiences. You, on the other hand, are obviously a Falls Church City parent who has no real knowledge of the other school districts. (rolls eyes) I mentioned the Haycock/Longfellow/McLean pyramid specifically because it is one of the neighboring districts in Fairfax County that has a Falls Church address that you claimed was vastly inferior to the Falls Church City schools and that it would be a "mistake" to live in, despite the fact that that pyramid is considered to be one of the best in the region. Look, I like Falls Church City, and the schools there are excellent, no doubt about it, but they are not oh so superior to the neighboring McLean and North Arlington schools, despite the ridiculous claims of a self interested booster such as yourself. Get over yourself.

Anonymous wrote:you have to live in Loudoun County. Nice new and inexpensive neighborhoods. Great schools. Ashburn or Leesburg would be my suggestion. Easy commute to Reston.

really? which neighborhoods are you referring to. Wasn't the budget like $2500/month? The ones I know of are PACKED with kids.

I would recommend Vienna if you can afford it.

Anonymous wrote:The schools that most match what you seek are in the City of Falls Church. Fairfax County schools are huge and best serve the best or worst. Average kids have to fend f themselves and get no extra attention, assistance, or support. If you decide to go with Falls Church City DO NOT MAKE the mistake of Finding a home with a Falls Church address that is actually in Fairfax County. Falls Church City has Metro stops at both it's East and West ends. The Metro is rapid transit system both above and uNderground in DC Metro area. The Falls Church City high school is George Mason Jr/Sr high.

Falls Church, JEB Stuart, and George C Marshall High schools are Fairfax County Schools with Falls Church mailing address.

You revived a thread that had been inactive for four months. Do we even know if the OP is still in search mode?

I agree it's easy to get confused between Falls Church City and the part of Fairfax County with Falls Church addresses. On the other hand, many people prefer Fairfax schools to Falls Church City schools, which are smaller, don't have as many courses and activities to offer, and field less competitive sports teams. Different strokes for different folks.

you have to live in Loudoun County. Nice new and inexpensive neighborhoods. Great schools. Ashburn or Leesburg would be my suggestion. Easy commute to Reston.

Anonymous wrote:PP here -

Oh wait, I forgot the Bolling AFB factor - I think that is downtown. In that case, if you like Loudoun County, there is a bus I see all the time that drops people off from Loudoun county to the West Falls Church metro station. There is another bus that goes all the way from Loudoun County to downtown by the White House on H street. But if he'd have to go downtown a lot, perhaps Oakton or Vienna would be better. Oakton borders Reston and has a metro stop (it's the "Vienna" metro stop), Vienna is right on the Toll Road and has its own metro stop ("Dunn Loring" or "vienna" stop). Both have great schools.

Nope, PP, you didn't forget the Bolling factor: the OP posted later that Bolling is out of her equation....

PP here -

Oh wait, I forgot the Bolling AFB factor - I think that is downtown. In that case, if you like Loudoun County, there is a bus I see all the time that drops people off from Loudoun county to the West Falls Church metro station. There is another bus that goes all the way from Loudoun County to downtown by the White House on H street. But if he'd have to go downtown a lot, perhaps Oakton or Vienna would be better. Oakton borders Reston and has a metro stop (it's the "Vienna" metro stop), Vienna is right on the Toll Road and has its own metro stop ("Dunn Loring" or "vienna" stop). Both have great schools.

Reston is okay, Herdon, well, it has some nice neighborhoods, and some dicey neighborhoods.

I think you should seriously consider living in Loudoun County, like Leesburg or Ashburn, particularly if you want to rent something really nice and new and big, the area is very family friendly, and there's no iffy neighborhoods there that I'm aware of (other than maybe farms and cows lol).

It's on the Dulles Toll road too, which takes you right into Reston. trust me, I bet half of DH's coworkers will be commuting from there. And it will take probably the same amount of time as from points inside the beltway like Falls Church, but it will be an easier commute because it's just the Toll Road and that's it.

And I only recommend living in Loudoun county for people working on the Toll Road like your DH. It's just very convenient, nice, new, economical, etc. Otherwise, like if DH worked in DC, I would recommend living in Falls Church, Vienna, or Oakton.

Anonymous wrote:She's not moving to Falls Church, so don't worry about it.

OP, this is a very big city, and things are very far apart. Your husband's job is very far west of the city, and you should probably live in a nice community kinda near it. There are plenty of nice places out there. No reason to pay inside-the-beltway prices for an outside-the-beltway life.

I agree. I'm a falls church city resident and think it's great, but the housing is off the charts. There is no reason to move so close in to DC if you're not commuting to DC. As others have said, Louden county or places out there would be a smart move - you get more house for your money and the schools are good too.

Welcome to Virginia.

She's not moving to Falls Church, so don't worry about it.

OP, this is a very big city, and things are very far apart. Your husband's job is very far west of the city, and you should probably live in a nice community kinda near it. There are plenty of nice places out there. No reason to pay inside-the-beltway prices for an outside-the-beltway life.