It's disappointing that this thread has such a thoughtful original post, and has digressed into people squabbling about who's better. Aren't we missing the larger point here that social and government services are failing a huge swath of this region? Shouldn't that be where we are putting our collective voices, and what we should be discussing? Aren't we all well-off enough that we really have no excuse for ignoring this?

we gives a shit about walkability especially today when it's raining.

DC is awesome.

Ruby Tuesday of Tivoli Center
(1 miles)

3365 14TH STREET NW
WASHINGTON DC 20010
202-462-7681

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

The fallacy is that these are no longer facts of life in most longer-gentrified (and, in the case of UpperNW, practically ossified) neighborhoods in the District.

PP has noted upper NW is about as (un-)walkable as Fairfax County.

If you don't find any of that stuff, well you're living the DCUM Dream Life (tm).

Not all of us get to afford that.

Some of us try and achieve that in the still-gentrifying neighborhoods of DC. Others try and achieve that in (gasp!) the older suburbs.

But, not being the Northeast, we don't have a string of towns that've been around 200+ years which are walkable and have great schools.

Anonymous wrote:And, as an aside, this battle for supremacy between Arlington and Fairfax is kind of entertaining... though obviously, Arlington sucks less.

Only if you measure suckiness as distance from the White House. Many do not.

I think it really depends what you want out of a neighborhood which area sucks more or less.

I'm perfectly happy in my Fairfax neighborhood with walkable amenities and everything I could possibly need for my daily life within a few miles of my house.

We're not close to the city, but we really don't need to be. Neither of us works downtown. It's nice to know we can go when we want to, but it isn't necessary for everyday.

Would it be nice to pop into the city to visit a hot restaurant or go to the theater without it being a major production? Sure, but I'm not unhappy just because we don't do these things.

If our daily lives revolved around the city, our lives would look different than they do currently. We're OK with living our suburban lives - we get to live in an area with good schools, low crime and plenty of job opportunities for both of us. By most standards, we are living quite well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

The fallacy is that these are no longer facts of life in most longer-gentrified (and, in the case of UpperNW, practically ossified) neighborhoods in the District.

Let's also point out that the longest-gentrified, whitebread-est, wealthiest Upper NW locations are as walkable as Fairfax County. Or as non-walkable as Fairfax County. Phrase it any way you like it.

And, as an aside, this battle for supremacy between Arlington and Fairfax is kind of entertaining... though obviously, Arlington sucks less.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

The fallacy is that these are no longer facts of life in most longer-gentrified (and, in the case of UpperNW, practically ossified) neighborhoods in the District.

Are we fighting over the bad schools in America again?!
Which one of the bad ones is the best/the worst?
You have to do the extra work at home.
Housing crunch? Thousands moving here for work, they have to live somewhere.

Oh, goody - it's "pile on Fairfax" day. Let me go get a snack to watch the fireworks.

Anonymous wrote:If wealth and lowest crime are the yardsticks, then NoVA is BY FAR the best place to live. You cannot argue this. It's just a fact. Sure, you may not like the "walkability" score, or maybe you don't like the architecture. But that's all tertiary to me when considering the best neighborhood for my children.

+1. That walkability doesn't mean squat if you find a drug needle in your front yard, your kid gets jumped, your car is broken into more than once, etc.

You can find a walk score in the 80s in Fairfax/Loudoun if you really want to. And I have to walk further to get to the chain restaurants in my neck of the woods.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/fairfax-loudoun-and-arlington-top-the-rankings-as-three-healthiest-counties-in-virginia/2013/03/22/9019deae-932e-11e2-a31e-14700e2724e4_blog.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Fairfax County is not all that, if you have lived elsewhere.

More good places to live there than anywhere else in DC area.

Says who? I wouldn't have been caught dead buying there. Largest county in the state? Sub-par public transportation? AAP-centric schools? For what, for a bigger yard? No, thank you.

Lots of people. Nicest houses, best schools, healthiest residents.

1) Nicest houses.... where?? Oh, you mean the builder-specials put up in less than 2 months with pressed wood and hardiplank? No, thank you. I'll take my original N. Arlington brick colonial.

2) Best schools? Don't even get me started on the divide among schools in the county. Oh, and you can keep all your AAP craziness, thank you very much.

3) No, I admit, this one has me stumped. HEALTHIEST residents?? Care to enlighten us?

I am not the PP you quoted, but the original point (go back to pg 1 and see for yourself) was that pretty much all schools in Fairfax County are good. Some districts just have poorer residents than others. People over-pay for housing because they believe higher test scores mean their kids are getting a better education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Fairfax County is not all that, if you have lived elsewhere.

More good places to live there than anywhere else in DC area.

Says who? I wouldn't have been caught dead buying there. Largest county in the state? Sub-par public transportation? AAP-centric schools? For what, for a bigger yard? No, thank you.

Lots of people. Nicest houses, best schools, healthiest residents.

1) Nicest houses.... where?? Oh, you mean the builder-specials put up in less than 2 months with pressed wood and hardiplank? No, thank you. I'll take my original N. Arlington brick colonial.

2) Best schools? Don't even get me started on the divide among schools in the county. Oh, and you can keep all your AAP craziness, thank you very much.

3) No, I admit, this one has me stumped. HEALTHIEST residents?? Care to enlighten us?

Another Virginia hater heard from...