Oakton is better than Vienna hands down.

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Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

That's because of the island.

Isn't it part of Yorktown, too? I guess it's OK to include the area if it makes Yorktown seem more "urban," but not if it makes Madison more affluent. SMH.

NP here. I don't have a dog in this fight, and I think you are comparing very meaningless differences, but your logic is way off. The percentage of FARMS kids only tells you how many families earn above $45K (for a family of 4). I think we can all agree that a HHI of $50K or even $100K is far from affluent in this area, but those kids would not be eligible for FARMS. I have no idea what the relative affluence levels are of the two areas, and I suspect it depends what measure you use, but FARMS percentage is not relevant to that discussion. If Vienna's 91% non-FARMS population all have HHIs of $50-100K, and N. Arlington's 86% non-FARMS all have HHIs of $400-500K, which area is more affluent? (I just made up those numbers to illustrate my point.)

Vienna is a real town with a strong sense of community. Oakton is more typical NoVa subdivision territory, though it is certainly nicer than North Arlington. That is where people live because of commute.

Not sure why this Vienna poster feels the need to constantly bash N Arlington. Everyone has been relatively helpful without slinging mud. N ARlington is very lovely, well situated, has great schools and is very expensive. People seem to love living here as it is a tight real estate market. There are lots of communities with friendly and helpful neighbors--I live in one.

But based on commute, OP is wise to look at areas further out like Vienna or Oakton.

Anonymous wrote:The difference between Vienna and Oakton: in a few hours, I will walk from my in-town house to Taste of Vienna. You can't walk anywhere in Oakton.

Hope OP is attending this today too!

The difference between Vienna and Oakton: in a few hours, I will walk from my in-town house to Taste of Vienna. You can't walk anywhere in Oakton.

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Anonymous wrote:You might want to consider living in Oakton. You can get more sq. footage and Oakton has excellent schools.

Exactly. Why would you want to live in Vienna when you could live in Oakton. Most Vienna folk live here because of commute.

Vienna is a real town with a strong sense of community. Oakton is more typical NoVa subdivision territory, though it is certainly nicer than North Arlington. That is where people live because of commute.

Anonymous wrote:You might want to consider living in Oakton. You can get more sq. footage and Oakton has excellent schools.

Exactly. Why would you want to live in Vienna when you could live in Oakton. Most Vienna folk live here because of commute.

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Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

That's because of the island.

Isn't it part of Yorktown, too? I guess it's OK to include the area if it makes Yorktown seem more "urban," but not if it makes Madison more affluent. SMH.

Weird obsession you have there chap. My guess is that 22182 and 22207 are both pretty affluent.

Most of Madison is 22180 and 22181, so clearly you're guessing about lots of things.

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Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

That's because of the island.

Isn't it part of Yorktown, too? I guess it's OK to include the area if it makes Yorktown seem more "urban," but not if it makes Madison more affluent. SMH.

Weird obsession you have there chap. My guess is that 22182 and 22207 are both pretty affluent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

That's because of the island.

Isn't it part of Yorktown, too? I guess it's OK to include the area if it makes Yorktown seem more "urban," but not if it makes Madison more affluent. SMH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only one commute to Oakton. Vienna is clearly better commute but would like to get a sense of the vibe of these two communities. What do you see are the most distinct differences in culture, atmosphere, people, overall feeling, etc in these two areas? How about differences in the schools (Yorktown v. Madison)? We are looking for liberal leaning, vibrant community, down-to-earth people, good schools. Any other areas might we want to consider?

Both are liberal. Yorktown more liberal than Vienna. Vienna more down to earth than Yorktown. Yorktown is more affluent and urban, but Vienna has a vibrant community feel. Both high schools are good. Yorktown class sizes are smaller. The sizes of the schools are similar. Nothing you probably don't already know.

If Yorktown is more affluent, I wonder why it's 14% FARMS and Madison is 9%.

That's because of the island.

OP here. Thanks everyone for all your thoughts about these two areas, and really appreciate your suggestions!

I never understood the appeal of Oakton, it's BFE

Oakton is very pretty and the houses are beautiful, but it is a long way from Arlington or even eastern Vienna.

You might want to consider living in Oakton. You can get more sq. footage and Oakton has excellent schools.


You can get a bigger house in Oakton, but it's a bit amorphous. There is no real center. Vienna has a greater sense of community.

Oakton is also home to several prominent conservatives. It has a different vibe than Vienna.