Halls Hill in Arlington

Falls Church City meets all your needs although it would be really tough to get a house on half an acre there at your budget. Most houses on half an acre are in Broadmont although there are also some in other parts of the city.

Anonymous wrote:There's just something so .... desperate about Vienna.

Desperate? Lol that’s a new one

In my experience there is an inverse relationship between the size of the house/lot and the friendliness of the neighbors. I’m sure there are exceptions, but I have found that the friendliest and most inclusive families live in neighborhoods with older/more modest homes on smaller lots or in townhomes. DCUM turns its nose up at the schools these neighborhoods feed into. Fox Mill is a great example of this. They are just more down to earth. We live in a neighborhood with “highly sought after” schools and it’s much more of a mix… some nice people but some who think their sh*t doesn’t stink. If I could do it over again I might move somewhere like Fox Mill. It seems like a much easier place for kids and parents to make friends because it’s not filled with a bunch of strivers sizing each other up and competing with one another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ft. Hunt - we live in Stratford Landing and it is super social!

+1. This is a great area. Really nice people and good sized houses/yards (although not sure how many make it to a whole half-acre). Every community I know of up and down the Parkway has family-friendly social events and there are always tons of kids and parents out walking/biking/socializing in the neighborhoods.

Totally agree! We live in Fort Hunt as well and LOVE it. We have 3 kids and are constantly doing social things with neighbors (pool, BBQ, birthday parties, play dates) and also love the outdoor trails!

Agreed that Ft Hunt is awesome! Just be prepared to shell out for private school. Sorry but true.

True story- the three biggest sluts I knew in HS were from Vienna.

Anonymous wrote:How do people still not know that the only real answer here is Vienna?

Agree that Vienna is a nice place to live for many reasons, but 1/2 acre? Our lot is tiny < 1/4 acre.

There's just something so .... desperate about Vienna.

OP,

It's going to be way cheaper, and way less stressful to find a way to improve the social connections in your current neighborhood. Use some of the money you would have spent on moving to host some parties (be it adult parties, kid parties, block parties, or a mixture). Set up fun-kid-stuff (like an outdoor tv/movie screen or a pool or even a pingpong table or badminton net and cater some good food. Have people bring something small to add to it.... Then hang out at the totlots, put your kids in swim lessons or swim team, take a leadership role in the scout groups, get involved in your HOA.... these are the ways you build connections. There is NO community that you can simply buy a house in and --- presto -- you have instant friends.

You will spend so much time trying to find a home, selling your home (which is no small feat with four kids), setting up a move, then setting up your new house, getting kids in new schools, and being the new person who knows no one... that is what the next 12-24 months will look like. None of that is going to bring you the "community" connections you want for the next 2+ years.

It literally takes YEARS to establish roots and connections.

Fit your needs

Vienna and Oakton got your needs.

Anonymous wrote:Fox Mill?

Fox Mill fits the bill for the social aspect the OP desires, but seems it would be otherwise bourgeois for what is wanted in a house.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the Leesburg PP from page 1. Would this house fit the bill? This neighborhood is further out but you'd have multiple acres, 3 car garage, and still get the neighborhood aspect. Despite more distance between the houses, there are usually kids out playing and riding bikes.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/42030-Panorama-Pl-Leesburg-VA-20176/68462679_zpid/

There's another neighborhood in this area called Village Green that is very social, but it would be harder to get the half acre and 3-car garage, although there are a few houses with those things.

This is in the Selma neighborhood I mentioned before. It's a conservancy lot, but most of the houses there are on 1/2 an acre.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15577-Berkhamstead-Pl-Leesburg-VA-20176/245708906_zpid/

House is too small

I'm the Leesburg PP from page 1. Would this house fit the bill? This neighborhood is further out but you'd have multiple acres, 3 car garage, and still get the neighborhood aspect. Despite more distance between the houses, there are usually kids out playing and riding bikes.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/42030-Panorama-Pl-Leesburg-VA-20176/68462679_zpid/

There's another neighborhood in this area called Village Green that is very social, but it would be harder to get the half acre and 3-car garage, although there are a few houses with those things.

This is in the Selma neighborhood I mentioned before. It's a conservancy lot, but most of the houses there are on 1/2 an acre.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15577-Berkhamstead-Pl-Leesburg-VA-20176/245708906_zpid/

Lake RIdge, VA