Might be relocating back to NoVa... need to find the right location for a family (Reston: houses, neighborhood)

[TeacherAmy]

Hi everyone!

I lived in NoVa for 6+ years as a single person. While I generally do well wherever I am, I have to admit that those were my 'desert years'. It was a tough time personally and for other reasons, and I was very happy to leave when I got married 7 years ago.

Weeelll, fast forward a few years and several military stations later, and DH is retiring from the military and beginning a second career. The overwhelming majority of the offers and opportunities either require or strongly urge him to live in the greater Metro area. *sigh* Although I'm really hoping we'll be able to live in one of the other areas we've looked into and are quite drawn to, if we have to do this I am going to make the best of it. (That recent post by Movewesttoeast was a HUGE encouragement!! )

I thought I'd ask folks here for opinions about where we might find a slower-paced, friendly, down-to-earth environment for our family. I really disliked the frenetic pace and often materialistic lifestyle I found so often closer inside the Beltway, so I hoped some of the areas out in Loudoun County (or even farther out) would be different. A recent visit to a friend in Gainesville shocked me with how busy and developed her specific area was, and I was concerned that there may not be "small-town" feeling places left! LOL Am I delusional to hope to find a place with honestly friendly neighbors, pleasant green spaces, places for kids to play, and the usual schools/Y/libraries in a reasonable distance?

How have Leesburg and similar locations changed in the last 5 years or so? Do we need to go farther out? He doesn't need to be within a very easy commute, but rather what he's calling "shouting distance" from the Herndon/Reston area.

Please spam me with your opinions on this one, and TIA.

[marie5v]

You really have to state a price range. There are some communities where people are friendlier and there is more of a sense of neighborliness, so to speak, but they are scattered about.

[NYmama2dallas]

I'm not sure I know how far 'shouting distance' would be...? Does he just need to go into the office once a week and so doesn't mind a killself commute?

[TeacherAmy]

Originally Posted by marie5v

You really have to state a price range. There are some communities where people are friendlier and there is more of a sense of neighborliness, so to speak, but they are scattered about.

That's a fair point, Marie. To some degree the price range will need to be reevaluated if we come to the NoVa area. In other areas, we've been working with a $375-450K range, which is more than sufficient to provide a great living situation without stretching ourselves financially. Should we come to NoVa, it would only be with that taken into consideration with the compensation packages and we realize we'd be increasing our price range. So for now, I would guess $450-550K, realizing that may be altered in the future.

ETA: NYmama2dallas, I cross-posted and didn't see your response first. From what we're learning, the job would be primarily a work-at-home situation with occasional visits to area offices. They would be at various times, so rush hour patterns wouldn't be the consideration they normally would be, and since he is very aware of my reluctance (LOL), he's very open to being quite a distance away. He's even talking regularly about looking up towards Gettysburg, PA, where he grew up, so we're fine with being way out in the relative sticks.

[claremarie]

"Am I delusional to hope to find a place with honestly friendly neighbors, pleasant green spaces, places for kids to play, and the usual schools/Y/libraries in a reasonable distance?"

No. You can find all of those things in many communities in northern Virginia. But that "slow-paced" thing will be much more of a challenge. And then there's traffic -- not just commuting traffic, but "getting errands done" and "weekend outings" traffic that can be even worse. We lived in the DC metro area for 25 years before relocating to a smaller midwestern community a few years ago. Now I have a considerably better understanding of how fast-paced and frenetic much of the DC area really is. Unless you're willing to live WAY in the outer fringes of exurbia, you're not really going to find anything that could reasonably be described as "slow-paced."

[SteelCityRising]

I would personally recommend Berryville, in Clarke County, to you. It is just far enough removed from DC's sphere of influence to get rid of a lot of the Type-A "survival of the fittest" and "dog eat dog" uber-stressful types but still close enough for a reasonable commute to Reston via Route 7 to the Dulles Greenway/Dulles Toll Road (especially if you were actually considering a commute from South Central PA!) To me it seems like the closest you can come to DC on the western frontier where you still get that sense of "Mayberry." Purcellville, in Loudoun County, is also another recommendation, but I've always felt like that area is very threatened to become the next sprawl-infested Leesburg in the coming years whereas Berryville is still just a tad too far away to ever really have to worry about that (although there are some pretty ugly newer subdivisions surrounding that town as well).

In Berryville you're not terribly far from either Winchester or Leesburg via Route 7 to major shopping/dining/nightlife needs (about 15-30 minutes, respectively). You can also head up U.S. 340 into West Virginia to Charles Town. Berryville has a cute little downtown area, at least one major grocery store (Food Lion), and a few other coneveniences. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking. I can't vouch for Clarke County schools, but perhaps someone else on here can.

If I decide to stay here permanently I'm looking into buying my home in Winchester and power-commuting, as many are now starting to do due to the lack of quality affordable housing in most of NoVA. I've always found the Route 7 Corridor between Winchester and Leesburg to be a very relaxing drive anyways, and then from there the Toll Road is a breeze (albeit a very expensive one).

[michgc]

I think you will like living here more as a married person than as a single person. I lived here as both. And I found that people are "trying to impress" more when they are trying to meet other singles. Not that there isn't a "keeping up with the Joneses" in many places in the DC area, but it seems less in your face if you are not out doing the dating scene - at least that was my experience.

Leesburg, Haymarket, Gainesville, and Bristow have grown considerably in the last few years. It's very pretty out Route 50 - Aldie and Middleburg. There might be other "small town" type places like Warrenton and Nokesville. And Loudoun County probably has lots of good choices - there are others on this board who live out there who can probably guide you there. Of course, commute is farther from these places.

[arielmina]

I am in Western Loudoun county and very much recommend it out here. It's about a 30-35 minute drive to Herndon (on the greenway) but still very much a small town feel. Purcellville would be one place I'd recommend, as well as Round Hill. Bluemont has some beautiful properties and is just the cutest little town there is. Clarke County schools (Berryville) are not generally regarded as good so in your price range, I'd stick to western Loudoun. Leesburg is horribly overdeveloped in my view, though there are still some very beautiful areas out in the country and of course there's tons of shopping. If you haven't been to Leesburg in 5 yrs...it will look more developed.

Purcellville is out in western Loudoun where there is now a very strict zoning guidance on new subdivisions so while RestonRunner sees it as the next "sprawl infested Leesburg" but I don't see how that is possible, though of course it is still developing along Main Street. Round Hill and Bluemont will always be small towns so they're a great possibility too. Schools out in western Loudoun are excellent across the board. Oh and Hamilton is a great little town too....I would definitely look west of Leesburg. Waterford and Lovettsville are great towns too but are farther removed from "civilization" as you'd have to trek into Purcellville for your shopping and schools.

[movingtodcfromseattle]

I think you can find a neighborhood closer in, if you'd prefer. I moved here last summer from Seattle and looked at 37 properties before deciding on a neighborhood for our family. It would fit your desired characteristics nicely as well as your budget. PM me if you'd like more info.

[normie]

Closer in, I totally love Lowes Island. It's 5-6 miles from the Reston/Herndon tech corridor. Here's a photo tour:

Lowes Island (part of Cascades, which is the northern section of Sterling)

It does not have a country feel, but everything's fairly close and there are lots of kids and friendly neighbors. The type of place you can expect decorated houses and at 50 kids trick or treating at halloween.