Moving to Great Falls Chase Community (Sterling, VA) (HOA, low crime)

[pm1010]

Folks,

We are a family of four and have purchased a town home in Great Falls Chase community (one right next to the strip mall - bloom store) , we will be moving in shortly.
I haave done soem research abou the area, achools, amenities, etc
How ever any comments from the current residents will be greatly appreciated.

How is Horizon Elementary School?
Are there any bus services that got o West Falls church Metro?
What are the future delevelopments that are planned in that community?

How safe is the neighbourhood?

From the face of it it appreas to be a welcoming community, however would like to know from the current residents?

Thanks in Advance!!

[Caladium]

Hi! Welcome to Cascades!

Just a quick note since I'm headed out of town, hope these comments help: The bus service to WFC Metro stops right there in the Bloom parking lot. You'll see the people waiting for it, you can't miss it. Re Horizon: I don't know that school personally, but have heard positive comments about it.

As far as I know Cascades is built out, so no developments being planned. But Margery would probably know for sure. I don't know the safety of your particular neighborhood but Cascades in general is a very low crime area and we've always felt extremely safe here.

A couple of other things you might enjoy knowing: The Chinese food place in the plaza near Bloom is very good. The Italian Place has some really good dishes and some so-so ones. Worth trying out. The coffee shop is only fair, it's cute and I like the idea of supporting independent business but to be honest if you want good coffee go to Dunkin Donuts instead.

The Shell station next to Rite Aid often has the cheapest gas in the area. Go early, it gets busy. Also, go early if you're getting car inspections there.

There's a tunnel under Algonkian Parkway near LI Blvd. It takes a little while to find it, and to be honest it may be asier to just take the crosswalk. But, if you've got a stroller the tunnel can be handy.

In the spring, the 10K is a big social event, lots of fun to do. If you aren't going downtown on the 4th, Donald Trump puts on an impressive fireworks show. You can see it really well by walking down Lowes Island Blvd. to the area near Colonel Young. If you walk all the way down LI Blvd. at the very end you'll see a golf cart trail that goes up a hill. It leads to a ritzy neighborhood. Walk through it, and you'll come to Seneca Park. This is a great park for hiking trails. Also, the doggy splash is here.

Algonkian Park has all kinds of amazing things. If you have out of town visitors, consider putting them up at the cabins there. The water park there is a lot of fun but can get crowded. The playground there is huge; it's a wonderful place.

At Halloween, several of the streets go all out and are a lot of fun. Blockhouse and Saulty are two really good streets to check out. Also McGees/Colonel Young area. The Christmas lights in these areas tend to be impressive, too.



If you're a member of Cascades HOA and have a dog, a really fun thing to do is the dog swim on the weekend after they close the pools (mid September).

There's probably a half dozen other things I'll think of after I've hit the road. Sorry I'm in a rush, but you'll discover all these things on your own, anyway.

[pm1010]

Caladium,

Thanks for the quick reply and input , gives a warm welcome. I will sure discover them as soon as i move.
Please post more details when you get a chance. Thanks

[Margery]

I have to contradict Caladium on one thing, Great Falls Chase is not part of the Cascades Community. They have their own HOA, their own pool and tennis. It is a very nice community, common areas are well maintained and you can walk to shopping and restaurants. They are built out, you will not have to worry about new construction.

Everything else in her post is spot on, though. The cabins at Algonkian Park are great, they are fully equipped with a kitchen and great for out of town guests and are right on the river.