Arlington with hubby, dog and two teens? (Washington: townhouses, neighborhoods)
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I'm moving to the area and will be working in Capitol Hill. We've lived for many years in a suburb of NYC, raising three kids -- the oldest of whom leaves for college this Fall. We have two more at home - ages 16 and 13, so we're not quite empty nesters yet. However, we'd love to downsize from a house to a townhome, ideally living somewhere with a more urban feel and a good commute to downtown. We will be needing good schools, however, and we can't afford private so DC is out I think. Arlington seems like a good bet, but I'm still learning about the area. Any advice about areas that seem like a match for us? Thanks.
I'm moving to the area and will be working in Capitol Hill. We've lived for many years in a suburb of NYC, raising three kids -- the oldest of whom leaves for college this Fall. We have two more at home - ages 16 and 13, so we're not quite empty nesters yet. However, we'd love to downsize from a house to a townhome, ideally living somewhere with a more urban feel and a good commute to downtown. We will be needing good schools, however, and we can't afford private so DC is out I think. Arlington seems like a good bet, but I'm still learning about the area. Any advice about areas that seem like a match for us? Thanks.
Sounds like Arlington would be a good fit. There are plenty of townhouses there. The most urbanized part of Arlington is referred to as the Orange Line corredor and generally feeds into Washington-Lee HS. However, there is a section of Arlington right across from Key Bridge near the Rosslyn and Court House Metro stations that feeds into Yorktown HS in North Arlington. Yorktown has the highest test scores of any of the Arlington high schools, comparable to Woodson and McLean HS in Fairfax County and George Mason in the City of Falls Church. Both Washington-Lee and Yorktown are in very nice (and, in Yorktown's case, brand-new) buildings.
Here's the Arlington high school boundary map if you're interested:
To the west of Arlington are McLean and the City of Falls Church. Both them also have great schools and quite a few townhouses. McLean is quite suburban, although there are some nice townhouses near major roads like Dolley Madison Boulevard and Old Dominion Drive that have good bus service to the Ballston Metro station in Arlington. In comparison, the City of Falls Church is a small, separate town with its own, well-regarded public school system. George Mason HS is the name of the high school for the City of Falls Church. Depending on where they live, some residents of the City of Falls Church walk to the East or West Falls Church Metro stations. The City of Falls Church doesn't really have the urban density of DC or Central Arlington, but it appeals to many who prefer suburban homes on smaller lots, strong schools, and a comparatively short commute to DC. [There are also parts of Fairfax County with Falls Church mailing addresses, and these areas range from areas that are similar to McLean to some fairly low-rent areas.]
For someone used to good public schools in, say, Westchester or Long Island, any of the schools in these neighborhoods (Yorktown, W-L, McLean or George Mason) should make for a pretty comfortable transition.
Thank you. We are from northern NJ, just 12 miles from Manhattan. Our suburb is know to appeal to NYC and Brooklyn folks who want to move once they start families but still want a downtown more urban than ex-urban feel. Arlington seems a bit similar in that sections are leafy and suburban while others are more citified and attract younger professionals. I've heard good things about Yorktown, George Mason and McLean. I've heard Washington Lee isn't bad either -- the reviews on Wakefield seem to be more mixed.
Do you know much about HB Woodlawn and how it works? Must you test into that school, and can kids from all sections of Arlington go there? Just how unstructured and "student driven" is the curriculum?
Thank you. We are from northern NJ, just 12 miles from Manhattan. Our suburb is know to appeal to NYC and Brooklyn folks who want to move once they start families but still want a downtown more urban than ex-urban feel. Arlington seems a bit similar in that sections are leafy and suburban while others are more citified and attract younger professionals. I've heard good things about Yorktown, George Mason and McLean. I've heard Washington Lee isn't bad either -- the reviews on Wakefield seem to be more mixed.
Do you know much about HB Woodlawn and how it works? Must you test into that school, and can kids from all sections of Arlington go there? Just how unstructured and "student driven" is the curriculum?
Sounds like Montclair (love the houses in that town). Washington-Lee is probably closest to the Montclair public schools in terms of diversity and the political leanings of the parents; the other schools are probably more akin to, say, those in Westfield or Summit, though they are part of county-wide systems unlike in NJ.
Sounds like Montclair (love the houses in that town). Washington-Lee is probably closest to the Montclair public schools in terms of diversity and the political leanings of the parents; the other schools are probably more akin to, say, those in Westfield or Summit, though they are part of county-wide systems unlike in NJ.
You win! We've lived in Montclair for years. My kids have at various times been in public and private schools there.
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