NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 (edited) My family may have to make a move to dc suburbs to be within a decent commuting distance to DC. Fairfax seems interesting to me but I am open to suggestion. I like that it is has a major university, cultural events, and amenities nearby since I am not the best driver. I also like the fact that it seems to be a smaller and safe city from what I have read:) Plus, it seems family friendly. Any opinions? I forgot to add, are there many home school groups in the area? I appreciate any info:) Edited December 4, 2009 by priscilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 My family may have to make a move to dc suburbs to be within a decent commuting distance to DC. Fairfax seems interesting to me but I am open to suggestion. I like that it is has a major university, cultural events, and amenities nearby since I am not the best driver. I also like the fact that it seems to be a smaller and safe city from what I have read:) Plus, it seems family friendly. Any opinions? I forgot to add, are there many home school groups in the area? I appreciate any info:) Fairfax County is certainly family-friendly -- some towns/cities in the County more so than others. I highlighted your post in red b/c I am not sure how much you will be able to do without driving around here....there are days when I feel as if I am in the car for hours -- certainly due to traffic as much as anything. Yes, the METRO is great if one wants to get downtown but truly, we drive to the museums and stuff b/c it's just easier for us. I can send you the info to get on the email list for SHARENET which is a great resource for homeschooling activities, groups, events. I do find that ice skating, gymnastic academies, cyber-clubs, etc have all added homechool friendly classes. If you are not receiving SHARENET email newsletter yet, let me know. PM me if there is any other info you would like --I am sure others in NOVA will take over now as there is so much info to share, I would be here all day typing. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 FFX Co is a great place to live, but traffic is a serious consideration. We lived for years in Vienna (end of the metro line). Loved the community feel, great people, great school district - for resale - and very close to shopping. That said, it took a good 45 mins to get downtown. The closer you get to DC, the higher the prices and the smaller the homes and lots, in general. We lived in Arlington for years, too, but it was just too much of a pain to get around with little kids there, imho. With a 7 year old, that won't be a problem for you. Alexandria is a great place and some locations there are convenient to shopping so you don't have to get in a car. My sister lived in Chevy Chase, MD. Great location. Once we moved out of the area, we would visit her and I was amazed how convenient it was to many points - even ones in VA. It is also a good place if you don't plan on driving much. You can walk to most shopping and you're walking distance to metro. Don't know about homeschool groups. We moved away before my oldest was 4. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 I do drive around the city where I live quite a bit, I just do not like driving on interstate highways. I can do smaller highways with a speed limit of about 50-55:) and easily drive around a moderate city on city streets. I am referring to Fairfax itself, not the county:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Hi! We just moved to Fairfax from AL in May. We've certainly enjoyed having so much historical and other exciting places to go, many of which are free. I also love, love, love the library here. Going there the highlight of my dd's week. Definitely sign up with SHARENET. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I read about all the opportunities around here. My only problem is that many of them cost more than we can afford right now, as our house in AL still has not sold, so money is really tight. Some affordable things I have found are the Fairfax Police Youth Club sports league. My dd played T-ball with them last fall and it was great. Also the area rec centers have classes that are reasonably priced. I have yet to find a co-op that is right for us, so we are doing lots of feild trips instead. As far a driving goes - it can be a major pain. I usually go do errands during the day, so it's not as bad, but it does seem to take forever to get to some places. I try to wait to go to the furthest places when I can group several errands together. My kids are almost 7 and 2.5. If your kids are near those ages, pm me if you move up - we are always looking for more hs friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 A dear homeschooling friend of mine who has six children and hates driving (she just learned to drive a few years ago and never really got the hang of it!) lives in a nice townhouse in Fairfax City. They are walking distance to stores, restaurants, parks and the main library. It works really well for her. Housing pricing are high here but have really taken a nosedive because of the economy. So it would be a good time to buy. And there are lots of rentals around lately too for the same reason. Traffic is a nightmare around here! My dh works in DC and he commutes (we live in the Vienna/Reston part of Fairfax County). It takes him about 45 to 1 hour to get to his Dupont Circle office. If I were you I'd look for places in Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Fairfax City where you've got all the town amenities going for you. Vienna is the end of the line for the metro but you can take commuter buses to the metro from the other areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Kirsten~ Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I definitely concur: driving, especially in VA, is a pain around here! While you're looking, check out cities in Montgomery county, MD. We're at the end of the Metro red line (Shady Grove stop), and my husband commutes into D.C. His commute is approximately an hour, which might be too long for your tastes. But we're really happy to be close enough and yet outside of the craziness. I'm biased, but I find that driving is far easier in MD than in VA, possibly because of wider streets. We're actively involved in a county homeschooling group here, and I'd be glad to answer questions. I know, for instance, that a lot in our group are from Silver Springs, MD, so there are definitely homeschoolers about. My understanding is that there are a lot of homeschoolers in VA as well. You just can't beat the opportunities for education here, by the way! :D Best wishes as you make your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 I definitely concur: driving, especially in VA, is a pain around here! While you're looking, check out cities in Montgomery county, MD. We're at the end of the Metro red line (Shady Grove stop), and my husband commutes into D.C. His commute is approximately an hour, which might be too long for your tastes. But we're really happy to be close enough and yet outside of the craziness. I'm biased, but I find that driving is far easier in MD than in VA, possibly because of wider streets. We're actively involved in a county homeschooling group here, and I'd be glad to answer questions. I know, for instance, that a lot in our group are from Silver Springs, MD, so there are definitely homeschoolers about. My understanding is that there are a lot of homeschoolers in VA as well. You just can't beat the opportunities for education here, by the way! :D Best wishes as you make your decision. Are amenities nearby where you live plus cultural events such as philharmonic concerts, museums, grocery stores, libraries, etc? How do you find homeschooling on MD? Do you use a umbrella school or not? I appreciate any info:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 A dear homeschooling friend of mine who has six children and hates driving (she just learned to drive a few years ago and never really got the hang of it!) lives in a nice townhouse in Fairfax City. They are walking distance to stores, restaurants, parks and the main library. It works really well for her. Housing pricing are high here but have really taken a nosedive because of the economy. So it would be a good time to buy. And there are lots of rentals around lately too for the same reason. Traffic is a nightmare around here! My dh works in DC and he commutes (we live in the Vienna/Reston part of Fairfax County). It takes him about 45 to 1 hour to get to his Dupont Circle office. If I were you I'd look for places in Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Fairfax City where you've got all the town amenities going for you. Vienna is the end of the line for the metro but you can take commuter buses to the metro from the other areas. Is traffic a nightmare in Fairfax itself and perhaps to nearby amenities? I will not be commuting to DC, my husband will:) Also, is it easy and safe to take the metro into DC to see museums, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Priscilla, my dh rides the metro from Vienna/Fairfax into DC everyday. It is totally safe. I take my kids about once a month for a field trip by myself. About 2 weeks ago we took the metro to the national zoo. I have never felt unsafe on the metro. You do get used to the traffic after a while, especially once you start learning your way around. I highly recommend getting a GPS if you don't have one. I still use mine occasionally when I'm not sure which road to take to places I don't go a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 The metro is great for getting into DC. Driving around Fairfax can be a nightmare during rush hour but other times it is fine. Of course, I've lived in the area almost all my life, so I'm probably pretty used to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 (edited) The metro is great for getting into DC. Driving around Fairfax can be a nightmare during rush hour but other times it is fine. Of course, I've lived in the area almost all my life, so I'm probably pretty used to it! To me, a nightmare is bumper to bumper at 50 or greater miles per hour. I can do bumper to bumper at slow speeds of 5-35/mph on city streets;) So, do you mean that traffic is bumper to bumper at high speeds in Fairfax City itself or just bumper to bumper? I appreciate your help:) Edited December 4, 2009 by priscilla clarify Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 To a nightmare is bumper to bumper at 50 or greater miles per hour. I can do bumper to bumper at slow speeds of 5-35/mph on city streets;) So, do you mean that traffic is bumper to bumper at high speeds in Fairfax City itself or just bumper to bumper? I appreciate your help:) I rarely get above 45 in Fairfax, bumper to bumper or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 We lived there for 2 years, in Fairfax but not exactly in the city, we were halfway between Vienna and Fairfax. It was a nice location and easy to get to the Metro. Driving there is bad, although it may be worse here in LA, both aren't fun. I didn't drive in Fairfax unless it was between 9 and 11 or 1 and 3. (I'm on your driving plan! And, you MUST get a GPS, the streets are crazy there, they change names and it's hard to turn around unless you have a GPS guiding you.) You definitely want to live near the Metro, where we lived my husband could bike to the Metro when it was nice. My children were just born and 3 when we got there and 2 and 5 when we left, they were too young for most D.C. attractions but they liked riding the "train" (Metro) and we did go see some things anyway. The Virginia homeschooling laws are easier than the Maryland laws, we weren't officially homeschooling yet but had friends in Maryland who were and I went to a homeschooling convention in Virginia. Also, if you want to have your children go to school for high school, Virginia schools in general are much better than the Maryland schools, and the Fairfax schools are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 I rarely get above 45 in Fairfax, bumper to bumper or not. So I gather it is usually slower speeds of 5-30ish then;) If this is the case, then that is great for me;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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