There's A Whole Lot Of Leaving Going On
Some growing families find they're leaving Old Town for new, and bigger spaces
We live in one of the many charming mews communities in Old Town, and we love the beautiful gardens, underground garage parking, walking distance to the grocery store, the river and King Street. While the commute into Georgetown to the office can be maddening at rush hour, it doesn’t get much better than one light to the GW Parkway.
It’s been a wonderful place to live for the last six years, and we have been lucky enough to have two neighbors with children close to Sophia’s age. There are a few other families in our community with younger or older kids and we’ve enjoyed Halloween and Easter events together and become accustomed to impromptu play dates and trips to the park when one of our little friends knocks on the door to see if Sophia wants to play.
However, the majority of the 100 or so condos in our community are not occupied by families with children. The units have two or three bedrooms at the most – and we do not have basements, full sized washer/dryers, or backyards. The trip through the heavy garage door and up the stairs to our units is far more challenging with an infant car seat and twice the groceries we needed before kids.
A basement or storage area for the toys and somewhere for the grandparents to sleep when they visit begins to feel more important. And then there’s the question for many of us in North Old Town – which I am only just beginning to research - of elementary school district.
Most of our neighbors are first time homebuyers without children or folks at the other end of the spectrum whose children no longer live with them.
While it’s true that our 1,120 square foot townhouse is feeling smaller by the month, I’m not really ready to move on. It has caught me off guard that our neighbors with children are moving on.
They are not going far, but it’s not the same. One set of neighbors moved into a wonderful house in Del Ray. While they still have two bedrooms, they have upgraded to a front porch, a fenced in backyard, and finished basement and a loft space. The other set of neighbors, which includes Sophia’s best friend in the world, moved down the parkway this weekend.
I went to see the house and said to them, “you’ve traded in the VW Bug for a Winnebago!” Five bedrooms, a deck, a two car garage attached to the house, a big yard…and Fairfax County. Both families now live on blocks filled with kids riding bikes and are within walking distance to their local elementary schools.
I’ve had many conversations about this topic with Old Town parents and many have expressed that they would love to stay in Old Town but cannot afford real estate with the square footage they need for a growing family.
Popular options seem to be moving into the DelRay/Rosemont area for a little more room (while maintaining a reasonable commute to the city and access to the metro, shops, and restaurants) or moving down the parkway for a lot more space, and the appeal (for some) of Fairfax County schools.
Parents seem to have a lot of feelings about where they want to live based on schools, and I’m having some trouble finding good information and data on this topic. I’ve started to poke around the Alexandria City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools websites and query parents with school aged children about how they made their school choice.
I have to say that it’s all a little overwhelming - as is the thought of leaving the 22314 ZIP code. And Perks. And Giant. In the end, it may be the mini washing machine that finally convinces me it’s time.
Is Old Town a great place to raise kids? Why?
Tell us in the comments.
EYA Homes
4:55 pm on Tuesday, May 3, 2011
At EYA's Old Town Commons new townhome community in Alexandria, homebuyers tell us that the neighborhood amenities go a long way to make up for things you might find in further out places. For example, the Charles Houston Recreation Center and the Potomac River waterfront are both within walking distance and give families plenty of opportunity to stretch their legs. Homes offer both formal and informal living spaces, garage parking, 3-4 bedrooms and yes, FULL SIZE washers and dryers. Some homesites even include private rear yards. New construction, low-maintenance living can be family friendly if you consider all the amenities of Old Town to be in your own back yard.
Penny
5:50 pm on Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I finally found your new article when someone posted this comment. There are no Opinion articles coming up on Patch. Hope they will be back soon. I love your columns.
marie pecarro
9:12 am on Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It can be a good place to raise kids. It just depends on what kind of life style you want for your family and how adaptable your family is to a certain way of living. The family dream is a house but that is changing due to the cost of living in the Northern Virginia area.
If you are a two family income, travel time to and from work may be the first priority and not the yard or full size washer/dryer. You can always rent a vacation house to get that yard time in. You can pay to have your laundry done. You can't get time back commuting back and forth to work which takes away from time spent with your family.
Marina Brito
11:58 am on Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Hi Tara,
You are not alone in trying to figure out how to choose the right school for your kids and then trying to find a home within your selected school boundary.
I am a Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Premier in Fairfax, VA (disclosure up front). Through the past several years, I have been helping home buyers, who are conscious about their school choices, relocate to the area.
Based on this experience, I realized that there was a real need to help people with this process, and we created the free "The No-Tears Guide to Moving to Fairfax, VA" which includes compiled information on:
* How to choose the Right School, and
* How to find a Home by School
You can access The No-Tears Guide to Moving to Fairfax VA here: http://www.RightSchoolRightHome.com
(no strings attached)
I'd love to see what you think of the guide and if you think that it would be helpful for your home search - in case you decide to venture out of the lovely Old Town.
Happy house hunting!
Marina
The following info is required by law:
Marina Brito
RE/MAX Premier
13135 Lee Jackson Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22033
(703) 480-6575
** Equal Housing Opportunity**
Carolyn Semedo
11:16 am on Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tara,
We've pondered these questions as well. We moved to OT and bought our stater house before kids and intended to live in it for just a few years. We've been here for 11 years and have three kids in a very small house with a very small back yard. We have front yard that we share with a neighbor that's just enough for running around and blowing bubbles and such, so we spend lots of time at playgrounds. Some days I long for a larger house with a big yard where the kids could play freely. Other days I love that we are blocks from the metro, post office, bank, grocery store, library, etc. I love being one light from DC and know that we wouldn't go in as often if we were further out. I have concerns about the school system, but know that we are making progress.
One of the things it feels like we are missing right now is a connection with other families. There just aren't many in our neighborhood or on our street. But, that's not all bad for a family of introverts. Every situation has its pros and cons.
Overtime, as the kids have gotten older, I've gotten more settled here. We get creative with what we do and how we do it and with what we have. Life here is consistent with goals around reducing our environmental footprint, so it works for now. It will be interesting to see how things unfold ... as the kids get bigger and we have five full-sized bodies in the house!
Tara Maglio
11:27 am on Friday, May 6, 2011
Carolyn and Marie - Great points and excellent reminders about the reasons I love Old Town! I'd love to hear from more families about how they are making it work!
EYA and Marina- I'm not looking to relocate any time soon, but thank you!