Virginia Hills

Just down the Potomac from the nation’s capital, Virginia Hills in Alexandria is a Washington, D.C. suburb, but it’s not exactly Suburbia, U.S.A. “I wouldn’t term it ‘suburbia,” says Kevin Friend, a Realtor with Compass. “When I think of suburbia, I think that I need a car to do everything. I’m always on the highway, and I’m always in traffic. Here, I don’t physically need a car to do anything. It’s sort of a hybrid; it’s like an urban suburbia.”

Moving away from some of Alexandria’s busier parts, Virginia Hills is quieter and more residential than the bustling sections slightly further north. Here, in the space bracketed by Telegraph Road and South Kings Highway, homeowners embrace the best of metropolitan and bedroom community living. “It’s not quite a suburb, but more suburban compared to downtown Alexandria,” Friend says.

Virginia Hills is winding roads tracked by neat, mid-sized houses amid columns of mature trees, some of which have been around since the community’s beginning back in the 1950s. There are colonials, Cape Cods, ranch-style homes and ramblers, along with some new construction. It’s a mixture of single-family homes, town homes and condominiums. Also, in a trend mirroring some neighborhoods in Washington, homebuyers are purchasing houses expecting to replace them with newly constructed ones. It’s one way to compensate for limited available space. “Traditionally, people think of buying a home that they like. Today, we’re seeing people buying a lot and then building the home that they want. We’re not creating land, but we can create larger homes,” Friend explains.

Because the homes are outside the city, budget-conscious homebuyers may find prices more agreeable. The median home price in Virginia Hills is around $600,000, with most homes ranging from $500,000 to above $1,000,000. While that kind of money may fetch a relatively sizable property in many parts of the country, it’s about what you’d expect to find here for a mid-sized home. Compared to what a homebuyer might expect to spend a little further north in Washington, many would consider home prices here. reasonable. “The price point is more favorable, and it’s a nice space. This is a good place for price,” Friend makes plain. “It's really hard to find a four-bedroom house for under a million dollars. That substantiates why Virginia Hills is one of the attractive neighborhoods with the price.”

Equally as attractive as home prices for families with school-aged children is the school district, which in Virginia Hills is Fairfax County School District. Niche rates the highly-regarded school system A. Students attend Rose Hill Elementary School, Twain Middle School and Edison High School.

All about town, you’ll find a variety of parks and green spaces. Perhaps the most popular one is Franconia Park, which has trails, playgrounds, fields, a recreation center and an amphitheater. The venue is home to a summer entertainment series featuring various local and visiting musical acts. It’s not that finding entertainment and activity would be so difficult. You are, after all, in the shadow of the nation’s capital and in Alexandria, which accesses the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area’s most important thoroughfares, including Route 1 and Interstate 495, which loops around the entire area. Light rail also is close at hand, with Metro’s Huntington line not far and offering several Virginia stops.

With so many transportation options, finding fine dining in Washington or elsewhere throughout the metropolitan area is a cinch. Virginia Hills is very much a part of that mix. Or perhaps you just want to grab a quick bite on Route 1 on your way back into town, maybe Rositas with its authentic Salvadoran menu.

There on Route 1, you’ll also find your favorite name-brand retail outlets. It’s what you might expect from a suburb that’s not quite a suburb.

Written By

Jonathan Clarke

Photography Contributed By

Caleb Jones

Video By

Curtis Newkirk