Chantilly

Oak Hill rests just north of U.S. Route 50, also called Little River Turnpike, one of Fairfax County’s main arteries. The area was once the Chantilly Plantation and, later, was the site of several skirmishes from the Battle of Chantilly early in the Civil War due to the area’s flat, agrarian landscape and its proximity to some of Virginia's major commercial roadways. Though the farmland was converted into modern suburban sprawl in the early 1980s, Oak Hill today remains a popular choice for its access to the county’s biggest roads, airports and several significant shopping centers within a few miles. <br><br>Home values in the neighborhood range from $550,000 to $1.6 million, varying by square footage and age. Oak Hill is large enough to host over 6,000 single- and multi-family homes, divided into several subdivisions, most with Herndon zip codes. These include townhouse communities like Highland Mews and Franklin Glen, offering two- and three-level properties from around the $500,000s. Chantilly Highlands has its own HOA and has a mixture of single-family colonials, split-levels and Tudors, as well as some townhouse rows. There’s also Franklin Farm to the east of the Fairfax County Parkway, with colonials, split levels, and paved walking trails that lead to small, forested areas behind homes, great for a dog walk or Sunday stroll. Single-family homes start at around $550,000 with an average of 1,200 square feet and can climb as high as $1.4 million for around 5,000 square feet or more. <br><br>Some Oak Hill subdivisions feature free-to-access recreational facilities for residents, including pools, playgrounds and sports facilities. Athletes can also compete on the baseball, football and soccer fields at the public Franklin Farm Park and Franklin Glen Park. Meanwhile, several trails run throughout the neighborhood for hikers and cyclists, including Horsepen Run Trail, which follows a churning creek for a mile and a half. There’s also the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center just 2 miles west of home. This museum is dedicated to man’s history of flight and hosts several iconic aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane ever built, as well as the Discovery space shuttle, which conducted 39 missions. The museum is often called the Air & Space Museum, an extension of the National Air & Space Museum in Downtown Washington, D.C., and features an IMAX theater, spacecraft simulator, and the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower, so visitors of all ages can take an elevator in an air traffic control tower and watch planes come in at Dulles Airport. <br><br>Residents in the Chantilly Highlands subdivision can access Food Lion to the north, while others living in Franklin Farm might prefer to reach Giant to the south to get groceries. Sully Plaza is south of the neighborhood’s boundaries and hosts several global diners and supermarkets, including India Bazaar and Lotte Market. Unique restaurants like EggHolic serve Indian street food, and Dolan Uyghur offers floral tea and samsa, oven-baked meat buns. “Reston Town Center is less than 10 minutes away,” says Realtor Taylor Tolbert of Pearson Smith Realty. “There’s tons of shopping there, a Washington Metro station, restaurants, everything you need.” Reston Town Center has an array of dining options, from fast casual bites at Playa Bowls and &pizza to dine-in chains like Ted’s Bulletin and Uncle Julio’s or high-end experiences at Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse and Barcelona Wine Bar. East along Little River Turnpike is Fairfax Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall, on either side of the road. Fair Oaks Mall features big-box retailers like Macy’s and JCPenney, while Fairfax Corner features smaller outlet stores and Cinemark Fairfax Corner and XD for locals to catch the latest hit movies. <br><br>Students in Oak Hill are split among nearly a dozen Fairfax County Public Schools. Five of them accommodate pre-K through sixth grade — Oak Hill, Fox Mill, Crossfield, Navy and Lees Corner Elementary Schools — while seventh and eighth graders attend Rachel Carson Middle or Franklin Middle. All these schools receive an A-minus or higher rating from Niche. Most Oak Hill teens are zoned for Chantilly High, with an A-rating; Oakton High, with an A-plus; or South Lakes High School, rated a B-plus. Chantilly High students can enroll in career-focused engineering, science and health training, while South Lakes High includes an International Baccalaureate program. <br><br>“Oak Hill is a bedroom community with great schools and good access to the Dulles Toll Road, Route 66 and Fairfax County Parkway,” says Realtor Casey Samson of Samson Properties. “You’re minutes from everywhere — that’s why it’s so popular.” Commuters can take Little River Turnpike and Interstate 66 to reach the nation’s capital in 26 miles, around 45 minutes to an hour, depending on rush hour traffic. Commuters are 4 miles from Innovation Center Metro station, which offers Silver Line access to hubs like Tysons Corner Center mall, the largest in the D.C. – Baltimore area, in roughly 20 minutes and to Washington, D.C., in about an hour. Locals can also take domestic and international flights at Dulles International Airport after a 6-mile drive west. Though the airport is close, most flights depart north or south out of Dulles, and Oak Hill sits to the east, so plane noise is minimal.