Old growth neighborhood
When considering a potential new residence it's important to think about the neighborhood and surrounding amenities that are close by. Make a list of all of the amenities or services that are nearby or close to the neighborhood and track how long it takes as well as what routes you might use to get to each. You can also check the Walk Score of a neighborhood for a short-hand look at convenience.
Next, decide what the best characteristics of the neighborhoods are and determine what you like about them. Making a list of each neighborhood you are considering can be particularly helpful later when comparing different localities. Some things to ask yourself include:
Do the people in the surrounding neighborhood seem friendly?
Are the neighboring residences clean or well-kept? (e.g. yards and streets nearby)
Are there parks or other recreational facilities close by or within minimal driving distance?
Is the area scenic and/or visually appealing?
Are there trees and similar foliage lining the streets and in neighboring yards?
Are the streets well lit and do the sidewalks provide easy access?
Do you feel safe in the neighborhood and would you feel safe walking after dark?
Are there other houses for sale nearby?
What is the history about the community and how it developed?
Husband and wife walk in Del Ray
Do you see families and children in the surrounding residences?
What is the proximity to schools and your place of work?
Does the community and neighborhood seem active and/or engaged?
What is the median age-range of those who live in the neighborhood?
Finally, really spend some time walking around and observing the neighborhood you're considering. When trying to determine the safety, cleanliness and personality of a specific neighborhood, simply spending some honest time getting to know the area and meeting or talking to some of its residents is your best bet!
For more information or to set up an appointment call Nesbitt Realty at (703)765-0300.
Will and Julie Nesbitt cross the street in Shirlington
Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score promises to measure how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle---not how pretty the area is for walking.
Each home listed for sale is given a Walk Score. That number is between 0 and 100. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:
90–100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people can get by without owning a car.
70–89 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
Walk Score isn't perfect ...
Home buyers need to be aware that Walk Score is just an approximation of walkability.
Walking to a restaurant on a Fall evening in Del Ray
For example, the Skyline communities of Falls Church generally have a higher Walk Score than the New Alexandria community of Belle View. River Towers has pleasant tree-lined walkways with easy access to neighborhood shops, parks, libraries, the Potomac. Skyline Square is convenient as can be, but broad and busy 4 lane roads make walking inconvenient, if not dangerous. But River Towers doesn't score as high on Walk Score as Skyline Square.
So, there are a number of factors that contribute to walkability that are not part of the algorithm used to calculate Walk Score:
Public transit: Good public transit is important for walkable neighborhoods. Not to fear: you can also search for homes near a metro station.
Street width and block length: Narrow streets slow down traffic. Short blocks provide more routes to the same destination and make it easier to take a direct route.
Street design: Sidewalks and safe crossings are essential to walkability. Appropriate automobile speeds, trees, and other features also help.
Safety from crime and crashes: How much crime is in the neighborhood? How many traffic accidents are there? Are streets well-lit?
Pedestrian-friendly community design: Are buildings close to the sidewalk with parking in back? Are destinations clustered together?
Topography: Hills can make walking difficult, especially if you're carrying groceries.
Freeways and bodies of water: Freeways can divide neighborhoods. Swimming is harder than walking.
Weather: In some places it's just too hot or cold to walk regularly.
Walking near Cameron Mews in Old Town Alexandria
Thus, the tools on our site are a great starting point in your search for homes and neighborhoods of Northern Virginia, but there really is no substitute for your Condo Alexandria realtor. We know the areas and neighborhoods where you want to live and we can really help you sort to the wheat from the chaff.
Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score attempts to numerically measure how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle---not how pretty the area is for walking. If you're looking for a walkable area, check out what Condo-Alexandria.com can do:
Search by Walk Score. Now this is cool. You can decide what your minimum walkable criteria is when you search for properties.
Sort by Walk Score. If you can search by Walk Score, you should be able to sort by Walk Score too. Just click in the "sort by" box at the top of the results and choose "Walk Score, Highest First" to order the search results from highest to lowest Walk Score.
View the Walk Score in both the search results and property details. Every time you search for property you'll find out just how walkable the area is!
View the Walk Score tile. When you click on the "Walk Score" link at the top-right of the property details area, you’ll see the Walk Score tile that shows all of the amenities that are factored into the score.
We hope you'll enjoy using Walk Score as much as we enjoyed building it into our system. We're really excited to say that we’re one of the first providers of this type of functionality. We spent quite some time on the UI for this feature in order to make everyone happy.
And in case you haven't heard, Walk Score just improved its usefulness. Previous versions of Walk Score did not include public transportation. That is to say, a property next door to a metro station had no higher Walk Score than a property far from public transportation. Well, that's all changed now!
Our latest enhancement adds mass transit to the Walk Score calculations. See for yourself now.
Lee Street in Fall
Early Autumn is a great time to talk a walk around Old Town Alexandria VA. It's very pleasant because of the typically mild weather and leaves blazing with color. The picture above was taking from the front door of 115 N. Lee St. at the Torpedo Factory condos. The leaves have accumulated behind Alexandria's Carlyle House. Residents at the Torpedo Factory are particularly fortunate because of their proximity to King St. and the waterfront. (The Torpedo Factory scored a perfect 100 Walk Score.)
Old Town at the intersection of Lee and King
I like the mornings near the waterfront, before the tourists arrive.
Alleys of Old Town
One of the features of Old Town Alexandria are the cobblestone streets. There are only a few of them remaining. The fountains of Market Square are barely visible at the end of the alley.
Established in 1974 with a mission to reduce homelessness, increase community support and promote self sufficiency, the Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is operated by a multi-denominational board of directors and staff managing over 70 housing units. Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is located in the Mount Zephyr Business Center at 8305 Richmond…
