2020 Best Places to Buy a House in the Washington, D.C. AreaAbout this List

Brambleton

• Suburb in Virginia
• 18 reviews

Current Resident: I have lived in Brambleton with my family for the past four years. It has a wonderful diverse neighborhood, and a very kid-friendly environment! I live near many of my friends and have very nice neighbors. My favorite memory was going to see the Brambleton 4th of July fireworks show with my friends. Living here has been a very pleasant experience.
Read 18 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A

• 20,081 Population

Poolesville

• Town in Maryland
• 17 reviews

Current Resident: I would like for there to be more stores and more things to do. There are only a few convenience stores and decent restaurants. I love the safety and sense of community. The schools provide amazing educations as well. It is a great place to raise a family, except the housing is pretty expensive. The town is almost completely white and pretty conservative (lots of farmers). I wish there was more diversity. It is not far from many cities but there is always at least a 20 minute commute to go anywhere.
Read 17 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A

• 5,170 Population

Stone Ridge

• Suburb in Virginia
• 15 reviews

Current Resident: My Stone Ridge experience has been very good so far. They take safety very seriously and put a good amount of signs up warning to slow down when the area they are driving through has kids. Stone Ridge has excellent public schools with teachers who care a lot about the students and how they develop. Stone ridge also has a great diversity of the residents that live here. If I were to change anything about Stone Ridge it would be the nightlife and the healthy living. At night there isn't much to do in the community, however in nearby communities there are plenty of nightlife activities. Finally in Stone Ridge although there are trails and gyms to use but I would add more healthy eating options.
Read 15 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A

• 12,990 Population

Waycroft/Woodlawn

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

• A+

• A+

• A

• 1,375 Population

Broadlands

• Suburb in Virginia
• 17 reviews

Current Resident: I like how a lot of people know each other, there is definitely a sense of community here. The change I'd like to see is more people outside, whether that be going for a walk, jogging, or even just taking their kids outside. I think it's very important for people to be exposed to fresh air every day and by building more parks and leaving room for wide open spaces instead of buildings, more people would be more inclined to spend time in the outdoors.
Read 17 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A

• 13,704 Population

Dominion Hills

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 1 review

Niche User: The only crime I am really aware of that is visible in the area is adolescent pranks and vandalism, which only happens rarely
Read 1 Review

• A+

• A+

• A

• 1,687 Population

South Riding

• Suburb in Virginia
• 55 reviews

Former Resident: We lived in South Riding for a time and if we ever moved back to the metro DC area we would choose South Riding again. Excellent pediatrician, close by to two hospitals and many other medical centers, great playgrounds scattered around, half of the properties on lining the South Riding golf course, two excellent daycares (Goddard and Primrose), Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and Giant to grocery shop at, excellent library close by in Stone Ridge, and good HOA. My only complaint is many of the properties are the biggest house you can get with almost no yard.

Extremely diverse neighborhood, even within our little townhouse square, all neighbors were very friendly. The housing cost of this area is going up. We cannot afford the townhouse we sold a few years ago!
Read 55 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 31,071 Population

Loudoun Valley Estates

• Suburb in Virginia
• 1 review

• A+

• A

• A-

• 7,528 Population

Belmont

• Suburb in Virginia
• 21 reviews

Niche User: I grew up in this area, and have watched it developed from quiet, rural suburbia to progressively up-and-coming town. It'll be interesting to see how the Ashburn, Virginia, area ends up in 3-5 years.
Read 21 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 6,629 Population

Darnestown

• Suburb in Maryland
• 16 reviews

Current Resident: Great area. Quiet and friendly. Really enjoy nature and everything that the suburbs has to offer! Great food, great people and great schools.
Read 16 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 6,424 Population

Clarksburg

• Suburb in Maryland
• 48 reviews

Current Resident: The ethnic diversity is a draw to Clarksburg, MD. Individual families participate in hosting activities that help their children grow and acknowledge other cultures, religions and ethnicities. The community has events for all ages and throughout the year. A few changes I would like to see implemented are having a larger high school and a more efficient traffic pattern in and out of school during drop off and pick up. I would also like to see more involvement from the Board of Education and Montgomery County Council to understand the residents concerns. I would like to see additional joint activities with the schools and community.
Read 48 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 23,548 Population

Bluemont

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 1 review

Current Resident: I love Bluemont - the mountain town is away from the hustle of Northern Virginia, but close enough to have access to city life.
Read 1 Review

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 5,987 Population

Floris

• Suburb in Virginia
• 22 reviews

Niche User: Being so close to the District of Columbia, there are so many government contractors in the area. Everyone is busy, everyone needs to get somewhere. There's so much pressure to succeed, to land the next big contract, to hit the best college. The area is basically one big pressure cooker.

There are upsides to this. This area has some of the smartest people in the country, and there are plenty of places for entertainment and education. The only downside is the enormous, constant pressure and horribly high cost of living.
Read 22 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 8,305 Population

Alcova Heights

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 4 reviews

Niche User: Love the area because there are plenty of attractions, restaurants, biking trails, and scenic waterfronts and other communities. Historical areas all around and you can easily get away from the area to nature.
Read 4 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 2,158 Population

Franklin Farm

• Suburb in Virginia
• 18 reviews

Current Resident: Franklin Farms is a great place for families. The schools that children attend are some of the best with hard working teachers who are dedicated to seeing children succeed. The neighborhood is family friendly and has many playgrounds and recreationally facilities available to all residents. There are wonderful paths that travel around the beautifully landscaped community that are constantly buzzing with walkers, joggers and bikers. The location is great as it is very close to many shopping locations, including Tysons corner, Fair oaks, and Fair lakes. It is close to many major highways and just a short distance from Dulles airport and Regan airport.
Read 18 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 18,727 Population

Lowes Island

• Suburb in Virginia
• 4 reviews

Current Resident: A very safe place to live. It is a very clean place with good neighbors. It has a very good community services, public school, and real state market. You also have a very quick access to grocery shopping, restaurants, and Dulles town center mall.
Read 4 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 11,111 Population

Claremont

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

• A+

• A

• A-

• 2,027 Population

Countryside

• Suburb in Virginia
• 16 reviews

Niche User: Loudoun County police is great, they are always doing the best bto keep us safe and vigilant, but theres not much crime in an upper middle class community hoenstly...
Read 16 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 10,042 Population

Gainesville

• Suburb in Virginia
• 71 reviews

Current Resident: Gainesville is a great place for individuals and families alike. There is plenty to do and amazing food to eat in a nice radius. From movie theatre to wine and paint bars, there is something for the whole family. Need groceries of household goods? Giant, Target, and Lowes are just around the corner from each other. There are also amazing schools in the area for growing families!
Read 71 Reviews

• A+

• A

• A-

• 15,928 Population

Arlington/East Falls Church

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 5 reviews

Current Resident: I've lived here for about three years now and being the pessimistic and boredom prone person that I am, I have to admit that I love it here. It's a very nice and calm place (despite being so close to the metro station) with a very welcoming community. There are lots of stuff to do, too; the area is surrounded by cool stores.
Read 5 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 4,772 Population

Highland Park/Overlee Knolls

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 1 review

Current Resident: Having lived in Highland Park/Overlee Knolls for 30+ yrs, I've enjoyed the "peance & quiet" and "walkability" of the area. Sadly, an increasing number of the original brick ramblers and 2-story colonial style homes built in the late 1940s/early 50s ... all sturdy & well-built ... are being sold off to developers for 'tear down' and replacement by HUGE McMansions taking up the entire lot size & selling for $1.5 million plus...making the neighborhood's affordability to first time home buyers problematic at best. The attendant cutting down of mature, 30+ yr old trees has also degraded the 'environmental' aspect of the neighborhood.
Read 1 Review

• A+

• A+

• A-

• 1,675 Population

McLean Gardens

• Neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
• 1 review

Niche User: I love this neighborhood. I feel it's the perfect suburban safehaven.
Read 1 Review

• A+

• A-

• A-

• 1,444 Population

Independent Hill

• Suburb in Virginia
• 27 reviews

Current Resident: I love it, I've lived there my whole life. It's kind of like being secluded but still around a lot of things. 15 minutes in either direction is Woodbridge and Manassas/Gainesville which both have plenty of things to do. There are a lot of family friendly activities around the area. The schools are some of the best and newest in the county. I met a lot of good people and I have plenty of space to play with my siblings outside. It's a great place to live and I would recommend it to any family.
Read 27 Reviews

• A

• A-

• A-

• 9,499 Population

South Kensington

• Suburb in Maryland

• A+

• A+

• B+

• 8,769 Population

Donaldson Run

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA
• 2 reviews

• A+

• A+

• B+

• 3,034 Population