2023 Best Places to Buy a House in the Washington, D.C. Area

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

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• Population 10,460

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.27 out of 5  22 reviews

Current Resident: I Have lived in Stone Ridge for the past 3 years and it's a great place to raise a family and live without worry. There is a lot of growth and progress and many professionals that love living in the area. The trip to DC is not too bad as you have the Dulles toll road, routes 50 and 66. There is a bit of traffic but it's worth the travel. Stone Ridge safety is amazing and very happy to live here!... Read 22 reviews

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• Population 15,776

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.39 out of 5  23 reviews

Current Resident: I love living in Brambleton. It's a beautiful community decorated with landscape, but also has a modern hint to it. The houses range in vast building styles. There's a town center filled with coffee shops, restaurants, and even dentist offices. The people in Brambleton look out for each other, and are friendly and connected. There are multiple events, such as the fall fest, and farmer's market. The town center even decorates for Hanukkah and Christmas. Something I would like to change is bringing back the dog park and community garden. A couple of years ago, it used to be there, but people didn't use it a lot. Now, the land is being used for more houses. I would like to designate another area for dogs and a community garden, because I think it ties people of all ages together. Also, Brambleton's population has increased significantly, meaning more people will visit those areas if they were there. Overall, I love living in Brambleton with my family and friends.... Read 23 reviews

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• Population 21,986

• Suburb in Maryland

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  Rating 4 out of 5  12 reviews

Niche User: It's pretty safe. You do have a few crimes here and there, but nothing to be too concerned about.... Read 12 reviews

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• Population 8,131

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.4 out of 5  20 reviews

Current Resident: Community, landscaping are beautiful ,good public schools , have nice entertainment area , overall environment is really good for a family friendly atmosphere!... Read 20 reviews

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• Population 14,835

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

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  Rating 4 out of 5  13 reviews

Current Resident: Fairlington (built 1940-'45) is just up the hill & walking distance from Shirlington restaurants, library, movie & live theater, shops & grocery store/pharmacy. F'ton has 2 distinct areas, North & South. Both extremely walkable, dog friendly (leashed), w/ abundant tree coverage & parking. So. Fair. units have more families, North more diversity. North was built taller & later than South. Red brick bldg. interiors often updated. North is 1 condo association; South, mult. associations. Negatives: condo dues $300-$400+ p/mo.; older construction; assoc. financial issues bear watching; increasing car traffic w/newer dev's. Additional Positives: Bradlee Shopping Ctr. nearby, new Alex West dev.; good access to public transit.... Read 13 reviews

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• Population 6,963

• Town in Maryland

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  Rating 3.86 out of 5  21 reviews

Current Resident: Poolesville is a small town in Montgomery County. It has a welcoming atmosphere. As it is a small town, there are fewer shops and places to eat but our small business owners are friendly and resourceful. The only issue is that Poolesville is isolated by agricultural land and requires a short commute (30-45 minutes) to a nearby town.... Read 21 reviews

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• Population 5,666

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.23 out of 5  74 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 74 reviews

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• Population 33,828

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

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• Population 1,304

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3.86 out of 5  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

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• Population 9,589

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.22 out of 5  23 reviews

Current Resident: Franklin Farm is an amazing place to raise a family. Our children are constantly outside playing with other neighborhood children. There are lots of community events include ice cream socials, an egg hunt, breakfast with Santa, fall festival and food trucks! The neighborhood has 2 very nice pools (with a great swim team), lots of trails, playgrounds and ponds. The schools (Oak Hill, Franklin and Chantilly) are some of the very best! The shopping plaza has a grocery store, a few restaurants and other fun stops for kids (game store, ice cream shop) within walking distance. You can’t beat the location. It’s easy to see why year after year it is ranked as one of the top places to live in VA!... Read 23 reviews

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• Population 18,906

• Suburb in Maryland

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  Rating 3.88 out of 5  64 reviews

Current Resident: Damascus is a small town, with an inclusive community feeling. The community takes care of itself. I believe it is a safe community as it has a number of police officers living within the community; there are a number of educators that live and work within the local schools. Therefore the families are invested to ensure that the schools work. The rate of volunteerism is high within the schools and with volunteers to community organizations. Damascus has many families that have been present for generations. This is both positive and negative. It is positive in that there is generational wealth of traditions, and relationships, and commitments to maintaining the social and political landscape. This also has negative impacts to those of us that are first generations in Damascus. People do not openly and sincerely invite you to actively participate. This lends itself to not having a sense of belonging. The benefits far out way the negatives.... Read 64 reviews

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• Population 16,945

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

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• Population 1,693

• Suburb in Maryland

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  Rating 4.05 out of 5  76 reviews

Current Resident: Clarksburg is a growing town in Montgomery County, Maryland. This county is the largest in Maryland and thrives off of the revenue from Washington, DC. Clarksburg is a new suburb town near Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Damascus. Gaithersburg and Germantown are two of the most diverse cities (although they are more of large towns) in the country, and Clarksburg follows in similar fashion. The school system and public services as a whole are amazing. Like all suburbs, traffic gets worse the closer you get to the city (DC). Most families have young children as the town is growing rapidly, and there are many new houses for families to move into. Clarksburg has a lot of advantages for families, but not a lot for younger, single people. Overall, the town has a goal and serves it well.... Read 76 reviews

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• Population 27,354

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3.57 out of 5  7 reviews

Current Resident: Wakefield is very small but it is quiet. You have to drive 30 minutes to get into the city. Everyone here is very friendly, when they driver by they honk their horns, smile, and wave. There is also no crime, everyone knows just about everyone.... Read 7 reviews

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• Population 11,534

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Current Resident: I have lived in South Run for almost 10 years now. The neighborhood is very safe and the worst crime is petty theft. The community is amazing and family friendly with lots of activities for kids, such as summer swim team and fall festivals.... Read 1 review

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• Population 6,953

• Suburb in Maryland

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  Rating 4.12 out of 5  105 reviews

Current Resident: Olney is a small community in Maryland that is also surrounded by other small communities. Communities with small populations and few destinations are bound to interact. As Olney is a small community full of several banks, grocery stores, and gyms. There are multiple healthy resources in Olney that help our people keep healthy lifestyles. There are problems though. Olney is well suited for middle aged or older individuals. It is somewhat inconvenient for children to see each other and meet up. Since locations of homes and public stores are farther than city locations, children are unable to meet up in these public stores without their parents. I felt great need for asking for drives. The childhood and school experiences with friends became more complicated. There is no real solution for change but I hope to see the future generations of students to be able to meet and enjoy their young experiences together. The idea of COVID-19 impacted so many lives, I hope they become better.... Read 105 reviews

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• Population 35,815

• Neighborhood in Arlington, VA

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  Rating 3.78 out of 5  9 reviews

Current Resident: Probably the best area within the Rosslyn to Ballston city corridor if you are a professional in your 30s (you might feel "old" at Courthouse). You will see some seniors as well, and more kids in this area - a nice mix. Extremily safe, and yes, there are what appears to be maybe 2-3 homeless people on any given day near each meteo, but I don't recall seeing anyone sleeping on the streets, and I've seen far more inroxicated 20 somethings in Clarendon on a Saturday night than I have any other population. It's a fun spirited area, and VA Square is just down the road, but Ballston has like 3 or 4 Starbucks so I'm good. The Ballston Quarter also turned out nice, but I've only gone to the theatre and Macy's, have not yet visited all the attractions.... Read 9 reviews

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• Population 3,209

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.17 out of 5  6 reviews

Current Resident: Overall, it is a very peaceful neighborhood and it has a lot of friendly people who are willing to step forward and help each other out. It is also very clean and organized, and there are a lot of dogs in the neighborhood!... Read 6 reviews

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• Population 11,272

• Suburb in Maryland

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  Rating 3.85 out of 5  60 reviews

Current Resident: Hi my name is emilie domond, I currently live in Burtonsville Maryland and it’s great. It’s a very peaceful place with lots of friendly neighbors who live there, there are more than enough restaurants to choose from over here we even have our own Burtonsville festival. All of our Burtonsville residents come together and have fun. You can bring friends and family together especially kids. The more the merrier... Read 60 reviews

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• Population 10,457

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3.67 out of 5  27 reviews

Niche User: Not a lot of crime happens in our area, but whenever something does come up the police are very responsive and reliable.... Read 27 reviews

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• Population 11,951

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 4.11 out of 5  63 reviews

Current Resident: Haymarket is a fantastic town! Extremely family friendly, with nonexistent crime and amazing schools. Also, it's more affordable than you'd think a NOVA suburb would be. The best suburban living has to offer!... Read 63 reviews

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• Population 1,556

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3.77 out of 5  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

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• Population 7,592

• Suburb in Virginia

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  Rating 3.74 out of 5  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

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• Population 9,855

• Suburb in Virginia

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• Population 2,500