2018 Best Suburbs to Live in VirginiaAbout this List

Arlington

• City in Virginia
• 113

Current Resident: Arlington is a mixing bowl of job opportunities, people, and fun! There is incredible cuisine from many countries, authentic and delicious! Downtown has many options such as Ballston, Clarendon, Court House, Rosslyn, and more for exquisite restaurants, shopping, and night life. There are lots of trees despite the urban atmosphere. The school system is top in the state. The communities are diverse and offer a short commute into Washington, D.C.!
Read 113 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 226,092 Population

Vienna

• Suburb in Virginia
• 63

Current Resident: I love living in Vienna! Everything you need is right in the neighborhood and walking distance. There is public transportation, trails, parks, dog parks, shopping centers, and retail stores. The Mosaic District nearby offers lots of great dining options, shopping, and entertainment. Vienna is near the city, but far enough away to avoid the tourist crowds and traffic. It's super easy though to hop on the metro and get to the city within minutes. It's a dog-friendly city as well. The school system is also one of the best in the state.
Read 63 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 16,378 Population

Merrifield

• Suburb in Virginia
• 5

Niche User: There are many stores and restaurants, even a movie theater, within walking distance. The biggest drawback is the cost of housing in this area. Also, my former residence had more green spaces nearby. However, if you want the convenience of metro access, and a wide variety of shopping and entertainment options super close by, this is a terrific area!
Read 5 Reviews

• A+

• A

• 17,000 Population

Stone Ridge

• Suburb in Virginia
• 13

Current Resident: Loudoun County is rapidly growing and is easily the nation's highest income county. I've lived here for 13 years now and it's changed so much during that time and only continues to grow. It's clean, quiet, and safe--the perfect place to raise a family. Schools are being built left and right to account for the growing population, and although I moved here during my teenage years, I can easily see myself starting a family here and staying here. I see no reason to relocate and I'm extremely happy here.
Read 13 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 10,865 Population

Oakton

• Suburb in Virginia
• 42

Current Resident: Oakton Virginia is an upscale, neighborly community with beautiful sights and a is perfect location close by to all things imaginable. With a quick 30 minute drive you can be in our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. For a 20 minute drive you can be in-- Arlington, Fairfax, Vienna, Great Falls, Centreville, Gainsville, Herndon, Sterling, Annandale, Loudoun county and many more. This makes for an easy, convenient, and beautiful drive wherever you go. My family has lived here my entire life and I was blessed with a joyful childhood growing up in Oakton, Virginia.
Read 42 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 36,748 Population

Broadlands

• Suburb in Virginia
• 17

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+

• 13,872 Population

South Riding

• Suburb in Virginia
• 40

Current Resident: Lots of food options and recreational activities! Plenty of family friendly events are held multiple times throughout the year, and I've always felt comfortable and safe in my neighborhood. Traffic circles have been popping up the last couple of years which makes commute times much nicer. Only complaint is that the nightlife around here is pretty dead.
Read 40 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 29,073 Population

Franklin Farm

• Suburb in Virginia
• 16

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 16 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 19,303 Population

Dunn Loring

• Suburb in Virginia
• 18

Niche User: I believe that the area that I live in is pretty safe. There are a lot of people, and that can begin to start problems, but I think the police do a good job at protecting us and regulating what is safe and not. No city or town is perfect, but I feel safe in my community and i think most people who live here feel the same way.
Read 18 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 9,397 Population

Brambleton

• Suburb in Virginia
• 17

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 17 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 17,063 Population

Belmont

• Suburb in Virginia
• 21

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+

• 6,710 Population

Ashburn

• Suburb in Virginia
• 184

Current Resident: I've grown up in the Northern Virginia area almost all my life and I've seen it grown tremendously. It's a great place; we have great schools, lots of things to do around here, right next to Washington D.C., everything is in close proximity, it's very safe. I used to hate living here, until I got my license and could finally explore the area! We have One Loudoun, Brambleton, Tyson Corner mall, and Reston Town Center. We're also getting the metro out here soon! If that's not so much your speed we also have more rural areas near us, about a 30 minute drive from Ashburn.
Read 184 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 49,692 Population

Cascades

• Suburb in Virginia
• 14

Current Resident: A beautiful, safe place to live! Friendly neighbors!

The perfect example of this was two winters ago when we had a big snow storm and we were trapped in. The whole community was outside shoveling the roads, sharing stories, eating food, and having a great time together.
Read 14 Reviews

• A+

• A

• 12,205 Population

Tysons

• Suburb in Virginia
• 20

Current Resident: Close to the city, with good transportation there and back with the nearby metro. Traffic is bad, but the town itself and amenities are good. Excellent education system, though highly competitive and stressful.
Read 20 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 23,008 Population

Lansdowne

• Suburb in Virginia
• 8

Current Resident: I live in Lansdowne Woods of VA (fka Leisure World of VA) which is an over 55, active adult community. It has wonderful facilities - clubhouse, pool, exercise room, events galore, bus trips, beautiful surroundings with woods and view of Potomac River, restaurant, trails, resident garden plots, security gate, etc. There are 4 high-rises with 11 stories and 3 low-rises with 4 stories. It is beautifully landscaped with plenty of parking for guests. Check it out at: http://www.lwva.org/
Read 8 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 11,742 Population

Idylwood

• Suburb in Virginia
• 12

Niche User: Great location within 10 miles of DC (jobs, culture, nightlife) Diverse population, beautiful natural landscape, mild winters.
Read 12 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 18,921 Population

Fair Oaks

• Suburb in Virginia
• 33

Niche User: Friendly, safe area with culture and activities
Read 33 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 33,478 Population

McNair

• Suburb in Virginia
• 9

Niche User: Ever since I moved here, I have stopped worrying about dangerous activities ensuing in the environment. The crime rate here is low an unfrequent. I moved from West Virginia, where drug activities are substantially higher. In Virginia, the police have a stronger authority and are generally more respected for doing their jobs properly. It is overall peaceful and more active, as the first thing I noticed was the amount of people jogging and playing outdoors. The citizens are friendly, and potential crime threats are minimum.
Read 9 Reviews

• A+

• A-

• 20,983 Population

Reston

• Town in Virginia
• 67

Current Resident: Safe neighborhood with lots nearby. The Weihle-Reston metro stop is on the Silver line which will go straight through McLean (Tysons Corner), Arlington and into DC. Great shopping, lots of grocery options, many restaurants, very diverse, and lots of running/biking trails! Reston is near the Dulles airport but not so close that you hear planes flying overhead all hours of the night. Lots of jobs for government contracting and IT. Rest on is also very affordable considering being in the DMV area and having such great community amenities. The Reston Association keeps everything clean and has more than ten pools for you and your family in the Summer.
Read 67 Reviews

• A+

• A

• 60,070 Population

Lowes Island

• Suburb in Virginia
• 4

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+

• 11,316 Population

Wakefield

• Suburb in Virginia
• 6

Parent: It's expensive but the whole DC metropolitan area is and Northern Virginia is still cheaper than nearby Washington, DC - you get a detached house and yard for the same or less money. Commuting to DC is tough and expensive but if you can work in Virginia somewhere, that would be ideal. Shopping is everywhere. It's very suburban which is relaxing compared to the 26 years I spent living in DC. Unfortunately, the area is being overrun by more and more people coming from other countries with limited or no English skills, parents with low-income job skills and children who are often behind in their education. This includes legal and illegal immigrants and refugees. This is causing a hardship on Fairfax County schools which are struggling to do more with less money and no additional state or federal money coming with the immigrants. Poverty is rising too iin the area. Finding work is difficult too. Specific skills are in high demand but they are pretty specialized. There is also a real divide in salaries. There are low-paying jobs (under $15 an hour) and then, there are high- paying, professional jobs, but not many jobs in between. Not sure I would choose to live here again but not sure where iin the US that it would be cheaper to live with more job opportunities and easier commutes to work.
Read 6 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 12,697 Population

Mantua

• Suburb in Virginia
• 3

Current Resident: Excellent neighborhood, lots of community activities, club house/pool/tennis court events. Safe neighborhood, caring neighbors, neighborhood watch. lots of greenery around. great schools.
Read 3 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 7,497 Population

Floris

• Suburb in Virginia
• 22

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

• 7,876 Population

Fair Lakes

• Suburb in Virginia

• A+

• A

• 7,829 Population

Wolf Trap

• Suburb in Virginia
• 16

Parent: This particular area hosts an overall positive atmosphere and community, as well as a large degree of safety and security associated with an adept local government and a low crime rate. If I lived in another location and under different circumstances, I would personally choose, if given the opportunity to live here, to move here again.
Read 16 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 16,722 Population