2019 Best Suburbs to Live in VirginiaAbout this List

Stone Ridge

• Suburb in Virginia
• 13 reviews

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+

• 11,803 Population

Arlington

• City in Virginia
• 154 reviews

Current Resident: Arlington is a great community and a great place to live. There are lots of things to do, in addition to great restaurants. There is a lot of outdoor space with parks and playgrounds and trails. It is also very bike-friendly, and it is close to DC where you can visit numerous museums and galleries— many for free! Arlington also offers great services for its residents, including career counseling services.
Read 154 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 229,534 Population

Cascades

• Suburb in Virginia
• 13 reviews

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 13 Reviews

• A+

• A

• 12,132 Population

Lansdowne

• Suburb in Virginia
• 8 reviews

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+

• 12,109 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+

• 19,588 Population

Oakton

• Suburb in Virginia
• 45 reviews

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 45 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 37,166 Population

Merrifield

• Suburb in Virginia
• 5 reviews

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-

• 17,243 Population

Wakefield

• Suburb in Virginia
• 6 reviews

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+

• 12,393 Population

Short Pump

• Town in Virginia
• 47 reviews

Current Resident: Short Pump is friendly and a beautiful area to live in. It’s a peaceful and safe town to start a family and make friends. There are great quality schools from elementary to high schools. In addition, Short Pump is a lively community filled with a mixture of enjoyable activities, distinguished restaurants, and well-known stores. Most, if not all, neighborhoods are very family-friendly and have extremely low crime rates. If I had to name one flaw of the town it would be the lack of diversity; its, not the best place for meeting a variety of people and witnessing different aspects of life. However, Richmond City is only about a 20-minute drive from Short Pump, and the city is a growing area with an abundance of diversity. Overall, I enjoy living in Short Pump and there is never a dull moment.
Read 47 Reviews

• A+

• A-

• 26,624 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+

• 13,859 Population

South Riding

• Suburb in Virginia
• 50 reviews

Current Resident: South RIding is a suburb in Northern Virginia, Loudoun County that is rapidly growing in many ways. Population is steadily increasing and so there is a lot of diversity and a big demand for housing. This also creates more jobs as the influx of population rises. Since it is very family friendly and for more established families, it is not for night-goers and all night party people. However, what it lacks in night life it makes up in public schools and safety. As a part of the richest county in the United States, its schools have loads of resources that are provided to students and teachers free of cost.
Read 50 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 30,426 Population

Brambleton

• Suburb in Virginia
• 17 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 17 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 19,876 Population

Ashburn

• Suburb in Virginia
• 222 reviews

Current Resident: Ashburn is a great, safe area with fantastic schools. The area has good places to live, shop, and have fun. One great part of Ashburn is the Belmont Ridge Country Club, which has housing, pools, golfing, tennis, and more! Surrounding towns are commonly visited and are very close in proximity. I would highly recommend moving to this area.
Read 222 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 49,895 Population

McNair

• Suburb in Virginia
• 9 reviews

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

• 21,183 Population

Mantua

• Suburb in Virginia
• 3 reviews

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+

• 7,207 Population

Loudoun Valley Estates

• Suburb in Virginia
• 1 review

• A+

• A+

• 6,649 Population

Dunn Loring

• Suburb in Virginia
• 18 reviews

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+

• 9,473 Population

Long Branch

• Suburb in Virginia
• 3 reviews

Current Resident: Great experience overall. Very nice place to live. Only criticism is that nightlife is virtually inexistent.
Read 3 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 8,010 Population

Woodlake

• Town in Virginia
• 46 reviews

Works Here: The are is very safe and has a variety of amenities that are provided to its residents. There is a indoor pool facility as well as an outdoor pool are along with tennis courts. Many of the residents spend their time enjoying these facilities and are very friendly.
Read 46 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 7,467 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+

• 6,563 Population

Tysons

• Suburb in Virginia
• 20 reviews

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

Vienna

• Suburb in Virginia
• 87 reviews

Current Resident: Vienna is a great place to raise a family or to retire. It is a small town with amazing history and has a strong local community. We celebrate festivals like Viva Vienna and the Fourth of July. It is a beautiful and green area with quiet neighborhoods. At the same time, it is easy to get down town to Washington D.C. because of the location and the great metro access. I feel very lucky to call Vienna my child hood home and hope to one day live there again.
Read 87 Reviews

• A+

• A+

• 16,474 Population

Reston

• Town in Virginia
• 74 reviews

Current Resident: I’ve lived in Reston all my life and it is a spectacular place to live!

Not so long ago Reston was a suburban town with a thriving town center that feels like a small city. Now with multiple metro stops, the town is growing and feels like a small city with high rises, retail, many restaurants, and office buildings. The town also has a very suburban feel to it with many woodsy areas and a couple of lakes. The only downside to this town is the horrid DC area traffic.
Read 74 Reviews

• A+

• A

• 60,352 Population

Idylwood

• Suburb in Virginia
• 12 reviews

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

• A+

• A

• 18,678 Population

Fair Lakes

• Suburb in Virginia
• 1 review

Current Resident: I have lived in Fair Lakes for 18 years and it has been the best experience. The community is so kind and giving all houses and shopping centers are up to date and modern. There is a wide range of age groups. There are many paths to walk and ride bikes on. I got a great education from the Fairfax county public Schools. I have never felt unsafe growing up here.
Read 1 Review

• A+

• A

• 8,066 Population