Oh good! Happy to answer any more questions you might have.

What field do you work in?

In Arlington proper, renting is a lot more affordable than buying — at least in my income bracket/home needs. A decent house for a family of four in the area is close to a million dollars, if not more. Townhouses on my block go for 1.5 million. The housing market is high and frustratingly stable.

We love it here. There’s a lot to love. I’ve said it on this sub before, but you do want to think long and hard about whether you want the “city” version of Arlington or the suburban experience.

City life would mean living along Wilson/Clarendon between Rosslyn and Ballston. It’s walkable, with great access to busses, metro, bike lanes, and e-scooters. Great restaurants, fast access to DC, fun parks, nice people, and overall a solid little city feel without feeling too congested or overwhelming. You’d be renting an apartment/townhouse, buying a condo, or buying a single family home in Lyon Village or Lyon Park for $2mil. You’d have a similar experience in Old Town Alexandria.

The other side of life in the area would be like a Fairfax/Falls Church - prices are still high, just not quite as high. Schools are good, and there are great restaurants, etc. But, to me, the downsides are real: congestion, tiny parking lots, crowded everything, traffic, and just kind of ugly main drags. Takes longer to get into the city, so most people I know who live out there don’t go in very often. That means they’re paying city prices and dealing with city traffic without enjoying the culture and experiences DC offers. You can go toward McLean/Great Falls where things are prettier, but many of the same suburban problems exist. You can go out further to a Reston or Sterling, but that is a true suburban life and, imho, not worth the money unless you have a good job out there.

Back to your actual question: I find Arlington Neighbors Helping Each Other (Facebook group) to be a solid resource.

Hope some of that helps - feel free to ask follow up questions!

No worries, I get it! Even on that neighbors group, I’ve had someone try to scam me for a concert ticket.

Where did you try on Facebook? Did you try the Arlington neighbors helping each other Facebook group? Maybe NextDoor?

I love living in Arlington, but I’m mid-thirties, married, and have a good group of local friends. Not sure I would have loved it at 22. But: there’s a lot to love.

It sounds like you’re hoping for a more spacious, nature-friendly life here, and that’s really only possible if you’re rich or willing to move an hour out of the city. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the urban sprawl junk of Fairfax/Falls Church, with stupid traffic, crowded parking lots, and crowded everything. (No offense to anyone who loves their neighborhood in those areas, there are cute ones!)

If your office is in DC or Arlington proper, I’d embrace the city life here instead. It’s actually a lot less stressful! You can rent a nice apartment on a 6-figure salary. Live along Wilson/Clarendon somewhere between Rosslyn and Ballston, and you won’t need a car. You can walk to lots of great cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and a cool farmer’s market in Courthouse. You can walk to some amazing parks, including the Iwo Jima memorial. You can walk (or bike/scooter) to Georgetown. The protected bike lanes are great. You can jump on the metro and be at all of the amazing DC parks, landmarks, museums, etc. in minutes. You can Uber in 15-20 minutes to some of the best theaters and music venues in the country. When you do want to get out into real nature, it’s easy to rent a zip car or rental for the day, and much cheaper than maintaining a car here. (I have a car here, and that’s also fine!)

You can find friends. In a post-Covid world it’s harder, as I understand it, but very possible. There are some cool Arlington meetup groups (I’m in a fun ladies’ book club through Meetup). There are lots of hiking groups, and a robust rock climbing community with some great gyms. Expand your search into DC, as a lot of young professionals start in the city proper. (Despite what DC citizens will tell you, it’s all basically the same city.) Dating is a fun way to explore the city — I always discovered the coolest local spots on mediocre Tinder dates, haha.

As someone else covered, it’s primarily a left-leaning, intellectual area. You’ll meet a ton of people who work in defense contracting, defense, the Pentagon, etc. Because of this, Arlington is a bit more politically mixed than the city or Maryland suburbs, which I think is a good thing. In DC, you’ll meet more Congressional staffers, NGO and non-profit workers, and government employees. My least favorite thing about the DC area is how often people talk about their BORING jobs that they think are interesting. My favorite thing about DC is how many people read books on the Metro. Lots of nerds here.

Hope that gives you a sense of life here. Feel free to DM me any questions!

Nothing right there. I’ll put in a plug for Mah Ze Dahr bakery & coffee in Crystal City. Should be some hourly street parking around, and it’s excellent stuff.