Falcon Ridge in Virginia’s Great Falls sits only about seven miles from the Beltway but it feels as if it is a world apart.
This cluster of 81 lots occupies prime ground perched above the Potomac River and is surrounded by national and state parks. It is served by some of the area’s top schools and has what has to be one of the most attractive “shopping centers” around.
“I’m on my second home in Falcon Ridge,” said Michael McCarty, president of the Falcon Ridge Regency Homeowners Association. “I love Great Falls because it has that semi-rural kind of feel to it, but it’s also modern and convenient.”
Located in Fairfax County, Falcon Ridge’s proximity to Great Falls Park is a top drawing point for residents. The National Park Service operates the 800-acre site, which encompasses the river and its surrounding land.
“The proximity to recreational amenities is something that attracted me,” McCarty said. “I can walk from my backyard and within five minutes I can be in the Potomac River fishing for striped bass.”
This time of year the area is particularly pretty, with magnificently colorful trees lining Georgetown Pike, the main road into Great Falls. In the heart of town sits the Village Centre, a mall unlike most you’ve seen. The shops are housed in … houses. Literally.
The place looks like a series of old-time main street shops, with offices, restaurants and retail stores occupying individual structures laid out in a large rectangle. Seemingly every need can be met here. There’s a shoe repair shop, a local hardware store, a wine shop, seafood market, coffee shop and Irish pub. In the middle of the rectangle is a large green open space where the community holds outdoor concerts in the summer and special events year round.
“The reason people want to live in Great Falls is because it’s a great, family-oriented area,” said Jan Laytham, a real estate agent with Long and Foster. “There’s all kinds of things going on. Music in the summers, we have a Fourth of July parade, Easter, and the greatest spectacular is Halloween. Everyone comes to the Village Centre and all the merchants stay open.”
All that charm comes with a hefty price: The average price for a home in the Falcon Ridge ZIP Code in September was just over $1 million, and homes in the neighborhood itself can fetch $3 million. Still, the area hasn’t been entirely immune to the housing market decline.
“We’re slow, but we’re seeing some movement right now,” Laytham said. “We also haven’t had the price reductions that you’ve seen in other areas. We’ve been lucky.”
The area’s fantastic schools also help buoy home prices. Three elementary schools feed into Langley High School, which ranks 37th on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the nation’s best high schools.
“We have lots of families in Falcon Ridge who send their kids to the public schools and participate in sports leagues,” Laytham said.
“People get to know each other walking the dogs, hanging out at the bus stop. There’s a lot of neighborliness and friendliness.”
