One of the greatest things about living on-base is having a sense of community, knowing your neighbors, and having social events. When PCSing to the DC area, living on-base isn’t an option for the majority of military families. Finding where to live can be the hardest part of getting orders to DC. If you are looking for a sense of community, ability to get to know your neighbors, and looking for a place with planned social events then the planned community of Kingstowne is just the place for you.
Kingstowne in Alexandria, VA
Kingstowne is located in the “Lower” part of Alexandria in zip codes 22310 & 22315 near Mt. Vernon and Ft. Belvoir (read City of Alexandria vs Alexandria).
The Washington Post wrote an article titled “Kingstowne: a vast planned community with hyperlocal traditions“.
Here is a summary of the article:
It’s a planned community with lots of traditions and social activities. Many military live here and commute to DC and Ft. Belvoir. The community is made up of apartments, townhomes, single-family homes and has two community centers, two large pool complexes, tennis courts, fitness facilities, and a wide variety of neighborhood clubs and sponsored events. Kingstowne is the second-largest planned community in Fairfax County with 5,500 homes located on the western edge of Alexandria just outside the Capital Beltway. Residents refer to the Kingstowne area as both the community of Kingstowne itself and the surrounding neighborhoods in zip code 22315 and parts of 22310. The general boundaries are Franconia Road to the north, Van Dorn Street to the east, Telegraph Road to the south and Beulah Street to the west. Home prices range from $300,000 – $800,000.
A quote from the article states “One of our more notable [social events] is that we have ‘Palm Tree Nights’ where the hosting neighbor gets to put the electric palm tree outside their house as a signal that other neighbors are welcome to stop by that evening for happy hour, snacks and neighborly conversation,” Sawyer said. “This has proven to be a really great way for neighbors to really get to know each other.”
Nearby is a shopping center with a Kohls, Walmart, World Market, Giant Food super market, and a Wegmans coming soon. The area is pedestrian-friendly, with trees, a movie theater and sidewalk seating for some restaurants. See full Washington Post article here
Schools are aligned to Fairfax County School System because Kingstowne is located in the lower part of Alexandria which is in Fairfax County. This is a highly sought after school district in the DC area.
Commuting from Kingstowne can take about 30-45 minutes. You can take the bus from the neighborhood to Van Dorn Metro to Pentagon. About 45 min door to door and it is 100% covered by subsidy. Or many make the two-mile drive to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station. Learn about Mass Transportation Benefit Program.
Additional Resources:
- Read neighborhood reviews around the DC area
- Download our PCS Guide to DC, MD, and NOVA
