Mount Vernon, VA is more than just a quiet suburb of Washington, DC. The
Mount Vernon area has grown steadily in recent years as the nation's
capital has become more crowded, attracting families looking for a
strong community with good schools and plenty of space to expand.
Because Mount Vernon has an ample stock of starter homes offered at
affordable prices, many of these families are quite young, which in turn
has helped boost enrollment at the town's schools and enhanced the
whole system's reputation as one of the most innovative in the state. As
anyone who lives here will tell you, life in Mount Vernon, VA is good
and getting better!
Nestled in the hills above the Potomac River in southern Fairfax County,
Mount Vernon is home to nearly 30,000 people at last count. Mount
Vernon, VA neighborhoods are a charming combination of older postwar
ranch construction and newer custom-designed luxury houses, with heavy
emphasis on the brick accents and stately columns that define
mid-Atlantic plantation architecture. Thanks to its outside-the-Beltway
location and the lack of development surrounding the town, Mount
Vernon's homes are a great value compared to those found further north
in Fairfax County. In fact, on a per-square-foot basis, Mount Vernon, VA
homes are cheaper than any comparable place in the Washington, DC metro
area.
Resilient home values aren't the only reason things are looking up for
Mount Vernon. The area's unemployment rate has remained low through the
economic crisis of the late 2000s, staying below five percent even in
the depths of the recession and currently near four percent. The
best-paying jobs are in the thriving financial and public sectors,
attracting young people with advanced degrees from all over the country,
and more are added each month as the Washington region expands outward.
Mount Vernon's median income, which is over $15,000 higher per capita
than the national average and continuing to grow, reflects this
insatiable demand for jobs.
Some rapidly-growing areas suffer from inadequate cultural and community
institutions, but not lower Fairfax County. The community of Mount
Vernon, VA has benefited from a rapid influx of new residents. The city
is home to nearly a dozen parks, including the Mount Vernon Estate and
Gardens, which encompasses George Washington's ancestral home and brings
thousands of tourists to the area each year. Serving as one of the
anchors of Mount Vernon's community life, the Mount Vernon Estate along
with other colonial outposts like the Pope-Leighey House and Woodlawn
Mansion remind the area's residents of their place in the grand scheme
of history.
The affluent residents of Mount Vernon, VA aren't just looking to the
past, of course. Other popular cultural institutions include the Mount
Vernon Yacht Club, nestled on a quiet Potomac bay, and Woodlawn Country
Club, which claims many of the area's movers and shakers among its
members. Add in nearby Northern Virginia Community College and it
becomes clear why Mount Vernon, VA is one of the D.C. area's most
desirable places to live!
