Moving To Herndon VA
The town of Herndon is located in Fairfax County and is a rapidly growing suburb of DC. It is home to around 25,000 residents and is a very diverse town. Downtown Herndon is the Town’s historic core and hosts many local events, shops, and restaurants.
The arrival of the railroad in the 1850s spurred Herndon’s development. The new village needed a name to establish a post office at the new railroad depot, in 1857. They named it after a naval Commander, William Lewis Herndon.
When the Town of Herndon was incorporated in 1879, it encompassed 4.25 square miles. The railroad defined the Town, with dairy farms located around Herndon shipping their milk daily to Washington for processing and distribution. The railroad also transported city dwellers looking for respite in the countryside, with several spacious summer houses appearing in Herndon.
Herndon’s popularity in recent years can be attributed to its affordable housing prices, proximity to many of the major big name employers in the area, and more recently, the new metro station on the Silver Line. The Silver Line has made Herndon a very attractive option for many buyers since its announcement. It is located right off of the Dulles Toll Rd, which makes commuting easy to areas like Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Tysons, DC and Reston.
Real Estate
Herndon has a home for every buyer! You can find everything from a historic home, Mid Century architecture, new construction Craftsman style homes, and traditional Colonials. Single family homes range from the low $400,000s to $1.8 million. Many of the single family homes in Herndon have large lots with mature landscaping and trees.
Townhome communities are all over Herndon and feature both older townhomes from 60s-80s that are more typically made of brick construction, and newer construction homes that are brick and siding from the 90s to the present. Townhomes range from $325,000 – $900,000. Townhomes in the higher price range live like single family homes and often have two car garages.
Condominiums in the area range from single level garden style condos, mid-rise buildings and two or three story townhome style condominiums. Their pricing ranges from $190,000 to around $700,000.
Food
Herndon has a ton of grocery store options, including Sprouts Farmers Market, My Organic Market (MOMs), Giant, Food Lion, Harris Teeter and Safeway. There is also a Wegmans close by in neighboring Reston. International grocery stores are plentiful in this area and have some awesome options: H Mart, Lotte Plaza Market, Bestway Supermarket, Fresh World, and Fairprice Halal Meat & Groceries.
As for restaurant options, you have so many large chains and local, small owned family restaurants. The food choices don’t disappoint!
Cantina D’Italia is a really great Italian restaurant that has endless, delicious pasta options that feature many traditional dishes that we all know and love.
Zeffirelli Ristorante Italiano is also another amazing Italian restaurant in Herndon. The restaurant is elegant and features very traditional Italian cuisine. Order the Filet with green peppercorn and brandy sauce!
Thai Luang has some amazing Thai food that is authentic and full of flavor. You must try the Crispy Duck! It’s so good!
If you are looking for a great breakfast, brunch or lunch spot, you have to check out Virginia Kitchen. Their menu is amazing and has some of the best breakfast food in the area. The breakfast dishes are elevated and my favorite is the Black Forest Bacon.
The Russia House is an awesome fine dining option that features a French-Russian fusion menu with an array of vodkas. It is such a cool menu and you can keep going over and over again and never run out of options. The Stuffed Cabbage Leaves are to-die for!
Family & Fun
The Farmers Market is held on Thursdays from May 4 to November 9, 8:00am-12:30pm, outside the Herndon Municipal Center at 777 Lynn Street, in historic downtown Herndon. You can take the “scenic route” to the farmers market by joining the Town of Herndon, Fairfax County Park Authority, and Fairfax Alliance for Better Biking (FABB) for an annual Bike to Farmers Market Week. Kids will also have a blast listening and interacting with live performances at the Farmers Market. Some of the acts include Rocknoceros and Drew Blue Shoes!
Frying Pan Park is one of the most well known parks in the entire Northern Virginia area and hosts so many activities and festivals for people of all ages. Themed festivals include Farm Harvest Days, Fall Carnival, Big Truck Night, and Halloween on the Farm.
Frying Pan Farm Park also offers adult fitness, art, dance and dog classes, kids’ summer camps, classes for toddlers through adults, family programs, a licensed preschool, and horseback riding lessons.
The farm has a variety of livestock for everyone to enjoy and also has a 4-H Club chapter. The club focuses on basic animal science, livestock showmanship and leadership. Members participate in club and park sponsored events, county and state 4-H competitions, and livestock shows such as the annual Fairfax County 4-H Fair and Carnival. New members can register between August to February.
The W&OD Trail also goes through Herndon on it’s journey from Arlington to Purcellville. There are also a bunch of smaller parks with playgrounds and other fun for kids, and the Herndon Swim Club has a great pool and there is also the Hunter’s Creek Swim and Raquet Club.
The Town of Herndon has also created the Herndon Arts District in recent years to increase awareness and support of the Arts. The town is also offering incentives to businesses who focus on the arts to ensure that the arts remain a fabric of the Herndon community.
Schools
Herndon is included in the Fairfax County School District. Herndon is similar to neighboring Reston in that the elementary schools go through 6th grade. This is different from many of the schools in the rest of the county or the area for that fact, which only go through 5th, putting 6-8 as middle school grades.
There are 11 Elementary Schools which serve the residents of Herndon. McNair is the only school which splits lower and upper elementary grades. Kindergarten through 2nd is one school and then 3rd – 6th is part of the Upper Elementary School.
Scores for Elementary range from 2 through 8. The reason for the lower scores is usually because those schools serve a larger population where English is not their first language.
There are 3 Middle Schools serving the residents of Herndon. Herndon Middle’s Great Schools Score is a 2, Franklin Middle is a 7 and Rachel Carson an 8.
Most of Herndon is zoned for Herndon High School, which is a 3 on Great Schools. Some homes are zoned for surrounding high schools of South Lakes, Oakton and Westfield. Herndon High School has over 2100 students across 9th – 12th grades. Herndon offers AP Courses. Herndon High just launched their own website for Athletics. They offer the usual lineup of Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Cross Country, Swim, Wrestling, Lacrosse. They offer the basics, but it’s not as robust as we’ve seen of sports programs in other schools.
We hope that gave you a great overview of Herndon. If you want to know more about life in Northern Virginia, we are here to help! Reach out anytime!
