Reston Virginia Real Estate

Reston Virginia Real Estate

Reston was conceived as a planned community by Robert E. Simon.  Founded on April 20, 1964 (Simon’s 50th birthday) and named for his initials, it was the first modern, post-war planned community in America, sparking a revival of the planned community concept.  Simon’s family had recently sold Carnegie Hall, and Simon used the funds to create Reston.  Simon hired Conklin Rossant Architects as master planners to incorporate higher density housing to conserve open space, as well as mixed use areas for industry, business, recreation, education, and housing.

The first section of the community to be built, Lake Anne Plaza, was designed by James Rossant (who studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design) to emulate the Italian coastal town of Portofino.  Lake Anne Village was designed with modern architectural themes that extend to a nearby elementary school, a gasoline station, and two churches.  Lake Anne also has an art gallery, several restaurants, the Reston Historic Trust Museum, shops, and a senior citizens’ fellowship house.  All are local businesses, as there are no chain stores or chain restaurants allowed in Lake Anne.  Close by are the cubist townhouses at Hickory Cluster that were designed by the noted modernist architect, Charles M. Goodman, in the international style.   Other sections of the town, such as Hunter Woods, South Lakes, and North Point, were developed later, each with a neighborhood shopping center and supermarket.

The careful planning and zoning within Reston allows for common grounds, several parks, large swaths of wooded areas with picturesque runs (streams), wildflower meadows, two golf courses, nearly 20 public swimming pools, bridle paths, a bike path, four lakes, tennis courts, and extensive foot pathways.

Villages and Reston Town Center

An important part of Reston’s development is its five village centers and one town center.

Each village center was designed to be a half-mile walk from most homes and incorporate the daily retail and community service needs of residents.  Denser developments, such as apartments and clustered town homes are clustered around each village center.  The first village center built was the critically acclaimed Lake Anne, followed by (in chronological order) Hunters Woods, Tall Oaks, South Lakes, and North Point.

Reston Town Center combines elements of the ideal downtown:  the vitality of an Italian piazza and the diversity of a French boulevard.  It also includes places like Morton’s, Big Bowl, Clyde’s, Passion Fish and many more delicious restaurants.  Easy-to-access stores make shopping a year-round pleasure.  There’s also a 13-screen Multiplex Cinema and the Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel.  And at the Center’s hub, the Pavilion hosts special events, concerts, and festivals throughout the year and ice-skating in winter.

Dining

Reston has numerous chains as well as several local restaurants. Some of our favorites include Clyde’s, Passion Fish, and Jackson’s. Also be sure to try El Manantial with its Northern European fusion cuisine. Located on North Shore Drive, it’s great!

Theater and Music

The local theater group, the award-winning Reston Community Players presents four stage productions annually in the high-tech theater at the Reston Community Center in the Hunters Woods Plaza.  The Reston Chorale and Reston Community Orchestra also have regular performances here and throughout the town. 

In the summer, free concerts are offered at Lake Anne Plaza on Thursday evenings and at the Reston Town Center on Saturday evenings.  Various festivals take place at these locations also.  Canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and paddle boats can be rented on Lake Anne during the summer. 

Four miles (6 km) from Reston there are year-round concerts at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, where the National Symphony Orchestra has its summer home away from the Kennedy Center.  This venue offers world class performances ranging from opera and ballet to symphonic and popular music.  Visitors can purchase reserved seats inside the pavilion or picnic on sloping lawns while enjoying a concert.  During the cooler months bluegrass music can be heard indoors at The Barns of Wolf Trap.

Parks and Recreation

Restonians can avail themselves of the many cultural activities in Washington, D.C., by driving 20 miles 20 miles (30 km) into the city or taking buses to connect to a Metro train.  Two upscale shopping centers are located nearby in Tyson’s Corner, as well as the shops located throughout Reston and nearby Herndon.

Two miles (3km) from Reston on Leesburg Pike (Route 7) is the Colvin Run Mill, operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority.  It is a working 1811 gristmill that won a first-place restoration award from the American Institute of Architects in 1973.  The miller’s house, barn, and historic post office/gift shop provide visitors with a glimpse of nineteenth century rural Virginia life.  Daily public tours are offered.  A few miles to the west along the same road there is the historic 1820 Dranesville Tavern, also operated by the park authority and rented out for weddings, parties, and corporate functions.

Also in Reston is the 476-acre (1.9 km) Lake Fairfax Park, operated by the county.  It features boat rentals from a new marina, a large outdoor pool complex called “The Water Mine” overnight campground facilities, picnic areas, and fireworks on Independence Day.

The Reston Zoo is located on the northeast edge of the community.  It has 30 acres dedicated to family-friendly animal interaction with wagon rides and feeding stations.  The animals include zebras, antelope, bison, ostrich, alligators, camels, goats, a reptile house, and waterfowl.

Reston has an assortment of pools, which are dedicated for recreational use in the summer, located near man-made freshwater lakes.  An indoor pool is open year-round in the Reston Community Center.  The Reston Association Nature Center provides services such as nature walks, charity events, and conservation efforts.

A special tax district within Fairfax County was created to fund the various educational, cultural, and recreational activities of the Reston Community Center.  Its main building is located on the southern side of Reston at Hunters Woods Plaza.  The center has a theater, indoor heated swimming pool with Jacuzzi, ballroom, meeting rooms, and classroom space.  A smaller branch of the Reston Community Center is located at Lake Anne Plaza.

Two golf courses are located in Reston, one public and one private.  Each neighborhood has its own public swimming pool, a total of 15, and there are many tennis courts located near Lake Anne.

The Washington and Old Dominion trail, a 45-mile (72 km) long pathway built solely for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, also runs through Reston.

Reston has 55 miles (89 km) of pathways that wind throughout the community.  The centerpiece of Reston’s focus on nature is the Vernon J. Walker Nature Education Center.  Walker Nature Center’s 72 acres of forest provide the setting for a picnic pavilion, campfire ring, and other facilities that support its outreach programs.  On November 19, 2008 construction began on a new nature house on the north side of the center.  When completed in 2009, it was LEED gold-certified.

Museums and Galleries

Reston is home to two dedicated art galleries:  one in Reston Town Center, the other at Lake Anne.  The Lake Anne gallery has space where patrons can view the artists’ studios and works.

Reston also has a museum about its history, called the Reston Historic Museum.  It has maps, photos, and books that detail Reston in its current and past states.


Economy

Professional, scientific, and technical services are by far the largest economic activity in Reston.  Reston straddles the Dulles Technology Corridor and is home to the headquarters of two Fortune 500 corporations of 11 in the Washington, D.C. area:  (NII and Sallie Mae).  It is also home to the United States Geological Survey, the National Wildlife Federation, and CNRI.  Google Federal Services operates an office in Reston and Gate Gourmet’s North American division offices are in Reston.


Transportation

Reston is a 10-minute drive from Tysons Corner and the Capital Beltway to the east, and Washington Dulles International Airport to the west.  Reston has four local exits on the Dulles Toll Road.  Direct access to and from the airport is free.

The Dulles Toll Road splits the community along a west-to-east axis, while several roads run north-south:  Fairfax County Parkway on the western side, Reston Parkway through the center of town, Wiehle Avenue through the northeastern residential section, and Hunter Mill Road on the eastern border.

When Metrorail is extended to Dulles Airport along the right-of-way in the middle of the Dulles Toll Road, two stations will be located in Reston.  The first will be near the Wiehle Avenue/Dulles Toll Road interchange (phase one) and the second will be at the Reston Parkway/Dulles Toll Road interchange (phase two).  A third station will straddle the Herndon/Reston border at the existing Herndon Monroe transit hub.  Fairfax County provides several commuter express buses from free park-and-ride lots to the West Falls Church Metrorail station.

The Reston Internal Bus System (RIBS) is a set of five routes that circulate within the community, using Reston Town Center as a transfer point.  The fare system is the same as that of Fairfax Connector.  RIBS has been operated for 20 ears by Fairfax County’s Fairfax Connector bus service.  Metrobus service is available to Washington Dulles International Airport from the Herndon Monroe Park and Ride (which is located in Reston), and it is also possible to take routes to the West Falls Church metro station, which then connects with Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

Primary and Secondary Schools

As a part of Fairfax County, Reston is served by Fairfax County Public Schools and a number of private schools.  Reston has one high school within its boundaries, South Lakes High School, which serves most of Reston.  On the same lot as the high school is Reston’s only junior high school, Langston Hughes Middle School.  Students who live in the far northern part of Reston attend Herndon High School.  Reston has a number of elementary schools, including:

There are several private schools located in Reston, including:

Colleges & Universities

Reston also has several higher education resources, including a satellite campus of NVCC (Northern Virginia Community College), the University of Phoenix-Northern Virginia Campus, and Marymount University-Reston Center.

Pubic Libraries

Fairfax County Public Library operates the Reston Regional Library in the CDP.

Housing

Some of the many subdivisions and condos in Reston are Carlton House, Savoy at Reston Town Center, Harbor Point, Market Street at Reston Town Center, Midtown at Reston Town Center, and Shaker Woods.