Reston, Virginia

Reston is a community planned by founder Robert E. Simon in 1964, and is named for the combination of his initials.  It was the first modern, post-World War II community built with the goal of revolutionizing concepts of land use for residential/corporate development in American suburbia, and since then is now the most populous city in Fairfax County.  The careful planning and zoning within Reston allows for several parks, acres of wooded areas with picturesque streams, wildflower meadows, two golf courses, nearly twenty public swimming pools, bridle paths, bike paths, four lakes, tennis courts, and extensive foot pathways (55 miles).  An important part of Reston's development is its five village centers and one town center, all planned to be within a half-mile walk from the apartments and duplex homes clustered around them. Each village center carries a plentiful amount of specialty shops and many different styles of fine dining.  At the heart of the Reston Town Center lies a beautifully crafted downtown with the vitality of an Italian piazza and diversity of a French Boulevard.  The open-air plaza is a perfect centerpiece for many seasonal and year-round events, with ice-skating rinks and a multiplex theatre.

One of the many metropolitan suburbs outside of DC, Reston's location is perfect for those commuting either to Baltimore (about an hour), Fairfax (20 minutes) or of course DC (about 25 minutes).  It is ten minutes from the Capital Beltway to the east, and ten minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport to the west.  The Reston Internal Bus System (RIBS) contains four different routes circulating within the community and allows for easy access to all the main town centers within Reston, as well as bus connections to the Metro for a quick train ride to DC.

The 60,000 Restonians are pretty fairly distributed when it comes to age, with about 22% under 18, 7% from 18 to 24, 36% from 25 to 44, 27% from 45 to 64, and the rest percent for those age 65 and older (I think it's 8%).  Reston is also considered Virginia's best educated community, with approximately 67% of adults possessing an associates degree or higher.  Given that number, Reston is proud of its many elementary schools, (a few visited by and named after Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong) various private schools, and three local colleges.  

Reston is perfect for families or single socialites who want to live in a close, friendly community with a big city feel.  It's fancy, for sure, and you'll find that the locals are proud to call it home.  CNN Money has rated it 43rd in America's top 100 places to live.