Dale City

Take note, Washington, DC, commuters: If you’re on the hunt for a house with all the comforts of suburbia, consider calling Ashdale home. This neighborhood was the first of many established in Dale City by developer Cecil Don Hylton. While the area had little around it in its early days, today, Ashdale is near a major retail hub, just a few minutes from Interstate 95, and a viable option for Washington, DC, commuters who want to get more home for their dollar. House hunters in Ashdale will find town houses and single-family homes built in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, many of which are split-foyers and raised ramblers. Homebuyers can expect to find prices starting in the low-$300,000s, which can afford a three-bedroom town house. On the higher end, a budget in the low to mid $500,000s will buy a single-family home with four or five bedrooms. Ashdale students attend Prince William County Public Schools, which Niche awards an overall grade of A-. The exact schools students will attend depends on where exactly in the neighborhood they reside, but many attend Dale City Elementary School, Rippon Middle School, and Freedom High School. Freedom High offers a dual enrollment program with Northern Virginia Community College that allows students to earn up to 24 college credits while still enrolled in high school — for free. Ashdale residents are just a few minutes from Birchdale Community Center, which features a playground, basketball courts and a skate park. They also have a pay-as-you-go outdoor community pool — no membership required. For a bigger day of exploration, head down Dale Boulevard, the neighborhood’s major thoroughfare, to Neabsco Regional Park. This 300-acre site is host to a portion of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, an 800-mile network of trails along the Potomac River. The park also features a three-quarter-mile boardwalk allowing visitors to walk through the area’s wetlands for a unique view of the natural wildlife and their habitat. Ashdale is right next to Potomac Mills, a popular shopping mall that attracts folks from all over Virginia. Here, you can shop the deals at the many outlet stores, then head to IKEA for home furnishings, Costco to stock up on household supplies, and Mom’s Organic Market for healthy groceries. There’s no shortage of restaurants in the area, either. You’ll find anything you’re craving, from spicy Nashville-style chicken at HCK Hot Chicken to poke bowls at Poke Mian to birria tacos at Del Campo Restaurant. No matter what you choose, wash it down with a craft beer from Water’s End Brewery. There’s also a Wegmans grocery store and Alamo Drafthouse movie theater just across Interstate 95 at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center. Commuters have options from Ashdale. “It’s a good hub for commuters because there are so many different commuter lots and options for carpooling, the Virginia Railway Express, and buses,” says Mark D. Worrilow, District Director of Fathom Realty. The on-ramp to Interstate 95 is a mile or less away down Dale Boulevard; travel for another three miles to catch the VRE at Rippon Station. Once on the train, you can get to the end of the line, DC’s Union Station, in one hour. With so much around, Ashdale is truly a community of conveniences.

Birchdale was the second of more than a dozen neighborhoods established in Dale City by developer Cecil Don Hylton, and the growth of the area since would probably surprise even Hylton himself. Today, residents enjoy easy access to Interstate 95 and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), endless shopping and dining options, and multiple ways to get out and spend a Saturday afternoon. “It’s a really good place to live,” says Mark D. Worrilow, District Director of Fathom Realty. “I think for people coming into the area who have not bought here before and trying to start the home-buying process, there are plenty of activities and opportunities.” <br><br>Birchdale’s housing inventory includes town houses and single-family homes built between the 1960s and 1980s, situated on winding suburban streets with sidewalks and numerous cul de sacs. Homebuyers can expect to find prices starting in the low-$300,000s, which can afford a three-bedroom town house. On the higher end, a four-bedroom single-family home lists in the upper-$400,000s. Split-foyers and raised ramblers are among the most prevalent house styles. <br><br>Birchdale students are served by Prince William County Public Schools, which Niche awards an overall grade of A-. Many students attend Dale City Elementary School, which is walkable to some homes in the neighborhood, before going on to George M. Hampton Middle School and Gar-Field High School. Gar-Field High offers a Culinary Arts program where eleventh grade and twelfth grade students can learn skills such as food preparation, food safety, sanitation, and basic nutrition. <br><br>After school, kids can walk to the Birchdale Community Center, which features a playground, basketball courts, a skate park, and an outdoor community pool (no membership is required for the pool — just pay as you go). They also host various classes and events throughout the year, like art workshops. On the weekends, you could also head to Neabsco Regional Park to spend some time outdoors. This 300-acre site is host to a network of walking trails including a boardwalk through the area’s wetlands, offering residents a unique view of the natural wildlife and their habitat. <br><br>Birchdale is right next to a huge cluster of shopping centers that include Potomac Mills, a popular shopping mall that attracts folks from all over Virginia. Here, you can shop the deals at the mall’s many outlet stores, catch a movie at AMC Potomac Mills 18, browse home improvement supplies at Floor & Decor, and stock the fridge with healthy groceries from Mom’s Organic Market. You’ll find anything you’re craving here, too, from breakfast at Silver Diner to spicy Nashville-style chicken at HCK Hot Chicken to bubble tea at Ku Tea Coffee and Tea Town. <br><br>Dale City has its own neighborhood civic association, which Birchdale is a part of. The association awards scholarships, organizes community clean-up days, and plans events, among other things. The annual Independence Day Parade has been a tradition for more than 50 years. <br><br>More and more residents have been commuting to Arlington and Washington, DC, from the area, according to Worrilow. Interstate 95 is a mile away and Rippon Station, the nearest VRE station, is a little more than 3 miles away. Once on the train, you can get as far as Washington, DC’s, Union Station in one hour. With conveniences around every corner, Birchdale may be worth a closer look.

A serene waterway bisects the Dale City neighborhood of Cloverdale, a wooded area with homes of various prices, sizes and styles — all within minutes of nearby public schools and a sprawling shopping center. Cloverdale comprises two winding residential sections on either side of Neabsco Creek. The northern section branches off Cloverdale Road, adjacent to Dale Boulevard, while the Cardinal Crest subdivision stems from Cardinal Drive to the south. The latter features dozens of late-1990s and early-2000s Colonials, which are the area’s largest (and often priciest) homes. “Most of those homes are getting about 3,000, maybe 3,500 square feet, and there are a few larger homes in there, too,” says local real estate agent Talithia Morris of eXp Realty LLC. “You’re probably looking in the $600,000 to $700,000 range.” Lower-cost abodes north of the creek include ranch-style and split-level houses and the Cardin Place town house development, whose three-level units start in the low $300,000s. Neabsco Creek splits Cloverdale students into two distinct public school clusters. Children in the northern section attend the centrally located Neabsco Elementary School before progressing to George M. Hampton Middle School, about five minutes west. From ninth through 12th grade, they’ll head about 10 minutes northeast to Gar-Field Senior High School, which offers an extensive International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Meanwhile, Cardinal Crest kids start at A. Henderson Elementary School — boasting a commendable B-plus grade from Niche — before attending Rippon Middle School. Both are within 10 minutes by car. Finally, they’ll join nearly 2,000 fellow Panthers at Potomac High School. “But what if my kids make friends with children across the creek?” you might ask. To paraphrase Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t no river wide enough” to keep Cloverdale friends from getting together. Residents in either section can take a wooded walking path across Neabsco Creek to hang out after school or work — or enjoy a nice, quiet stroll. This trail passes Cloverdale Park, a 30-acre neighborhood green space in some residents’ backyards. Several sports facilities punctuate the park, including softball diamonds, soccer and lacrosse fields, and tennis and basketball courts. And for lower-key competition, visitors can challenge each other to a game of horseshoes. If you prefer socializing during a shopping spree, you’ll love having Potomac Mills about 10 minutes to the north. Billed as the largest outlet mall in Virginia, Potomac Mills is home to over 200 retailers. Whether you need to grab everyday goods at Costco, your latest home-décor splurge at IKEA or a new pair of kicks at the Nike outlet, you can get it done here. You can also enjoy a Hollywood blockbuster at AMC Theatres or dig into an indulgent entrée at The Cheesecake Factory. Would you rather support a local restaurant? Head just south of Potomac Mills to Charbroil Grill Brazilian Steakhouse, which serves a wide range of cuts for every meat-lover out there. For nights you’d rather cook at home, Walmart Supercenter, Giant Food and Safeway all operate locations within about 10 minutes. Cloverdale residents are equally close to Interstate 95, so you can typically reach downtown D.C. in under an hour.

Darbydale was the fourth of more than a dozen neighborhoods that developer Cecil Don Hylton established in Dale City beginning in the 1960s. Today, Darbydale’s homeowners enjoy having the peace and quiet of their residential community as well as proximity to multiple parks and recreation centers, extensive shopping and dining options, Interstate 95, and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). Darbydale’s housing inventory includes single-family homes situated on winding well-planned streets with numerous cul de sacs. The neighborhood is split into two sections by the Neabsco Creek. The neighborhood’s original 1960s homes are north of the creek, many of which are split-foyers and raised ramblers. Homes south of the creek were added in the 1980s and 1990s, with similar styles to its counterpart as well as many Colonial Revivals. Homebuyers can expect to find prices starting in the low-$400,000s, which can afford a four-bedroom home built in the 1960s. On the higher end, a four-bedroom house built in the 1990s with twice the square footage can go for as high as the low-$700,000s. Darbydale students are served by Prince William County Public Schools, which Niche awards an overall grade of A-. The exact schools students will attend depends on where exactly in the neighborhood they reside, but many attend Neabsco Elementary School, George M. Hampton Middle School, and Gar-Field High School. Gar-Field High offers a Marine Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). This program is meant to help students grow mentally and physically, build friendships, and learn skills and lessons they can apply in their lives well past graduation. Darbydale is two miles from two different recreation centers, so residents can take their pick depending on their interests. The Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center offers exercise equipment, fitness classes (on solid ground or in the indoor pool), and basketball and racquetball courts. The Birchdale Community Center provides a playground, basketball courts, a skate park, and an outdoor community pool. If you’re after a park-like setting, head to Cloverdale Park. At 30 acres, you can explore the walking trails or let the little ones burn some energy. Though Darbydale is entirely residential, you can find plenty of shopping and dining within a few minutes of homes. There are multiple shopping centers where Dale Boulevard intersects with Minnieville Road, offering conveniences like Giant Foods, Safeway, and Dale City Hardware. Catch the weekly farmers market in this area, too. There are plenty of places to grab a bite here as well, like Margaritas Grill, which offers Tex-Mex and Salvadorean favorites, and, yes, margaritas. But if it’s retail therapy you’re craving, Potomac Mills shopping mall, which attracts shoppers from all over, is within 5 miles. Shop for clothing, home furnishings, and more. Commuting to Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, from Dale City has become more and more common, according to Mark D. Worrilow, District Director of Fathom Realty. “Dale City is far enough away so that you don’t have to live in DC or Arlington if you don’t want to, but close enough so that it’s a normal and easy commute.” Worrilow explains how “slugging,” a type of carpooling, has helped with traffic on Interstate 95. “One of the things that has happened here is we now have HOT lanes on Interstate 95, which are High Occupancy Toll lanes,” he says. “So if you have three or more people in your car it's free, but if you have less than three there is a cost. That has sped up transit from Dale City.” In addition to I-95, which is 2 to 4 miles away from Darbydale homes depending on which side of the creek you reside, residents can hop on the Virginia Railway Express at Rippon Station, which takes about an hour to get to DC’s Union Station. If you’re in search of a quiet neighborhood central to all the amenities that Woodbridge has to offer, Darbydale may be just what you’re looking for.

Evansdale is centrally located within Dale City, bound by the intersection of Minnieville Road and Dale Boulevard, two of the region's main arteries. Buyers can select from a wide variety of over 2,000 single-family homes and townhouses within Evansdale and drive minutes away to shopping centers like Center Plaza or the popular Potomac Mills Mall or south to recreational hubs like Lake Montclair. Evansdale residents also have convenient access to Interstate 95 for commutes to Washington, D.C., in under an hour. Home prices range from $360,000 to $645,000, varying by square footage and lot size. Tree-heavy winding streets run throughout Evansdale, and sidewalks are consistent, making it easy for locals to visit friends or go for a morning jog. Townhouses dominate the neighborhood, including two- to three-story, 1980s-built models in the Towns of Forest Hills subdivision. "They're mostly two- to three-level townhouses, roughly in the $350,000 to high $400,000s [range]," says former resident and local real estate agent Anthony Jones of eXp Realty. Older, similarly sized models appear in the Endsley Turn community and start in the low $300,000s. At the same time, the Wexford subdivision features larger 1990s builds — some with attached garages — that can reach the high $400,000s. Meanwhile, single-family homes in Evansdale range from early 1970s split-levels and raised ramblers to large Colonials from the 1990s and early 2000s. The latter can cost up to the high $500,000s, which might get buyers four-bedroom constructions over 3,000 square feet. Prince William County Public Schools serve the greater Dale City area for education. Students from Evansdale can attend Montclair Elementary, rated a B-plus on Niche; George Hampton Middle, rated a C-plus and within Evansdale's boundaries; and Gar-Field High School, rated a B-minus. Gar-Field High is within Dale City and is named after Gilmer Garber, a farmer, and Grover Manderfield, a local business owner, who donated 20 acres of land to the county to build the school. Hampton Middle School's grounds feature a court for futsal, an increasingly popular version of soccer that's played on a hard surface. Residents can also use the school's football, baseball, soccer, and track facilities for personal exercise or friendly weekend competitions. Three more baseball and softball diamonds and an automated batting cage are available across Minnieville Road at Logan Park. Next door is Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center, which offers group fitness classes, a basketball court and a heated, 25-yard pool. Folks can drive 4 miles south to Lake Montclair, a 108-acre lake with designated swim beaches and fishing piers, where anglers can catch largemouth bass and channel catfish. People even take kayaks and electric motorboats out to explore the lake. Several big-name and locally owned eateries pop up around Evansdale, especially where Minnieville Road and Dale Boulevard intersect to the north. Center Plaza features several international flavors, like the halal dishes at Zaffron. This high-ceilinged Afghan and Pakistani restaurant is known for its kabob and chicken tikka dishes. Across the street is Margaritas Grill, a Tex-Mex and Salvadoran spot serving carne asada and cocktails. A 10-minute drive east on Dale Boulevard leads to Stonebridge, a mixed, commercial-residential hub next to I-95. "It's mostly restaurants, but there's a decent amount of shopping, too," Jones says. "There's Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a Korean barbecue place, Nando's and more. There's also a really nice movie theater, the Alamo Drafthouse, where you can order food, sit there with your tray and watch a movie while you have a beer, if that's your thing." Stonebridge also features a Wegmans for groceries and retailers like Apple and DSW. North up 95 a mile is Potomac Mills Mall, Virginia's largest outlet mall, with over 200 name-brand stores to browse. Commuters can take Interstate 95 north 30 miles to reach Washington, D.C., which takes around an hour, depending on rush hour traffic. OmniRide buses stop along Darbydale Avenue within the community for public transit options. For air travel, Dulles International Airport is 28 miles northwest, while Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is 29 miles northeast. Both offer domestic and international flights.

In 1968, Hylton Enterprises began developing Forestdale, the sixth community in Dale City, a Woodbridge suburb where neighborhoods were built alphabetically with ‘dale’ at the end of the name. The community sits at the intersection of Dale Boulevard and Minnieville Road, home to a bustling commercial corridor filled with fast-food restaurants and grocery stores. Locals also have easy access to Potomac Mills, an outlet mall with over 200 stores. Even with commercial convenience, Laura Bailey, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty, who has sold several homes in the area, says the neighborhood’s biggest draw is its affordability. “Some of Dale City was built in the ‘90s, so Forestdale houses are on the older side,” she says. “They’re all in decent condition, but because of their age, they’re priced lower than the newer neighborhoods. You’re paying a fairly low price to be so close to tons of shopping and Interstate 95.” Compared to a Dale City home’s average $500,000 selling price, buying a single-family home in Forestdale can cost between $400,000 and $450,000. Vinyl-façade split levels painted in shades of white and beige sit on quarter-acre lots, often shaded by an American sycamore tree. Cracked cement driveways run alongside red-brick ranch styles with three bedrooms. The neighborhood also has a few townhouses. Colonial Revival-style units from the ‘70s sell for between $350,000 and $450,000, while New Traditional options built in 2023 go for anywhere in the upper $600,000 range. The intersection of Dale Boulevard and Minnieville Road is home to numerous shopping strips. Locals can buy groceries at Giant and Safeway or get dog treats at Petco. There are fast-food drive-throughs like Wendy’s and Taco Bell and a few locally owned spots. Whole chicken spins on a spit behind the red counter at KikiRiki, where Peruvian food is served on Styrofoam plates. Though the intersection is convenient for Forestdale locals, Bailey says Potomac Mills, less than 4 miles east of the neighborhood, is a shopping destination for the whole county. “The intersection is where people go for groceries and daily errands, but Potomac Mills is where everyone goes shopping on the weekend,” she says. “It’s the biggest shopping center in Prince William County, so it gets really busy.” Brown and cream-tiled floors welcome shoppers into the one-story Potomac Mills, home to stores like Nordstrom Rack, Nike and Bloomingdale’s. Locals can also catch the latest blockbusters at AMC or climb indoor ropes courses at Healthy Fun One Adventure Park, which also has trampolines and rock climbing walls. Stand-alone stores like Walmart Supercenter and Ikea surround the mall's parking lot. Forestdale is near several indoor community hubs, including Dale City Library, where toddlers gather for story times every Wednesday. The Sharron Baucom Dale City Recreation Center is in a red-brick building on Minnieville Road. Kids can take ballet classes in the dance studio or play in Dale City Little League on the baseball diamond outside. Blue and white tiling surrounds the indoor lap lane pool, which hosts adult water aerobics and youth swim classes. Victory Christian Ministries International is a non-denominational church with a 3,000-seat Greek Revival-style building on the same street. Though Dale City has a few small parks with playgrounds and basketball courts, like nearby Hillendale Park, locals can drive to green spaces on the Potomac River for outdoor recreation. For instance, Leesylvania State Park is a 500-acre peninsula overlooking the river and Chesapeake Bay, just 6 miles southeast of the neighborhood. The 300-foot-long wooden fishing pier is a popular spot to catch catfish and striped bass, while the sandy shoreline dotted with driftwood offers a scenic picnic spot. Eastern red cedar trees and Civil War-era cannons surround gravel hiking trails. Kayakers and sailboaters will pass the river’s water chestnut-covered surface after launching their boats off one of the several ramps. Children can attend Bel Air Elementary, which earns a C-plus grade from Niche and is in Forestdale. Despite this convenient location, Bailey says students don’t walk to school. “The time of day that kids walk to school is also when people drive towards I-95 for work, so the area is too traffic-heavy for that kind of thing.” Students may continue to C-plus-rated Hampton Middle School and B-rated Gar-Field High School, which offers career pathway programs like environmental engineering and computer science. The Holy Family Catholic Church has a prekindergarten through eighth grade school on Ferndale Road. Though Forestdale has sidewalks, it’s a car-dependent community. Interstate 95 is 3 miles east of the neighborhood, making Washington D.C. a 30-mile drive north. The Woodbridge train station, 7 miles away, follows Amtrak’s Northeast Regional line, putting commuters at Union Station in about an hour. Several OmniRide bus stops sit along Dale Boulevard. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the Dulles International Airport are both about 30 miles from the neighborhood, and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, 4 miles east, is the closest hospital. OmniRide runs buses from the Dale City Commuter Lot on Dale Boulevard and Gemini Way to the Woodbridge train station every hour on weekdays. It also hosts a few community events. For instance, Dale Boulevard shuts down as sports cars and red, white and blue floats drive down the thoroughfare for the Dale City Independence Day Parade. The celebration ends in the commuter lot with bounce houses, funnel cake stands and petting zoos. Around 50 tents fill the same lot every Sunday for the Dale City Farmers Market, where residents can buy handmade soap, seasonal produce and locally sourced honey.