Kingstowne

Rose Hill began as a planned suburb in the 1950s when Fairfax County was still growing. Today, it keeps residents engaged with its charming lifestyle and eccentric designs. The neighborhood resulted from Washington, D.C.'s post-War World II housing boom. Developers built a patchwork of easy-to-build, quick-to-sell houses on land that had been the site of dairy farms and fruit orchards. Back then, dirt roads were still cut across primitive country land, and early homeowners had to do without telephone service. But, with all its rough edges, Rose Hill's modest homes appealed to veterans looking for a low-cost place to settle down and establish roots. A shopping center sprang up in the 1950s around the Safeway grocery store that would go on to serve generations as the neighborhood's central commercial hub. Schools and parks followed, as did more residential housing, and Rose Hill ultimately flourished and became one of Fairfax County's longer-lived neighborhoods. Carl Sell, longtime resident and a member of the active Rose Hill Civic Association, cites Rose Hill's suburban amenities as key to its appeal." The neighborhood had a Metro station nearby, an elementary school and library plus an adjacent district park with and indoor recreation facility and an 18-hole public golf course," Sell says. Brad Wisley, a real estate agent with Century 21 New Millenium, says, "It's got ramblers that were built in the late 50s, they were very nice homes at the time they were built. The homes here are an even spread; half were built with basements, and half weren't." Buyers can expect to find these older three-bedroom ranch, rambler or split-level homes for around $600,000, or newer brick colonials for north of $1.2 million. Townhouses in gated communities also run towards the middle of the range, around $800,000. The 1950s and 1960s split-level and ranch-style houses, topped with sloping roofs and lined with wide windows, give the neighborhood a pared-down midcentury modernist look. Scattered, non-uniform lot sizes allow for individual landscaping -- including rose gardens that gave the neighborhood its name -- and exterior décor like kitschy lawn art or fishponds. Clermont Elementary School, part of Fairfax County Public Schools, teaches prekindergarten through sixth-grade students, emphasizing service through activities like Key Club. Niche.com gives the school a grade of A. There's also Twain Middle School, with an A-minus rating and Edison High, with a B-plus. In the neighborhood's early days, the community library operated out of a store in the local shopping center. Today, the renovated John Marshall Library building pays tribute to Rose Hill's architecture with a long, curved roof and wide exterior windows that open interior views. Loftridge Park is a 48-acre green space in Rose Hill with paved trails for hiking and biking. It's also surrounded by rows of townhouses that fall under the Loft Ridge Homeowners Association, which maintains a private tennis court in the park for its residents. Small parks and playgrounds such as Mart Twain Park, located near Mark Twain Elementary School, draw parents with young children for outdoor playtime. Cameron Run Regional Park is north of Rose Hill on Eisenhower Avenue and hosts Great Waves Waterpark in the summers, with a mini golf course and batting cage. Come in the winter to experience Ice & Lights: The Winter Village at Cameron Run for ice skating and their holiday lights display. Finally, Huntley Meadows is less than a mile south of Rose Hill, a massive watershed nature preserve with walkways over marshes, where visitors can go birdwatching or spot the occasional beaver. For shopping needs, Rose Hill Plaza has been around as long as the homes, with a Safeway for groceries and a Gabe's for discount retail. Residents looking to dine in can check out Namaste Indian Cuisine in the Plaza, which is well-known for its flaky naan bread and creamy butter chicken entrees. Wisley mentions that Rose Hill is about a mile from Kingstowne Towne Center, with a movie theater and major retailers like Walmart and World Market. Residents can venture less than a mile east of Rose Hill for breakfast to a local mainstay, Bob and Edith's Diner in Huntington. This no-frills eatery serves breakfast foods 24 hours a day and has been family-owned and operated for over 50 years, with seven locations across northern Virginia. For metro access, residents will need to leave Rose Hill, but the Van Dorn Street station, Huntington station and the Eisenhower Ave station are all less than a mile from the neighborhood's borders to the north or east. Rose Hill rests by Interstate 495, so residents can also drive to Alexandria in 5 miles, National Harbor in 7, or DC in 17 miles.