Why Arlington, VA is the best place to grow up
There may actually be too much to do
I grew up right outside of Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Virginia. It wasn’t until after I went to college that I realized how lucky I was to grow up in such a cool and diverse place!
Location
One of the best things about living in Arlington is that you are right across the river from D.C. If you’re bored, you can go walk around in Georgetown, explore the monuments, or head to any of the awesome free Smithsonian museums or the National Zoo.
You are surrounded by history
There is also tons of history right at our finger tips. You are always in the middle of the action, whether it’s a presidential inauguration, some sort of rally on the mall, or the national fireworks show on the Fourth of July. There are also so many historic places to go see, like the White House, the Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon.
Great food and bars
Arlington is a pretty young area, with lots of shopping and restaurants/bars. Clarendon is a great place to go out and find any type of food you are craving, or some really cool bars! There is also tons of shopping in the area, and we are only a 20 minute drive from Tysons Corner Mall.
Amazing school systems
The public schools in Arlington are ranked as some of the best in Virginia, so you really can’t go wrong with growing up there! Both Yorktown High School and Washington and Lee High School have consistently ranked in the top ten Virginia public high schools in the past few years.
Within driving distance of a lot of cool places
Arlington is right in the middle of the East Coast, which makes road trips pretty easy! New York City is only a four-hour drive away, Philadelphia is about 3 hours, and Baltimore is only an hours drive north, which makes for some fun day trips! You can head south to the beaches of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina in a day, but those are definitely not for day trips. There are also plenty of buses and trains to take you to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and anywhere else you would want to go if you don’t want to drive.
Easy transportation
The beltway area of the Washington D.C. region is notorious for horrible traffic, but when you live in Arlington, all you have to do is hop on the metro and you can be anywhere in the D.C. area within 20 minutes! This makes it so much easier for high school students to get around without a car, and also takes a away the hassle of trying to find cheap parking in D.C.
There is always entertainment
If for some reason you can’t think of anything to do in Arlington or D.C., there are always really cool festivals and concerts coming to the area, like the National Book Festival, WMZQ Fest, or the National Cherry Blossom Festival! There are also constant sporting events, whether it’s the Nationals, the Capitals, or the Redskins (all just a metro ride away)!