Huntington - Alexandria, VA

Huntington, like much of Fairfax County, remained rural until the federal government expanded in the 1930s and continued to do so in the following decades. The two-story brick duplexes in the Huntington area were built to house veterans returning from World War II. The area became home to many construction and service workers until the expansion of the Metro in the 1990s made it a more desirable area for office workers who commute to D.C.

Huntington residents can take advantage of Old Town Alexandria's thriving art scene, which includes the Torpedo Factory Art Center with three floors of artists' studios and galleries and the Athenaeum, which exhibits contemporary art in its galleries and hosts performances by top musicians and actors. Each fall, Alexandria holds the annual King Street Art Festival and the Alexandria Film Festival. Alexandria's many historic sites include Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate, located south of Old Town.

You won't find much in the way of restaurants within the Huntington neighborhood other than a few take-out places, but a 10-minute car ride puts Old Town Alexandria's abundant assortment of dining establishments at your disposal. Across the street from the King Street metro station sits Joe Theismann's Restaurant. In business since 1975, Theismann's remains hard to categorize: part sports bar, part neighborhood gathering place and part fine dining establishment. The large varied menu includes appetizers ranging from seared ahi tuna to chicken wings and entrées from New Zealand lamb chops to Philly cheese steaks. Try the halloumi skewers featuring grilled cyprus halloumi cheese, fresh vegetables and pesto rice in a sun-dried tomato marinade.

Head over to the Carlyle district for Sweet Fire Donna's happy hour specials and some memorable barbecue. The sweet fire sampler of brisket, Kansas-City style brisket burnt ends, pulled pork and spareribs served with two sides and cornbread fills up the hungriest diner. For something a little smaller, try the Carolina chopped pork sandwich topped with North Carolina vinegar sauce and coleslaw served on a fresh-baked potato Kaiser roll.

For a more elegant night out, stroll over to King Street, and sip a drink at Brabo's custom hammered-copper bar before going to your table in the dining room, on the outdoor terrace or, for private parties with a reservation, at the Chef's Table, where the chef and wine director tailor food and wine pairings specifically for you. Brabo specializes in Belgian food, and diners rave over the duck foie gras, hanger steak and short ribs. The adjacent Brabo's Tasting Room lets you sample smaller portions of some of the menu options. Favorites in the Tasting Room include mussels, artisanal cheese platters and savory tarts and pizzas from the wood-fired brick oven.

Huntington residents sometimes cross the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the attractions of National Harbor for an evening out, or they rely on the closer-to-home convenience of Old Town for its nightlife. The Light Horse restaurant features live entertainment and great beer and wine selections as well as skeeball, shuffleboard tables and interactive games. The Basin St. Lounge, located above 219 Restaurant, features a cigar lounge and live jazz and blues on Tuesday through Saturday nights. Downstairs from 219, the Bayou Room boasts the only dance floor in Old Town and brings in a DJ to get things going on weekends. The Rock-It Grill features karaoke seven nights a week as well as two pool tables and 10 TVs to follow your favorite teams. For a more laid-back but still lively bar experience with the best of the area's local craft brews and an extensive wine list, try the Union Street Public House, an Old Town staple located in a renovated colonial-era warehouse by the waterfront.

There are many options for traveling in and around the Huntington area. Huntington Avenue forms the main spine through the community, and you can walk to the Metro station located near the west end of Huntington Avenue from many of the neighborhoods and residential complexes along this main street. Beyond that, walking isn't really an option because Route 1 and Telegraph Road carry multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic and cross major highway interchanges just outside the neighborhood. Those same characteristics make the area unsafe for biking.

The Metro whisks people to other communities in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs, to Reagan National Airport or to D.C. It takes approximately 20 minutes to get to L'Enfant Plaza or 30 minutes to get to Metro Center in D.C. Other options for those without a car include the Fairfax Connector bus service, Uber ride-sharing service, calling a local cab company for a pickup or picking up a Zipcar from the carsharing service's location at the Huntington Metro station.

Drivers appreciate Huntington's convenience to Route 1, the Capital Beltway, the George Washington Parkway, Routes 395, 295 and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. Condominium, apartment and townhouse complexes include ample parking for residents and visitors, and plenty of free parking is available on the residential streets in the area.

Huntington Park, the only park within the neighborhood, rests on the banks of Cameron Run creek and includes a playground, walking trails, a baseball field, a grill and picnic tables. This free park sits in a cul-de-sac with plenty of parking, and as with all Fairfax County parks, your dog can come along with you as long as you keep it leashed and off the athletic fields.

Just to the southeast, you have lots of recreation options at the Belle Haven Park and Marina and the Mount Vernon Trail along the Potomac River. At Belle Haven Marina, you can take sailing lessons, rent boats ranging from a 14-foot sunfish to a 34-foot sloop or paddle a canoe or kayak through Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. Several free lots along the park adjacent to the George Washington Parkway mean you usually won't have trouble finding a place to park. Belle Haven Park also serves as a good spot for a picnic or as a place to start out on a walk, jog or bike ride on the Mount Vernon Trail. The 18-mile paved multi-use trail winds along the Potomac River from Theodore Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon and provides wonderful views of the Potomac River and the D.C. skyline.

Although homes in Huntington have an Alexandria address, they reside in Fairfax County, not the city of Alexandria, and Huntington's cost of living sits about 14 percent lower than the city of Alexandria. Huntington's cost of living remains about 9 percent lower than in D.C. You can expect to pay $1,409 per month on average for rent on a one-bedroom apartment.

When you go out for a beer with friends, you pay about $6 per bottle, and gas for your car costs 9 percent more than the national average. If you leave the car at home and commute by Metro, you pay $4.00 during peak times and $3.15 off-peak to get from the Huntington station to the Metro Center station in D.C.

Huntington lacks shopping within the neighborhood other than a few quick markets, but Jefferson Manor and Beacon Center shopping centers on Route 1 have some of the basics as well as big box stores, and Landmark Mall and Pentagon City Mall lie only a few miles away in either direction. Pentagon City Mall also includes high-end retailers.

For specialty shops, visit Old Town Alexandria, and support local merchants while finding unique items for every occasion. Hooray for Books, an independent children's bookstore, not only stocks treasured stories and new authors but has a friendly staff and fun story-time sessions for children. Red Barn Mercantile features modern and vintage-style home furnishings. If you can't get to Ireland, The Irish Walk provides the closest alternative for all things Irish, selling clothing, food, jewelry, house wares and gifts, many of them handmade.

To get your groceries, you have to go outside the immediate Huntington neighborhood as well. The closest market, Bestway Supermarcado, lies just beyond Huntington on Telegraph Road. At this Latin market, you can pick up fresh meats, fish and dairy items at very reasonable prices, plus the store carries things that you won't find elsewhere, such as green plantains, Cotija cheese varieties, whole racks of ribs and tamarind pods. The Giant supermarket in the Beacon Center and the Harris Teeter in the Foxchase Shopping Center provide other options for picking up groceries. In addition, the Whole Foods in the Carlyle District in Old Town stocks a large variety of organic foods, and you can visit the build-your-own sandwich and panini station or pick up a made-to-order Neapolitan pizza.

The country's oldest continuously operating farmers market opens Saturday mornings year-round in Market Square in Old Town Alexandria. During the summer, more than 70 vendors participate with wares ranging from fresh produce and meats and cheeses to pasta, potted plants and paintings.