Clarendon, is it a city or is it a suburb? It’s an urban village.  It is hard to overstate the popularity of this neighborhood. It’s the closest to a downtown that Arlington County has and is located between Ballston and Rosslyn communities. Homes here range from apartments and condos in the city center to town homes just outside the center area to single family homes on the north and south end of town. These homes span a wide range of styles, from contemporary to Cape Cod to colonial and Tudor. The larger neighborhoods within Clarendon, include Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Courthouse and Colonial Village. A condo will cost you in 300k or so for a tiny one bedroom without laundry to 600-900k for two bedrooms and up depending on the building. The condos are almost all mid to high rise. Prices are among the highest in the country for detached and attached options. Many tear downs go for even as much as a million these days.

The community is extremely accessible, it’s right on Metro’s Orange and Silver Line, and served by the Clarendon, Courthouse and Virginia Square stations, as well as by both Metro and ART buses. Traffic can be a nuisance at times, but Clarendon is in close proximity to George Washington Parkway, I-66, and Route 50 for those needed to get into or out of town. Clarendon is as  pedestrian-friendly as you can get, where restaurants, bars, grocery stores, retail stores, parks, dog parks and coffee shops are all within a short stroll. There is a mix of mega-chains, such as Whole Foods, Starbucks, Pottery Barn and the Apple Store, with a number of home-grown and trendy businesses like Liberty Tavern, Northside Social, Lyon Hall, Whitlow’s on Wilson, Bake Shop, Boccato Gelato and Espresso and Kinder Haus Toys.

Mixed among the new eye-candy retail you catch glimpses of Clarendon’s history. Built in 1937, the Arlington Post Office is the first known federal building constructed in the county after the American Civil War.  The building is a designated Arlington County landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Clarendon’s biggest yearly event is the Clarendon Day street fair in September. Other annual celebrations include the Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade, and hosts the Clarendon Cup, part of the Armed Forces Cycling Classic.  Wednesday afternoons from March through December check out their small farmer’s market at Clarendon Central Park.

Clarendon may be pricey, but does offers a bit of everything – city convenience with a healthy does of neighborhood charm. It’s simply impossible to ever be bored when you’re living in Clarendon.