2. Green space - we've got it and a lot of others don't!

3. Location location location

4. Diversity - we have people here from all over the US and foreign countries

5. Community Boards - need I say more? Where else can you request a personalized message on any given day for all to see for free! Brilliant!

6. Pool- it's big with a large shallow end for all the kids and the freshly painted bathrooms feel clean and fun spirited

7. Dog swim with ice cream for all

8. Dogs - super dog friendly with the disposal stations and sidewalks

9. Landscaping and snow removal are top notch, always keeping it fresh looking

10. HOA Board that is warm and open to suggestions and ideas - this should be higher up on the list:)

 

 

 My husband and I moved to Landsdowne a little more than seven years ago to a townhouse on High Valley Lane. We pretty much just fell into the community. At this point, the housing market was red hot and houses were very hard to buy (ahhh, the good old days). We had looked at another townhouse that we didn’t get, but the same model, on the same street, was also for sale and we were lucky to buy that one. Almost immediately, Landsdowne started to feel like “home.” Prior to moving to the townhouse, we lived in an apartment for 5 years and could not tell you who lived on the other side of the wall from us. So, to live in a neighborhood whose neighbors were friendly, outgoing and warm really made me appreciate our new community. I then got involved with the board and we made even more friends, some of which are our closest friends that we have, who we wouldn’t trade for the world. You see, I grew up in a small town in Iowa, population around 2,500. Not only did my parents grow up there, but both sets of grandparents had lived there for at least 50 years. So, I knew everyone- and I mean everyone and thus, it was a very safe place to grow up. I never thought I would ever live in a similar situation where I new my neighbors and socially interacted with them, especially in the big bad metropolitan area we call Northern Virginia/ Washington, DC.

 

After a couple years, the townhouse started to feel small, and we began our search for a single family home. But, we really, really wanted to stay in the community. We put a bid on a house on Morning Ride Circle, but our $10,000 escalation clause was dwarfed by someone else’s $50,000 clause. I guess they too really wanted to live in Landsdowne. Then, friends told us about a house on Bold Lion Lane that was going to come onto the market. We found the current owner and pretty much begged him to let us buy the house. He agreed and we had our single family house and were still members of the Landsdowne Community. So, we moved a total of 6 blocks. While we moved a lot of the stuff ourselves, we still needed a moving company for the big stuff. They were just a little perplexed when we told them that the new house was basically, around the corner and down the street.

 

You can tell that I love the neighborhood, my street, and my house. But, what makes Landsdowne feel like home. It is its people and I must say its board of directors (yes, self promotion here), who make a concerted effort to bring the community together through activities such as the dog swim, camp Landsdowne, movie nights, cookouts and even bulk trash day! When I was board president, I went to meetings of area board members and I can tell you, Landsdowne board members put them to shame. Many were “one issue” board members. In other words, there were upset about something, got elected to the board to address that one issue, and then faded from the scene. Others were power hungry and wanted to “control” their neighbor’s activities. I can proudly say that the Landsdowne board has no one issue members and we have bent over backwards to relax the rules of the community to allow greater personal expression while still maintaining a balance of a beautiful place to live.

 

Back to my street, we have several “original owners,” meaning they have been here since the Landsdowne was turned from pasture to homes. This tells me something – that Landsdowne is a truly wonderful place to live. It is several of these long time owners that organize cul de sac parties. Starting on Memorial Day, a grill is pulled out to the curb, a tent set up and people start bringing over their home made dishes to share. I have to remember that I am not in my hometown of 2,500 folks, but in a county of 1.1 million and a region of over 4 million people. Yet, the feeling of home is stronger than ever.