Where is it? Cherrydale is one of Arlington’s most sought-after neighborhoods, bounded by the intersection of Interstate 66 and Lee Highway to the east, N. Utah Street to the west, I-66 to the south, and Old Dominion Drive to the north, with an awkward configuration of boundaries just north of Old Dominion adding to it.
It is primarily served by Washington-Lee High School, with a small section north of Old Dominion districted to Yorktown High School. Cherrydale boasts a diverse housing selection, with a large number of single family homes dating back to the early 1900s mixed with homes from each decade, including new construction homes that have replaced smaller, aging homes.
In addition to single family homes, Cherrydale has some pockets of condos and townhomes. Most of Cherrydale is within a 15-minute walk of the Ballston or Virginia Square Metro stations.
About the interviewee: Jennifer Galloway and her husband moved to Cherrydale from a Ballston condo in 2016 to find community, more space and their target school district for their 10-month-old daughter. They moved into a beautifully renovated pop-up home that combined Jennifer’s love of older homes with her husband’s preference for new and were sold by the two beautiful magnolia trees in the backyard.
Hailing from Connecticut, Jennifer entered the D.C. scene working in politics and eventually leveraged her connections and fundraising experience to found the Wolcott Hill Group, a nonprofit consulting firm. Jennifer is a proud graduate of the 2016 Leadership Arlington cohort and 2016 “40 Under 40” winner.
What do you love about Cherrydale?
It’s such a close, supportive community. I think we’d met every one of our neighbors within the first month and everybody has been so helpful, which is invaluable for a young family like ours. We also love the generational mix in the community with everything from young families to retirees who have lived here for 40+ years.
My husband commutes into D.C. every day and I’m always going to appointments around the metropolitan area, so we both utilize the Metrobus system that runs through out the neighborhood and makes commuting easy.
Why did you move to Cherrydale?
We wanted to be in the Washington-Lee High School district and my husband needed a short commute into D.C., so we were focused on Cherrydale, Waverly Hills and Westover.
When we first started looking, we stopped by an open house in Cherrydale and ended up talking to the neighbor for a while. She told us they were considering a move, but loved the neighborhood so much that they invested in a major renovation/expansion of their home in order to stay in the neighborhood. That sold us.
What are some of your favorite places to go?
Our favorite restaurants are Cassats and Lebanese Taverna, which are both walkable. We spend a lot of time in nearby parks like Woodstock and Quincy Park and take walks along the Custis Trail. If you’ve never been to Arrow Wine, had pastries from Randolph’s, or empanadas from La Union Grocery, you have to go soon.
Are there any fun community events?
There’s a big July 4 block party every year at the top of N. Stafford Street with a George Washington impersonator who reads the Declaration of Independence. We also have an annual yard sale in the neighborhood that’s a lot of fun.
What do you think the next 10-15 years will bring for Cherrydale?
I’m sure we’ll continue seeing small, older homes replaced by larger new homes and a continuous flow of young families coming in. However, there are many families, like ours, who plan to raise their children in Cherrydale, so it will be exciting to see the community grow together over the years.
Thank you so much for your interview Jennifer! I’m sure this will help many families considering a move into or within Arlington who are looking for many of the same things your family wanted.
