Area residents might be surprised to find that one of the best views of Washington is from across the Potomac in the Arlington neighborhood of Radnor/Fort Myer Heights.
It is here, in the hills south of Rosslyn, that you can see the Washington Monument and the other federal landmarks surrounded by trees that march down to the river’s edge. Lucky residents can view the fireworks bursting above the monument and reflected in the water.
But the community offers far more than its spectacular view — it is that rare mix of suburb and urban in the Washington area, where people of all incomes live in a variety of housing. Without ever crossing the river, they are surrounded by public parks, art and monuments like the Iwo Jima Memorial.
In fact, the neighborhood’s proximity to the federal city doesn’t even get a mention in a video walking tour prepared by the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights Civic Association.
“We’re blessed with our view of the city but the neighborhood itself is like it’s in the country,” said association Vice President Patricia Darneille.
The community is bounded by Wilson Boulevard to north, 12th Street North to the south, North Courthouse Road to west and the Iwo Jima Memorial to the east.
“It’s located near the dense urban area of Rosslyn but it’s separate and distinct and is a peaceful tree-lined neighborhood,” association President Stan Karson said in the group’s video tour.
It is here in Radnor/Fort Myer that parts of “Charlie Wilson’s War” were filmed at the Weslie condo where Wilson lived and helped found the neighborhood association. From the Weslie, and other parts of the neighborhood, it is possible to walk across the Key Bridge to Georgetown or the Kennedy Center.
The residential possibilities range from small condos and large town houses to spacious single-family homes, 1940s era garden apartments and luxury high-rises.
“The price range is huge,” said Darneille, a Realtor with Century 21 New Millennium.
In condo sales alone this year, she noted that a one-bedroom sold at River Place for $169,000, while a two-bedroom unit at the new Wooster-Mercer loft complex fetched more than $2 million.
“One of the best things about the neighborhood is the diversity of its residents, who include all ethnic groups and ages and from low-income to the very wealthy,” Darneille said.
“Instead of what many neighborhoods are — which are cookie cutter — ours is a neighborhood with personality.”
