I am a life-long resident of Reston and would not change it for the world.  What is it that makes Reston so special? I have assembled a list below of some of the things that come to mind. I know that I did not cover everything, but I gave it a shot.

1. My friends and neighbors: We actually know all of our neighbors and celebrate life's events with them. My oldest told me she won't have a party if we go out of town because at least 6 nearby neighbors would call us on our cell phones! They help us celebrate birthdays, religious occasions, graduations and just day-to-day victories! We cover for each other if we can't make the bus and will band together to make dinner for a friend who is under the weather.
   
2. Convenience: I can walk to several local stores and in a  10 minute drive be at Tysons Corner. D.C. is about 20 minutes away.  I feel like you can't get more centrally located than this!
   
3. Great Schools: Our kids have gone to both Public and Private schools in the area and have had great experiences.
   
4. Great parks and recreation: Reston Association Pools and Tennis Courts, Reston Bike Trails, Great Falls Park, Lake Fairfax Park, Baron Cameron Dog Park and so many more! Don't forget all of the events on the National Mall Downtown!
   
5. The Path system: The couple of times we thought of moving from Reston, one of the things that we always talked about was how much we would miss the exceptional path system.  Kudos Reston--It is great!
   
6. The Small Town feel: Everyone knows everyone else...I can't tell you how many friends and neighbors we met when our kids were in preschool at Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten (L.A.N.K.)!  One day last school year my girls stopped at Starbucks on the way home from school--by the time they got home, I knew they had been there. It is a great thing if you are a parent to have so many folks looking out for your kids!
   
7. The 'Villages' Each one has a different feel: Lake Anne (where I grew up), Hunters Woods, North Point. Within each of these villages are other areas, too: Tall Oaks, South Lakes and more.
   
8. The History: It is pretty cool to see Robert E. Simon (the founder of Reston) around town.  There is a great little Reston Museum located at Lake Anne sponsored by the Reston Historic Trust. While not an old town, I remember reading about Reston in my college Fine Arts text book.
   
9. The Pools and the Swim teams: There is definitely a swimming/pool culture here. Most kids spend some time on a swim team...or at least a lot of time at the pools! Reston has put in some really neat features at some of the lessor used pools to get people to use them (large tube slides, water fountains, volleyball, hot tubs and heated pools, adult-only swim, movie nights)  And access to all of the pools are included in your Reston Association Dues. There are pools for toddlers, teenagers, families...you name it and you can find it.
   
10. The Shopping: Reston Town Center, Fair Oaks, Tysons Corner I, Tysons Corner II, Dulles Town Center (just to name a few) all within 20 minutes or less. The Leesburg Premium Outlets are a quick 25-30 minute drive.
    
11. Proximity to Cultural and Education venues: Recently voted one of the 10 Brainiest Places to Retire by U.S. News because of proximity to educational and cultural opportunities and the education level of the residents. Many universities have learning centers within 10 minutes of here.  Downtown DC has more theaters than you can imagine. You can be at the Kennedy Center in 20 minutes.
    
12. Wolftrap! It doesn't get much better than an evening under the stars with a great picnic dinner, good friends and great music.  Even better--it is 10 minutes from my house!
    
13. Finding Other People who grew up here--and came back! It happens more and more that I went to school with my children's friends parents.
    
14. The zoning and covenant restrictions: Like it our hate it, it cannot be denied that Reston is a beautiful place to live because of the work that goes in to make sure homeowners and developers follow the rules.  Personally, I love knowing that my neighbor won't be parking an RV next door for the rest of the summer.  When each subdivision was built, the builder was required to leave a certain amount of trees, so each neighborhood is attractive.
    
15. Every possible sports opportunity: Here is a list of the sports that my family has participated in here in Reston: swimming, running races, flag football, soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, track, basketball, golf, tennis, ice skating (hockey is available),field hockey, yoga, pilates...I am sure there are more. You name it, it is here! There is an annual Reston Triathlon for those of you who are really ambitious!
    
16. The Great State University System: People love living in Virginia because we have so many great State Universities to send our children to (at in-state tuition rates). UVA, William & Mary, James Madison University, George Mason University, Virginia Tech, Christopher Newport, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth University, Radford, Longwood, Mary Washington (I am sorry if I overlooked anything).  Great private universities, too!
17. Great Golfing:Many great public, semi-private and private courses in the area.  The Fairfax Country Park and Rec department has several golf courses and lessons, too.

I guess you could say that I love living here...if there is something special that I have overlooked, please add your comments.

If anyone would like to consider real estate in Reston, I would be happy to provide you with information about purchasing opportunities in and around the area. Go to my website, www.greatexpereince.net or give me a call at 571-643-4902.