| Page 2 of 3 < > |
A Century of Doing Things Their Own Way
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The association also organizes First Thursdays, which are held each year from May through September.
"It's very festive," Miller said. "From 6 to 9 p.m., there's a band playing, and a trolley takes people up and down the avenue, sampling foods and meeting the shopkeepers."
When Miller discovered Del Ray 20 years ago, she was a newly divorced political advertising consultant living in the District and ready for a change. Having grown up in a Midwestern town, population 90, she related instantly to the easy familiarity of the locals.
"We're what I call front-porch people. We like to be outside, working on our homes and helping each other," she said, recalling a pleasant afternoon several years ago when she and a few neighbors got together to repair the pickets on their adjoining porch railings. Besides improving their property values, they had a great time.
Miller bought her unrenovated brick duplex, which was "built a very long time ago, maybe around the Civil War," for $125,000. It recently appraised at $450,000.
She has done very little updating. "The kitchen has three different kinds of cupboards, but to me, that's the character of the house," she said.
Other Del Ray residents have gone in the opposite direction, totally reinventing their homes. Early in their house hunt in 1999, LaMountain and his wife, Mimi Carter, rejected their current house as "an overpriced dump."
But three months later they were still looking, and by then the price was considerably lower. They happily paid $201,000 and, with Carter as the general contractor, set about making the home their own. Besides new drywall throughout, their extensive renovations included a new roof, two new bathrooms and an updated kitchen.
Even though they estimate they could list the house for somewhere in the high $700,000s, they're not considering it.
"We feel very rooted in the community. We have no desire to leave," LaMountain said.
He particularly enjoys the super-charged political atmosphere of Del Ray, where many residents tackle traffic and development issues, volunteer for campaigns and sponsor fundraisers. "People here are very active and aware," he said. "For example, they get charged up about land use."
Feeding the fervor for community issues is the high number of local politicians who call Del Ray home, including Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille and several members of the City Council. The Del Ray Citizens Association uses an electronic newsletter and e-mail list to keep neighbors informed.
