Herndon:
Balancing Rural
And Urban Living

By Nancy Schulz
Special to The Washington Post
May 13, 1995

To the people of Herndon, growth does not mean destruction. Look past the 80 or so restaurants, 17,500 residents and numerous big businesses, and you will find a town driven to maintain a sense of balance.

Families find refuge in Herndon while maintaining a symbiotic relationship with technology. The railroad may no longer run, but the addition of Washington Dulles International Airport 33 years ago gave Herndon a link to the world.

The presence of the airport helped lure such national corporations as Nissan Motor Corp., Virginia Power Co., Computer Sciences Corp., GTE Corp. and Airbus Industrie, all of which contribute to Herndon's workday population of 45,000.

To those who live there, Herndon is more than just another suburb. It's a town that breeds loyalty while maintaining its heritage.

"I think the thing that makes Herndon stand out, even though it has grown tremendously, is its feeling of hometown atmosphere and its sense of identity, which, unfortunately, has been lost in the metropolitan area," said Mayor Tom D. Rust.

It was that flavor, coupled with lower housing prices, that persuaded Don and Connie Lehman to move there last November. The couple wanted a detached home and found their 32-year-old house on Grant Street.

"One of the things that surprised me," said Don Lehman, "is that the block we're on is an older community. We've heard of three houses on our block where the family has retired and their children have bought the houses."

Herndon, located in northwestern Fairfax County, has a variety of home styles. The oldest house predates the Civil War and is said to have been built in 1783 by George Payne, a nephew of one of George Washington's closest friends. Unfired mini-ball shells have been found on the property, according to notes on the structure. Other homes in the area range from 19th-century Victorians and 10- to 20-year-old ramblers to town houses, condominiums and apartments.

The average price for a detached home is $190,000, said Fetneh Schacht, managing broker of Long & Foster Realtors in Herndon. She said that like elsewhere in the Washington area, prices have dropped since 1989, the peak of home prices here.

"We had so many homes up for sale," Schacht said. "The market dropped and Herndon prices went down a little. But overall, last year homes have been holding their value."

The average price for a town house is $130,000 and $70,000 for a condominium. For those looking for an alternative, Schacht said apartment and housing rentals start at $600 a month.

The blending of the old and new becomes apparent when one drives through downtown Herndon. One can step back in time and visit the Herndon railroad depot, which was built in 1857 and was used to shuttle well-to-do Washingtonians to their summer home getaways. Today, the town's government is attempting to revitalize its downtown.

The downtown project entails construction of a municipal center, a parking facility with space for 125 cars, a surface parking area for another 60 cars and a landscaped pedestrian plaza that will link the new library with the municipal building.

Town Manager Rob Stalzer said the center's plaza will become the new centerpiece of town, situated and structured for concert activities, performing artists and Herndon's annual June festival, which typically attracts 75,000 people. The municipal center, which also includes court facilities, will open May 22 and the dedication of the center and the 17,000-square-foot library is set for June 1, the first day of the three-day Herndon Festival.

Rosalie Sarson, a 19-year resident of Herndon, said the town's atmosphere and friendly people make it a great place to raise children. "That's what a lot of places don't have -- things to keep kids busy and out of trouble," she said.

Herndon's Community Center attempts to answer that call. Located in Bready Park, the center boasts tennis courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a spa, sauna, three racquetball courts, fitness room, basketball courts and a game room. The 18-hole public Herndon Centennial Golf Course is across the street.

For those looking for a cultural outlet, Herndon offers a jazz festival, a Hispanic festival, an arts council and musical and theatrical groups.

Herndon is an independent town with its own 38-member police force and town government. Residents pay town real estate taxes as well as taxes to Fairfax County.

Stalzer said the town's crime rate is low. Within the past seven years, there has been one murder in Herndon, for which, Stalzer said, there was a quick arrest.

"We get tremendous cooperation from Fairfax," he said, adding that the town handles its own investigations and follow-up work. "We're a full-service law enforcement operation."

Some town residents and people traveling through it are well aware of Herndon's police force. The town has had a reputation as a speed trap. But Stalzer said fewer tickets are being written today than seven years ago.

"We're a residential community," he said. "We do not want people using Herndon Parkway as their own private interstate. We want a safe community. I think the fact that we have received awards in terms of safety reflects that we've done a good job."

If there is one thing Herndon residents agree upon, it's the need for improved public transportation. By the year 2010, it is estimated that 22,000 people will be living in Herndon. Stalzer said that a study is underway on where a Metro subway stop should be located.

"It's getting a little worse," Lehman said of the traffic. "They really need to put a Metrorail out here and do some long-range planning. Everybody is trying to go into D.C. to work. It takes me a half hour to 45 minutes to get to the Metro in Vienna and then 45 minutes to take the Metro."

Despite growing pains, the town's elected leaders, along with its residents, plan on maintaining much of what Herndon has become.

"I'm proud to be a member of the Herndon community," Mayor Rust said, "and think the community has been well-planned. It clearly combines a sense of its history with a sense of where it wants to go. I think it wants to continue to be a center for business and commerce while retaining its small-town character. It sounds incongruous, but I think we've been reasonably successful in doing that."

© 1996 The Washington Post Co.

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