The Marriott’s electronic message board just outside the entrance to the Crystal City Metro station read 92 degrees but it felt even hotter on a sweltering early June day. Relief was found indoors, a few blocks away, at the Crystal City Sports Pub on 23rd Street. The happy hour crowd was the same mix of businesspeople just off work, travelers and locals that makes this Arlington County community so unique.
Tim Allen has lived here for six years. As he sat at the upstairs bar sipping a cold Miller Lite, he reflected on just how good he’s got it.
| At a glance |
| April 2011 |
| » Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 22202: $600,523 |
| Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 22202: $622,335 |
| Average days on market for homes sold: 125 |
| April 2010 |
| Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 22202: $366,585 |
| Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 22202: $374,423 |
| Average days on market for homes sold: 61 |
“I like the easy commute to my job in the defense community,” he said. “I like the fact that the Metros here bisect downtown. It’s got a vibrant restaurant scene and a nice little community bar scene. It meets all the basic guy needs.”
Once considered an area to work but not play, Crystal City has blossomed into a hub of activity for residents and tourists. With roughly 11,000 residents, 5,600 hotel rooms and a number of tallish buildings, the community often has the feel of a bustling city.
“You can’t get better accessibility in terms of planes, trains and automobiles,” said Angela Fox, president of the Crystal City Business Improvement District. “It’s easy to get into the District whether you’re a hotel visitor or resident.”
But more and more, people are finding they don’t need — or want — to leave. There’s free Wi-Fi in all its outdoor spaces, a farmers market on Crystal Drive on Tuesdays, a 5k run every Friday in April and a year-round bike sharing program.
The Crystal City Water Park is a central focus of the community. On Mondays there’s yoga in the park and wine tasting after work every Friday in June. Each summer the community also sponsors an outdoor movie on Monday night.
“Everyone here is from somewhere else, so it’s easy to meet people,” said Gretchen Cottam, an Oregon native who moved to Crystal City about two months ago. “The 5k is great, and there are tons of community activities like that.”
Housing in Crystal City primarily is rental apartments, though there are three major condo buildings in the center of town. Single-family homes dot the other side of Route 1.
“Nearly all apartment communities are within walking distance of an array of fine shopping and dining, numerous businesses and transportation options that are unmatched by any other urban village,” said Corinne Bolno, senior marketing manager for Archstone, a real estate firm that works in Crystal City. “There is always something to do, whether you want to relax with a book at the water park with one and a half acres of waterfalls and terraces, participate in 5k Fridays, catch an outdoor movie or a fashion show.”
The Crystal City Shops, an expansive maze of underground stores and restaurants, opened in the mid-1970s and continues to thrive. Outside in the light of day, chain restaurants including Morton’s and Legal Sea Foods offer variety.
For those who seek a more local flavor, independent eateries include Top Thai and Cafe Italia.
In 1994, Jim Madden and two partners opened Crystal City Sports Pub in a former hardware store.
“We get quite a mixture of people from those in the work force to tourists and businesspeople staying in the hotels to locals who eat breakfast and lunch here,” he said.
Spend a little time in Crystal City and it’s clear that the cocktail of people makes it a satisfying place to live.
Top reasons to live in Crystal City
Transportation
The Metro’s Yellow Line stops in Crystal City, and the District is only three stations away. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport sits just two miles south.
Community activities
There’s free Wi-Fi in all the outdoor spaces, a farmers market, 5k run on Fridays in April and a year-round bike sharing program.
The Crystal City Water Park offers yoga in the park and wine tasting events and during the summer, and the community sponsors outdoor movie night on Mondays.
Restaurants
Among the most notable are Jaleo, Bailey’s Pub and Grille, Cafe Pizzaiolo, Morton’s, Ted’s Montana Grill, McCormick and Schmick’s and King Street Blues.
