In the mid-70s when the Cornick family was in the process of relocating from Puerto Rico and looking for a home in the Annandale area, Nancy Cornick called her husband about a house he had to see.
Carter Cornick remembered the area from his days at Episcopal High School.
“Nancy,” he said. “There isn’t anything out there but farms.”
Annandale’s beginnings can be traced back as far as 1685 when the area was farms and plantations. The Ravensworth farm, owned by Col. William Fitzhugh and one of the largest tobacco farms in the area, encompassed 24,000 acres including modern-day Annandale. By 1830 the land had been sectioned off to farmers from the north who introduced techniques such as crop rotation and fertilization without using slaves.
The Cornicks jokingly refer to their home as being located in “some backwater.”
“Annandale was the most remote place in the world,” said Nancy Cornick. “Our goal back then was to buy a house that appreciated nicely.”
Neighborhoods like the popular Camelot, with its chivalrous street names, feature split level homes, two-level ramblers, town homes, some bilevels and apartments. Home prices range from the $400s to $1 million and the population is more than 56,000.
The Baron family selected Annandale for its location and because it was child-friendly.
“Annandale has lots of woodland parks and trails, playgrounds and fields. It’s got lots of kid-friendly neighborhoods that have been around since the 1960s and are currently filled with the young children of the second-generation local homeowners,” said Kevin Baron.
With Little River Turnpike connecting Annandale to Alexandria and Fairfax, the area provides access to a number of destinations.
“It’s a quick drive up to Tysons Corner, out to Fairfax, down to Occoquan, around to Old Town, or just up into D.C.,” he said.
Annandale is also one of the most ethnically diverse areas in Washington.
“Inside the Beltway is a color wheel of new Latin, Asian and any “other” nationality that you can imagine. You can shop at all-Asian grocers, eat Korean delicacies, and grab Peruvian chicken,” he said. The Korean influence is strong enough to warrant a special section called “Little Seoul.”
Immortalized by Steely Dan’s “My Old School,” Annandale features the prestigious Thomas Jefferson magnet school — a highly sought after high school for science and technology. Woodson High School receives favorable reviews and the elementary schools are also well regarded..
“Our son also goes to a wonderful pre-school, the Annandale United Methodist Church Weekday Preschool,” said Dawn Baron. “We have met some great local families through the program.”
As for the Cornicks, they raised their two children, renovated their home in 1990 and couldn’t be happier.
“We’ve gotten very comfortable here,” said Nancy Cornick. “We hope to stay a long time,” she said.
