It’s tough to tell which Gayle Reuter loves more, her house or the community it is in. Luckily, she’ll never have to choose.
Reuter, a single mom, was renting a home in the Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood when the owner put it up for sale. She longed to buy it, but first wanted to complete a three-month course for first-time homebuyers. That’s when her Del Ray neighbors stepped in.
“A very generous, thoughtful business owner in Del Ray purchased the house so the girls and I could stay in it,” Reuter said. “I rented it from him for three months while I took the course, then I bought it from him.”
But the community’s efforts weren’t over. One day she got home to find a cadre of friends in her living room. They had banded together and replaced her new home’s old roof.
“Every time I look in my rearview mirror I see a house I have, literally, only because of my friends and neighbors,” she said. “Because we all work so hard on the community, we literally would do anything for each other. I don’t think you could find that anywhere else.”
Welcome to Del Ray, a charming 5,000-household oasis nestled in bustling suburban Northern Virginia that is bounded on the south by Braddock Road, on the west by Russell Road, on the north by East Glebe and West Glebe roads, on the east by Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1), and on the southeast by the CSX rail tracks intersecting Jefferson Davis Highway to Braddock Road.
The heart of town definitely is Mount Vernon Avenue. An array of mom-and-pop retail stores line the street, which also is home to the Mount Vernon Community School and Mount Vernon Recreational Center. Stroll up and down the brick sidewalks and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a chain. There’s no PetSmart, but there is Nature’s Nibbles, a pet food store with a do-it-yourself dog wash outside. You won’t see a Trader Joe’s, but there is Cheesetique, a wine bar and cheese shop where everything looks delicious.
Earlier this month the community held its 14th-annual Art on the Avenue event, a daylong celebration of artists and their work, complete with food, live music and children’s activities. There also is a Saturday morning farmers market, annual Halloween parade and First Thursdays, a monthly outdoor concert series held during the summer.
“Del Ray has a long history of people willing to be involved and volunteer their time, energy, and resources to improve the community,” said David Fromm, president of the Del Ray Citizens Association.
You don’t need to tell Gayle Reuter that.
“My family is scattered all over,” she said. “As a single mom, they would always say, ‘Why don’t you live closer to us?’ I would say, ‘You don’t understand. This is not your typical neighborhood. These people are my family.’ ”
At a glance
September 2009
Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 22301: $585,185
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 22301: $634,623
Average days on market for homes sold: 84
September 2008
Average sold price for homes sold in ZIP code 22301: $569,580
Average list price for homes sold in ZIP code 22301: $588,885
Average days on market for homes sold: 29
Top reasons to live in Del Ray
Main Street
Mount Vernon Avenue is the community’s main street, and it is filled with charming restaurants and shops. Where else can you find a local butcher these days? There’s one here, Let’s Meat on the Avenue. Family owned coffee shops and specialty stores, such as Clay Queen Pottery and the Dairy Godmother (frozen custard), are the norm here, not the exception.
Schools
The feeder high school, T.C. Williams, is consistently ranked among the region’s best. Does that name ring a bell? Rent the movie “Remember the Titans.”
Community Involvement
The Del Ray citizens and business associations are active and vibrant groups that run community events such as the Halloween parade and Art on the Avenue. “Since the late ’80s and early ’90s, we’ve had a combination of a long string [of] a core group of people that want to get things done, and find creative ways to just do it,” said David Fromm, president of the citizens association.
