About Court House
First, let's clear up some confusion about the name of this urban village. The name of the Metro station at the center of the neighborhood is, and has always been, Court House (two words). Next to the Metro station, but built long after it, is a pedestrian mall surrounded by shops, offices, and apartments, which was named Courthouse (one word) Plaza. We're sticking with the older name, largely because the presence of the Metro station is so important to the urban village.
In the Urban Village of Court House, you begin to feel the pulse of our nation's capital, only two Metro stops away. Not that this area is merely a commuter's suburb. After all, as you may have guessed from the name, Court House is the center of Arlington County government. And, as you might also expect, the neighborhood immediately surrounding the Metro is defined by a feeling of stateliness – a little slice of Washington on this side of the river. The Arlington County courts, police department, and administrative offices are all right here, and a large Verizon office building ensures that the private sector is also well represented. Several new apartment buildings that house young professionals complete the grand cityscape.
 Thankfully, Court House isn't just about majestic architecture, as the people who live and work in this area are also well served for shopping and fun things to do. An escalator from the Metro station leads to Courthouse Plaza, a lovely pedestrian mall with 19 shops and restaurants, where outdoor concerts are often held summer evenings among the trees and bubbling fountains. There is also a six-screen movie theatre here, and a farmers market on Saturday mornings when the weather allows. The Arlington campus of Strayer University will also soon provide an educational outlet for people in the area.
From another exit of the Metro station, you can find yourself between Clarendon and Wilson boulevards, and the atmosphere is similar to that of Clarendon, one Metro stop away. Restaurants, from fast food chains to local favorites like Summers Restaurant and Pines of Florence, keep the residents and visitors well fed at good prices. Bars, like the Irish pub Ireland's Four Courts, or the newly opened Gua Rapo lounge (which also serves tapas) make sure that Clarendon doesn't have all the fun. And the coffee-house crowd can buy books or music and sip lattes at Olsson's Books and Records and the Matisse Café (one of at least five cafes are within sight of the Metro station) contained within.
 As we get farther from Metro, Court House becomes more village and less urban. Rocky Run Park and Key Elementary School are the focal points of the quiet residential communities on either side of Wilson and Clarendon boulevards, and families of all shapes and sizes call this part of Court House their home.
Perhaps the most obvious advantage to this area is simply its convenience. The five-minute train ride to Washington, DC, proximity to the vastly different Urban Villages of Ballston, Clarendon and Rosslyn, and immediate access to two major highways connecting Northern Virginia and DC make for easy traveling in just about any direction. Suzanne Bick, who has lived in the neighborhood for about a year, concurs: "With so many of the perks of city life right here in the Court House area, I rarely feel like I'm missing anything, but if I do want to go to DC or wherever, it's extremely easy to do so."
Click here to view available homes in Court House. Zip 22201 |