NOVA neighborhood profile
Moving to Westover (Arlington)
38.89°N · 77.13°W
Westover (Arlington) fits small-town, walk-to-everything Arlington living at a below-average rent. If that description does not sound like you, one of the 4 nearby neighborhoods below is probably a better read.
The 60-second read
Rent
About $1,800/mo (1BR), below Arlington’s roughly $2,495 average (estimate, verify against current listings)
Metro
No station in the neighborhood; Ballston-MU or East Falls Church (Orange/Silver) are each about a 10-min drive
By car
About 20 min off-peak via Route 66 or Washington Boulevard
What Westover (Arlington) is actually like
Westover is built around a Washington Boulevard shopping strip from 1940 that made the National Register of Historic Places, sitting between N McKinley Road and N Longfellow Street. It still works close to how it opened: a hardware store, a post office, a library branch, an independent grocery, and a short run of restaurants you can walk to from the brick colonials and post-war ramblers around it. There is no Metro station in Westover itself, which keeps it a notch quieter and a notch cheaper than Clarendon or Ballston a few minutes away, and it draws people who want Arlington schools and Arlington walkability without paying for a high-rise.
Worth knowing before you commit
Skip the chains and head to Westover Market & Beer Garden at 5836 Washington Boulevard, one of the last true independent grocery stores left in Northern Virginia. Grab a sandwich from the deli, pick from one of the biggest beer selections in the county, and sit out back in the beer garden, the neighborhood’s real living room on a hot evening.
Local independent worth the drive: Westover Market & Beer Garden, 5836 Washington Boulevard, Arlington 22205. One of the last true independent grocery stores in Northern Virginia, with a deli counter, a large craft beer selection, and a back beer garden that serves as the neighborhood’s gathering spot. (Researched 2026-07-02 for the 2026-07-03 drafter run; rent/commute figures are estimates from listing aggregators and Google Maps, verify before quoting in print.)
Westover (Arlington) vs the 3 closest NOVA neighborhoods
Compare rent, Metro access, and car commute side-by-side.
| Neighborhood |
Rent |
Metro |
By car |
| Westover (Arlington) (this page) |
About $1,800/mo (1BR), below Arlington’s roughly $2,495 average (estimate, verify against current listings) |
No station in the neighborhood; Ballston-MU or East Falls Church (Orange/Silver) are each about a 10-min drive |
About 20 min off-peak via Route 66 or Washington Boulevard |
| Bluemont (Arlington) |
$2,850/mo (1BR), approximate aggregator average; verify against current listings |
no Metro station in the neighborhood; East Falls Church or Ballston-MU (Orange/Silver) about 10 min by bus or car, then 25 to 30 min in |
20 to 25 min to DC off-peak via I-66, longer in rush |
| Arlington — Ballston |
$2,600/mo (1BR) |
16 min to Foggy Bottom (Orange/Silver Line, Ballston-MU) |
20 min to DC off-peak |
| Arlington — Clarendon |
$2,700/mo (1BR) |
12 min to Foggy Bottom (Orange/Silver Line, Clarendon) |
15 min to DC off-peak via Memorial Bridge |
Mistakes people make moving to Westover (Arlington)
- Underestimating rush-hour math. Off-peak commute times posted on rental sites are often the ONLY times most tenants will experience. Add 30 to 60 percent to any drive that crosses I-495, I-66, or the American Legion Bridge between 7 and 9:30 AM eastbound or 4 to 7 PM westbound.
- Treating “close to Metro” as walkable. Half a mile in DC is walkable. Half a mile in most of NOVA means crossing a stroad with no sidewalk and a parking lot. Check Google Street View before touring anywhere that markets itself as Metro-adjacent.
- Ignoring HOA and condo fees. NOVA condo fees frequently run $400 to $800 per month on top of the mortgage. Get the resale package early, read the reserve study, and price the full monthly nut before falling in love with a unit.
- Assuming the school pyramid is stable. Fairfax, Loudoun, and Arlington counties redistrict every few years. If school assignment is a factor, verify current boundaries directly with FCPS, LCPS, or APS admissions rather than trusting the address on Zillow.
Frequently asked questions about Westover (Arlington)
Is Westover (Arlington) a good place to live?
Westover (Arlington) works well for small-town, walk-to-everything Arlington living at a below-average rent. The tradeoffs are covered in detail below, but the short version is: Westover is built around a Washington Boulevard shopping strip from 1940 that made the National Register of Historic Places, sitting between N McKinley Road and N Longfellow Street.
What is the average rent in Westover (Arlington)?
About $1,800/mo (1BR), below Arlington’s roughly $2,495 average (estimate, verify against current listings)
Does Westover (Arlington) have a Metro station?
No station in the neighborhood; Ballston-MU or East Falls Church (Orange/Silver) are each about a 10-min drive
How long is the commute from Westover (Arlington) to Washington DC?
About 20 min off-peak via Route 66 or Washington Boulevard
What are the closest neighborhoods to Westover (Arlington)?
The three closest tracked NOVA neighborhoods are Bluemont (Arlington) (1.0 miles), Arlington — Ballston (1.1 miles), Arlington — Clarendon (1.8 miles).
Where should I eat if I visit Westover (Arlington)?
Westover Market & Beer Garden, 5836 Washington Boulevard, Arlington 22205. One of the last true independent grocery stores in Northern Virginia, with a deli counter, a large craft beer selection, and a back beer garden that serves as the neighborhood’s gathering spot. (Researched 2026-07-02 for the 2026-07-03 drafter run; rent/commute figures are estimates from listing aggregators and Google Maps, verify before quoting in print.)
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