NOVA neighborhood profile
Moving to Eisenhower (Alexandria)
38.80°N · 77.07°W
Eisenhower (Alexandria) fits renters who want new high-rise construction, a Yellow Line stop, and Old Town a 15-minute walk away. 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 $2,634/mo (RentCafe neighborhood average, all unit sizes, July 2026, approximate)
Metro
Yellow Line at Eisenhower Ave, about 25 min downtown
By car
20 min to DC off-peak via I-395, 45+ in rush
What Eisenhower (Alexandria) is actually like
Eisenhower is the Alexandria that never makes the postcards, and that is exactly the point. It’s the valley of new towers along Eisenhower Avenue, where the city put its 2020s construction: glassy apartments stacked over the Wegmans at Carlyle Crossing, the National Science Foundation headquarters, and a straight shot onto the Beltway at the western end. You trade Old Town’s brick sidewalks for buildings with real elevators, garages, and appliances younger than your lease, and Old Town is still one Metro stop or a 15-minute walk east. Cameron Run Regional Park sits right on the avenue with a wave pool. The honest trade-off is street life: outside the Wegmans block, the corridor is still filling in, so weeknights are quieter than the word Alexandria might suggest.
Worth knowing before you commit
Lost Boy Cider at 317 Hooffs Run Drive, just off Eisenhower Avenue, is NOVA’s first urban cidery and it drinks like a neighborhood living room. Rotating food truck, dogs welcome, every cider gluten free, and a margarita cider slushy regulars plan Saturdays around.
Local independent worth the drive: Lost Boy Cider, 317 Hooffs Run Drive, Alexandria 22314 (just off Eisenhower Ave). NOVA’s first urban cidery; 4.6 stars across about 316 Google reviews plus 151 Yelp reviews (verified July 2026). Dog-friendly patio, rotating food truck, all ciders gluten free.
Eisenhower (Alexandria) vs the 3 closest NOVA neighborhoods
Compare rent, Metro access, and car commute side-by-side.
| Neighborhood |
Rent |
Metro |
By car |
| Eisenhower (Alexandria) (this page) |
about $2,634/mo (RentCafe neighborhood average, all unit sizes, July 2026, approximate) |
Yellow Line at Eisenhower Ave, about 25 min downtown |
20 min to DC off-peak via I-395, 45+ in rush |
| Rosemont (Alexandria) |
Rentals are scarce; homes run about $750K to $2.25M to buy (approximate, verify against current listings) |
About 20 min to L’Enfant (Blue/Yellow, Braddock Road, a short walk) |
About 20 min to DC off-peak via the GW Parkway |
| Alexandria — Old Town |
$2,300/mo (1BR) |
20 min to L’Enfant Plaza (Yellow/Blue Line, King St-Old Town or Braddock Rd) |
25 min to DC off-peak |
| Alexandria — Del Ray |
$2,000/mo (1BR), $700K to buy a small craftsman |
25 min to DC (Yellow/Blue, Braddock Rd or Potomac Yard) |
30 min to DC |
Mistakes people make moving to Eisenhower (Alexandria)
- 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 Eisenhower (Alexandria)
Is Eisenhower (Alexandria) a good place to live?
Eisenhower (Alexandria) works well for renters who want new high-rise construction, a Yellow Line stop, and Old Town a 15-minute walk away. The tradeoffs are covered in detail below, but the short version is: Eisenhower is the Alexandria that never makes the postcards, and that is exactly the point.
What is the average rent in Eisenhower (Alexandria)?
about $2,634/mo (RentCafe neighborhood average, all unit sizes, July 2026, approximate)
Does Eisenhower (Alexandria) have a Metro station?
Yellow Line at Eisenhower Ave, about 25 min downtown
How long is the commute from Eisenhower (Alexandria) to Washington DC?
20 min to DC off-peak via I-395, 45+ in rush
What are the closest neighborhoods to Eisenhower (Alexandria)?
The three closest tracked NOVA neighborhoods are Rosemont (Alexandria) (1.0 miles), Alexandria — Old Town (1.4 miles), Alexandria — Del Ray (2.0 miles).
Where should I eat if I visit Eisenhower (Alexandria)?
Lost Boy Cider, 317 Hooffs Run Drive, Alexandria 22314 (just off Eisenhower Ave). NOVA’s first urban cidery; 4.6 stars across about 316 Google reviews plus 151 Yelp reviews (verified July 2026). Dog-friendly patio, rotating food truck, all ciders gluten free.
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