townhouse & condominium experts

Vienna                 Mclean       Arlington Falls Church   Springfield Annandale Crystal City     Alexandria   New Alexandria & Kingstowne

• Alexandria • Annandale • Arlington • Falls Church • Mclean • New Alexandria • Vienna •

 

Love the area?

If you love Northern Virginia and have a talent for writing, please contact us. We'd like to feature your work in our ever growing resource.

 

 

Research Links

If you want to know all the stats and details about your condo or your potential purchase you'll find these links useful. Tax records, real estate opinions and more information:

• Zillow by Will Nesbitt <--
• Northern Virginia statistics
• Alexandria City Records
• Arlington County Records
• Fairfax City Records
• Fairfax County Records
• Falls Church City GIS Maps
• Loudoun County Records
• Manassas City Records
• Prince William County Records
• National Center for Education Statistics
• School Matters
• Fairfax County School Districts

 

The Five Regions of Virginia

According to Dictionary.com, geology is a "science that deals with the dynamics and physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing". No matter where you are in the country, geology shapes the location of a property and location defines the value of a property. (For an example of how geology shapes the values of real estate in Virginia's national Capitol region, click here.)

Geologists divide the Old Dominion of Virginia into five geological regions. From lowest to highest altitude, these regions are

• Tidewater;
  
• Piedmont;
• Blue Ridge;
• Valley and Ridge; and,
  
• the Appalachia Plateau.
  

This regional distinction is traditional in Virginia, but not formally demarcated by political boundries. Sometimes county or city boundaries follow regional separations, but just as often any given county can have 1 or more regions within its boundaries.

Although these regions are not politically distinct, thye are still readily identifiable once you know what you're looking at. Often the geology that differentiates a region can make all the difference in the value of a given piece of Virginia's real estate. It all starts with understanding the Fall Line.

Fall Line

The Fall Line is the point where many waterfalls occur in major Virginia rivers such as the James, Potomac, Rappahannok and others. Below the Fall Line most of these rivers are broad, deep and gentle, but above the Fall Line the rivers are rockier and swifter. Below the Fall Line rivers are navigable by ocean-going vessels. Above the Fall Line canoes and flat boats are the only means to navigate most rivers.

Because of this the C&O Canal (Chesapeake and Ohio Canal) was constructed above the Fall Line. The goal was to unite the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River system the way the Erie Canal had opened up the Great Lakes below Niagara. Unlike the Erie Canal, the C&O Canal was an economic failure because it was completed just as railroads began to make a real impact on the nation's economy. Today the canal is part of the National Park System.

Many important Virginia cities such as Alexandria, Richmond and Petersburg are just below the Fall Line.

Tidewater

The lowest land relative to sea level is called the Tidewater, or occaisionally the Coastal Plain. Which name you prefer might say more about you than the region. Traditionalists and most locals call the area Tidewater, but geologists and others believe the name Coastal Plain makes more sense because "tide water" is what surounds the Coastal Plain.

The water of Tidewater, its rivers and creeks, are tidal, connected to the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay other saltwater bays. Thus, Tidewater is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Fall Line.

Because of this proximity to navigable waters, the Tidewater region was the first region of Virginia to be settled by Europeans. Today, it is home to many of the oldest English settlements in North America, such as Jamestown. Many towns founded in the colonial era such as Williamsburg (the Old Dominion's first capital), Hampton, Yorktown, Alexandria and other thriving cities occupy the sandy soil of the Tidewater.

Major ports such as Norfolk or Newport News are found in the region as are historical port cities such as the tobacco ports of Alexandria and Yorktown are found on the Coastal Plain. The British surrender at Yorktown was considered a tipping point in the Revolutionary War.

The dominant geographical feature of the region is the Chesapeake Bay. The soils here are typically sandy, especially near waterways. The land is generally fertile, flat and the watertable is not far from the surface.

Eastern Shore

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is that part of the Tidewater Region which is situated on the Delmarva Peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Compared to the rest of Virginia, the region is fairly undeveloped. This is due to the remoteness imposed by the bay and ocean, but many fishers, farmers and chicken farms are found here. In the south, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel connects the Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach. In the north, the Maryland's scenic Bay Bridge is one of the primary connections to the Eastern Shore.

Piedmont

Piedmont commons from the Latin/Italian words meaning "foot mountain". The Piedmont is found just above the Fall Line but below the Valley and Ridges that lead to the Blue Ridge. The Piedmont is a little rockier and a bit higher than the coastal plain of the Tidewater. The Piedmont was settled by English pioneers in the earliest days of colonial America and later by African slaves who worked the plantations of the region. Tobacco and corn are still an important part of the Piedmont economy.

Scenic and historic cities such as Charlottesville and Lynchburg are two important Piedmont cities. The famed Appomattox courthouse is in the Piedmont.

Blue Ridge

Up above the Piedmont is the Blue Ridge---obviously named for the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachians. The Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive are Blue Ridge tourist destinations.

Apples orchards are common in this region, but the industry is not as vibrant as it was in days passed. White House Foods, a major apple juicer and product packager, still draws many of its apples from this region.

My grandfather wrote a book called Memories of a Lewis Mountain Man which described life in the Blue Ridge before the Shenandoah National Park. Many hikers on the Appalachian Trail seek remnants of the "mountain people" as they trek through the Shenandoah National Forest. Mountain people, sometimes called hill-billies, had a unique culture devoted to life in the Blue Ridge.

Valley and Ridge

Beyond the Blue Ridge is the Valley and Ridge Region. As the name implies the Valley and Ridge region has ridges of mountains separated by broad and generally fertile valleys. Perhaps the most famous part of the Valley and Ridge Region west of the Blue Ridge is the Shenandoah Valley.

Stonewall Jackson's Valley campaign was fought throughout this region. Cities in this region developed in proximity to the early railroad system, and this figured into the strategy of the War Between the States. Manassas, Harrisonburg and Roanoke are important cities in this region.

What these three cities have in common is that they were all important railroad junctions. The railroads followed the valleys and junctioned at a gap where it was possible for a locomotive to cross a ridge.

Appalachian Plateau

The southwest corner of Virginia between Wild and Wooly West by God Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee makes up Virginia's Appalachian Plateau. The region is similar geographically to West Virginia with rugged terrain not well-suited to the development of large cities. Coal mining is an important industry in this part of Virginia.

Geology and Your Condo

It should be obvious, but many people don't think about the fact that real estate is defined by geology. This is because geology defines the value of location. The value of a location equals price. Thus an educated real estate owner and buyer should educate himself about the geologic features of his neighborhood to better understand where to find the best opportunities.

Throughout the country, from the San Andreas Fault, to the Great Lakes to the Missippi, there are immense geologic features that affect your homes value. Let's look at one example that affects millions of Americans on the East Coast of the United States.

The Fall Line

Washington D.C., like most cities on the East Coast, is just downriver from the Fall Line. The Fall Line is that point at which sea-going vessels can not traverse further inland. This is most usually marked by a "falls" or cataract where the water from the Appalachian Plateau (or inland continental highlands) drops down to the sandy soils of the Coastal Plain.

Nearly every major city on the eastern seaboard is found at the Fall Line, from Atlanta to Baltimore, to New York to Boston. For most of its course Interstate 95 is never far from the Fall Line and if your home is anywhere near this feature, you'll want to learn more.

In Washington, this cataract is at Great Falls on the Potomac between Virginia and Maryland. Above Great Falls, the land is rocky and the geology is like that found in the uplands. Below Great Falls, the soils are sandy and the geology is like that found around the Chesapeake Bay. This is most obvious at the falls itself and immediately downriver at Mather Gorge. The bluffs of Mather Gorge parallel the Potomac on either side of the river. And this is where geology gets really interesting ...

Find the Bluffs to Find the Most Valued Real Estate

These ridges follow the river banks from Great Falls all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. In some places like Spout Run Parkway or the promintory of Georgetown, the ridge is obvious. In other places the ridge recedes away from the Potomac creating a broad and flat flood plane. In these places the bluffs are worn by erosion and less obvious to the casual observer.

But interestingly the most valuable and historically treasured real estate in the region is found on these bluffs. For example, both Mclean in Virginia and Georgetown in DC are on this prominence. The most valued land in Rosslyn is on the ridge.

The U.S. Capitol itself is on the ridge. Capitol Hill is the ridge, though its edges are softened by erosion and hidden under soil and the steps of the Capitol Building. At the foot of the Capitol between the Washington Monument and the Capitol are the Reflecting Pools, pleasant shallow rectangular duck ponds. But before the rise of the city, this was a marsh and flood plain for the Potomac.

Across the river, the ridge continues to make its way downstream. Here, the famed Iwo Jima USMC Memorial is on the ridge. The Arlington House, Robert E. Lee's home at Arlington National Cemetery, is on the ridge. The brand new Air Force Memorial is on the ridge.

Arlington's prestigious "Ridge Road" peers down to Crystal City in the flats below.

Old Town Alexandria is at the foot of the bluff, occupying a colonial harboring point. Shooter's Hill overlooks Old Town and is the now the home to the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Shooter's Hill (pictured below) is the same ridge that started in Great Falls.

Back in Maryland, the brand new National Harbor is at the foot of the bluff. The bluff, previously obscured by trees is now obvious because the trees have been cut away for construction. Condos and residences on the water are now selling at the harbor, but I forecast that the homes on the bluff will eventually garner high prices, despite the fact that they aren't directly on the water.

Outside Old Town, the condos of Montebello are on Mount Eagle, the site of an old US Civil War era fort. Just like the old fort, the condominiums at Montebello have commanding views of the Potomac and points inland as well. Montebello is a case in point where the geology defines the value.

Generally, one assumes that waterfront property is the most valuable property. The Potomac is one of the most famous waterways in the United States and at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge the views are quite scenic. That said, at the water's edge you'll find Hunting Point on the Potomac, an affordably priced rental community. The ridge at Montebello is about a mile from the water's edge, but the real estate is at least as valuable (some, including me, would say much more valuable) than the land at the water's edge.

Follow this ridge far enough downstream and one will happen upon the prestigious and luxurious neighorhood of Belle Haven. Fort Williard, a civil war era fort, is found at the heart of Belle Haven. Fort Willard is hear because the knob of Belle Haven, now hidden behing tree cover, commanded impressive views when stripped bare by the Union soldiers. On the other side of the river in Maryland Fort Washington is sited on the ridge overlooking the river.

Mount Vernon is the name given by George Washington to his manor on the Potomac. George Washington didn't build his home at Mount Vernon on the water. Instead, like Robert E. Lee at Arlington and Montebello at Mount Eagle, he built his mansion on the bluff overlooking the river.

Summary

Learn and study your local geology to find similar patterns. No doubt the bluffs overlooking the Missippi are more valued than then sandy hooks prone to flooding. If you're out west, a mountain's rain shadow can impact the value of your property. In the desert the availability of water has traditionally been the defining feature in land valuation.