Rachel Hegarty/Rachel E.H. Photography
Alexandria is a fantastic place to live, if you can afford it.
In a City of Alexandria survey of residents, Alexandria residents noted shopping and dining opportunities are plentiful, and most view Alexandria as a good place to live. However, residents noted there are “several opportunities for improvement in the areas of employment and affordability. Cable television (37 percent), residents working in Alexandria (30 percent), availability of affordable housing (24 percent), and cost of living (23 percent) were all ranked lower than comparator jurisdictions,” the City reported.
More than 700 residents returned their survey this year, out of 3,000 that were mailed to residents.
Other key findings, according to the City of Alexandria:
Most respondents would recommend living in Alexandria (94 percent) and rated the city as an “excellent” or “good” place to live (92 percent).
Alexandria residents rated the city very positively in interactions with police and government officials.
Alexandria also scored well (compared to other, similar cities) in image and reputation, and openness and inclusiveness.
Residents reported feeling safe in their communities, with 96 percent feeling safe in their neighborhood.
Survey respondents said they are satisfied with public libraries and parks (87 percent for both).
Most survey respondents said are satisfied with recycling and garbage collection, and satisfaction with snow removal increased this winter.
Residents noted room for improvement in street repairs, traffic flow on major streets and ease of public parking.
Bus, walking, bike and other public transportation was rated above comparator communities.
Additional survey results are available at alexandriava.gov/Performance.
The National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association developed the survey with the City of Alexandria, and questions about Alexandria as well as national benchmarking questions were included.
“The results of this survey were generally very positive, with high livability, economy and safety scores, and positive overall views of government services,” said City Manager Mark Jinks. “The City uses this survey as an accountability tool to see where we are doing well and where improvements need to be made. City staff and community members have worked hard to achieve such favorable results.”
