Belle View is this little enclave just over the beltway, off the GW Parkway. The neighborhood is very child friendly and safe. There are several community pools. One of my early career mentors lived in Belle Haven for the entire 17 years I knew him. Also coached youth hockey teams that played/practiced at the county-run Mt. Vernon Ice Rink which is smack dab in the middle of the place. It's a very nice area. Upscale, slightly older people than average, slightly fewer kids than average, more predominantly white than average. New Alexandria is one of the neighborhoods within Belle Haven, and it is most definitely susceptible to flooding. But, even during the most recent severe flooding (during Hurricane Isabel in Sept 2003), just 300 of the 2,000 structures in New Alexandria were damaged, and 100 or so of those would have been the usual suspects. Flooding results from being a low-lying area, but also from proximity to the Potomac River. So when it isn't flooding, you've got a nice river nearby. Can't be all bad. The pool you may have heard of is likely Hollin Hills, a members club, like most pools in the VA suburbs. $300 one-time charge to join. $450 or so per season for a family of three. They have a website. The Belle Haven Country Club also has a swim team, but that would be more restrictive and more expensive. Schools would be run by Fairfax County Public Schools, which is one of the largest and most respected systems in the country. The deservedly criticized Route-1 corridor has its northern terminus at the very far end inland of Belle Haven, but there is virtually no actual interaction between Belle Haven and any of that. And on the flip-side, you couldn't be much closer to the food and other finery of Old Town Alexandria. Close to National Airport...close to the Beltway...pretty close to Metro, too. So obviously, do your homework, but from one who has spent some time in and around that area, this is a wonderful neighborhood...