Reston, Va.
Reston was the first modern planned community in the country, and the vision of its founder (who still lives there) has held up beautifully. The city is made up of five woodsy “villages,” which encompass a range of lakes, pools, shopping areas, golf courses, and more. Fifty-five miles of paths wind through these communities, ensuring that most homes are within a half-mile walk of a village center. The city’s de facto downtown is the lively if generic Reston Town Center mall, which has the usual assortment of shops and eateries, plus a pavilion that hosts concerts and, in winter, ice-skating. The headquarters of ComScore and Rolls-Royce North America are also located in Town Center, along with a Google office. Traffic in the area can be brutal, but things are looking up for folks who don’t work in town: An extension of the D.C. Metro opened in July, and it whisks Restonians to the center of Washington in a speedy 40 minutes.