Fairfax County
Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes
Two commercial centers at I-66 and the Fairfax County Parkway with substantial residential around them — offices, a mall, a hospital, and the townhouses and condominiums that serve them.
Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes are two adjacent developments where I-66 meets the Fairfax County Parkway: offices, a mall, a hospital, and a great deal of townhouse and condominium housing built to serve them.
The areas
Fair Oaks centers on the retail and hospital district, with apartments, condominiums, and townhouses around them. Fair Lakes, south of I-66, is a 1990s mixed-use development of offices, shopping, and residential. Penderbrook is a golf-course community of townhouses and condominiums with its own association. Fairfax Corner and Random Hills add newer mixed-use blocks and townhouses. West and south, Greenbriar and Fair Ridge are established neighborhoods usually shopped alongside.
In practice the names are used loosely and listings mix them. What actually differs between two specific addresses is the association and the school pyramid.
Compare the fees
This is the discipline in this market. Assessments vary substantially between Fair Lakes, Penderbrook, and the newer blocks, and they cover different things — some include exterior maintenance, some do not. At Penderbrook the golf course operates separately from the association, so a fairway view conveys a view and not playing rights.
Get the figure and the inclusions in writing for each property, and compare total monthly cost rather than list price.
Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools, with the Fairfax, Chantilly, and Oakton pyramids all drawing from parts of the area. Boundaries run close together here and neighboring communities can differ. Confirm with FCPS.
FCPS opened Skyview High School in Herndon in August 2026, and boundary changes approved in July 2026 draw from the Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes and Westfield pyramids, phased in from 2027-28 with an opt-in period before that. Confirm a specific address with FCPS rather than relying on a listing.
Not Fairfax City
Addresses here read Fairfax, and this is Fairfax County, not the independent City of Fairfax. Different tax rate. Confirm the jurisdiction. See the Fairfax guide for the city.
Getting around
I-66, the Fairfax County Parkway, Route 50, and Route 29 all within a couple of minutes — exceptional road access, and correspondingly congested at peak. The Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Orange Line station is roughly ten minutes east by car or bus; Dulles about twenty minutes northwest.
Buying or selling here
Buyers are choosing convenience over lot size, which is a reasonable trade — they should make it with the full monthly figure in hand and the pyramid confirmed. Sellers should lead with what the fee covers and with the drive times, since that is the premise of the whole area.
Communities in Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes
- Fair Lakes
- A 1990s mixed-use development of offices, shopping, and residential, with townhouses and condominiums around the retail.
- Fair Oaks and the retail district
- The area around the Fair Oaks retail and hospital district, with apartments, condominiums, and townhouses.
- Penderbrook
- A golf-course community of townhouses and condominiums, with its own association and amenities.
- Fairfax Corner and Random Hills
- Newer mixed-use blocks and townhouses near the Parkway and Route 50.
- Greenbriar and Fair Ridge edge
- Established neighborhoods to the west and south, usually shopped alongside.
Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools serves the area, with addresses drawing on the Fairfax, Chantilly, and Oakton high school pyramids depending on location. Boundaries here run close together. Confirm the current attendance area for a specific address with FCPS. FCPS opened Skyview High School in Herndon in August 2026, and boundary changes approved in July 2026 draw from the Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes and Westfield pyramids, phased in from 2027-28 with an opt-in period before that — confirm a specific address with FCPS rather than relying on a listing.
Commuting
I-66 and the Fairfax County Parkway meet here, with Route 50 and Route 29 crossing nearby. The Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station on the Orange Line is roughly ten minutes east, and Dulles about twenty minutes northwest. This is one of the more car-convenient locations in the county and one of the busier ones at peak.
Market
This is largely a townhouse and condominium market built between the late 1980s and the 2000s, with apartments and some single-family homes. Association and condominium fees vary considerably between communities and are the main thing to compare. Prices sit below the established single-family neighborhoods nearby, and buyers are usually choosing convenience — to offices, the hospital, the mall, and two interstates — over lot size.
Common questions
What is the difference between Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes?
Two adjacent developments on either side of I-66 and the Fairfax County Parkway. Fair Oaks centers on the retail and hospital district; Fair Lakes is a 1990s mixed-use development of offices, shopping, and residential to the south. In practice the names are used loosely, and listings use both. What differs between specific addresses is the association and the school pyramid.
What is Penderbrook?
A golf-course community of townhouses and condominiums with its own association and amenities, within the Fair Oaks area. Its fees and rules are its own, and the golf course operates separately from the association — so a fairway view does not convey playing rights. Ask what the fee includes.
What schools serve the area?
Fairfax County Public Schools, with the Fairfax, Chantilly, and Oakton pyramids all drawing from parts of it. Boundaries here run close together, so neighboring communities can differ. Confirm the current attendance area for a specific address with FCPS.
Is there Metro access?
Not walkable. The Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Orange Line station is roughly ten minutes east by car or bus. What this area has instead is exceptional road access — I-66, the Fairfax County Parkway, Route 50, and Route 29 all within a couple of minutes — which is also why it is congested at peak.
What should I compare between communities here?
The fees, first. Association and condominium assessments vary substantially between Fair Lakes, Penderbrook, and the newer Fairfax Corner blocks, and they cover different things — some include exterior maintenance and some do not. Get the figure and the inclusions in writing for each property, and compare total monthly cost.
Current Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes listings are available through my search site.
Nearby
Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes sits in Fairfax County. If you're weighing areas against each other, the full set of guides covers the rest of Northern Virginia.
Considering Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes?
Tell me your price range, commute, and the kind of home you're after, and I'll help you compare the communities here that realistically fit — and say so if somewhere else fits better. If you're buying, that starts with a conversation; if you're selling in Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes, it starts with what the house is worth.
Ask about Fair Oaks and Fair LakesLast reviewed September 16, 2026. School boundaries, commute patterns, tolls, association fees, development plans, and market conditions all change. Confirm anything you would rely on with the county, the school division, the association, or me before acting on it.