Sudley - Manassas, VA

The original inhabitants of much of Prince William County, including what is now Sudley, were the Doeg tribe, an Algonquian-speaking subgroup of the Powhatan tribal confederation. The Doeg resided in the area until the 1650s.

In 1731, Prince William County was officially created by an act of the General Assembly of the colony of Virginia. While largely rural, the population naturally centered around a major railroad junction in Manassas, just south of Sudley. The suburban population of Manasses began to boom in the 1930s and by the end of the 20th century, it was the third most populous local jurisdiction in Virginia.

Today, this area of Virginia is partly known for its many vineyards. The Vintage Virginia Wine Festival represents this past, present and future every summer at the two-day event. Visit for the wine tasting, the food trucks and the bouncy castles.

Locals head west to Sudley Road for restaurants and nightlife options. Latin cuisine takes center stage in this neighborhood. Locals love the authentic Guatemalan food at Cuna Del Sol Restaurant. You can't go wrong with fajitas or tacos as Cuna Del Sol cooks up some of the best in town. The tamales might be the best of the bunch though — a definite must.

If you prefer pupusas, simply walk three minutes, crossing Sudley Manor Drive to get to El Mirador Restaurant. Try the pupusa loca or the chicken chimichanga. At both of these places, the friendly welcoming vibe only adds to the authentic Latin America experience.

The nightlife options remain slim in Sudley, but the main draw is a hole in the wall hookah spot, Dream Cafe. You'll find a lot of people drinking coffee, working on their laptops and occasionally glancing at one of the TVs playing one sports game or another during the day, but at 5 p.m. every evening, the place turns into a nightclub. The crowd is mostly younger as you might expect of a hookah cafe, but the atmosphere remains welcoming and approachable.

The vast majority of Sudley residents drive. Walking proves difficult in the wide expanses of suburbia, and even though biking proves safe enough on the streets, the fact that most residents have families means you don't see too many cyclists around town.

Driving has its advantages, however, with the easy access to major roadways. I-66 and the Lee Highway sit just to the north and the Prince William Parkway to the west. Parking on the quiet residential streets or in parking lots of the major retailers almost never becomes a problem either.

For public transportation commuters, PRTC buses transport passengers to the Tysons Corner Metro Station for $3.60 cash or $2.90 with a SmarTrip card. That same SmarTrip card can also be used on the metro when you get there. These D.C.-based trains start at $1.75 and run throughout Northern Virginia, throughout D.C. and into Maryland.

Cabs will be hard to find in the neighborhood, but Uber serves the greater D.C. area and provides great door-to-door service with a just a few taps on your smartphone. Sudley sits right on the limits of Uber's service area, however.

Sudley takes parks to a new level. Instead of your traditional playground and baseball diamond, Ben Lomond Park not only has a soccer field and playground but a lazy river and a lap pool. Bring the whole family and have a fun day under a rented cabana next to the lazy river. You can also buy food at the park. Lomond Park also rents out facilities for kid's birthday parties and hosts a number of classes for adults and kids alike.

If you're looking for even more water activities, head to SplashDown Waterpark during the summertime. This is your traditional waterpark with slides of various sizes and speeds along with a lagoon and wave pool.

The cost of living in Sudley sits higher than average for Virginia but lower than Prince William County. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Sudley is $1,260. This comes in 19 percent higher than the Virginia average of $1,060 but 24 percent lower than the Prince William County average of $1,650.

Gas prices remain on par with averages in the neighborhood, usually falling around 3 percent lower than the national average. Through a combination of buses and metrorails, public transportation riders can get into the city center for around $5. Other common expenses such as restaurant meals start around $12 at a decent restaurant with domestic beers going for $4. Expect to pay a little more for craft beers and a little less during happy hours.

Sudley Town Plaza and Sudley Manor Square Shopping Center on the west end of the neighborhood contain all the shopping opportunities most residents will needs. Here you can find Best Buy, Staples, Burlington Coat Factory, and a Lowe's.

For more locally oriented shopping, check out the Community Thrift on Sudley Road. It's a great place for antiques and other second hand items as well as kids clothing.

Two main sources for groceries sit just outside the neighborhood limits, Giant Food and Costco, almost right across the street from each other just south of Sudley on Sudley Road. Costco fulfils many other needs other than just groceries, but for families looking to buy in bulk, it fits the bill perfectly.

If farm-to-table produce is what you seek, locals head to the Old Town Manassas Farmers Market, 10 minutes by car to the south. Open Thursday and Saturday mornings, plan your visit for Thursday if you prefer to avoid big crowds.