South Lakes, Reston: homes, schools, parks and commute

Last checked Oct. 20, 2026. Sources: Fairfax County’s Reston plan, South Lakes Village Center (enCode Plus) and GIS layers, FCPS 2026-27 attendance areas, the Virginia Department of Education’s School Quality Profiles, Zillow Research, Fairfax Connector schedule data and OpenStreetMap.

South Lakes is the village center on Lake Thoreau. Fairfax County’s Reston plan describes “more than 19 acres”: about 8 of homes, low-rise apartments and “mid-rise multifamily units reserved for seniors,” and 11 of shops, “some of which are located with direct access to Lake Thoreau.” Around it are townhouse clusters and single-family streets near Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon, with South Lakes High and Hughes Middle a short way southwest.

What this means for you

• Zoned high school: South Lakes High, for the whole area. Check an address on the FCPS boundary locator.
• Home value: $610,099 in ZIP 20191 in September 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
• Nearest toll road exit: Exit 13, Wiehle Avenue, about 0.6 mile north in a straight line.

Part of our Reston neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The plan says access is “from South Lakes Drive and Twin Branches Road.” It keeps the shopping area for “neighborhood serving retail and service uses,” expects the homes around it “to remain unchanged” and says “there is no redevelopment plan for this Village Center.” The center’s own website is southlakesvillage.com, the county’s shopping centers layer notes.

The plan does not draw a line around the wider village, so this page covers the homes within about half a mile of the village center, inside the Reston plan boundary. About 91% of that land is in ZIP code 20191; the northern edge, toward the toll road and the Wiehle-Reston East station area, is in 20190. Reston is unincorporated: Fairfax County provides police, fire and rescue. See who to call.

Schools

From the FCPS 2026-27 attendance area maps in Fairfax County’s GIS, laid over the half-mile area. Shares are of land, not students. Every school below is Fully Accredited for 2025-26.

South Lakes High and Hughes Middle stand side by side about 0.7 mile southwest of the village center. Check the exact address on the boundary locator. More in our Reston schools guide and Friday night football guide.

Home values

The typical home value in ZIP 20191 was $610,099 in September 2026, up 0.5% from $606,948 in September 2025, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. In 20190, which covers the northern edge, it was $546,007. For all of Reston, Zillow’s figure was $622,037. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, not a sale price, and each ZIP code covers far more than South Lakes. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

From OpenStreetMap:

• Lake Thoreau, next to the village center.
• Barton Hill Recreation Area, 1901 Barton Hill Road, inside the area.
• Old Westbury Recreation Area and Villaridge Community Open Space, inside the area.
• Lake Audubon, about half a mile from the village center.
• Cabots Point Recreation Area, about half a mile away.

More in our parks and trails guide and walking and biking trails guide.

Getting around

• Metro: Wiehle-Reston East station is about 0.8 mile from the village center, measured in a straight line.
• Toll road: Exit 13 (Wiehle Avenue) on the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267), with Exit 14 (Hunter Mill Road) about 1.1 miles away, by the exit numbers in OpenStreetMap.
• Reston Town Center: about 2.8 miles by road.
• Airports: about 10 miles to Washington Dulles International and 22.2 miles to Reagan National. Downtown Washington: about 20.9 miles to Metro Center. These are distances on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine, not drive times.
• Buses: Fairfax Connector routes 507 and 951 and the RIBS 2 loop stop within the area, according to the county’s schedule data. See Connector schedules.

More in our getting around guide.

Homeowners associations

“Most of the area outside of the TSAs is governed by one of the larger homeowners’ associations in the United States, Reston Association,” the county’s Reston plan says. Ask a seller or landlord which association covers an address.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap, at the village center:

• Safeway, 11120 South Lakes Drive
• CVS Pharmacy, 11160 South Lakes Drive

How we drew this area

South Lakes Village Center is one of five village centers in Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan for Reston. Because the plan does not map the village around it, this page uses the homes within about half a mile of the village center, from the county’s shopping centers layer, inside the Reston plan boundary; the northern edge overlaps the Wiehle-Reston East station area. School and ZIP shares come from laying the FCPS attendance areas and the county ZIP code map over that circle. Park and store locations are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

Where is South Lakes in Reston?

On Reston’s south side, south of the Dulles Toll Road, on Lake Thoreau. The village center is reached from South Lakes Drive and Twin Branches Road, about 0.6 mile south of the Wiehle Avenue exit.

What schools serve South Lakes in Reston?

Sunrise Valley Elementary for most of the area, with Terraset Elementary for part of it, plus Hughes Middle and South Lakes High, in FCPS’s 2026-27 maps. South Lakes High and Hughes Middle are both less than a mile from the village center. All are Fully Accredited for 2025-26.

Is South Lakes a good place to live?

Here are the facts. South Lakes is a village center on Lake Thoreau with a Safeway and a CVS, surrounded by apartments, townhouses and single-family streets, mostly in ZIP 20191. Its zoned schools are all Fully Accredited for 2025-26, and Zillow put the typical home value in 20191 at $610,099 in September 2026.

What ZIP code is South Lakes, Reston?

Mostly 20191, about nine-tenths of the area in Fairfax County’s ZIP code map; a small northern edge near the toll road is in 20190.