Virginia's first planned residential community, Reston takes its first three letters from the initials of Robert E. Simon, the real estate entrepreneur who conceived it as a place to live, work, and play in nature’s embrace. Much of the community was laid out by master planner James Rossant, who studied at Harvard under the tutelage of Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius. Central to Simon’s vision was a diverse housing stock with a range of densities, heights, footprints, and lifestyles. Here, one can find tranquility by the water or embrace the convenience of condo living in the heart of town. Reston’s early developments, like the brutalist Lake Anne Village Center and the cubist Charles Goodman-designed Hickory Cluster, are considered masterworks of mid-century modern design. You'll find 1,300 acres of open space — and 55 miles of paved trails — throughout Reston, with more than 700 acres of forest, 50 meadows, and numerous lakes, ponds, and streams.