Would you move to Arlington or Mclean for SFH living?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean if you can afford it. You can't beat the schools. And for what it's worth, my next door neighbor is black and the rest of our neighborhood is very diverse. Try renting in the area if uncertain. Also King's Manor might work.

Agree. My Mclean neighbors are from all over the world (lots of UMC immigrants). We have neighbors from different African countries (Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, etc.), Latin America, Asia, etc. Those who say Mclean is “too white” have not hung out in my neighborhood.

We’ve lived in North Arlington and McLean, and much prefer McLean. North Arlington has a very particular, self-satisfied “whiteness” vibe. People are almost uniformly Democratic and espouse liberal values, especially with respect to environmental issues, but they are very hostile to diversity, whether it’s more poor people in their neighborhoods or UMC minorities whose kids might outperform their children academically. It is far more conformist than McLean or many other parts of Fairfax County. We have been happy with our decision to leave.

To the PP who wrote this, I love you. These words tell you everything there is to know about N. Arlington. We spent 1.5yrs looking for a house and deciding between N. Arlington and McLean(22101), we chose McLean.

Signed - A POC.

I am 10:49. Just read the replies to my post when I simply shared my experience as a black poc. Tells you all you need to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean if you can afford it. You can't beat the schools. And for what it's worth, my next door neighbor is black and the rest of our neighborhood is very diverse. Try renting in the area if uncertain. Also King's Manor might work.

Agree. My Mclean neighbors are from all over the world (lots of UMC immigrants). We have neighbors from different African countries (Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, etc.), Latin America, Asia, etc. Those who say Mclean is “too white” have not hung out in my neighborhood.

We’ve lived in North Arlington and McLean, and much prefer McLean. North Arlington has a very particular, self-satisfied “whiteness” vibe. People are almost uniformly Democratic and espouse liberal values, especially with respect to environmental issues, but they are very hostile to diversity, whether it’s more poor people in their neighborhoods or UMC minorities whose kids might outperform their children academically. It is far more conformist than McLean or many other parts of Fairfax County. We have been happy with our decision to leave.

To the PP who wrote this, I love you. These words tell you everything there is to know about N. Arlington. We spent 1.5yrs looking for a house and deciding between N. Arlington and McLean(22101), we chose McLean.

Signed - A POC.

I agree that pp nailed it.

When we moved to VA a few years ago, I was looking at Arlington. N Arlington seemed to fit what we were looking for more than S Arlington and Alexandria. Main driving factor were schools. I believe the schools were ranked higher back then. They seemed to have dropped since then.
I remember being accused of being racist because I was only looking at the white neighborhoods of N Arlington. I had no idea what that meant back then but I fully understand now.

Signed - Another POC.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

DP. It depends on where you live in N Arlington. I’d be lying if I said most of it is walkable. Maybe 20% of it is. The rest is the straight up suburbs. many streets don’t even have sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington’s boundaries are always changing. But if you work in DC, it will be the better commute.

Both McLean and Arlington are very much suburbia, so a ton of residential streets and strip malls everywhere.

McLean is more for older folks while Arlington is younger, but imo, the housing stock in McLean is much better than Arlington. Arlington’s SFH’s mainly consist of post-WWII ugly ramblers that haven’t aged well but can easily be worth $1-2 million.

+1

This is the most accurate comparison between the two that I have ever read, in my years on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in both. For me, there was no appreciable difference in being a POC. Neither is great, but I can’t pretend there’s some magical dividing line that makes one much different than the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

PP here. I stand corrected. I didn't realize that Ballston, Ballston and Clarendon were in N Arlington. I thought that was S Arlington. I can admit when I am wrong.

The areas that WE were looking at in N Arlington and the McLean neighborhoods bordering Arlington looked very similar. We were looking for houses 5000+sf with 2+ car garage and half an acre. That's why we ended up buying in McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

Hint: besides the metro stations of Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rosslyn, the rest of N Arlington is not very walkable at all.

[Anonymous]

I meant rosslyn, ballston and clarendon were N Arlington. I go to these places often and love these places. They are very walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

DP. It depends on where you live in N Arlington. I’d be lying if I said most of it is walkable. Maybe 20% of it is. The rest is the straight up suburbs. many streets don’t even have sidewalks.

OK? No one said MOST of it is walkable. But, the overall walkscore is 69 so a good portion is walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/VA/Arlington).

Which streets in Arlington don't have sidewalks?

McLean doesn't have sidewalks...perhaps you are confusing the two...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

PP here. I stand corrected. I didn't realize that Ballston, Ballston and Clarendon were in N Arlington. I thought that was S Arlington. I can admit when I am wrong.

The areas that WE were looking at in N Arlington and the McLean neighborhoods bordering Arlington looked very similar. We were looking for houses 5000+sf with 2+ car garage and half an acre. That's why we ended up buying in McLean.

Yes - the whole N and S thing is bizarre. I understand the confusion.

And, yes, if you want more space (1/2 acre) then you need to look further out.

[Anonymous]

So...let's recap.

Arlington: smaller houses, lots, better commute, better walking possibilities

McLean: bigger houses, lots, better schools, worse commute

I'll leave out the bigger question of diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

Hint: besides the metro stations of Ballston, Clarendon, Courthouse, and Rosslyn, the rest of N Arlington is not very walkable at all.

Walk Score Map (green = walkable)


https://www.walkscore.com/VA/Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

DP. It depends on where you live in N Arlington. I’d be lying if I said most of it is walkable. Maybe 20% of it is. The rest is the straight up suburbs. many streets don’t even have sidewalks.

OK? No one said MOST of it is walkable. But, the overall walkscore is 69 so a good portion is walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/VA/Arlington).

Which streets in Arlington don't have sidewalks?

McLean doesn't have sidewalks...perhaps you are confusing the two...

Re-read your own post, dude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So...let's recap.

Arlington: smaller houses, lots, better commute, better walking possibilities

McLean: bigger houses, lots, better schools, worse commute

I'll leave out the bigger question of diversity.

You can also leave out "better schools". Unless "better schools" is code for "fewer poor people".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find McLean more attractive. Arlington seems to be a mix of old houses built for WWII-era government workers and new McMansions that are way too big for their postage-size lots. You see some of that in McLean as well, but at least the lots are generally big enough to leave some room for a yard.

The nicer neighborhoods of McLean are way nicer looking than Arlington. The N Arlington and McLean neighborhoods that border Arlington and falls church look very similar. Then parts of south Arlington are more urban and walkable. I would not say N Arlington is a walkable area either.

You obviously have never even been to Arlington. Why are you commenting?

Hint: look at a map and see where the Metro stations are.

I’m also from NYC. Your definition and my definition of walkable may be different.

OK - let's call it "Arlington walkable".

If you want less arbitrary terms, how about this for my N Arlington neighborhood:
Walk score: 85 / 100
Transit score: 72 / 100
Bike score: 83 / 100

Regardless, many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington.

Or maybe you don't understand N v. S Arlington? Rt 50 is the dividing line. Everything N of Rt 50 (incl. 7 of 9 metro stops) is considered "North Arlington".

DP. It depends on where you live in N Arlington. I’d be lying if I said most of it is walkable. Maybe 20% of it is. The rest is the straight up suburbs. many streets don’t even have sidewalks.

OK? No one said MOST of it is walkable. But, the overall walkscore is 69 so a good portion is walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/VA/Arlington).

Which streets in Arlington don't have sidewalks?

McLean doesn't have sidewalks...perhaps you are confusing the two...

Re-read your own post, dude.

Yes, and?

"Many of the "walkable" areas ARE in North Arlington." <> "Most of Arlington is walkable"