Mclean vs. Vienna

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both are good. I prefer mclean because vienna is farther out and you eventually have to get on 66 which is it's main road. Mclean has GW parkway, 495, 66, Chain Bridge , many more commuting options and depending on where you are choice of west falls church metro and future silver lines.

You are thinking about only certain parts of Vienna, and even then I think you are overstating things a bit. I live in NW Vienna off Beulah. I never get on 66 unless I am heading West. I use 123, Beulah, Old Courthouse, Trap, the Toll Road, etc. I use roads like 123, Gallows, Park and Cedar if I need to go south to places like Merrifield or Fairfax City. When I go to McLean, I get on 123 and am there in 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean has about a dozen schools as does Vienna. Which ones are you talking about? The only school named "Mclean" is McLean High School. And the only school named "Vienna" is Vienna Elementary school, so I assume you are not comparing those two.

Actually there is another McLean school - The McLean School in Potomac. We sent DS there during middle years. It was excellent.

I don't like Vienna because of the traffic down Maple. Also, I don't like the clutter of old shopping malls running the entire length of Maple. The area is too congested and it is difficult to get anywhere quickly.

I don't think the high schools in Vienna compare with McLean High or Langley High, but could be wrong. I live over here for 20 years and have never heard anything stellar about the Vienna Schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean has about a dozen schools as does Vienna. Which ones are you talking about? The only school named "Mclean" is McLean High School. And the only school named "Vienna" is Vienna Elementary school, so I assume you are not comparing those two.

Actually there is another McLean school - The McLean School in Potomac. We sent DS there during middle years. It was excellent.

I don't like Vienna because of the traffic down Maple. Also, I don't like the clutter of old shopping malls running the entire length of Maple. The area is too congested and it is difficult to get anywhere quickly.

I don't think the high schools in Vienna compare with McLean High or Langley High, but could be wrong. I live over here for 20 years and have never heard anything stellar about the Vienna Schools.

Do you think the McLean School in Potomac and the Potomac School in McLean could arrange to swap names? It might make life easier.

I think McLean HS is similar to Madison HS in Vienna and Marshall HS in Falls Church, which a lot of Vienna kids attend. Langley HS is unique among NoVa public high schools in the wealth of its student body, which some people may view positively and others negatively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean has about a dozen schools as does Vienna. Which ones are you talking about? The only school named "Mclean" is McLean High School. And the only school named "Vienna" is Vienna Elementary school, so I assume you are not comparing those two.

Actually there is another McLean school - The McLean School in Potomac. We sent DS there during middle years. It was excellent.

I don't like Vienna because of the traffic down Maple. Also, I don't like the clutter of old shopping malls running the entire length of Maple. The area is too congested and it is difficult to get anywhere quickly.

I don't think the high schools in Vienna compare with McLean High or Langley High, but could be wrong. I live over here for 20 years and have never heard anything stellar about the Vienna Schools.

lol, yeah the schools in Vienna suck.

look, McLean is more desirable. That should not be surprising, since it is one of the most expensive areas in the world. The schools are incredible. Vienna is a step below. But most everywhere would be next to McLean. For the amount I spent (say $950K), I prefer what I have in Vienna to what I could have afforded in McLean. Bigger lot, but still very close to Tysons and Reston and a barely do-able commute to DC if that was ever required. And Madison and Oakton HS are still top 100 public schools in the country (I think, right?) with a little less of the wealth factor that I find offputting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Town of Vienna charges a town tax...which covers trash and leaf removal. Still not worth it though.

And other areas charge an HOA fee that can still cause you to lose your house if you don't pay it and is tax-deductible.

Places in the non-HOA part of McLean are going to run you a lot more in plain old ordinary Fairfax County tax than County + Town taxes in the town of Vienna.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Town of Vienna charges a town tax...which covers trash and leaf removal. Still not worth it though.

And other areas charge an HOA fee that can still cause you to lose your house if you don't pay it and is tax-deductible.

Places in the non-HOA part of McLean are going to run you a lot more in plain old ordinary Fairfax County tax than County + Town taxes in the town of Vienna.

There may be some self-selection at play here. I've never heard people who live in the Town of Vienna complain about the town taxes, and I've heard them praise the additional services. I guess people who don't want to pay the Town taxes look elsewhere.

If you live in McLean, as I do, you may be assessed additional fees in any event, such as the special assessment that funds the McLean Community Center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if given the choice, what schools would you choose and why? would be great to get experience from parents that are at both schools. thanks in advance.

Grew up in McLean, live in Vienna. Looking for a more diverse experience from an HHI perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if given the choice, what schools would you choose and why? would be great to get experience from parents that are at both schools. thanks in advance.

Grew up in McLean, live in Vienna. Looking for a more diverse experience from an HHI perspective.

Lived in Vienna, moved to McLean. McLean is far more convenient for commuting to DC and getting to airports. But, if I were working in Tysons, I'd prefer Vienna. People are more relaxed and it's less expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Town of Vienna charges a town tax...which covers trash and leaf removal. Still not worth it though.

...and snow removal (timely, not waiting on VDOT for 2 days), instantaneous police response, maintenance and captial $$ for street and sidewalk improvements, free mulch from those leaves, parks and recreation programs and site maintenance...

Very much worth it

And since it is a tax, it is deductible on state and federal income. Trash removal costs about $400 per year. My Vienna taxes are $600 per year. but I get about $200 back in tax refunds. For that I also get big item pickup, leaf removal, etc.

And a local government that responds to the people: we know many of the town council and the mayor. It is small town america.

[Anonymous]

I LOVE the Town of Vienna, but I'll admit we didn't look at McLean because it was above our budget. Had it not been, I don't know where I would have picked. If you like walkability, you CAN find it in Vienna if you want it, although you won't necessarily have it by randomly choosing a house.

As far as schools, it's like everywhere else, the higher the wealth, the greater the test scores. So overall, the test scores are higher in McLean. But the test scores in Vienna are still very good. As far as high schools, Langley and McLean are usually #1 and #2, respectively as far as test scores, with Madison in Vienna generally being 4th or 5th. Marshall which some Vienna kids go to (but not Town of Vienna kids) is usually about 7th. (Woodson and Oakton are the other two schools that usually round out the top 5 or 6 schools). There's more variance in the elementary schools, but you could fin excellent ones in either place. Thoreau Middle School fo rTown of Vienna and Kilmer Middle school for some others with Vienna addresses are very well-thought of. I know the ones in McLean are, too (Cooper and Longfellow, I believe).

I think there is a bit more wealth and keeping up with the Joneses in McLean simply because it is so darn wealthy. You can find it in Vienna, too, but I think Vienna is overall a very-down-to-earth place to live. Great schools, great town, lots of amenities, and a gret feeling of community.

[Anonymous]

I think there are more Joneses in McLean and more of those trying to keep up with them in Vienna.

[Anonymous]

I do not see the keeping up with the jones so much in Vienna.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not see the keeping up with the jones so much in Vienna.

When I read a post from someone who lives in an almost $1m house in one of the region's wealthiest suburbs claiming that they find the wealth in the slightly more affluent suburb next door "offputting," it tells me that they are probably comparing themselves to the Joneses of McLean. Same for the assertions about Vienna being "down to earth," which seems to imply a comparison to those potentially higher in the stratosphere. It's not like many people who live in Vienna are working the land or tilling the fields.

Anyway, so what? It's all about finding one's comfort zone, which often means finding a place among those perceived to be similarly situated. Both are very nice areas.

[Anonymous]

I can trust you, most houses in the town of vienna do not approach 1 million. Probably between 500K and 600K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can trust you, most houses in the town of vienna do not approach 1 million. Probably between 500K and 600K.

Yeah, OK, but what about the more expensive houses in 22181 and 22182 that are also Vienna? The analogy to the $500-600K houses in town of Vienna in McLean are the older houses just north of Kirby that are mostly $600-800K, rather than $1M or more. The entry price may be higher in McLean, but both places have a variety of homes at different prices.