Would you move to McLean from Alexandria if your kids are thriving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Santinis has great pizza and subs!

It's ok. Not a reason to move to McLean, but yes I'd move in your situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved from Alexandria to ___ (not McLean, but similar) last year. The answer to your question is: No.

Our move was based on reducing commute for one person and improving schools for kids. We accomplished both. However, there were costs. If I could snap my fingers right now and go back, I would. The only time I feel happy about the move is when I look at the data of test scores. Our schools now are very good. Our old pyramid... not good. BUT, I also see that part of why we were disillusioned with our older child's academic experience was that DC wasn't really embracing opportunities. We thought having a high-performing school would make the difference... guess what -- for this DC, it wasn't about the school being so different. It's what the kid brings to (or takes from) the school.

Costs: we now have a mortgage (before we had none). We spent a boatload on moving and realtor fees. Our life was so much easier and calmer in Alexandria than it is here in ______. It's just more croweded/congested/busy. Our section of Alexandria was pretty easy to get around without running into traffic. I think it was easier for the kids to get out and it would be easier for our kids to have jobs in Alexandria. Not sure that will work out here in this area b/c it is so busy.

Honestly, stay where you are. Our move made lots of sense on paper, but we didn't give enough weight to the roots/history we had developed over the years. It's hard to create history/community in this area. We didn't think we had much until it was all gone and we had to start from scratch. Then we realized how we had spent years cultivating our presence in our old community. It is much harder to do that as kids get older (unless they are involved in sports).

If I could snap my fingers and go back to what we had...I would. But, now it is unlikely. It will cost more $$ to pay a realtor again, and the kids are getting settled. At this point, I'm just thinking about sticking it out for 6 more years and moving back when our youngest graduates HS. Then I want to move back. I prefer a calmer/less congested community. (ie. I don't want to fight for a space in a parking lot everytime I go to a restaurant. I don't want to be stuck waiting for multiple cycles of lights just to get out of the grocery store parking lot. That's the kind of stuff that makes life more hectic here than where we were in Alexandria. YMMV).

You're the poster who moved from Kingstowne to Vienna, right? You post about your dissatisfaction with Vienna fairly often here.

McLean is considerably more convenient to DC than Vienna or Alexandria. Being on the other side of Tysons and not dependent on 395 makes a big difference. I'd go for it.

[Anonymous]

Arlington is great. By the McLean border are top-notch schools, friendly neighbors and easy walkable shopping... Only regret moving here is that we should have done it earlier.

[Anonymous]

I'd avoid Arlington for now. Middle schools are being redistricted and there soon won't be enough capacity in APS for the high school students.

[Anonymous]

Hella NO!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved from Alexandria to ___ (not McLean, but similar) last year. The answer to your question is: No.

Our move was based on reducing commute for one person and improving schools for kids. We accomplished both. However, there were costs. If I could snap my fingers right now and go back, I would. The only time I feel happy about the move is when I look at the data of test scores. Our schools now are very good. Our old pyramid... not good. BUT, I also see that part of why we were disillusioned with our older child's academic experience was that DC wasn't really embracing opportunities. We thought having a high-performing school would make the difference... guess what -- for this DC, it wasn't about the school being so different. It's what the kid brings to (or takes from) the school.

Costs: we now have a mortgage (before we had none). We spent a boatload on moving and realtor fees. Our life was so much easier and calmer in Alexandria than it is here in ______. It's just more croweded/congested/busy. Our section of Alexandria was pretty easy to get around without running into traffic. I think it was easier for the kids to get out and it would be easier for our kids to have jobs in Alexandria. Not sure that will work out here in this area b/c it is so busy.

Honestly, stay where you are. Our move made lots of sense on paper, but we didn't give enough weight to the roots/history we had developed over the years. It's hard to create history/community in this area. We didn't think we had much until it was all gone and we had to start from scratch. Then we realized how we had spent years cultivating our presence in our old community. It is much harder to do that as kids get older (unless they are involved in sports).

If I could snap my fingers and go back to what we had...I would. But, now it is unlikely. It will cost more $$ to pay a realtor again, and the kids are getting settled. At this point, I'm just thinking about sticking it out for 6 more years and moving back when our youngest graduates HS. Then I want to move back. I prefer a calmer/less congested community. (ie. I don't want to fight for a space in a parking lot everytime I go to a restaurant. I don't want to be stuck waiting for multiple cycles of lights just to get out of the grocery store parking lot. That's the kind of stuff that makes life more hectic here than where we were in Alexandria. YMMV).

You're the poster who moved from Kingstowne to Vienna, right? You post about your dissatisfaction with Vienna fairly often here.

McLean is considerably more convenient to DC than Vienna or Alexandria. Being on the other side of Tysons and not dependent on 395 makes a big difference. I'd go for it.

No. Not the same.

[Anonymous]

Sure. If you're kids are still young, they'll adjust, and the combination of schools, neighborhoods, shopping, Metro access and proximity to DC can't be beat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought our home in Alexandria when we just finished graduate school. We cleaned out our savings to purchase our single family home in Alexandria. At the time, we had massive student loans and I worried about paying our mortgage, childcare and student loans. Fast forward to now, our income has gone up significantly, we have no debt besides the mortgage, have two kids in elementary and have enough savings to pay off our mortgage if we wanted. Older child is in AAP and younger child should also get into AAP in the future. Kids are thriving, play sports and have lots of friends. Neighbors are great. Life is good. We have seen many people move to better school districts. We like our house. Never thought it would be our forever home. It isn’t perfect but good enough. Kitchen, bathrooms and deck could use a renovation.

We work in DC so commute time could decrease if we move to McLean or Arlington. Places like Bethesda would also decrease commute time. These areas are also more expensive. Instead of being debt free, we would have to start over and get a new bigger mortgage. We would want a better home, not a worse home for the same price.

Would you move or stay put?

OP, are you in Alexandria City or the Fairfax part of Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

"Kids are thriving, play sports and have lots of friends. Neighbors are great. Life is good. "

That is all you need to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Kids are thriving, play sports and have lots of friends. Neighbors are great. Life is good. "

That is all you need to know.

Sounds like they haven't hid middle school yet. MS in Alexandria can be iffy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Traffic is horrible from McLean into DC. We live in Alexandria and drive to McLean in the am up the Parkway. The commute into DC is much shorter from Alexandria.

PP, not if she moves to McLean, McLean to DC would be much shorter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We bought our home in Alexandria when we just finished graduate school. We cleaned out our savings to purchase our single family home in Alexandria. At the time, we had massive student loans and I worried about paying our mortgage, childcare and student loans. Fast forward to now, our income has gone up significantly, we have no debt besides the mortgage, have two kids in elementary and have enough savings to pay off our mortgage if we wanted. Older child is in AAP and younger child should also get into AAP in the future. Kids are thriving, play sports and have lots of friends. Neighbors are great. Life is good. We have seen many people move to better school districts. We like our house. Never thought it would be our forever home. It isn’t perfect but good enough. Kitchen, bathrooms and deck could use a renovation.

We work in DC so commute time could decrease if we move to McLean or Arlington. Places like Bethesda would also decrease commute time. These areas are also more expensive. Instead of being debt free, we would have to start over and get a new bigger mortgage. We would want a better home, not a worse home for the same price.

Would you move or stay put?

OP, are you in Alexandria City or the Fairfax part of Alexandria?

We live in Fairfax County. I think we will be fine through middle school. We have an AAP middle school with very diverse population.

To the pp, yes, we can afford private middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't move just to move. Talk to your neighbors if any of them have kids in the MS and HS your kids would go to. Are they happy with the schools? We are in a supposedly less than desirable FCPS school and are very happy. Are the stats for the school as high as the "better" HS's? No. But our kids are thriving and succeeding. Our kids' stats are just fine. They're happy and I see no reason to "fix what ain't broke."

OP here. We don't know many families with older kids in our neighborhood. We have co-workers who live Mclean, Oakton, Vienna and DC. Half went to public. Half went to private. Strangely the better the private school, the worse college the kids attended. This is based on a very small sample of people that we personally know. We know a lot of younger kids and many seem extremely bright. We know kids from City of Alexandria, FCPS Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Ashburn, City of Falls Church, Mclean, Bethesda as well as DC privates.

I wonder if it doesn't really matter where you live or what school you attend. I feel like the bright ones would do well anywhere.

[Anonymous]

OP stay where you are and retire 5-10 years early. That is the best commute I have found.

[Anonymous]

Elementary and high school will be subpar