Franklin Park vs Langley Oaks

[Anonymous]

Parents need to commute to downtown DC. Young kids need to attend public schools. Which neighborhood is more desirable? Houses seem to be about the same in both areas in terms of prices and lot size. Where is more family friendly?

[Anonymous]

Langley Oaks by far. Better resale. Better schools. Better shopping. Considered just a better neighborhood. And vast gorgeous homes activel going in all over Langley Oaks which will just drive your property values up higher. That won't happen in Franklin Park (although a really nice, friendly neighborhood - I might relocate there as a senior).

As you trans. you will probably live close enough so your kids can walk to school, although FCPS is pretty generous on its bus services due to inclement weather. Our DS did bus all four years. I never had to worry. You, as parent's will have to take the G'washingotn Parkway into town. Easy if you do it at 6:50 when I drive another child to school. Easy at return of 3:30 - never a jam. Hideous parking lot once rush hour starts at 7;20 a.m. But there's just nothing that can be done about that. And the stop and go on the Maryland side down Wisc. Conn or Canal is even worse. From Franklynn you might be able to go south and try I-66 but check it out throughly and drive it a few times at the hours during which you will be going to work and returning so you really know what you are dealing with. Most people in No. McLean avoid I-66. But if it's close and can work for you, go with it. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

66 is HOV during morning rush hour (unless you have a hybrid that was registered more than 2 years ago).

[Anonymous]

I would consider the commute from Franklin Park much easier than from Langley Oaks. GW parkway is jammed up during standard rush hour. Franklin Park allows you to avoid the worst of GW parkway from Chain Bridge Road to Spout Run. No need to use 66 from Franklin Park either.

[Anonymous]

Franklin Park is a much prettier neighborhood that's closer to Arlington and has a wider range of housing, including many new $2.0m+ properties. Langley Oaks is more of a staid 1970s subdivision, where the homes usually go for between $1.O and $1.5 million. It's a great location, but there is nothing distinctive about the housing. I'd much rather be in the Chesterbrook area, which has a great community pool and is always full of families.

[Anonymous]

I don't think 1:07 really knows the area. Where exactly is the "better shopping" in Langley Oaks? The commissary at the CIA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langley Oaks by far. Better resale. Better schools. Better shopping. Considered just a better neighborhood. And vast gorgeous homes activel going in all over Langley Oaks which will just drive your property values up higher. That won't happen in Franklin Park (although a really nice, friendly neighborhood - I might relocate there as a senior).

As you trans. you will probably live close enough so your kids can walk to school, although FCPS is pretty generous on its bus services due to inclement weather. Our DS did bus all four years. I never had to worry. You, as parent's will have to take the G'washingotn Parkway into town. Easy if you do it at 6:50 when I drive another child to school. Easy at return of 3:30 - never a jam. Hideous parking lot once rush hour starts at 7;20 a.m. But there's just nothing that can be done about that. And the stop and go on the Maryland side down Wisc. Conn or Canal is even worse. From Franklynn you might be able to go south and try I-66 but check it out throughly and drive it a few times at the hours during which you will be going to work and returning so you really know what you are dealing with. Most people in No. McLean avoid I-66. But if it's close and can work for you, go with it. Good luck.

You are describing Langley Forest, not Langley Oaks. Langley Oaks is a sub-division off Georgetown Pike near Langley HS. As another poster noted, almost all the houses were built in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Anonymous]

Franklin Park. The new homes range from $2 to $3 million. The build costs on one home in that neighborhood topped $4 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langley Oaks by far. Better resale. Better schools. Better shopping. Considered just a better neighborhood. And vast gorgeous homes activel going in all over Langley Oaks which will just drive your property values up higher. That won't happen in Franklin Park (although a really nice, friendly neighborhood - I might relocate there as a senior).

As you trans. you will probably live close enough so your kids can walk to school, although FCPS is pretty generous on its bus services due to inclement weather. Our DS did bus all four years. I never had to worry. You, as parent's will have to take the G'washingotn Parkway into town. Easy if you do it at 6:50 when I drive another child to school. Easy at return of 3:30 - never a jam. Hideous parking lot once rush hour starts at 7;20 a.m. But there's just nothing that can be done about that. And the stop and go on the Maryland side down Wisc. Conn or Canal is even worse. From Franklynn you might be able to go south and try I-66 but check it out throughly and drive it a few times at the hours during which you will be going to work and returning so you really know what you are dealing with. Most people in No. McLean avoid I-66. But if it's close and can work for you, go with it. Good luck.

Somehow I doubt the OP is going to have her kids walk down Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road to Churchill Road ES from Langley Oaks. Maybe to Langley HS when they are older.

[Anonymous]

I like Langley Oaks better. Franklin Park is hilly and woodsy, I get lost driving around there, and the power goes out during storms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Langley Oaks better. Franklin Park is hilly and woodsy, I get lost driving around there, and the power goes out during storms.

It's easier to give directions in Langley Oaks to visitors since it's mostly cul-de-sacs off a single street, Ridge Drive. Franklin Park is hilly and woodsy, but that's part of its charm. There aren't many places like that so close to DC.

[Anonymous]

+1 for Franklin Park - gorgeous neighborhood, great schools (chesterbrook ES) and the commute to DC allows for multiple routes to get to a bridge to cross the potomac.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in Franklin Park for over a decade with small kids and we love it. The nice thing about the commute into DC is that there are several different options, so if traffic is a disaster one way you can go a different route. The families here are wonderful and there is a great sense of community. It's a nice mix of older owners and families with kids. We hope to never leave.

[Anonymous]

Depends on whether you insist on Langley vs Mclean pyramid.

[Anonymous]

What about Chain bridge to Canal rd, is this a better route into the city during rush hour? At which point is GW pkwy the most and least congested? We are looking in Mclean too not sure about location.