Lower McLean vs North Arlington vs Vienna

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to north Arlington about 2 years ago and we love it. Super neighborhood's with friendly people, block parties, and an active community. People are always outside and wave hello, etc. neighborhood's have sidewalks which is important to me. Our walkscore is 80 and we can walk to grocery, a variety of food options, schools, and are a short drive from D.C., airport, and Tysons. We seriously considered McLean also, but in our price range (800-950) the houses were not as nice, no sidewalks or neighborhood feel, and from what we saw less pride in ownership in terms of keeping up landscaping and exteriors. The main draw for us for McLean was that FCPS has 6th in elementary and we moved here with a rising 5th grader which we felt would make a better transition at the time. I still think that would have been better but we found a house we loved in Arlington and the school's have been good and my children's adjustment has gone well. Arlington also has great county parks, rec center class offerings, libraries, summer camp offerings are good, etc.
I feel like there is a really negative attitude towards north Arlington on this forum and it is a total stereotype that people are snobby, rich, etc. in my experience the people here are very friendly, down to earth, and I haven't encountered any snobbiness or "keeping up with the joneses" attitude that seems to be perpetuated on DCUM. On the contrary, most families have dual working parents and it's because of a high cost of living, not because they love their jobs or are both CEOs. I moved here as a SAHM and there were really not many with elementary aged kids who still stay home. I've since returned to work part-time. Everyone makes compromises when buyin a house and for people near me, the compromise is close-in with good schools but a smaller lot/house. You might make a different choice and that's okay.
Regarding the school overcrowding, I and the majority of parents I've met feel confident a 4th high school will be built. I've been super happy with the small class sizes in elementary and middle so far. I'm also a teacher and I am not afraid of the high school situation. I grew up with portable classrooms and it didn't affect the quality of my education- good teachers are what makes the difference there, and APS attracts the best because they pay more than FCPS. I see many teachers come over to APS because of the pay issue and preference for a smaller system.

I don't dispute anything in your statement, but you have no basis for this belief. If you want it, you'd better look to recruit new people to run for school board who are going to find a way to make this happen. Because the current board is moving ahead in another direction.

This is exactly right. Because of the shortage of good sites, building another high school in Arlington requires a great deal of careful planning and sustained advocacy regarding land use, and there is no one in APS or on the School Board right now who cares enough to make it happen. The wishful thinking of parents doesn't count for much when you have School Board members saying 1000 kids will want to go to Arlington Tech, schools can always have two shifts, and kids can take more classes online.

[Anonymous]

People really don't understand that Patrick Murphy and the school board ( excluding Reid) have made their decision. It's special programs for everyone!

[Anonymous]

I get that right this second it is not happening, however within the next 3-5 years their hands will be forced and it will happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that right this second it is not happening, however within the next 3-5 years their hands will be forced and it will happen.

By whom? How will it be forced? When they run unopposed, they do what they want. And no amount of pressure can be applied because it's not like you could vote them out even if you wanted to.

3-5 years is too late to meet the seat deficit that exists for all the kids in elementary already. Maybe the kids just being born might have enough seats if they decide to start planning for a fourth school in 3-5 years.

I hope we all like the "choice" programs that still require shuttling kids back and forth to the 3 comprehensive schools so that they can participate in the courses, activities and clubs that college-bound students must have on their transcripts in order to be competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that right this second it is not happening, however within the next 3-5 years their hands will be forced and it will happen.

They are not going to come to that without us taking pitch forks and torches.
Seriously, they have no plan or will.
Go talk to Van Doren. She's wonderfully candid one on one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Zero if the commute is for downtown.

Everything else seems to point to Vienna as a better option than NoArlington. Commute really that bad? I get why McLean is so expensive now.

Would you rather spend that hour a day commuting or being at home with your family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Zero if the commute is for downtown.

Everything else seems to point to Vienna as a better option than NoArlington. Commute really that bad? I get why McLean is so expensive now.

Would you rather spend that hour a day commuting or being at home with your family?

I would give up an hour of sleep during the work week to commute to Vienna, if the alternative was Arlington. FCPS is expanding Thoreau MS and making plans to expand Madison HS while APS dithers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Relative to McLean and North Arlington?

1) Housing is less expensive
2) Community is more kid-oriented (for example, more affordable family-friendly restaurants than McLean, fewer bars than Arlington)
3) Town of Vienna has its own government/events, but is smaller than McLean or North Arlington
4) Parents are younger, more relaxed
5) Better HS sports teams

+1

I would take all of these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Relative to McLean and North Arlington?

1) Housing is less expensive
2) Community is more kid-oriented (for example, more affordable family-friendly restaurants than McLean, fewer bars than Arlington)
3) Town of Vienna has its own government/events, but is smaller than McLean or North Arlington
4) Parents are younger, more relaxed
5) Better HS sports teams

+1

I would take all of these.

So let's look at some cons of Vienna relative to McLean and North Arlington:

1) Commuting to Penn Quarter takes much longer
2) Maple Avenue (Route 123 in Vienna) is very congested
3) Housing is less attractive
4) Schools aren't quite as good as those in McLean
5) Vienna has more of a "Stepford" (conformist, very sports-oriented) vibe than McLean or North Arlington

[Anonymous]

I would pick Vienna over North Arlington, and McLean over both (even Lower McLean).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Relative to McLean and North Arlington?

1) Housing is less expensive
2) Community is more kid-oriented (for example, more affordable family-friendly restaurants than McLean, fewer bars than Arlington)
3) Town of Vienna has its own government/events, but is smaller than McLean or North Arlington
4) Parents are younger, more relaxed
5) Better HS sports teams

+1

I would take all of these.

So let's look at some cons of Vienna relative to McLean and North Arlington:

1) Commuting to Penn Quarter takes much longer
2) Maple Avenue (Route 123 in Vienna) is very congested
3) Housing is less attractive
4) Schools aren't quite as good as those in McLean
5) Vienna has more of a "Stepford" (conformist, very sports-oriented) vibe than McLean or North Arlington

#3 and #5 - LOL - surely you can't be serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Vienna over North Arlington, and McLean over both (even Lower McLean).

LOL. No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Relative to McLean and North Arlington?

1) Housing is less expensive
2) Community is more kid-oriented (for example, more affordable family-friendly restaurants than McLean, fewer bars than Arlington)
3) Town of Vienna has its own government/events, but is smaller than McLean or North Arlington
4) Parents are younger, more relaxed
5) Better HS sports teams

+1

I would take all of these.

So let's look at some cons of Vienna relative to McLean and North Arlington:

1) Commuting to Penn Quarter takes much longer
2) Maple Avenue (Route 123 in Vienna) is very congested
3) Housing is less attractive
4) Schools aren't quite as good as those in McLean
5) Vienna has more of a "Stepford" (conformist, very sports-oriented) vibe than McLean or North Arlington

#3 and #5 - LOL - surely you can't be serious.

Yes, about both the pros and the cons.

I'm guessing you have never lived in Vienna. I have. It's nice, but there are numerous reasons why it's less expensive than McLean and North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. So it looks like Langley and McLean (even with its over-enrollment) look to be the best options, but no one has made a strong case for Vienna and Madison looks really good.

What are the pros for Vienna?

Zero if the commute is for downtown.

that is complete nonsense! People who work downtown FLOCK to the Vienna metro everyday! It's easy. I am comparing commutes at 7:30 a.m. on a weekday in January....It's a 30 min. metro ride from Vienna to Metro Center. Yes, you will have to walk from your car to the train (or perhaps you live close enough to walk or ride a bike to the metro as I do). Then, you have to walk from the train to your office.

If you drive from the heart of McLean to Metro Center, it is between 28-75 min. If you drive from upper ARlington (Woodland Acres area), it is between 22-50 min. Both of these would be stressful drives for sure. And the type of home you get for say $900K in Arlington/McLean vs. Vienna.... no comparison. There is a reason $1.3 mil-$1.6 mil teardown/rebuilds are popping up EVERYWHERE in Vienna. You aren't really saving anything on the commute by going closer in unless you like stress, and you get so much less for your money.

[Anonymous]

And those drive times from McLean and north Arlington don't include time to park your car and walk to your office. Traffic around here is terrible. Most people don't want to fight that everyday. Even with metro being what it is, you can use the time riding to do productive things.