Agree with suggestions for Langley Oaks (Churchill Road Elementary) & McLean Hamlet (Spring Hill). Both neighborhoods are teeming with kids so instant playmates & good schools. Drive around & see how many basketball hoops, bikes & playsets you will see -- good way to find family friendly and as down-to-earth as you can get in McLean.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not waste a lot of time worrying about finding people who are "down to earth" in Arlington OR McLean. It's not some generally home to people scraping by, living off the land, or making a living with their hands. Most will work in professional jobs somewhere between DC and Reston. 22101 is definitely closer to DC and "downtown McLean" than 22102.

In the $1.2-$1.4 price range, I might focus on neighborhoods like Langley Oaks, McLean Hamlet and River Oaks in the Langley HS pyramid, and Chesterbrook Woods in the McLean HS pyramid. Generally, the properties in question would be 30-50 years old, with decent-sized yards, and very convenient to schools and shopping, but not particularly walkable.

OP again. I would love to find "down to earth" if I can. Thanks for your advice!

Well, naturally, but recognize that terms like "down to earth," "family friendly" and even "walkable" can be buzzwords that mean different things to different people around here. On DCUM, "down to earth" often is used when people living in one relatively affluent area seek to compare themselves and their neighbors favorably to others who live in more expensive areas. It doesn't necessarily mean folks who are utterly without pretense or always have your back.

Having lived all over NoVa and other parts of the East Coast, I'd have to say most people in McLean are not overtly friendly or outgoing, but instead quite reserved. However, kids (of which you note two), schools, and pets are all natural icebreakers, and most of our neighbors, at least, are pretty nice people when you get to know them, even if they/we aren't necessarily naturals at making small talk. I didn't really find Arlington any different when I lived there years ago.

In any event, I hope the neighborhood suggestions helped, and good luck with your search!

Anonymous wrote:I would not waste a lot of time worrying about finding people who are "down to earth" in Arlington OR McLean. It's not some generally home to people scraping by, living off the land, or making a living with their hands. Most will work in professional jobs somewhere between DC and Reston. 22101 is definitely closer to DC and "downtown McLean" than 22102.

In the $1.2-$1.4 price range, I might focus on neighborhoods like Langley Oaks, McLean Hamlet and River Oaks in the Langley HS pyramid, and Chesterbrook Woods in the McLean HS pyramid. Generally, the properties in question would be 30-50 years old, with decent-sized yards, and very convenient to schools and shopping, but not particularly walkable.

OP again. I would love to find "down to earth" if I can. Thanks for your advice!

OP here. Thanks so much for all of your replies! I'm OK with houses that are not walkable and older, since that is most of what is in my price range. Thank you for your neighborhood suggestions. I will look into them.

14:57, thank you for taking the time to post the link.

I would not waste a lot of time worrying about finding people who are "down to earth" in Arlington OR McLean. It's not some generally home to people scraping by, living off the land, or making a living with their hands. Most will work in professional jobs somewhere between DC and Reston. 22101 is definitely closer to DC and "downtown McLean" than 22102.

In the $1.2-$1.4 price range, I might focus on neighborhoods like Langley Oaks, McLean Hamlet and River Oaks in the Langley HS pyramid, and Chesterbrook Woods in the McLean HS pyramid. Generally, the properties in question would be 30-50 years old, with decent-sized yards, and very convenient to schools and shopping, but not particularly walkable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for your replies so far. 5 BR would be preferred, but 4 BR is OK, too.

How important is new/up-to-date to you? Do you value walkability? 22101 is generally known as being a bit more down to earth. 22102 is generally thought to have slightly better schools. Of course, this is all subject to each person's opinion. We live in 22101 and I like it. It is more accessible to DC and "downtown McLean."

Disagree. Having resided in both 22101 and 01, for years each, the latter seems more down to earth. OP, have you thought about the Spring Hill area? It seems nice without the stuffiness of most of McLean. We also lived in the part near Arlington, and I thought that population was unabashedly and inaccurately pretentious and full of themselves. It may have been all of the Arlington people It was hilarious.

This one just went on the market this week.

http://www.estately.com/listings/info/6608-old-chesterbrook-road

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for your replies so far. 5 BR would be preferred, but 4 BR is OK, too.

How important is new/up-to-date to you? Do you value walkability? 22101 is generally known as being a bit more down to earth. 22102 is generally thought to have slightly better schools. Of course, this is all subject to each person's opinion. We live in 22101 and I like it. It is more accessible to DC and "downtown McLean."

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for your replies so far. 5 BR would be preferred, but 4 BR is OK, too.

With that budget, you might consider looking into the part of 22043 that feeds into haycock-Longfellow-mclean pyramid. A lot of tear downs and new builds in this zip and great schools. I'm not in the immediate neighborhood with the tear downs but live nearby in SFHs < 1m and love my neighborhood.

OP here. Thank you for your replies so far. 5 BR would be preferred, but 4 BR is OK, too.

In that price range, I think you will have a hard time finding a 5 bedroom unless it needs a lot of work. You can probably find a 4 bedroom in 22101.

What is your price range?

OP here. budget 1.2-1.4 million

A price range would help

We are thinking of moving to McLean (family of 4 with kids ages 4 and 2). We are looking for a SFH 5 BR. Any tips or comments, including information about neighborhoods or schools, would be great. Thank you!