great falls, and the very outer western edge of mclean, is very unique. that doesn't make it better or worse than other places, but it should make it easy to decide if you like it. there are tons of more suburban, neighborhoody places that are equally beautiful or wealthy or whatever. should be easy to decide if you want that more rural look or not.

Anonymous wrote:I think great falls had its heyday when DC was a wreck. Now people with $ generally prefer to be in DC or close in. Hence the pp's reference to houses sitting on the market . . .

LMAO. I doubt that. Both the wife and I have our jobs in McLean. Why in the world would we want to live in DC or closer in?

Great falls was a little too rural for us, but it certainly is a very pretty and affluent area. We settled for western McLean outside of the beltway that's closer to Tysons.

I think great falls had its heyday when DC was a wreck. Now people with $ generally prefer to be in DC or close in. Hence the pp's reference to houses sitting on the market . . .

It really just depends on what you like. We have relatives that have lived in GF for many years and love it. They love the country feel, their kids ride horses and attend private school, and they work around Tyson's so commute isn't too bad. They just built a terrific new craftsman home close to the Falls and couldn't be happier.

Our family, OTOH, prefers a more urban vibe and favors use of public transportation for easier access to DC. We elected for the Bethesda area for these reasons. No way would I want that commute up to the beltway along two-lane Georgetown Pike every day. But that's me, and other families feel it's a fair trade off for the country charm and open spaces of Great Falls.

We love Great Falls for the reasons cited above. Beautiful, big lots, rural feeling, small town feel. There are some "traditional" neighborhoods with smaller lots and homes closer together, as well, south of the village center. Lots of people who don't use the public schools send kids to MD schools--it's not much farther than Langley HS. As to the commute, it depends on which side of Great Falls you live on. East of village center is closer to Mclean and Tyson's. The further west you go, the more likely you are to use Reston or Dulles Town Center for shopping, doctors, etc. Going to DC is a chore even from the east end. The plus side is you are quite close to Dulles if you travel a lot for work (as one of us does). BTW hardly anyone I know actually owns horses! Easy access to Great Falls and Riverbend parks is another plus if you enjoy walks in the woods on the weekends. Being on well and septic has not been an issue for us, but the power outages can be a huge pain. Many people get big generators; you may want to factor that into your housing budget.

It's really pretty. Nice houses, rural feel, great schools. Love that people have enough space there for horses.

The commute is the killer. Both Leesburg Pike and Georgetown Pike have a ton of traffic. I feel like all the development in eastern Loudoun and Herndon really screwed Great Falls because it turned 30-40 minute commutes into DC for Great Falls residents into 60-90 minute commutes. If I had a high paying job in Reston, it would be a great place to live. But I work in DC and I'm just not willing to spend that much time in a car.

There is a glut of homes you can get your pick

I love great falls. If I had the $ Id move there in a hearbeat!

If I'm going to live in an area as expensive as DC, I want the benefits of living near a major city, namely, ease of access to the city. I'd hate living in a place where it was such a trek just to get downtown for dinner (whereas Arlington is perfect for this). If your job can only be done in DC but you really want more of a light surburban/rural feel and don't care about recreational access to the city, Great Falls is fine.

Anonymous wrote:Fairly isolated, lots of traffic, big lots, rural feel, no neighborhood feel and lots of rich people.

+1

And this bad how? Great alternative to McLean or Arlington, where the houses are much too close together for most people I know. People seem much more down to earth, and more concerned with themselves than others. Some own horses. I don't see how that would be a negative, unless you really hate animals for some reason. Lots of pools. The country club is a great alternative to the neighborhood pools you see in some communities. Where would your commute be, OP? That might be a drawback.

Wow- ok. We live in GF and wouldn't live anywhere else. It's a small town feel with beautiful homes and friendly people. Great public schools with close access to private schools like Potomac, Langley, Nysmith. Easy drive to Reston, Mclean and Tysons.

Expect several friends to have kids who own horses. The commute to high school is very long. Riverbend CC is popular and nice. Lots of families use private schools. Few traditional neighborhoods. Big homes but they aren't usually worth much more than smaller homes closer in. Well and Septic are standard. Power outages are fairly expected during storms. There are soccer and Lacrosse clubs. Expect to drive a lot. The few restaurants there get old.

Fairly isolated, lots of traffic, big lots, rural feel, no neighborhood feel and lots of rich people.

Is there a thread on this already? We are debating - Why or why not move there?