Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a McLean SFH as a childfree couple.

Why though

Safe, well-behaved families around, short commute to work, tons open space, beautiful well-manicured homes, no risk of home values plummeting, don’t have share a wall with someone or be a stone’s throw from them and lastly, a big house to entertain friends/our parents/nieces/nephews/coworkers/neighbors.

Anonymous wrote:How is North Arlington more walkable than McLean? Don't see the difference.

The walkable part of North Arlington is the area along Wilson or Clarendon Boulevards from Rosslyn to Ballston. The walkable part of McLean is the area near the main Chain Bridge/Old Dominion intersection. Most parts of North Arlington and McLean aren't really walkable, but the parts of the North Arlington that are walkable have more of an urban feel (more restaurants & bars).

Anonymous wrote:We live in a McLean SFH as a childfree couple.

Why though

Anonymous wrote:How is North Arlington more walkable than McLean? Don't see the difference.

It isn't. So many people talk about walkability in larger areas like Arlington, Alexandria, Vienna, McLean... but the truth is it really boils down to where exactly you live in each. Saying any of these are better than the other in terms of walkability is pointless.

There are geographically smaller/denser locations like Falls Church City where a blanket statement like that might have some legs to stand on, but the above areas all include tons of neighborhoods where there really isn't much of anything to walk to.

How is North Arlington more walkable than McLean? Don't see the difference.

Serious reply here OP. We choose McLean for 1) the public schools, 2) the location, 3) more square feet of living space.

Stats: Family of 4. HHI is ~$450K. Our home cost $1.1M 4.5 years ago - and very similar homes on our street are now selling for $1.5M now. I realize the story is the same elsewhere, but from an investment standpoint we are in a highly competitive zip code (22101) for housing/land.

Schools were important because where we lived before the schools were ranked terribly (the GS score for the HS was 2/10!).

Location was key as we work in DC and Crystal City. Where we live in McLean we can get to Tysons/495 very quickly, to the GW pkwy quickly, and other arteries to cut across Arlington or head outside the beltway. And we went from a 2,700 sq ft home to 4,000 sq ft. Slightly under 1/3 acre lot. Great neighborhood, very safe, no traffic passes thru to other places, there are a good number of retirees as PPs noted, but also consultants, a few doctors, CIA folks, and government workers.

The image of McLean that we read about on DCUM is far from what we've experienced. We have friends must make close to $1M and others that just don't - and no one cares. We have great neighbors, the retirees treat our children so kindly, and there aren't a ton of kids, but enough to find/make several friends. Most of Mclean isn't walkable, but most of our week is booked with sports practices and games, and other get togethers with family and friends anyway. McLean definitely needs revitalization downtown, but for now it has everything we need and its super convenient. We can also be in Tyson's in ~7 minutes or FCC or Mosaic in ~10 minutes if we want to shop/dine/walkaround. Clearly McLean isn't for everyone, but we have no regrets. We also considered parts of Vienna but the commute would have been too long for our preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in north Arlington in a 2m dollar home. Our kids go to private- but really APS sucks so there is no real option.

I would move to McLean for public schools and in the 3m-4m home range if we could. But we cannot afford that.

Arlington works for an urban feel and best Virginia commute. Houses are expensive and you cannot have the land you get in McLean- but the trade offs are really at the upper end for a really nice house to live in a boring suburb with good public schools or live in a more modest house in more fun area and pay for private.

2m home in mclean, public schools and super boring area do not add up for us.
3-4m home in mclean, public schools and super boring place are more appealing.

are you saying 2m home in Mclean is too crappy to compare to your 2m in Arlington? I am confused. Are you going to be happy to forgo access to your favorite urban amenities as long as you can afford a big resort-like luxury mcMansion?

Yes. If we could have land and a pool in McLean we would readily leave north Arlington and suffer the suburbs. But that bill is 2x our home (4m) for us to leave the energy of walking to every l thing.

We are not poor, but 2m in McLean does not go very far.

I want to see this N.Arlington 2 mil house that's supposedly way better than a 2m house in Mclean.. Maybe by "better" you mean having denser urban vibe and every amenity and transit nearby? The house itself cannot possibly be nicer, N.Arlington is more expensive per sq.ft than Mclean as are premium areas of DC. And if your goal is to have a larger lot and a pool, you can get it in Mclean for your price, but this won't be a 10K sq.ft brand new mcMansion. I doubt your current home in N.Arlington that's worth 2m is any better and more spacious than the 2m 30-year old home with a bigger lot and a pool in Mclean. Seems like you just love where you live, and nothing suburbia is going to offer to you is going to matter.

I do not see what is so complex about this. A 2m home in n Arlington is not the same a 2m home in McLean. A 2m home in McLean with a nice lot is borderline tear down (a little exaggeration).
McLean is boring. Arlington is not boring.

A 4m home in McLean is typically a pretty damn nice house. I would give up n Arlington, send kids to public schools in McLean for a nicer McLean house. Which is out of our price range.
But living in a more basic McLean house for 2m, in stated boring area is not worth the above average public schools.
So to ops post, no - not everyone who could live in McLean does for the schools.

Above post is ridiculous. Drive down Old Dominion and the only way you know it's ARL and not FX-Mclean is a little sign and ARL has cute streetlights.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in north Arlington in a 2m dollar home. Our kids go to private- but really APS sucks so there is no real option.

I would move to McLean for public schools and in the 3m-4m home range if we could. But we cannot afford that.

Arlington works for an urban feel and best Virginia commute. Houses are expensive and you cannot have the land you get in McLean- but the trade offs are really at the upper end for a really nice house to live in a boring suburb with good public schools or live in a more modest house in more fun area and pay for private.

2m home in mclean, public schools and super boring area do not add up for us.
3-4m home in mclean, public schools and super boring place are more appealing.

are you saying 2m home in Mclean is too crappy to compare to your 2m in Arlington? I am confused. Are you going to be happy to forgo access to your favorite urban amenities as long as you can afford a big resort-like luxury mcMansion?

Yes. If we could have land and a pool in McLean we would readily leave north Arlington and suffer the suburbs. But that bill is 2x our home (4m) for us to leave the energy of walking to every l thing.

We are not poor, but 2m in McLean does not go very far.

I want to see this N.Arlington 2 mil house that's supposedly way better than a 2m house in Mclean.. Maybe by "better" you mean having denser urban vibe and every amenity and transit nearby? The house itself cannot possibly be nicer, N.Arlington is more expensive per sq.ft than Mclean as are premium areas of DC. And if your goal is to have a larger lot and a pool, you can get it in Mclean for your price, but this won't be a 10K sq.ft brand new mcMansion. I doubt your current home in N.Arlington that's worth 2m is any better and more spacious than the 2m 30-year old home with a bigger lot and a pool in Mclean. Seems like you just love where you live, and nothing suburbia is going to offer to you is going to matter.

I do not see what is so complex about this. A 2m home in n Arlington is not the same a 2m home in McLean. A 2m home in McLean with a nice lot is borderline tear down (a little exaggeration).
McLean is boring. Arlington is not boring.

A 4m home in McLean is typically a pretty damn nice house. I would give up n Arlington, send kids to public schools in McLean for a nicer McLean house. Which is out of our price range.
But living in a more basic McLean house for 2m, in stated boring area is not worth the above average public schools.
So to ops post, no - not everyone who could live in McLean does for the schools.

Our neighborhood in McLean has many people living in $2-3.5M houses who moved from Arlington for more space and better schools (either the public schools or easier access to private schools).

To say you are idiosyncratic is putting it mildly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I commute to dc once a week and live in central mclean. It’s still 50 minutes each way leaving at 8am taking GW parkway. 35 with no traffic.

I guess that’s better than what it would be from outside the beltway.

I was wondering why people are claiming a short commute.

People who can afford nice houses in Mclean do not "commute" They don't care what it takes during the rush hour. They go to DC for leisure mostly, or if they go there for business, they have flexibility to travel outside of rush hour, which is 20 min

This is probably the weirdest thing I have seen on this thread. I can think of 15 big law partners off the top of my head that live in Mclean and commute into dc.

The troll thinks the one guy he knows that visits dc for “leisurely” business meetings applies to everyone in McLean.

IDK, I always assume people who live in huge mcMansions costing multiple millions must be rich, e.g. not high income only, but also having significant NW. There are less expensive parts of Mclean, and townhome apartment communities as well. I was making a point that there are many affluent people who don't necessarily work regular business hours jobs. And many people these days work remotely anyway regardless of income at least part time, it's become more of a norm.

Also, Didn't say "leisurely meetings", I referred to 2 reasons people drive to DC: work, e.g bus meetings and leisure (dining, entertainment, shopping, visiting others)

Ok, and you thought wrong. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I didn't think wrong, I stated my personal observations and experience knowing people who live in the area. It happens that your personal experiences/observations are different. Doesn't make one of us wrong/right. Nobody on my immediate street commutes during rush hour. I WAH and my office faces the street, I see who is coming and going.

It’s getting hard to track what the reasons are for not commuting.

They are too wealthy to need to commute on a schedule, they telework regularly because that’s the norm now?

I go in once a week but there’s lots of dentists doctors lawyers on my street that go in everyday. Maybe your street is unique.

A 2M house in McLean is not borderline tear down. A 1M house is. Go back and do more research.

Most houses in Arlington are old and need to be torn down.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in north Arlington in a 2m dollar home. Our kids go to private- but really APS sucks so there is no real option.

I would move to McLean for public schools and in the 3m-4m home range if we could. But we cannot afford that.

Arlington works for an urban feel and best Virginia commute. Houses are expensive and you cannot have the land you get in McLean- but the trade offs are really at the upper end for a really nice house to live in a boring suburb with good public schools or live in a more modest house in more fun area and pay for private.

2m home in mclean, public schools and super boring area do not add up for us.
3-4m home in mclean, public schools and super boring place are more appealing.

are you saying 2m home in Mclean is too crappy to compare to your 2m in Arlington? I am confused. Are you going to be happy to forgo access to your favorite urban amenities as long as you can afford a big resort-like luxury mcMansion?

Yes. If we could have land and a pool in McLean we would readily leave north Arlington and suffer the suburbs. But that bill is 2x our home (4m) for us to leave the energy of walking to every l thing.

We are not poor, but 2m in McLean does not go very far.

I want to see this N.Arlington 2 mil house that's supposedly way better than a 2m house in Mclean.. Maybe by "better" you mean having denser urban vibe and every amenity and transit nearby? The house itself cannot possibly be nicer, N.Arlington is more expensive per sq.ft than Mclean as are premium areas of DC. And if your goal is to have a larger lot and a pool, you can get it in Mclean for your price, but this won't be a 10K sq.ft brand new mcMansion. I doubt your current home in N.Arlington that's worth 2m is any better and more spacious than the 2m 30-year old home with a bigger lot and a pool in Mclean. Seems like you just love where you live, and nothing suburbia is going to offer to you is going to matter.

I do not see what is so complex about this. A 2m home in n Arlington is not the same a 2m home in McLean. A 2m home in McLean with a nice lot is borderline tear down (a little exaggeration).
McLean is boring. Arlington is not boring.

A 4m home in McLean is typically a pretty damn nice house. I would give up n Arlington, send kids to public schools in McLean for a nicer McLean house. Which is out of our price range.
But living in a more basic McLean house for 2m, in stated boring area is not worth the above average public schools.
So to ops post, no - not everyone who could live in McLean does for the schools.

Anonymous wrote:Would a high-earning, early 20s couple be welcome in McLean?

Why would they want to, unless they’re planning to have kids soon? They would be better off in Clarendon or DC,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I commute to dc once a week and live in central mclean. It’s still 50 minutes each way leaving at 8am taking GW parkway. 35 with no traffic.

I guess that’s better than what it would be from outside the beltway.

I was wondering why people are claiming a short commute.

People who can afford nice houses in Mclean do not "commute" They don't care what it takes during the rush hour. They go to DC for leisure mostly, or if they go there for business, they have flexibility to travel outside of rush hour, which is 20 min

This is probably the weirdest thing I have seen on this thread. I can think of 15 big law partners off the top of my head that live in Mclean and commute into dc.

The troll thinks the one guy he knows that visits dc for “leisurely” business meetings applies to everyone in McLean.

IDK, I always assume people who live in huge mcMansions costing multiple millions must be rich, e.g. not high income only, but also having significant NW. There are less expensive parts of Mclean, and townhome apartment communities as well. I was making a point that there are many affluent people who don't necessarily work regular business hours jobs. And many people these days work remotely anyway regardless of income at least part time, it's become more of a norm.

Also, Didn't say "leisurely meetings", I referred to 2 reasons people drive to DC: work, e.g bus meetings and leisure (dining, entertainment, shopping, visiting others)

Ok, and you thought wrong. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I didn't think wrong, I stated my personal observations and experience knowing people who live in the area. It happens that your personal experiences/observations are different. Doesn't make one of us wrong/right. Nobody on my immediate street commutes during rush hour. I WAH and my office faces the street, I see who is coming and going.

I agree PP. I live in McLean and it seems that so many of my neighbors work from home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I commute to dc once a week and live in central mclean. It’s still 50 minutes each way leaving at 8am taking GW parkway. 35 with no traffic.

I guess that’s better than what it would be from outside the beltway.

I was wondering why people are claiming a short commute.

People who can afford nice houses in Mclean do not "commute" They don't care what it takes during the rush hour. They go to DC for leisure mostly, or if they go there for business, they have flexibility to travel outside of rush hour, which is 20 min

This is probably the weirdest thing I have seen on this thread. I can think of 15 big law partners off the top of my head that live in Mclean and commute into dc.

The troll thinks the one guy he knows that visits dc for “leisurely” business meetings applies to everyone in McLean.

IDK, I always assume people who live in huge mcMansions costing multiple millions must be rich, e.g. not high income only, but also having significant NW. There are less expensive parts of Mclean, and townhome apartment communities as well. I was making a point that there are many affluent people who don't necessarily work regular business hours jobs. And many people these days work remotely anyway regardless of income at least part time, it's become more of a norm.

Also, Didn't say "leisurely meetings", I referred to 2 reasons people drive to DC: work, e.g bus meetings and leisure (dining, entertainment, shopping, visiting others)

Ok, and you thought wrong. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I didn't think wrong, I stated my personal observations and experience knowing people who live in the area. It happens that your personal experiences/observations are different. Doesn't make one of us wrong/right. Nobody on my immediate street commutes during rush hour. I WAH and my office faces the street, I see who is coming and going.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I commute to dc once a week and live in central mclean. It’s still 50 minutes each way leaving at 8am taking GW parkway. 35 with no traffic.

I guess that’s better than what it would be from outside the beltway.

I was wondering why people are claiming a short commute.

People who can afford nice houses in Mclean do not "commute" They don't care what it takes during the rush hour. They go to DC for leisure mostly, or if they go there for business, they have flexibility to travel outside of rush hour, which is 20 min

This is probably the weirdest thing I have seen on this thread. I can think of 15 big law partners off the top of my head that live in Mclean and commute into dc.

The troll thinks the one guy he knows that visits dc for “leisurely” business meetings applies to everyone in McLean.

IDK, I always assume people who live in huge mcMansions costing multiple millions must be rich, e.g. not high income only, but also having significant NW. There are less expensive parts of Mclean, and townhome apartment communities as well. I was making a point that there are many affluent people who don't necessarily work regular business hours jobs. And many people these days work remotely anyway regardless of income at least part time, it's become more of a norm.

Also, Didn't say "leisurely meetings", I referred to 2 reasons people drive to DC: work, e.g bus meetings and leisure (dining, entertainment, shopping, visiting others)

Ok, and you thought wrong. 🤷🏻‍♂️