So funny when McLean-bashers misspell McLean. Gives them away as know-nothings.

There are some really odd people who eventually flame any thread about McL. The last poster is particularly unstable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"To me, it's enough that people are generally courteous and civil, take good care of their homes, and help one another out in a pinch, all of which I've found to be the case in our part of 22101."

Assuming you don't move into the next George Zimmerman wannabe, inflated with a McLean sized ego, justified or not.

I think for over $1m, one would hope for better than the bare minimum from their neighbors, no?

One thing you might notice about most parts of McLean, OP, is that there are plenty of looky loos who will notice when you took a trip to CVS, but when someone breaks into your house....the sound of crickets......

Why are you sold on McLean, OP? I am curious, because it is not exactly known for the very basic definition of "down to earth" anything, nor are there many consistent sidewalks throughout most neighborhoods. These are just two examples of disappointments you may feel.

If all you care about is the schools, then I suppose it is the place for you. If you care about making loyal life long friends, you may be at a loss. This is not to discourage, only to warn.

Your weird posts are easily recognizable. Surprised it took you this long to show up this time.

No one keeps track of our comings and goings, nor has anyone ever broken into our home. I don't understand the odd George Zimmerman reference, either.

Some McLean neighborhoods have sidewalks; others don't. Ours does not, but it's tucked away near the center of McLean and there are always people out walking, biking and jogging through the neighborhood, often with kids or pets in tow.

What are you stammering on about now??!! Put down your alcohol and decide to get help, really.

OP, it appears that Mclean people might be a bit paranoid. You may want to rethink this.

Case in point. I would hate to out the above poster, but they may leave me no choice.

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!

Nothing aboit McLean is down to earth. NOTHING. Except makbe the fact that the majority of the town is as old as dirt. That is why "downtown" McLean is so incredibly lame.

Regardless, you can live anywhere there. All the schools are good. The parents will all be i their 50s when your kids hit elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:"To me, it's enough that people are generally courteous and civil, take good care of their homes, and help one another out in a pinch, all of which I've found to be the case in our part of 22101."

Assuming you don't move into the next George Zimmerman wannabe, inflated with a McLean sized ego, justified or not.

I think for over $1m, one would hope for better than the bare minimum from their neighbors, no?

One thing you might notice about most parts of McLean, OP, is that there are plenty of looky loos who will notice when you took a trip to CVS, but when someone breaks into your house....the sound of crickets......

Why are you sold on McLean, OP? I am curious, because it is not exactly known for the very basic definition of "down to earth" anything, nor are there many consistent sidewalks throughout most neighborhoods. These are just two examples of disappointments you may feel.

If all you care about is the schools, then I suppose it is the place for you. If you care about making loyal life long friends, you may be at a loss. This is not to discourage, only to warn.

Your weird posts are easily recognizable. Surprised it took you this long to show up this time.

No one keeps track of our comings and goings, nor has anyone ever broken into our home. I don't understand the odd George Zimmerman reference, either.

Some McLean neighborhoods have sidewalks; others don't. Ours does not, but it's tucked away near the center of McLean and there are always people out walking, biking and jogging through the neighborhood, often with kids or pets in tow.

"To me, it's enough that people are generally courteous and civil, take good care of their homes, and help one another out in a pinch, all of which I've found to be the case in our part of 22101."

Assuming you don't move into the next George Zimmerman wannabe, inflated with a McLean sized ego, justified or not.

I think for over $1m, one would hope for better than the bare minimum from their neighbors, no?

One thing you might notice about most parts of McLean, OP, is that there are plenty of looky loos who will notice when you took a trip to CVS, but when someone breaks into your house....the sound of crickets......

Why are you sold on McLean, OP? I am curious, because it is not exactly known for the very basic definition of "down to earth" anything, nor are there many consistent sidewalks throughout most neighborhoods. These are just two examples of disappointments you may feel.

If all you care about is the schools, then I suppose it is the place for you. If you care about making loyal life long friends, you may be at a loss. This is not to discourage, only to warn.

Anonymous wrote:

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."

This is incorrect information. We live just off Georgetown Pike by Langley High school. That's 22101. What schools are in 22102 that you seem to think are better?

And while I like it here, there is nothing down-to-earth about living in this part of McLean. Also, many, if not most, of the houses here are out of her price range.

I'm guessing the other poster was equating 22102 with the Langley pyramid and 22101 with the McLean pyramid, since most of 22102 feeds into Langley. All the McLean schools will be good. As "down to earth" is generally understood in these parts, the areas that feed into McLean HS are considered more down to earth than the areas that feed into Langley HS (more of an SES mix). But, in the $1.2-1.4M price range, it's probably easier to find something in McLean that feeds into Langley than into McLean. Most of the $1.2-1.4M neighborhoods that feed into McLean will be in Falls Church/22043 or Vienna/22182, whereas a lot of the houses in McLean that feed into McLean will be older homes that go for less than $1.2M or newer homes that go for more than $1.4M.

In any event, the OP would have plenty of options with her budget, whether in McLean or nearby areas, and the friendliness of one's neighbors can vary by block, by neighborhood, or by year - in other words, it's not something that really lends itself to easy characterizations or distinctions based on the north or south side of a road or a zip code. I think the best things about McLean are its location (very convenient) and the schools (very good), not the knock-your-socks-off friendliness of its residents. To me, it's enough that people are generally courteous and civil, take good care of their homes, and help one another out in a pinch, all of which I've found to be the case in our part of 22101.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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."

This is incorrect information. We live just off Georgetown Pike by Langley High school. That's 22101. What schools are in 22102 that you seem to think are better?

And while I like it here, there is nothing down-to-earth about living in this part of McLean. Also, many, if not most, of the houses here are out of her price range.

OP - stay on the other side of 123. That is where the nice people are.

That's absurd. See 16:35, too.

McLean Hamlet tops out at around $1.2M but for "family friendly," it's hard to beat. The "in the neighborhood" school and pool are huge attractions. If you want big rooms, newer construction, big yard, it won't work for you. One giant step up (for house, not neighborhood) would be McLean 100. I'd also check out Langley Oaks. These all feed to Langley HS.

I think you can guess quite a bit about how friendly and social a neighborhood is ahead of time. For example, if there are sidewalks and people walking and biking a lot, you tend to run into neighbors more often. Similarly, if there are ¼ acre or ½ acre lots it's more likely to be social than a neighborhood with 1 acre lots and very high end homes. Do you see any kids playing in the yards? Is anyone doing their own yard work and gardening? Stop and talk to some people and ask them if there are neighborhood parties, book clubs, Halloween parades, etc. You can learn a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

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."

This is incorrect information. We live just off Georgetown Pike by Langley High school. That's 22101. What schools are in 22102 that you seem to think are better?

And while I like it here, there is nothing down-to-earth about living in this part of McLean. Also, many, if not most, of the houses here are out of her price range.

OP - stay on the other side of 123. That is where the nice people are.

Anonymous wrote:This one just went on the market this week.

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

Very nice house. Will go quickly.

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Interestingly, I lived in CHesterbrook Woods/Chain Bridge Forest for 7 years. It's in OP's price range, and quite nice. However, I didn't find people particularly friendly/neighborly. Not bad, just not super friendly. We now live on the Langley side, in a significantly more expensive neighborhood--and the people are much friendlier and more down-to-earth. In their Teslas and Maseratis. (Not even kidding.) It's kind of bizarre, you'd think it would have been the other way around. Point being, just buy a house you like, you really won't know about the neighbors until you move in.

Good Luck, and welcome to McLean!

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."

This is incorrect information. We live just off Georgetown Pike by Langley High school. That's 22101. What schools are in 22102 that you seem to think are better?

And while I like it here, there is nothing down-to-earth about living in this part of McLean. Also, many, if not most, of the houses here are out of her price range.

Oh and at $1.2-$1.4 is you can definitely find a nice 5 bedroom in Langley Oaks or Hamlet.