North Arlington (Tuckahoe, McLean, Herndon: apartment, house, neighborhoods)

[gtownorbust]

So, I continue to research areas for relocation and after some looking around have narrowed our list to North Arlington, Bethesda/Chevy Chase area, and McLean. A few people have given me info about the Maryland suburbs, and I know a little bit about McLean too. However I'm less knowledgable about North Arlington. The other night I drove around and liked a lot of what I saw, but I have some questions I'm hoping some people here might be able to answer:

I work about 3 blocks from Union Station, near Capitol Hill. Right now I'm staying temporarily in Great Falls and finding the commute to be brutal. This is giving me a greater appreciation of living closer in. I don't mind driving but the option of a Metro stop within a mile or so of home is very appealing. I know the commute from N. Arlington would be a major improvement -- does a trip time of 45-60 minutes during rush hour sound about right? Currently it often takes me 2+ hrs to get to/from Great Falls -- this is just nuts IMHO.

I've researched the schools and would prefer Yorktown district. My kids will be in middle and high school. I know Yorktown has a very good reputation, but if anyone's had recent experiences to share that would be great.

Our housing budget tops out at 700's for a 3/4 bedroom SFH or TH -- we'd ideally like something that won't be a fixer upper (we've already done that in our current c. 1915 home in NJ). I do understand that there isn't much new housing stock in Arlington, but is it realistic to hope for an expanded and renovated cape or something similar?

I've heard it said that the DC area has a lot of people who are only here for a few years. Does this mean there's not too much of a sense of community in North Arlington, or are there places with more of a "neighborhood" feel? Is there a mix of political views and how diverse is N. Arlington culturally?

What are the downsides to living in N. Arlington, if any?

Thanks to all who can help me with this big decision!

[lindy112]

My aunt and uncle live in N. Arlington in the Overlee Knolls neighborhood and love it. They bought their house in '83 and have done massive renovations on it over the years (although it's still on the small side). I would say it's probably worth in the low $700K now. They have a very close neighborhood with multiple get-togethers throughout the year. They love being able to walk to the shops at Westover and, normally, walk to the East Falls metro station for work everyday. They don't have kids so I don't know what school district they're in.

[statecollege]

I can't speak much to MD, but the Yorktown school district is not much different than McLean in many ways and an easier commute, given Metro access. Arlington as a whole is very diverse and liberal in its politics. (B/CC has a Democrat majority from my following of elections around here.) I suspect, however, the closer to McLean you get, the less diverse and more conservative residents will be. The area is more transient than perhaps most parts of the country, but it's not like your neighbors will be turning over every 3 yrs. SFH homeowners will be more stable than apartment dwellers. The sense of community is gained from participating in school functions and local youth sports clubs and reaching out to neighbors. Not much different than anywhere else, and I've lived in rural and suburban locations.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by statecollege

I can't speak much to MD, but the Yorktown school district is not much different than McLean in many ways and an easier commute, given Metro access. Arlington as a whole is very diverse and liberal in its politics. (B/CC has a Democrat majority from my following of elections around here.) I suspect, however, the closer to McLean you get, the less diverse and more conservative residents will be. The area is more transient than perhaps most parts of the country, but it's not like your neighbors will be turning over every 3 yrs. SFH homeowners will be more stable than apartment dwellers. The sense of community is gained from participating in school functions and local youth sports clubs and reaching out to neighbors. Not much different than anywhere else, and I've lived in rural and suburban locations.

I don't think there's a big difference between the North Arlington neighborhoods that feed into Yorktown HS and the adjacent areas of McLean and West Falls Church that feed into McLean HS. They match up pretty evenly on a number of fronts.

FYI - The areas in Arlington that are closest to the Orange Line generally feed into Washington-Lee HS, rather than Yorktown, except for the area right around Court House/Rosslyn, which does feed into Yorktown.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000...ighschools.pdf

If you want to live in Virginia and drive to DC, North Arlington is as good as it gets. If you want to take the Metro, I'm not sure living in parts of West Falls Church or McLean near the WFC Metro station (which has a large parking lot and garage) isn't easier than living in many parts of the Yorktown district in Arlington, since you have to find a way to get to the Metro stations and the stations in Arlington don't have large dedicated lots. Maybe others can chime in as to whether adjacent private buildings allow parking.

[Smoke_Jaguar4]

$700K zoned for Yorktown won't buy you much (welcome to Arlington!). You really can't go wrong in any of the Arlington high schools (Washington Lee, Wakefield), but judging from your description you will probably be more comfortable in W-L. We just moved into Glen Carlin and love it. This is the oldest historic neighborhood in Arlington, built on land that was owned by George Washington. We are zoned for W-L, have our own neighborhood library, are surrounded by a park with a nature center. Homes here run between $500-$650K. Otherwise there are many other homes in your price range in N. Arlington.

If you work near Capitol Hill and Union Station, they you'll want to live near the Orange Line in Arlington. Your commute will be around 30 minutes, depending on which stop you're near.

Downsides: There are no real downsides to living in Arlington. Some complain about the cost of living, but once you factor in commuting costs and time, it's actually cheaper to live closer in.

[RUSDC]

2hrs from great falls to dc? I go from Herndon to downtown in one hour
Are you taking gw parkway?

[Blanca29]

te=RUSDC;20898809]2hrs from great falls to dc? I go from Herndon to downtown in one hour
Are you taking gw parkway?[/quote]

how do you do that? I'm in Vienna, work in DC and can't make it home in less than 1.25-1.5 hours if I leave between 5 - 5:30 pm

[claremarie]

We spent ten years in North Arlington, in the Sycamore Gardens neighborhood near O'Connell High School. I walked to the EFC Metro (3/4 mile), and the door to door transit time to my office near McPherson Square was about 50 minutes. Son walked to Tuckahoe ES; both Williamsburg and Yorktown were less than 8 minutes by car. Overlee Pool was terrific and very close by, though not within walking distance. The W&OD bike path is within easy biking distance -- you can also bike to the Metro. You are close to DC and Ballston but there is minimal traffic in doing day to day errands to grocery store, etc. Lots of renovated colonials in the area, though your price range would probably be on the lower end for those. Really, a very convenient area with lots of interesting people, and a nice mix of longtime residents and transients. The un-renovated homes are mostly 3 BR 1.5 BA, with yards on the small side and few garages. But you are paying for the short and relatively painless commute and the great school system, not for house square footage or large yard. Zip code 22213.

[gtownorbust]

Originally Posted by RUSDC

2hrs from great falls to dc? I go from Herndon to downtown in one hour
Are you taking gw parkway?

Yes. But I find the worst traffic is on the Georgetown Pike getting out of Great Falls -- it's even worse since flooding washed out several of the bridges.

[gtownorbust]

Originally Posted by claremarie

We spent ten years in North Arlington, in the Sycamore Gardens neighborhood near O'Connell High School. I walked to the EFC Metro (3/4 mile), and the door to door transit time to my office near McPherson Square was about 50 minutes. Son walked to Tuckahoe ES; both Williamsburg and Yorktown were less than 8 minutes by car. Overlee Pool was terrific and very close by, though not within walking distance. The W&OD bike path is within easy biking distance -- you can also bike to the Metro. You are close to DC and Ballston but there is minimal traffic in doing day to day errands to grocery store, etc. Lots of renovated colonials in the area, though your price range would probably be on the lower end for those. Really, a very convenient area with lots of interesting people, and a nice mix of longtime residents and transients. The un-renovated homes are mostly 3 BR 1.5 BA, with yards on the small side and few garages. But you are paying for the short and relatively painless commute and the great school system, not for house square footage or large yard. Zip code 22213.

I really like this area -- I saw some smaller homes near there going in my price range. I'd really like 2 bathrooms -- we're coming from a much larger home and have 2 teenagers -- three if you count my one in college!

A question about zip codes...can you rely on these to tell you what school district you're in or are the boundaries split between zip codes? I know 22207, 22205, and 22213 are the ones I see most often that go to Yorktown. Are there others?