Lake Barcroft? Nice place to live? (Arlington, McLean: home, neighborhood, middle school)

[DC resident]

Whats the skinny on Lake Barcroft? Schools? Commute to DC? Metro? Raising kids/Family Friendly? How does it compare to N. Arlington and the City of Fall Church?

Love the mid-century modern architecture.

[claremarie]

Lake Barcroft is unfortunately located between Seven Corners and the Bailey's Crossroads area of Fairfax County, both of which have increasingly become home to many low-income immigrants, both legal and illegal. The schools serving this area get mixed reviews, especially Stuart, the high school, and it's my impression that many families in the Lake Barcroft community sent their kids to private schools, such as the nearby Congressional School and Bishop O'Connell HS. As for the commute to DC, it's not too bad once you figure out the back roads to avoid Seven Corners.

[novanative75]

It is a nice area and I think someplace that people are moving into and fixing up. However, if you have kids, be forewarned, that is the WORST section of Fairfax County to live in as far as schools. Jeb Stuart High School is worst in the county and a hotspot for gang activity.

[rhietala]

Originally Posted by DC resident

Whats the skinny on Lake Barcroft? Schools? Commute to DC? Metro? Raising kids/Family Friendly? How does it compare to N. Arlington and the City of Fall Church?

Love the mid-century modern architecture.

It's a great neighborhood. It's an enclave of serenity and beauty that's unusual so near a big city. It's located only 7 miles from the center of Washington. One potential problem: the neighborhood is not well served by public transportation.
The schools are mixed. Sleepy Hollow Elementary has been terrific. Glasgow Middle School was really poor for us. Jeb Stuart did not do the job for us either, but the programs and education available at Stuart are good. There is a gang culture at Stuart, but if your kid is not attracted to gangs, the school may serve the kid well.
Another negative: the Architectural Review in Lake Barcroft is something you would do better without.

[saganista]

It will be interesting to see what happens to Lake Barcroft if and as the Columbia Pike Transit Corridor goes in as planned. It is a naturally terrific area, and with proximity to public transit, I could see it moving a few rungs up the ladder pretty quickly...

[FranklyRE]

Hey DC,
I grew up in McLean with grandparents that owned a place on Lake Barcroft with a boat. I currently have alerts set up to tell me if a place opens up on the water.

Are you considering a place ON the lake itself? This area, with the beaches, is a little paradise. People drive 3 hours to get to a beach, but there are 4 here (only for residents).

Moderator cut: sig removed

[FC2CLT]

unless it has change a whole lot in the last 3 years, its not even close to the same level as FC city. i was raised in FC and went through the school system k-12. good small schools (i had 90-some in my graduating class) and i remember kids whose parents paid tuition for them to attend but beware that it is very cliquish. overall great small town feel and was a cool place to grow up. of course things may have changed.

and as far as commuting, FC has 2 metro stops which would make getting into DC a breeze.

[FC2CLT]

you know i lived in FCC for 25 years and never actually saw the lake. just been through the area a bunch

[car54]

There are late 60's VW bugs on the bottom of Lake Barcroft! VW launched an ill-fated ad campaign that was intended to show how tight the venerable bug was....and how s l o w l y it would sink if it were to end up in the drink.

Within hours, bugs were stolen nationwide and driven into rivers, lakes, etc.....including Lake Barcroft.

We saw the muddy hulks in '72, when Hurricane Agnes broke the Barcroft dam and drained the lake (right now!)....

All the hydraulic parts you can see from Columbia Pike nowadays were part of the the repairs to the dam after Agnes.


PS: Whoever it was that said Lake Barcroft is a "fixer-upper" neighborhood is NUTS!!!!

[barryhussein]

If the Federal Governement would actually do something about the illegals, it would once again be a great area. Still, it is quite nice, and extremely proximate to DC. If you left a little early, you could make it in 15 minutes. You also may want to consider Buffalo Ridge, which is 22044 zip code. It has a Falls Church address, but is located in the county. Some of the lots are close to a half an acre. There is a fire station very near; so there will be some sirens.