Moving to McLean with 3 Boys (Arlington, Fairfax: apartments, townhouse, neighborhoods)

[aadriani]

We are researching a relocation from Chicago to the McLean area next summer. I work from home as a portfolio manager, so commute is not an issue. We would appreciate any help to narrow our search!Home price $1-2 million, but don't want more than we need.Amenities: 10-15 minutes to Whole Foods, Trader Joes. Boys, ages 12 and 9 are high level travel soccer players, so want to join an elite club in the area.Our third and oldest son will then be a freshman at high school, so Langley vs McLean comments as to type of atmosphere and student body makeup would be helpful. We also would like a nice fitness facility in the area. Somewhat of a downtown area with nice restaurants also a big plus.We are originally from the Netherlands, and would like an international flavor to our area, and would like our boys to be able to interact with those of international background as well. We also would like to be part of a neighborhood where we can take walks and bike around.We will be coming out in the fall to do our preliminary looking around, any help appreciated!

[Rest-on]

Both McLean and Langley high schools are excellent. My daughter will be going to McLean this coming year, and McLean may be the location that best suits your interests. There's something of town center there, with restaurants and shopping. There's quite a large international community too.

Feel free to email me if you any questions.

Good luck!

Chuck

[CaseyMac]

I think McLean would suit your needs well. That being said, you may find some areas of Upper Northwest Washington of interest as well. McLean does have the village center and there are some nice restaurants and all for sure. If you were to move into the District, private school would be a must, so I guess McLean is better if for nothing else that your kids would live close to their friends. Best of luck with your move and I'm sure you will find our winters to be much easier!

[FranklyRE]

aadriani
I grew up in McLean for 30 years.

My guess is that if you are ok with both school districts, it will come down to which homes you like better. For the most part the homes near Langley tend to be bigger and more expensive.

I suggest signing up for email alerts to start getting a feel for what is coming on the market. The best stuff sells fast and the overpriced homes just sit. As for bank homes, you might have one in that price range every 3 months.[b]

Moderator cut: sig removed

[g3org3]

There's a Whole Foods in Vienna, and I think there's a Trader Joe's in Falls Church; both less than 15 minutes from McLean.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Whole Foods and Trader Joes are right across the street from one another along Rt. 7. The address is Falls Church but it is very close to the McLean/Tysons area.

[claremarie]

I lived in McLean with three boys for more than 10 years. They are swimmers, but several of their friends have played travel soccer for years, and there are elite clubs of varying levels in the McLean/Great Falls area. There are a half-dozen neighborhood swim/tennis clubs (some with waiting lists) in the McLean area, with summer league swim, dive, and tennis teams for kids at all levels. Rec facilities are terrific -- the Spring Hill Recreation Center, which is part of the Fairfax County system, is 10-15 minutes from many McLean neighborhoods, and there are several private gyms/clubs in the area.
The international atmosphere is amazing. The families on our block were from Mexico, the UK, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India and Australia. Many "native" families have lived overseas on State Department postings. The local elementary schools are very welcoming to new students from overseas, and have extensive experience in appropriate placement for students coming from various international school systems.
My kids went to a Catholic school, but most of our neighbors sent their children to McLean HS. The usual stereotype of the Langley/McLean comparison is that Langley is richer, more arrogant, and has more problems with drugs. However, there are precious few "poor" kids at McLean; both schools are filled with ambitious, high-achieving students with demanding professional parents. The McLean boundary includes some apartments and townhouse communities (many housing international families) while Langley serves almost exclusively sfh communities. For whatever reason, the Langley sports teams tend to be much better than their McLean counterparts, if that is an important factor for you. Another consideration is that the Langley attendance area is geographically larger, and your son's friends might live in the far reaches of Great Falls rather than down the street.
Some neighborhoods in McLean are more conducive to walking/biking around than others. For example, Franklin Park is a gorgeous and heavily wooded community on the Arlington/McLean border, but the streets are narrow and windy and there are lots of hills.
McLean Hamlet is a popular choice for walkers, as one of the few communities with sidewalks. Some neighborhoods are really just enclaves of homes located off a major road, so walking/biking opportunities can be limited.
Trader Joe's/Whole Foods are about 15 minutes from many neighborhoods in McLean. Tyson's Corner is also very close by. The restaurants and other amenities in "downtown" McLean leave something to be desired, but the Ballston corridor is only minutes away, and you are not far from Bethesda and downtown DC, all of which offer nearly every international cuisine imaginable.
If you have any more questions, or would like the name of an excellent realtor who is very familiar with every neighborhood in McLean, feel free to send me a message. We just relocated to the midwest, not far from Chicago, so we are doing your move in reverse.