Questions about Oakton (Annandale, McLean, Fairfax: lawyers, homes, neighborhood)

[kev2]

Moving to Oakton area this summer, and could use some advice from the community on a few things:

1) Preschools in Oakton, close to Vale Road...any recommendations of good programs, or schools to avoid? I am looking for half day programs, only.

2) Commuting routes from Oakton to Silver Spring, Maryland...yes, I know it is crazy, but I love my job! Does anyone know of some magical short cuts? One option would be to take Hunter Mill Road up to the Dulles Toll Road to catch the beltway, but this is just from looking at a map, and have not driven it yet. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Denton56]

Why are you moving to Oakton if you work in Silver Spring?!

Your route is about the best one I can think of, unless you are moving close to rt 66 and could take that to the beltway. It's probably 6 of one, half a dozen of another.

[CaseyMac]

First, let me say good for you to choose one of our best areas in VA and stay loyal. Oakton is one of the best places in the nation to raise a kid in my opinion and good for you to move heaven and earth to do that.

You could take Hunter Mill to the Toll Road. But if you want to bypass the whole toll thing, I'd see if there was a way to connect with Georgetown Pike or something and pick the Beltway up closer to the bridge.

[athousandlogins]

A friend of mine has her son in preschool at the Okaton United Methodist Church. It's a Christian school but not particularly hardcore (my friend and her family are not religious). Anyway, they're happy with it. I'm not sure of the exact hours, but it's something like 9-12.

[terrence81]

Yeah that's going to be a commute. I was out in Silver Spring a couple weeks ago and it took 30 minutes to get back to Oakton on a Saturday without traffic. Is your job near the metro? My job isn't near the metro and it would take longer for me to get to work than driving because of having to catch the bus. But always look at your options. I googled the route and it said 1 hour and 10 minutes with traffic. So please be aware what you're getting yourself into. Although I agree with everyone else. Oakton is great.

What about 123/Chain bridge to Tysons then get on 495? I know 123 is pretty backed up in the afternoons but I'm thinking that traffic is unavoidable because so many people work in Tysons. The key to finding the right route to work is try different ones and see which one works the best. Either way good luck and welcome to Oakton.

[kev2]

Thanks for the welcome, and advice! I currently live in the Annandale/Fairfax area of VA, and I love my neighborhood/schools, but we are looking for more space (and I really like the feel of Oakton). I have been driving to Silver Spring from various parts of VA for 15 years, now, and have always been able to find some back roads that get me further north on the beltway. I also try to work slightly off hours (although I do not know that there is such a thing around here anymore!) and do not have to go into the office every day. Looking forward to following up on suggestions!

[saganista]

Both 66-East and 123-North are a mess getting to the Beltway in the morning. Those are two things it would be best to avoid entirely. The Toll Road would work better, though it can be a rough go as well. If you like the back roads sort of approach, here's a variant of an alternative that I use when I have to get into Tysons during the morning rush.

Take Vale Road into Vienna. It becomes Malcolm Road. 45-degree right onto West Street, then right onto Lawyers Road, left onto Wilmar Place, right onto Center Street, left onto Church Street, right onto Park Street, cross 123 then left onto Locust Street, then right on Branch Road, left onto Echols Street, left onto Niblick Drive, right onto the other Echols Street, right onto Wolftrap Road, left onto Woodford Road, left at the light onto Old Courthouse Road, then merge right onto 123-North and whiz over the hill past Tysons and onto 495 while all the trafiic sits in the huge giant mega-backup at the light that you just zig-zagged around. Sounds a little weird, but this cuts my morning rush-hour time into Tysons almost in half, plus there's the sanity and blood-pressure factors to consider. Anyway, worth a thought...

[camer]

[quote=CaseyMac;8674409]First, let me say good for you to choose one of our best areas in VA and stay loyal. Oakton is one of the best places in the nation to raise a kid in my opinion and good for you to move heaven and earth to do that.

I'm glad I'm on the right track......been investigating various DC communities and have decided to zero in on Oakton and McLean.

Have any thoughts on Oakton High School vs Langley High School?

[camer]

Originally Posted by terrence81

....... Although I agree with everyone else. Oakton is great........Either way good luck and welcome to Oakton.

We're looking @ Oakton as well. Of all the DC communities I have been checking out on-line (from Newton, MA), Oakton and McLean are at the top of the list. May I have your opinion on both communities? Especially about Oakton HS and Langley HS. Thank you.

[saganista]

Between the two, McLean is the older, wealthier, and more established community, and it has closer ties to DC than Oakton. Diplomats live in McLean, Supreme Court Justices live in McLean, at least one former and usually snarling Vice President lives in McLean. The area was already pretty much built out by 1960. Lots of very nice homes on ample but not large lots. McLean is right next door to the world-class shopping and dining of the Tysons Corner area. Oakton meanwhile was still orchards and farmland when McLean was already what it is today, but most (and maybe now all) of the larger landholdings have been subdivided into mostly upscale homes on rather generous lots. The arirval of Metro (in neighboring Vienna) made DC easily reachable and the Dulles Tech Corridor is in play as well. As you go north from downtown Oakton (I'm being generous with the word "downtown"), you get into wooded areas and eventually into Hunter Valley, some beautiful rolling woodlands with minimum 2-acre lots. Delightful but kind of pricey. Oakton is a short drive from Tysons Corner, but Fair Oaks Mall and Fair Lakes are nearby also. All in all, Oakton would be a little more country than McLean and a little less cosmopolitan, but both are wonderful areas with a great deal to offer. In the end, it would come down to feel and personal preference as much as anything else, I would think...