Bethesda, Arlington or McLean (Fairfax, Wolf Trap: apartments, condos, how much)

[JMill]

What are the pros and cons of Bethesda, Arlington and McLean? Schools, commute, things to do, walkability, homes, people, etc.

[kevbros]

The three are more similar than different - close-in suburbs with good schools (three different systems, though). Arlington and Bethesda also have a walkable urban core with things to do. McLean does not. Most of all three is car-based suburbs, though. Bethesda is the most liberal of the three, McLean the most conservative. The tax burden is higher in Bethesda. All three are pricely. Of the three, I'd say housing is probably cheapest in Arlington. More ways to get into DC from Bethesda, but Arlington is actually closer. I'm sure others will chime in with more. Oh, and if you like electrical service, stay away from Bethesda!

[ACWhite]

I think if you compare apples-to-apples (e.g., 2 BR 2 Ba condos built at the same time with the same amenities), Arlington would be at least as expensive as the other two suburbs.

A larger proportion of the Arlington population is younger and is unmarried than for the other suburbs. Relative to McLean (I'm not sure about Bethesda) a larger proportion of the population in some neighborhoods (maybe overall) is Latino or Hispanic.

I'm not sure that the *overall* tax burden differs (though the structure of tax systems differ), though this depends on your income level, the car you have, how much you spend on on housing, etc.

McLean does not have the access to the metro that parts of Bethesda and Arlington have.

The pros and cons for you personally depend a lot on where you work, what you like to do, etc.

[michgc]

Bethesda and Arlington are more semi-urban, while McLean is more suburban. Bethesda and Arlington are more comparable to each other, in my opinion. Bethesda is more homogeneous race/ethnicity wise than Arlington. And without looking up stats, I'd guess Bethesda is more wealthy overall. There really are no lower-income parts of Bethesda, while Arlington has more of a mix of incomes.

I've lived in Bethesda, but never Arlington, so I cannot compare directly. I loved Bethesda for its walkability - to Metro, to restaurants, movies, bookstore, library, parks, bars, etc. It is a pretty extensive "downtown" for not being a city. On the other hand, there is a snobby vibe to it. Betehsda seems more "Northeastern USA" to me.

Arlington seems to have a several "downtown" areas like Clarendon and Ballston, but it's not one big centralized "downtown" like Bethesda has. It seems more scattered.

Both have Metro access to downtown but to different parts of downtown. Both have bike trails.

As mentioned, McLean is more suburban. It's more carcentric. It's also very wealthy.

Can you give us more details on what you are looking for and where you are working? It might help us make some suggestions.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by JMill

What are the pros and cons of Bethesda, Arlington and McLean? Schools, commute, things to do, walkability, homes, people, etc.

Schools - all good. Bethesda, McLean and North Arlington schools are very similar. South Arlington schools have considerably more low-income students and more Hispanics and fewer whites than Bethesda, McLean or North Arlington schools. One difference in the schools is that Fairfax County (where McLean is located) has placed more importance in recent decades on having specialized programs for "advanced" or "gifted" students than Arlington County, which has a reputation as having a lower-key, friendlier school system or Montgomery County (where Bethesda is located). Some people like that and move to Fairfax specifically for the schools; others don't and feel the "gifted" programs in Fairfax need to be scaled back.

Commutes - depends on where you need to go. Bethesda and Arlington are closer than McLean to DC, but McLean puts you right between DC and Tysons, the region's two largest job markets.

Things to do/walkability - if you want a semi-urban, largely car-free lifestyle, you can live in parts (but not all) of either Bethesda and Arlington, but not McLean. McLean will get a Metro station next year, but it's in the business area near Tysons and not within walking distance of most McLean residential neighborhoods. All offer a "car-light" lifestyle compared to some suburbs further out, in the sense that you don't need to drive long distances to get most places you want to go. Arlington and Bethesda are closer to DC restaurants and museums than McLean; McLean is closer to Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center and the Patriot Center at George Mason University.

Homes - Arlington may be the most expensive of all three on a per square foot basis, but typical homes in McLean and Bethesda will be larger and more expensive than those in the Arlington zip codes.

People - Mostly white-collar professionals. Arlington skews considerably younger than Bethesda or McLean because of all the condos/apartments along the Orange and Blue Lines. McLean is more conservative than Arlington or Bethesda, but it still votes Democratic in most local and national elections (Great Falls, to the northwest of McLean, is more Republican territory). Bethesda has a larger Jewish population than Arlington or McLean. McLean has the largest Asian population of the three.