Opinion on Great Falls or McLean, VA...please

Great Falls is a nice area with good public schools and also several private schools.
GF is in Fairfax County which is a large, well-funded area.

I live in Loudoun County which is the next county to the west.
It is a little more rural.

If you're into boating, you might want to consider the Annapolis, MD area also.
We have several friends that live on the water and love that lifestyle.

 

Jati,
I think you are making a good move. The DC area has a lot to offer, and a great car culture. Not to further muddy the water, but you might want to consider Potomac MD. Montgomery County offers some of the best schools in the nation, and like great falls, is only a few miles from downtown DC.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

You rejected us for our gun laws? I'm insulted. Do your homework, Joe. We also offer high taxes, lots of speed cameras and a full on nanny state!

Are you considering private schools?

 

Yep, and for some reason, we also outlaw radar detectors (I think only VA and DC do this).

But we are a "Shall Issue" state when it comes to concealed carry permits.

People who live in VA can't imagine moving to MD and I'm sure it is the same the other way around.

 

As an ex-Virginian (McLean & Alexandria), I suggest you go and spend some time there before committing to anything. First, the roads (perpetual state of construction) and traffic are a nightmare (DC is the worst-rated, or close to the worst, for commutes and traffic). Second, the traffic enforcement in NoVA is over-the-top (don't get caught going 20mph over or over 80mph as it's a reckless charge). Third, the weather's not exactly great in the Mid-Atlantic region ("it's a swamp that traded malaria for politics"...cold in the winters, hot and humid in the summers).

However, if none of that dissuades you, I'd argue that GF is closer to the better driving roads. It's further out from DC, though, so the answer may depend on whether you want to enjoy what DC has to offer (Kennedy Center, restaurants, etc.) or not. Driving home from DC late at night to GF after an evening out isn't just a run down to the corner store.

CW

 

"People who live in VA can't imagine moving to MD and I'm sure it is the same the other way around."



Heck, people who live in Richmond can't imagine moving to Arlington or Alexandria or McLean or Great Falls - why in the world would they want to leave Virginia?

So I'm a foreigner who's lived in Charlottesville, Arlington and Potomac. I think I like the Commonwealth better than Maryland, but Bethesda/Potomac better than the northern Virginia suburbs. Virginia's history is far more interesting than Maryland's IMO.

California is better than all of them, earthquakes, economic disaster, smog, insane politicians aside.

 

I lived in Great Falls 76-2000 and we owned most of the land behind the old post office. Great Falls is the best place in DC next to Clarendon/Arlington area. Georgetown Pike is a fun drivers road. many a fun drive late at night with the Alfa or TVR. 5 Ac you are over the $3mill mark very few properties left of that size. DC traffic is one of the reasons I moved to south GA the ugly women in DC was the other reason.

 

I live in Leesburg Virginia which is in Loudoun County. We are further west but the property values are a lot more resonable. I live in a golf course community and have a 8500 sq ft. house for about 1M. Same exact house is built by the same exact builder builder in McLean and the homes go for 2M plus. Closer you are to DC the more expensive it seems to get. FYI-Leesburg is about 15-20 minutes outside of Great Falls/McLean.

As for boating I keep my boat in Annapolis, MD in Spa Creek. About 1 hour and 10 minutes away from my home which isnt too bad...

All in All Northern Virginia is a great place to live.

Good Luck!

-Ryan

 

Been in the general vicinity all my life. It's true, the traffic here is horrendous. But if you control your own schedule, it's a non-issue. I never put up with traffic. On the rare instances that I want to visit a customer site first thing in the morning, I'll get into town by 7:00. Generally, I just make sure I avoid the congestion.

I don't know when I'll put a front plate back on my car. I had a 360 last year that I fitted with a plate holder that folds underneath the bumper. I never put it up once, and never got a ticket. I got my 430 this last winter and have done nothing about a plate. The Leesburg police generally say that they'll never ticket me for it unless they want to use it to pull me over to look at something else. Since the plate is the only thing I ever have wrong, eh. But they did say watch out for the State boys, which unfortunately Toggie can confirm. I DO NOT know which locals are more lenient, Fairfax or Arlington, but it's a no point ticket anyway.

Like Toggie, I also live in Loudoun and prefer more wide open space and would choose Great Falls. Having never lived in either, I can't offer an educated opinion beyond just that, GF is closer to more of the landscape I appreciate. Closer to a really great Cars and Coffee, too. When my wife and I were shopping 12 years back, if we'd had our druthers, we would have built in GF. Financial considerations had us deciding to put the exact same house 15 miles further up river at half the price. I'm actually thrilled with our choice though and wouldn't change it if I could. If you like golf, you might consider River Creek out here in Loudoun, beautiful, gated, great course, only gated golf community in the D.C. suburbs, or at least it was. Not sure if that's changed in the last decade. Definitely more of a hike into town though.

 

Before anyone can give advice worth a hoot, the priorities of the buyer need to be specified in order of importance.

otherwise, everyone is just reflecting their own biases.

 

+1

 

Considering three of the local responses are all from Leesburg, he's definitely getting "that" perspective.

 

Joe,

Do you need to commute??

Public schools in Fairfax, Montgomery, Loudoun and even Prince William are always ranked in the top 10 school systems in the country. Fairfax Co. has Thomas Jefferson High School, the best public school in the country, Google it and see what you find.

If you don't need to commute, you can get a great bang for your buck if you look around. Take a look also at the Middleburg area in Loudoun Co. There are some great gated communities in Prince William in the Haymarket/Gaionesville area.

I also have a concealed weapons permit in Va. and they are given on a 5 year basis for $50. I never received a ticket for lack of a front plate on my M5 or 360 over a 4.5 year period in VA.

 

I would be "so" proud if one of my kids, or both of them, got into Thomas Jefferson. I used to golf with the former principal now and again, really great guy. It's almost unattainable. How do you get kids to work really hard to make it into the best high school? I can't even imagine. Wouldn't want to make the kids unhappy along the way either. I guess if they're obviously gifted and love to do homework....what are the odds of that.

 

Loudon Co. is the richest per capita in the country followed by Fairfax Co. Land and housing is going to be much more expensive here than NC or most places in FL so keep an open mind. The housing collapse was just a ripple in this area and home values remain relatively buoyant compared to the rest of the country thanks to Uncle Sam. There just aren't many large lots in Fairfax left. Loudon Co. will have much more 5+ acre inventory.

As for the front plate issue, you shouldn't have much trouble. Yes, there is a slim chance you could get pulled over for it as it's sometimes used as an excuse to pull you over to check sobriety/paperwork or they might issue you a secondary ticket once already pulled over for speeding. However, you are guaranteed to get a ticket for it if parking on the street in Arlington or DC. Simple solution is to avoid street parking at all costs. If you can afford to live in Great Falls and own a Ferrari you can afford $18 to park your car off-street every time you take it to Arlington or DC. In DC it is an automatic $50 each time you're caught. Also, you might fail the annual safety inspection for missing front plate depending on where you go but this is more likely to be an issue with your family car than your Ferrari as the specialists tend to be enthusiast friendly and will only cite you for obvious safety issues.

 

I went to TJ for my jr/sr year when they made it into a magnet school. Was part of the computing team that got the Cray IV project. The schoolwork is much more intense and competitive and longer hours (more periods) than the standard FCPS. But there's also a good balance of athletics too. We had a very competitive tennis team. Overall an excellent opportunity for the type A overachiever.

 

Great Falls/Cooper/Langley is possibly the second Best Public School triangle in the Nation. Churchill/Cooper/Langley is better, but I am biased. It is a GREAT place to raise a kid, but you also have to be a good parent and show them boundries and let them know such a high end area is not the norm.

 

I can attest to that! I got a ticket in Georgetown and in Crystal City within two months for not having a front plate on my DD (which I hardly ever park on the street). Trust me: Use paid parking.

 

McLean would be my vote. Schools are great, both public and private. Been here most my life and lived in a few different spots around the NoVa area. I found that the closer I was to town (DC), the easier life was.

In 9 years of driving I received one no front plate ticket.

 

Mom grew up in Bethesda, when I was six and we crossed the river into McLean moving a full three miles as the crow flies, I think my grandparents thought we would instantly grow buck teeth and talk with a draw. Pay no mind to my uncles that moved 20+ miles up into Germantown and north Rockville, which truly was a rural area at the time, they were still in Montgomery County!

 

Second. North Arlington is also worth exploring, athough you will be spending a ton more if you want a large yard.

 

I live in Burke Centre, and there are quite a few properties immediately West of us (about a mile) which would fit the bill...

Drop me a line if you wish...

Regards,
Matt B

 

JOE: One thing you need to consider carefully about moving to Northern Virginia that hasn't been mentioned yet is the annual personal property tax on cars (and maybe boats, planes; I thankfully live in Maryland so don't know the details). The tax rate on cars for Fairfax County (the rate difffers county by county) is 4.57 percent of the value published in the January edition of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Official Used Car Guide. There are some exceptions, such as "antique cars", that get a lower tax rate, but I doubt that any of the four Ferraris shown in your FChat profile as currently owned would qualify as an antique. Paying $45,000 a year in personal property tax (on $1 million of cars) for the "privilege" of living in Northern Virginia would be enough for me to say "Fugedaboudit". And don't think you can hide the cars to avoid the tax. Also remember that Virginia has a state income tax, whereas Florida does not. Maybe you can manage to shelter income and property from Virginia taxation by maintaining residency in Florida, but that opens yet another can of worms. If you want to know anything about Annapolis, PM me. I've lived there for 22 years now.