McLean Real Estate Area Information and Homes for Sale in Fairfax County, VA.


	McLean Houses for Sale

McLean

McLean is situated in the Dranesville District of Fairfax County, just 15 minutes from Washington DC, five minutes to Tyson’s Corner and the Technology Corridor and 60 minutes to the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition to an excellent highway system, local businesses have convenient access to air service from Dulles International and Ronald Reagan National airports.

McLean is part of the Fairfax County School District, one of the most respected in the nation. The district features 132 elementary schools, 23 middle schools and 23 high schools. There are several colleges and universities in the county including Averett College, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College (with five locations), the University of Virginia and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The community is home to a highly educated business and professional population, including employees of the federal government as well as international business and government professionals. McLean has a healthy mix of service and retail businesses. There is a wide range of good restaurants, cafes, salons, boutiques and specialty stores, as well as real estate and financial services located in the community.

The Tysons Corner area of McLean is a business district with more office space than that of Miami, Houston and San Diego. More than half of the businesses are high-tech firms, giving Tysons Corner a greater concentration of high-tech employees than any other location in Fairfax County. During the 1980s, Tysons Corner became one of the most booming retail centers in the United States. Two major shopping centers are anchored by national names like Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Nordstrom. Other Tyson's retailers include some of the world's most upscale stores such as Tiffany and Hermes.

McLean provides its residents with a wide assortment of activities and destinations. There are numerous world-class golf courses, parks, nature preserves, recreation centers and sports facilities including Great Falls National Park, Marie Butler Leven Preserve, Riverbend Park and Nature Center, Scotts Run Nature Preserve, Lake Fairfax Park, Lewinsville Park, Spring Hill Park and Recreation Center, McLean Central Park, Linway Terrace Park, Meadowlark Gardens Regional Park. The McLean Community Center offers a wide assortment of activities, events and classes for every age and interest.

Great Falls National Park, a site that is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, is an 800-acre park located along the Potomac River 14 miles upriver from Washington D.C. The park is known for two things, its scenic beauty at the head of Potomac River fall line and the historic Patowmack Canal. In 1785, George Washington formed the Patowmack Company to build a canal and locks for navigation around the falls to facilitate commerce to the Ohio country frontier. The park offers 15 miles of trails, five of which are multiple-use trails that include opportunities for mountain biking and horseback riding. At its Great Falls, the Potomac River plunges seventy-six feet through a deep gorge.

The community and its many active community associations more than hold their own when it comes to cultural activities. The city has its own symphony orchestra, choral society, World Children's Choir, C.A.S.T. in McLean, McLean Theater Alliance and the Emerson Gallery at the McLean Project for the Arts. The Alden Theater hosts community performances throughout the year. Of course, all of the world-renowned cultural attractions of Washington D.C. are just a few minutes away.

One of the highlights of the year is the annual McLean Day celebration that dates back to before the city became incorporated. The family oriented day includes a tennis tournament, battle of the bands, 8K run, carnival rides and more. Other community events include the Taste of McLean, the Fall Cultural Festival and a wide variety of others, all organization through the Community Center.

McLean has a heritage rich in American history. The old buffalo trail brought Indian settlers to the area. The Piscataways, Anacostans and others attempted to break away from the Powhatan Confederacy by crossing the Potomac and allying themselves with the Iroquois to the north. Chief Powhatan was the father of Pocahontas, one of early America’s best-known women.

Captain John Smith was the first European to visit the area. He set out from Jamestown in 1608 to seek gold in the northwest, but was unable to negotiate the Potomac. He stayed in the area for some time, learning survival types from the Indians that he took back later to Jamestown. He was the first European to view the Great Falls and is quoted as saying: "heaven and earth had never agreed on a better place for man's habitation". McLean has been a fast-growing community since 1965, yet the Captain's appraisal still fits.