McLean Gardens

McLean Gardens is a beautiful wooded neighborhood of approximately 4,874 residents located in the northwest section of the city near the Washington National Cathedral. The neighborhood’s boundaries are generally defined as being within the footprint of Wisconsin Avenue N.W., Cathedral Avenue N.W., 39th Street N.W. and Rodman Street N.W. In 2010, the average price of a home sold here was $669,219 with 30% of the homes being owner occupied. Homes here tend to be a mixture of nicely maintained attached and detached single-family homes as well as multifamily homes including apartments and condominiums. As with many neighborhoods, there is a commercial component to the neighborhood as well.

The neighborhood is the home to the National Presbyterian School and Annunciation Catholic School. Dedicated public recreational facilities are not located within the neighborhood, but private options are available nearby. Excellent restaurants and shopping are located within the neighborhood, particularly along Wisconsin Avenue. Public transportation is available with numerous Metro Bus stops being located in the neighborhood. Dedicated green space is available in the McLean Playground, which provides access to the larger Glover Archbold Park.

Recent crime statistics indicate that crimes against people and property are infrequent and that the neighborhood is generally safe. The Metropolitan Police Department also has a station in the neighborhood, which helps. As always check the most recent crime statistics and make an informed decision as to the crime risk in any neighborhood. Hopefully crime can be reduced so the neighborhood can reach its potential. Personally I really like this neighborhood and would love to live here.

McLean gardens: a posh, postwar development where the doorman keeps the bad people out and the good people safe. Near a Metro station, it has access to whatever you need quickly and easily, even though you will be leaving the development to get them. This is an area which isn’t outrageously expensive, but nonetheless very nice and quite safe. Part of this of course is that a large proportion of he neighborhood is made up of condos, which means that many residents are also capable of home ownership. It is a bit farther away from American University, so there aren’t so many students here. There’s also a sizeable buffer from the noise and craziness that accompanies many universities. Many of the people who live here are singles and young married couples. Children, however, would be welcome here as there is space to play and breathe. Goodness knows a safe neighborhood is a great one for a family. Even though few students actually live here, they are close enough that you could hire one to babysit the kids while you go out on the town. Overall, this is really a great place to live as a young professional, with or without kids.

Anyone living in this neighborhood of DC will tell you that the grounds they walk on are special. In fact, a former resident once walked the area wearing the infamous Hope Diamond. Now I'm not just talking about Evalyn Walsh McLean, the daughter-in-law of John McLean who built the estate; it's rumored that she would regularly let her dog run around the property wearing the gemstone! Now some people may be spooked living in an area that once housed a supposedly cursed diamond, but there is really no reason to worry; the Hope Diamond (and its curse) are safely housed in the Smithsonian several blocks to the south. So there is nothing to prevent anyone from living in one of DC's most desirable neighborhoods. The origins of the neighborhood go back to 1942, when the original McLean property was sold to the U.S. Government for the construction of a garden-style dormitory complex to house the thousands of defense workers then flooding into the city. The area became regular rental property in 1948, and in 1981 the area was converted to condominiums. In the 1980s new townhomes and a nine -story luxury apartment building were added to the property. Bordered by Wisconsin Avenue NW, it is convenient to high-end retail and other amenities.