just passing through Wrote:
> Delivering papers in McLean in the early 70's??
> That must have been a chore. I imagine is was
> fairly rural and some of those roads are pretty
> unforgiving. There has got to be some good stories
> from that!
McLean was mostly suburbia in the 1970s, with narrow neighborhood streets much like it is now. A lot of those homes have sold as tear downs more recently and replaced with McMansions built inches from the easements. Or townhomes and condos like what happened with Evans Farm Inn (loved that place, the restaurant and sitting duck pub; I still make spoonbread).
The most difficult deliveries were the two large older homes behind Franklin Sherman with their driveways off Old Dominion Drive, each home on the top of two large hills. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to deliver both houses by bicycle. Walking took a lot longer. It was harsh in winter. They are townhomes-condos now.
This was one of them, photo by Joel Sternfeld, its been posted here before, McLean VFW did a control burn on the house for training in '78.
https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/joel-sternfeld-mclean-virginia-december-1978/
https://www.phaidon.com/resource/joel-sternfeld-mclean-virginia-december-1978.jpg
https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/articles/2017/january/23/what-do-joel-sternfelds-photos-say-about-america/
All the subdivisions South of Dolly Madison or Chain Bridge Road up to Kirby, and between Great Falls Rd and Old Dominion Drive existed then. As did Great Falls and some of Spring Hill to the north, also Pimmit Hills. The majority of homes were built in the 50s and 60s, with a few exceptions that were older,
The schools at the time in that area of McLean were Elementary Lewinsville, Franklin Sherman, Kent Gardens; Middle: Cooper and Longfellow, HS: Langley and McLean (and Oakton). The Pools and Tennis were: Mclean, Tuckahoe, and Kent Gardens (off Westmoreland past the Little League Ball fields, just before Longfellow Middle School, sort of near Haycock). Spring Hill existed too, to some extent (it was newer). Several of my customers were fairly well known in politics, or journalism, or literary circles, most were upper level government agency, or foreign embassy, or O-6 and above military.
You can see what it looked like in 1976 and other decades here:
http://fairfaxcountygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
The areas to which I refer are map sections 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4, 40-1, 40-2 and basically most of that vicinity. McLean HS is on the left edge of 30-4 if you want something to refer to as a landmark.
I'm just a transient with Fairfax County. Somehow it's a second home at times. Lived there a few years as a kid, then several times later in life for work or whatever. Three or four years here and there, then another a year or two, etc. I guess about 20% of my life has been in Fairfax County. These days I am sometimes in the area on occasion for a day or two, upwards to a couple weeks.
I have a lot of fond memories of NoVA and Fairfax County, but I'm afraid they would be boorish for the permanent residents who contribute here. I'm just a transient past resident with only a limited history in FC.