Mclean

Once a trading post between Ithaca and Cortland in central New York, the small, historic hamlet of McLean still serves as a pitstop for commuters between the two cities. McLean’s town center perches at the crossroads of five streets, creating an asterisk straddled by a post office, fire station, antique store and historic inn – each establishment playing its own role within the community and telling its own story. Since 2015, resident Tom Ludgate has been selling a collection of antiques at his brick-and-mortar McLean’s 5 Stop Shop on the intersection between Church Street and Stevens Road. Once the F.H. Maricle General Store, the establishment is now filled with vintage finds from the area – from vinyl records to children’s toys – some as old as the building itself, which dates back 225 years. “People would horse and buggy through here to get their supplies,” Ludgate says. Though buggies have been swapped for cars, McLean still retains its reputation as a quaint rest stop for commuters – and a peaceful rural enclave with a laidback lifestyle for its residents. “It’s a pretty quiet place except for the traffic; we get 100 cars every 10 minutes,” Ludgate says, “but generally, you can sit out on your front porch and slow down.” The wall-to-wall antiques in McLean’s 5 Stop Shop draw in customers from all over the state. Ludgate has filled the store with an amalgam of antiques through a buy-and-trade system. “There’s a little bit of everything, from books and toys to postcards that are 100-plus years old,” Ludgate says. Across Church Street, another historic site beckons visitors and locals alike. Housed in McLean’s first log tavern built in 1796, the Elm Tree Inn restaurant offers a menu of American classics such as hand-cut steaks and seafood entrees. The Dandy Mini Mart gas station down School Street provides convenient refueling, but McLean residents head to the neighboring Cortlandville area for shopping and other essentials. Just 5 miles north, the Cortlandville Mall houses big box retailers like JCPenney and Marshalls, as well as supermarkets like Aldi and Walmart. Local eateries cluster on Main Street in Cortland, with favorites including Hairy Tony’s, Cortland Diner and the Cortland Beer Company. The McLean Fire Station stands next to McLean’s 5 Stop Shop, another point in the hamlet’s 5-corner town center. “The fire station being positioned there lets people know they’re safe,” Ludgate says, adding that the hamlet’s small size lends to its safe feel. “We keep an eye out for each other and always know what’s going on.” Apart from responding to emergencies, the volunteer-based group also hosts various community events. Sunday breakfast buffets and regular chicken and BBQ dinners invite neighbors to gather over a stacked plate of pancakes or a leg of pork. McLean’s most anticipated event is the station’s McLean Happenin’ in the Hamlet, a family-friendly weekend of food and entertainment. Held every summer, the event kicks off with a car and motorcycle show and continues into the weekend with a cornhole tournament, scavenger hunt and kids' games. Children visit with farm animals and jump in bounce houses, and food trucks provide tasty options for the festivities. A mix of humble homes with classic architecture styles line the few streets of McLean, situated on modest properties split by towering trees for added privacy. The charming curb appeal of one-and-a-half-storied cottages and farmhouse styles along McLean Road contrast the larger, more traditional Colonial Revival and Foursquare examples found on Gulf Hill Road. Smaller split-level and Cape Cod homes round out the single-family styles in McLean. Prices may range from $175,000 for a fixer-upper cottage to $237,000 for a stately Foursquare. A community of mobile manufactured homes sits off Fall Creek Road, with a collection of single and doublewide dwellings ranging between $50,000 and $75,000. Strong academics in Dryden School District McLean students start their education at the centrally located Cassavant Elementary School, which earns a B-minus Niche score. They then advance to Dryden Elementary School and Dryden Middle School, both of which receive C overall grades. At B-rated Dryden High School, students benefit from a 9-to-1 student-teacher ratio and strong athletic and arts programs. McLean is also located near the Cornell University and Ithaca College campuses. Cradled within the lush Finger Lakes region of central New York, McLean is a stone’s throw away from verdant nature preserves and recreational spaces. Though only 11 acres, the Thurber Nature Preserve teems with local flora unique to the Finger Lakes region. Ferns carpet the forest floor, shaded by the increasingly rare American yew trees that stand amongst the preserve’s other hardwoods. Locals may even catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer along the 0.5-mile trail that leads through the forest. Further south, the O.D. von Engeln Preserve provides additional trails that snake through boggy wetlands, pine forests and eskers – or riverbeds that once ran through glaciers. Stretching 1.75 miles, the trail includes stone steps and a slatted-wood boardwalk over the marsh, taking hikers and bird watchers between dense ferns and patches of moss. Longer trails are available to hike at the Lime Hollow Nature Center only 2.4 miles north on McLean Road. The center features over 12 miles of pathways within its 594-acre tract. Its educational center provides programs, including a Forest Preschool, summer camps and a monthly natural and cultural history series. Active McLean residents may head to the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex in neighboring Cortland. The complex features lighted baseball diamonds and a playground. It hosts youth and adult programs such as softball and baseball leagues. Avid golfers rejoice in being less than three miles away from Elm Tree Golf Course and Stonehedges Golf Course. McLean Road is the main thoroughfare through McLean. It turns into School Street and Fall Creek Road and eventually funnels into Route 366 in Freeville, 4 miles south. The hamlet sits about 16 miles from Ithaca and only 7 miles from Cortland. Residents are car-dependent, as McLean lacks public transportation. Frequent flyers only have a 21-minute commute to the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, which is 12 miles away.