College Park is so cool now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^He'll have to give a damn lot more incentives. Prices in the area are steep for those of us on administrative salaries. No, thanks. Not worth it.

I think it’s full-time Profs that would make it feel more like a true college town, and I think they can afford the area. I think assistant/adjunct staff can afford the area, but maybe not the nicest SFHs in the best neighborhoods. And I suspect this is true for administrative staff, too. I don’t think there are many areas in the DC Metro that are more affordable and offer comparable amenities or transit. But everyone has theirs personal preferences. I know an adjunct staff member who commutes 1.5 hrs one way from western MD because their family prefers to live on a farm. For them it’s a matter of lifestyle rather than affordability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A nice thing about moving to Rte 1 corridor has been that there really are more artists, musicians, etc here than other parts of the area. I wasn't sure if the "gateway arts" thing was just marketing and it is that too, but we have several neighbors who are working artists and musicians within a few blocks and that for sure wasn't true in our last, more expensive neighborhood. Better house parties, for sure.

No real artists, musicians, and the like live in the DC area. Any of them with any talent moves elsewhere.

I guess you haven’t seen the groundbreaking work being done by Rorschach, The Welders, Flying V, The artists of the Fringe Festival...I could go on...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There is nothing cool about anything in the DC area. It's great for yuppies, but cool? Nothing.

haha! I love the people who are such snobs that the 6th largest metro area in the US has nothing to offer for them

No, PP is right. Baltimore 20th best bar is better than DC’s best bar and I’m not exaggerating. DC is known as Hollywood for dorks / unattractive people for a reason. There is nothing “cool” about a town known for lobbyists, defense contractors and government lawyers. DC actually ran a PR campaign called “DC Cool” to convince people that the city was cool. That should tell you something.

I'm the PP and yes I agree, Baltimore is way cooler than DC.

Yea no. Baltimore is a dump that's getting worse by the minute. It's cooler than DC if you've only ever gone bar hopping in Fell's Point. The Inner Harbor, which used to be Baltimore's biggest tourist attraction is now a bunch of run down chain restaurants and shitty stores. Pan handlers and squeegee kids block traffic at every light on every road going in or out of the city. Entire blocks of historic row homes are abandoned. It's depressing. There's a reason the city's median home value is around $100k. No one wants to live there and many who do are getting the f out.

Only Fells Point? Obivously you haven't been to Baltimore... They have a lot of nice neighborhoods and areas including Hampden, Canton, Charles Village, Little Italy, Fed Hill, Roland Park...need I go on.

Baltimore may have a shrinking population so did DC until recently. Baltimore is losing poorer residents and gaining more professionals. Visit Patterson Park and you will see all types of renovation going on.
Does Baltimore have issues, absolutely but to make it like it is this hellhole that everyone is fleeing is simple not accurate.

Same thing with College Park and PG County as a whole. Developers wouldn't be building if people weren't moving there.

True but if the people who are moving in are the poor people being pushed out of DC and low-end workers who can’t afford nicer areas that isn’t a trending upwards proposition. I see cheap apts going up and trashy people not a transformation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There is nothing cool about anything in the DC area. It's great for yuppies, but cool? Nothing.

haha! I love the people who are such snobs that the 6th largest metro area in the US has nothing to offer for them

No, PP is right. Baltimore 20th best bar is better than DC’s best bar and I’m not exaggerating. DC is known as Hollywood for dorks / unattractive people for a reason. There is nothing “cool” about a town known for lobbyists, defense contractors and government lawyers. DC actually ran a PR campaign called “DC Cool” to convince people that the city was cool. That should tell you something.

You're describing the DC of 2003. It's changed, man.

But when one area changes for the better another area must change for the worse. There are more poor people now as the wealth disparity grows. Most people in the area would peg PG and the southern VA 95 corridor as the areas getting worse. Of course there will be little exceptions but the areas around college park (Langley Park and greater Hyattsville) are getting much worse rapidly. The original ledo fled it original location because middle class customers wouldn’t come there any longer. Not sure why the college park booster thinks college park isn’t affected by the rapidly declining sourroundings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There is nothing cool about anything in the DC area. It's great for yuppies, but cool? Nothing.

haha! I love the people who are such snobs that the 6th largest metro area in the US has nothing to offer for them

No, PP is right. Baltimore 20th best bar is better than DC’s best bar and I’m not exaggerating. DC is known as Hollywood for dorks / unattractive people for a reason. There is nothing “cool” about a town known for lobbyists, defense contractors and government lawyers. DC actually ran a PR campaign called “DC Cool” to convince people that the city was cool. That should tell you something.

You're describing the DC of 2003. It's changed, man.

But when one area changes for the better another area must change for the worse. There are more poor people now as the wealth disparity grows. Most people in the area would peg PG and the southern VA 95 corridor as the areas getting worse. Of course there will be little exceptions but the areas around college park (Langley Park and greater Hyattsville) are getting much worse rapidly. The original ledo fled it original location because middle class customers wouldn’t come there any longer. Not sure why the college park booster thinks college park isn’t affected by the rapidly declining sourroundings.

Ledo moved from its old location in Adelphi to downtown CP. The area where it was, Adelphi, has gotten less nice, as the people with more means have shifted away from that area closer to Metro, which has gotten nicer. Neighborhoods change and demographics shift. I wouldn’t move to Adelphi right now, but I would move to the Rt. 1 corridor. It’s hyper local. I wouldn’t move to certain parts of PG, or MoCo, or FFX either. But I wouldn’t avoid an entire county because some neighborhoods have more poorer residents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^He'll have to give a damn lot more incentives. Prices in the area are steep for those of us on administrative salaries. No, thanks. Not worth it.

I think it’s full-time Profs that would make it feel more like a true college town, and I think they can afford the area. I think assistant/adjunct staff can afford the area, but maybe not the nicest SFHs in the best neighborhoods. And I suspect this is true for administrative staff, too. I don’t think there are many areas in the DC Metro that are more affordable and offer comparable amenities or transit. But everyone has theirs personal preferences. I know an adjunct staff member who commutes 1.5 hrs one way from western MD because their family prefers to live on a farm. For them it’s a matter of lifestyle rather than affordability.

I'm a communications director. I hands-down make the same or more than some faculty members, and I'm not just talking about junior faculty. You have no idea what assistant/adjunct faculty make in many areas of study to make that comment. The Diamondback runs all university salary in an annual guide if you want to open your eyes to what humanities and other non-business/engineering/computing adjunct faculty and even tenured faculty make.

[Anonymous]

Some traffic smoothing and streetscaping would make a HUGE difference in CP, like they’ve done further south (Mt Rainier, I think). Probably wouldn’t even cost that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some traffic smoothing and streetscaping would make a HUGE difference in CP, like they’ve done further south (Mt Rainier, I think). Probably wouldn’t even cost that much.

They're...in the middle of doing that right now.

[Anonymous]

College Park shocked me with the dynamic growth. I have not been in the area in solid 15 years and then visited friends lately. It was unrecognizable.
Last time I saw it, that was very boring one main street with old fashion restaurants and few other blah businesses type of deal. Now, you just drive by an area that has so many high-rises, so many new developments, appts, condos, fab new restaurants. Young people walking everywhere, busy busy streets bustling with life. Amazing change. In case you have not seen it in years, well worth driving and seeing for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College Park shocked me with the dynamic growth. I have not been in the area in solid 15 years and then visited friends lately. It was unrecognizable.
Last time I saw it, that was very boring one main street with old fashion restaurants and few other blah businesses type of deal. Now, you just drive by an area that has so many high-rises, so many new developments, appts, condos, fab new restaurants. Young people walking everywhere, busy busy streets bustling with life. Amazing change. In case you have not seen it in years, well worth driving and seeing for yourself.

The restaurants are not "fab." Kapnos is closing; that was the only semi-interesting restaurant in town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some traffic smoothing and streetscaping would make a HUGE difference in CP, like they’ve done further south (Mt Rainier, I think). Probably wouldn’t even cost that much.

They're...in the middle of doing that right now.

That’s great. I also love Ikea ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park shocked me with the dynamic growth. I have not been in the area in solid 15 years and then visited friends lately. It was unrecognizable.
Last time I saw it, that was very boring one main street with old fashion restaurants and few other blah businesses type of deal. Now, you just drive by an area that has so many high-rises, so many new developments, appts, condos, fab new restaurants. Young people walking everywhere, busy busy streets bustling with life. Amazing change. In case you have not seen it in years, well worth driving and seeing for yourself.

The restaurants are not "fab." Kapnos is closing; that was the only semi-interesting restaurant in town.

Because the owner is being sued and going bankrupt. His places in DC and Arlington are closing, too. It’s not because of CP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^He'll have to give a damn lot more incentives. Prices in the area are steep for those of us on administrative salaries. No, thanks. Not worth it.

I think it’s full-time Profs that would make it feel more like a true college town, and I think they can afford the area. I think assistant/adjunct staff can afford the area, but maybe not the nicest SFHs in the best neighborhoods. And I suspect this is true for administrative staff, too. I don’t think there are many areas in the DC Metro that are more affordable and offer comparable amenities or transit. But everyone has theirs personal preferences. I know an adjunct staff member who commutes 1.5 hrs one way from western MD because their family prefers to live on a farm. For them it’s a matter of lifestyle rather than affordability.

I'm a communications director. I hands-down make the same or more than some faculty members, and I'm not just talking about junior faculty. You have no idea what assistant/adjunct faculty make in many areas of study to make that comment. The Diamondback runs all university salary in an annual guide if you want to open your eyes to what humanities and other non-business/engineering/computing adjunct faculty and even tenured faculty make.

I know that. Read what I wrote. The tenured full-time profs are who will be able to live in the nicest neighborhoods. Since it’s not a captive market, like in a college town located in an otherwise rural area, you’re competing against dual-income families who are higher level Feds, IT consultants, work on the Hill, etc., same as anywhere inside the Beltway right on a Metro line. I don’t know what to tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park shocked me with the dynamic growth. I have not been in the area in solid 15 years and then visited friends lately. It was unrecognizable.
Last time I saw it, that was very boring one main street with old fashion restaurants and few other blah businesses type of deal. Now, you just drive by an area that has so many high-rises, so many new developments, appts, condos, fab new restaurants. Young people walking everywhere, busy busy streets bustling with life. Amazing change. In case you have not seen it in years, well worth driving and seeing for yourself.

The restaurants are not "fab." Kapnos is closing; that was the only semi-interesting restaurant in town.

Because the owner is being sued and going bankrupt. His places in DC and Arlington are closing, too. It’s not because of CP.

Yes, I know that. And? That doesn't mean it wasn't the only interesting restaurant in the area. It's not a good place for dining options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^He'll have to give a damn lot more incentives. Prices in the area are steep for those of us on administrative salaries. No, thanks. Not worth it.

Where else in this area can you buy a home for less than 300k? NorthColllege Park has very cheap real estate and many of the people who have used the incentives are administrative staff