Recommendations for neighborhoods in the DMV

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I kind of think you're crazy to move to DC if someone has to commute to NYC and neither of you will work here. Why not a smaller town somewhere with a train to NYC? Just getting to the train with any of the places with good public schools here will be a miserable experience.

Amtrak has a station in Old Town Alexandria so another vote for there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about near Glen Echo? That area has some history. Here is a rental in your prince range:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/6901-Rannoch-Rd-20817/home/10701155

op - love this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about near Glen Echo? That area has some history. Here is a rental in your prince range:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/6901-Rannoch-Rd-20817/home/10701155

op - love this.

If I had to move here and commute to NYC every week I would get divorced. WHY?? It isn’t near the city. What are you going to do, hire a babysitter and drive 45 minutes to go to dinner? What is the point? The only reason to live in this location is if you work here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why here?

we want to be near a city and not too far from NY so it's either DC or boston (we don't want philly) and we prefer dc

Why not a NY, CT, or NJ suburb? Many have excellent public schools. I live in Princeton, NJ and many NYC transplants have moved here since 2020. We also thought about moving to the DMV for work, but ultimately decided to stay and are happy. Love the schools, people, town, small class sizes for elementary, activities and no violence! There are multiple clean and cheap compared to DC town pools, swim teams, loads of athletics kids can easily get into, etc. I LOVE DC, but after speaking with friends in DC we are happy we stayed.

As others said if you are looking for good public schools and are planning to stay after elementary do some research. I have close friends in DC proper including Palisades (that has issue with planes so I would nix), Mt. Pleasant, Capital Hill, and CCDC. Public schools in DC are a mixed bag and more of my friends are complaining/looking at privates/looking to move in the last couple years. Most were happy in elementary. Also, check out Woodly Park, but unless you want your child to attend immersion program, look at properties that go into Eaton.

Go visit and check out different neighborhoods. Go to a playground, park, farmers market, something and talk to people and ask about the neighborhood. Do you know anyone who lives in the area? Ask them! Good luck.

As someone who grew up in Princeton, I second this. I would move back to raise my family there in a heartbeat. Love that town.

[Anonymous]

If I were commuting to NYC every week- I would want to be near union station/capital hill area or maryland near I-95. I would look at Annapolis or Severna park or historic Ellicott City. Maybe university park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I kind of think you're crazy to move to DC if someone has to commute to NYC and neither of you will work here. Why not a smaller town somewhere with a train to NYC? Just getting to the train with any of the places with good public schools here will be a miserable experience.

Amtrak has a station in Old Town Alexandria so another vote for there.

But they want good schools. Alexandria is not going to work unless they are open to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about near Glen Echo? That area has some history. Here is a rental in your prince range:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/6901-Rannoch-Rd-20817/home/10701155

op - love this.

If I had to move here and commute to NYC every week I would get divorced. WHY?? It isn’t near the city. What are you going to do, hire a babysitter and drive 45 minutes to go to dinner? What is the point? The only reason to live in this location is if you work here.

Op - I get it. I won’t be commuting (dh will). Nyc burbs are insane. Try finding a house anything like what you’d get in dc area with good schools within an hour of nyc. It’s absolutely brutal. We have lived on what feels like the edge of a rock face in terms of affordability for so long and it’s time to try something new. But we want it to be near or in a city

[Anonymous]

Seconding Takoma Park. You can find a beautiful house with a yard on your budget, your husband can take the red line to Union Station and get to NYC easily, and you might like the vibe there. "downtown" not as charming and historic as Georgetown or Alexandria.


If you really like Georgetown, you should live there. Schools are good all the way through.

[Anonymous]

Glover Park
Bus to metro to airport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seconding Takoma Park. You can find a beautiful house with a yard on your budget, your husband can take the red line to Union Station and get to NYC easily, and you might like the vibe there. "downtown" not as charming and historic as Georgetown or Alexandria.


If you really like Georgetown, you should live there. Schools are good all the way through.

Are they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somewhere NW DC.

This. Zip code 20016.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The town of Somerset in Chevy Chase MD has local elementary school, neighborhood pool and swim team, very idyllic. Walking distance to friendship heights and Bethesda and metro. MCPS public schools.

+1 Did this move and we have loved it here. Another plus is that it is one of the only (or perhaps the only?) neighborhood pool around here you can use immediately upon moving into town (surrounding areas have a ~5yr waitlist). Some families move here while on foreign assignment so we found there is better/more rental inventory than expected.

[Anonymous]

I would just rent in Capitol Hill near Union Station and plan to try your luck with the charters for middle school (or move to upper NW once you’ve decided to stay).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about near Glen Echo? That area has some history. Here is a rental in your prince range:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/6901-Rannoch-Rd-20817/home/10701155

op - love this.

If I had to move here and commute to NYC every week I would get divorced. WHY?? It isn’t near the city. What are you going to do, hire a babysitter and drive 45 minutes to go to dinner? What is the point? The only reason to live in this location is if you work here.

Op - I get it. I won’t be commuting (dh will). Nyc burbs are insane. Try finding a house anything like what you’d get in dc area with good schools within an hour of nyc. It’s absolutely brutal. We have lived on what feels like the edge of a rock face in terms of affordability for so long and it’s time to try something new. But we want it to be near or in a city

No, yeah, I fully get it’s your DH who will commute. I’m saying if I were your DH and I had to move to the burbs of DC and commute to NYC so you could be “near a city” and “have a mudroom” or whatever I would divorce you. What could you possibly gain by being “near DC” that would be worth someone having to ride the train to NYC every week vs being slightly farther from NYC? I think this whole plan sounds insanely selfish but also really silly. I sincerely doubt it will end in happiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about near Glen Echo? That area has some history. Here is a rental in your prince range:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Bethesda/6901-Rannoch-Rd-20817/home/10701155

op - love this.

If I had to move here and commute to NYC every week I would get divorced. WHY?? It isn’t near the city. What are you going to do, hire a babysitter and drive 45 minutes to go to dinner? What is the point? The only reason to live in this location is if you work here.

Op - I get it. I won’t be commuting (dh will). Nyc burbs are insane. Try finding a house anything like what you’d get in dc area with good schools within an hour of nyc. It’s absolutely brutal. We have lived on what feels like the edge of a rock face in terms of affordability for so long and it’s time to try something new. But we want it to be near or in a city

No, yeah, I fully get it’s your DH who will commute. I’m saying if I were your DH and I had to move to the burbs of DC and commute to NYC so you could be “near a city” and “have a mudroom” or whatever I would divorce you. What could you possibly gain by being “near DC” that would be worth someone having to ride the train to NYC every week vs being slightly farther from NYC? I think this whole plan sounds insanely selfish but also really silly. I sincerely doubt it will end in happiness.

+1

I find the premise of this very odd. You have no connections in DC but are willing to add significant friction to your husband’s life for more space ? What about the time your husband loses with your kids? DC isn’t even that much cheaper especially if you want “good schools” and “historic.” Coming from New York standards/lifestyle will be in culture shock if you move to a place like Takoma Park. Even NWDC is very different from NY - search this forum for the many threads on how a lot of the desirable NWDC and MD (Chevy chase) neighborhoods are essentially suburban and very cut off from “the city” and less you are driving. Georgetown and Old Town are the only somewhat comparable neighborhoods but it does not sound practical with your children’s schooling need. If you want to optimize for schools and more space, there are so many more dense suburbs you’d find in NJ, CT, NY that would save your husband from the taxing commute.

There’s a lot of missing pieces here that needs to be thought through.