Recommendations for neighborhoods in the DMV

[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.

[Anonymous]

Third to historic Takoma Park - schools are very good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Third to historic Takoma Park - schools are very good

If you had to work in NYC once a week and had no good reason to live here, wouldn’t you rather be in Princeton than Takoma Park? I just don’t get this at all. What are you getting by being “near the city?” How could the extra hour it takes to be in downtown NYC from Princeton vs from Takoma Park to downtown DC be worth someone commuting every week? What even is in “the city” that makes proximity so crucial? There are lots of good restaurants in the burbs. We don’t have a great theater scene and again, you could live a bit farther from NYC and just ride a little longer for your theater nights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is quite broad but we are thinking of relocating from NYC and thus don't have any family or friends (or work!) in the area we need to be near. Dh will commute to NYC and work 2 days from office there, once a week (stay in hotel overnight). Budget is $6-$8k per month. Could be city or burb. Number one priority: would love really good schools for DCs (who are 8 and 10), and some historic element/ oldness to the area. And a yard! Ideally house not apartment. Any tips so so so welcome and ty!

Historic house, yard, good schools, close to an airport or train station…. All for 6-8k per month.

It’s not broad at all. You’re basically describing a carriage house that may or may not exist in a 6-10 block area of Rosemont in Alexandria.

This would make a great house hunters episode.

[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

Ahh.. coming here for the cheap housing. DC is the new bedroom community for NYC. Got it.

How’s that search for affordability going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1 Have you looked at Princeton, NJ? Montclair, NJ?
DC is not that great. Most of us live here because our work ties us to the federal government in some way. If your spouse commutes to NYC and you don’t work and neither of you has any ties here, why would you choose DC? Please visit and stay in an AirB&B for a week or two to try the commute and do normal non-tourist things like grocery shop and take your kids to parks.