Bowie rocks! Why isn't it more popular?
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Anonymous
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Realizing they could never afford the SFH of their dreams in Fairfax, my best friend just moved with her family to Bowie, and I'm so impressed. I'd been there all of maybe twice in my life but I was so blown away. They got a gorgeous cape on a leafy, tree-lined street for just under $300K. The house is totally renovated, and the lot is massive. Many of the neighbors have already been over to say hi, and one even brought welcome cookies (that doesn't happen in Fairfax). They say the drive is 30-40 minutes door-to-door into Downtown DC with minimal traffic on 50, and apparently there's a pretty decent public elementary school. There's plenty of shopping and dining nearby.
I'm super critical and didn't ever think I'd like anything in PG County, but Bowie is a hidden gem, and it's so affordable. Why isn't it more popular? I feel like nobody really considers Bowie when they're house hunting, and I'm not sure why. |
Anonymous
| I am skeptical about that commute time! |
Anonymous
| You know why. It's in PG county. |
Anonymous
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The commute is a lie. My coworker lives in Bowie, and she says that 50 is a mess.
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Anonymous
| I live in Crofton and it's basically the same as Bowie, just over the border in AA co, so property values are higher. When I take 50 in the morning, there's always pretty heavy traffic and there's no way to get downtown that quick. Other than that, I agree! Bowie is a great place for a young family. Once you get to middle school it's not ideal but a lot of my diehard Bowie friends go private then. Everyone else moves. |
Anonymous
| Middle and HS are not that good so you need to budget for private. |
Anonymous
| I love Bowie! Cheverly is also a hidden gem. |
Anonymous
| better to have the worst house in the nicest part of town, than a big beautiful one in the bad part |
Anonymous
OP here. I have no way of verifying their commute claim, but FWIW, she works near Union Station so might not be as bad as driving deeper downtown. |
Anonymous
| Lots of my coworker live in Bowie. To make the commute manageable, they all commute at weird times and have absolutely zero flexibility for getting between home and work (even at times when they would otherwise want it, so I tend to believe them and don't think it's just about wanting to stick to a set schedule). None of them ever come into the city for reasons other than work. I guess Bowie makes sense if you really don't like DC and are only in this region for a job. If I were considering moving to Bowie I would also broaden my search out to any number of small towns outside the DMV, since you're really not taking advantage of being in a major metro region at that point. |
Anonymous
What makes Bowie a "bad part?" |
Anonymous
| Because it's hella far. |
Anonymous
So is most parts of Fairfax |
Anonymous
No, it's not. I live in bowie and work in d.c. most days the comute is fine. A lot depends on where in d.c. you work. If op's friend works at union station, then 40 minutes is accurate. I |
Anonymous
| Because it's a small middle class section of a community that is surrounded by large pockets of working class/lower class people who don't have the same resources, and this can cause some stress and conflict. The more uniiform people's lives are, the nicer the community. If you are living in chaos due to economics, you bring that into your community- and the higher functioning people have to just live with it. |