What neighborhoods are best for kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is amazing for kids. The kids aren’t any more warped than anywhere else in NW DC or Bethesda, Potomac, etc

OP asked about diverse neighborhoods. Somerset is one of the few majority white elementary schools.

Each year, Somerset Elementary has families who speak 35-40 different languages at home. Lots of World Bank, IMF, and embassy families. From that perspective, it has a ton of diversity. Just on our street, I can think of people from 4-5 different countries. Many people are rich but many are also having their housing paid for my their employers.

Did you not get the MoCo memo that those people don’t count when we talk about diversity?

Actually Somerset ES is one of the more diverse schools in this area of the county, for example:

Somerset: FARMS: 18.9%, Black: 11%, Hispanic: 17.5%, White: 50.3%
Wood Acres (also mentioned): FARMS: 7.4%, Black <5%, Hispanic: 13.4%, White: 65.1%
Bradley Hills: FARMS: <5%, Black: <5%, Hispanic: 7.1%, White: 63.8%

It's similar to Bethesda Elementary:
FARMS: 20.6%, Black: 11.1%, Hispanic: 17%, although they have lower White population, and larger Asian one

The public school uptake rate of town residents is pretty high, if not a majority, at least in elementary, and certainly is the modal school choice. I am not sure where the weird snob comments are coming from, but that is really surprising to me, as our experience has been the polar opposite...people have been very welcoming (including to renters, which we were). They even have an annual newcomers party to welcome new town members.

There is also a wider range of wealth than people are suggesting. It's not a town full of mansions. Of course all real estate is expensive, but half of the homes sold in the past year were under 2m, and many residents have been here for a long time. The older kids seem very well grounded, and are often role models for the younger kids.

All to say...I would say Somerset, and some of the reasons people are giving against it don't seem to jive with my experience.

I mean, half >$2m houses is pretty nuts, isn't it? Somerset is importing all of those FARMS kids on busses to compensate for lack of diversity in the town. I don't know how I feel about that, to be honest. In our current neighborhood, FARMS kids are our literal neighbors, albeit more in the apartments than the houses. But then, I'm complaining that the schools are too stressed by kids who are stressed and have behavioral issues correlated to being low income, so I get that I'm asking for something impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kensington.

I was raised in Chevy Chase, but we have loved raising our kids in Kensington. The playgrounds, the parades, the pools, walkability, close to everything - it’s been great.

That was going to be my suggestion too. We couldn’t quite afford Kensington and are in SS which is fine but if we had been able to would have chosen Kensington instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

[Anonymous]

Glover Park or Foxhall Village for village in city vibes. Or Glen Echo/Cabin John for more classic suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is a nice place to raise kids, don’t get me wrong, but diversity and getting exposed to different kinds of people is not one reason for it being a good neighborhood. Diversity is not a universal good anyway: I don’t wanna be close to convicts or violent people

If you can afford Somerset, sure, go live there. They’ll do great, since it means you have the resources to help the kid if anything should arise. It’s just a wealthy neighborhood in MoCo, with the problems of wealthy neighborhoods (drugs in high schools, pressure cooker environment, you’ll have to work to teach tour kids empathy toward people that would never be able to afford living in a wealthy neigborhood

Wasn't it a Somerset dad who set up a video camera in the changing room at a local gymnastics club? Wasn't it a Chevy Chase dude who (allegedly) sexually assaulted a woman after driving her home from a country club?

That kind of crime is a MUCH higher risk to my child than living near someone who stole a car or sold some pot back when they were 17.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

[Anonymous]

[list]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is a nice place to raise kids, don’t get me wrong, but diversity and getting exposed to different kinds of people is not one reason for it being a good neighborhood. Diversity is not a universal good anyway: I don’t wanna be close to convicts or violent people

If you can afford Somerset, sure, go live there. They’ll do great, since it means you have the resources to help the kid if anything should arise. It’s just a wealthy neighborhood in MoCo, with the problems of wealthy neighborhoods (drugs in high schools, pressure cooker environment, you’ll have to work to teach tour kids empathy toward people that would never be able to afford living in a wealthy neigborhood

Wasn't it a Somerset dad who set up a video camera in the changing room at a local gymnastics club? Wasn't it a Chevy Chase dude who (allegedly) sexually assaulted a woman after driving her home from a country club?

That kind of crime is a MUCH higher risk to my child than living near someone who stole a car or sold some pot back when they were 17.

Well in fairness, I think kids of all economic backgrounds are dealing with risk from predators like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

Why awful? Tends to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring around Forest Glen.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

Why awful? Tends to be true.

I can’t believe I have to explain this but it’s because living in CCDC and going to Wilson and living in CCDC and going to Sidwell are both very privileged upbringings with far more similarities than differences? And so it’s really gross to sit there as a young, debt free lawyer or whatever pretending that because you went to Wilson, you had a really gritty childhood? But some kids really internalize that and sort of won’t shut up about it. It’s bad to grow up in a bubble but it might be worse to grow up in a bubble but believe you didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

Why awful? Tends to be true.

I can’t believe I have to explain this but it’s because living in CCDC and going to Wilson and living in CCDC and going to Sidwell are both very privileged upbringings with far more similarities than differences? And so it’s really gross to sit there as a young, debt free lawyer or whatever pretending that because you went to Wilson, you had a really gritty childhood? But some kids really internalize that and sort of won’t shut up about it. It’s bad to grow up in a bubble but it might be worse to grow up in a bubble but believe you didn’t.

I'm the PP who said there's a difference between public school and private school mindset. I could definitely see a kid growing up in CCDC and having this mindset, though I definitely don't think the majority do. But I don't think it's that common, and I still think even this mindset doesn't count as "irretrievably warped." To me, that phrase means the kid thinks everyone who doesn't live in a multi-million-dollar mansion and drives a BMW is "poor"; kid feels entitled to wealth; kid doesn't care about the less fortunate. A kid thinking that they are more enlightened than they are because they went to school with some less fortunate kids is annoying, but not "irretrievably warped."

[Anonymous]

One of DH's best friends grew up in CCDC and went to St. Alban's. This "man" is in his 40s with his own family and still drives a car his parents gave him and lives in a house his parents paid for. Sure, he is progressive, liberal, and kind, but far from "grounded."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

Why awful? Tends to be true.

I can’t believe I have to explain this but it’s because living in CCDC and going to Wilson and living in CCDC and going to Sidwell are both very privileged upbringings with far more similarities than differences? And so it’s really gross to sit there as a young, debt free lawyer or whatever pretending that because you went to Wilson, you had a really gritty childhood? But some kids really internalize that and sort of won’t shut up about it. It’s bad to grow up in a bubble but it might be worse to grow up in a bubble but believe you didn’t.

Totally disagree. There is a very different value system in private schools versus public and school is much more influential than your neighborhood. I’m sure they weren’t all saying they had a gritty childhood, but no doubt Wilson helped keep them grounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase, DC

fails the "not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped? "

I'm biased because I live there now, but most of CCDC is not the kind of wealth that results in totally out of touch kids - particularly if you send the kids to public school. The houses are expensive for what they are, but the housing stock is largely 3-4 bedroom, 2000ish sqft old builds. Some of the houses between Connecticut and Chevy Chase Blvd are bigger than that, but even still we're not talking about mansions. It largely is a UMC vibe. But schools are a huge driver of how your kids perceive wealth. Living in CCDC and sending your kids to, say, Sidwell will result in a very different outlook than a kid who goes to Lafayette/Deal/JR.

I grew up here and I went on more than one date where someone odious mansplained to me how having gone to Wilson kept them “grounded” compared to private school peers and it was sort of awful every time tbh.

Why awful? Tends to be true.

I can’t believe I have to explain this but it’s because living in CCDC and going to Wilson and living in CCDC and going to Sidwell are both very privileged upbringings with far more similarities than differences? And so it’s really gross to sit there as a young, debt free lawyer or whatever pretending that because you went to Wilson, you had a really gritty childhood? But some kids really internalize that and sort of won’t shut up about it. It’s bad to grow up in a bubble but it might be worse to grow up in a bubble but believe you didn’t.

Totally disagree. There is a very different value system in private schools versus public and school is much more influential than your neighborhood. I’m sure they weren’t all saying they had a gritty childhood, but no doubt Wilson helped keep them grounded.

I went to MCPS and GDS and I totally disagree. The kids are mostly the same, especially the ones with comparable family wealth. It’s not a different world, at least not DC day schools. It’s pretty similar.