What's it like living in Takoma, DC?

[Anonymous]

I've always loved the houses in the Takoma (DC) historic district. The proximity to the Metro and the restaurants etc. at the Takoma/Takoma Park border are obvious attractions. The library is lovely. People seem to like the Takoma Education Campus.

But when I drive through, which I do several times a week at different times of day en route to Takoma Park from further-west neighborhoods, I never see people out on their porches or other signs of life on the street or neighborly interaction, except for people walking home from the metro at commuting times. It sort of feels like, lovely as the neighborhood is, too many of the streets are through-routes for it to feel like a sheltered space where kids play outside and whatnot.

Is this a mistaken impression? It could well be. It's idle curiosity, since I like my current house, but occasionally one of those cute bungalows or grand old Victorians comes on the market and I wonder.

[Anonymous]

I would like to know the same. Not the bungalow part though.

[Anonymous]

I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Less expensive and maybe they are doing privates or just don’t care if their kids go to bad schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Because school starts at 3 over here and the property taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Like can have 100,000 worth of house for the same PITI lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Because school starts at 3 over here and the property taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Like can have 100,000 worth of house for the same PITI lower.

This. Plus as a black person who leans conservative, I feel more comfortable in a neighborhood that isn’t known for being 100% liberal whites, and has a reputation for being the type that talks about diversity and inclusion but doesn’t actually know any black folks. At least on the DC side there are other black folks still remaining. 6 on my block alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Because school starts at 3 over here and the property taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Like can have 100,000 worth of house for the same PITI lower.

This. Plus as a black person who leans conservative, I feel more comfortable in a neighborhood that isn’t known for being 100% liberal whites, and has a reputation for being the type that talks about diversity and inclusion but doesn’t actually know any black folks. At least on the DC side there are other black folks still remaining. 6 on my block alone.

+1 on performative, sign in the yard liberalism. Not everyone, but it's definitely there. (And I'm pretty liberal myself)

[Anonymous]

Live in Takoma DC and love it. TKPK main street has tons of great food and bars, metro is right there, plenty of bikeability if that is your thing, and ample parking if thats your thing

[Anonymous]

Live in Takoma, DC on the DC/MD line and mostly love. No one checks your passport in Takoma Park. Have a charming bungalow, but our street is loud, so we have only started porch-sitting during COVID. Kids are in an excellent walkable charter school, but IB MS/HS is a bid of a cluster-f. If we strike out in the lottery, we might rent a studio in Takoma Park, and airbnb our house to utilize TPMS/Blair. We would have to do the math on how many nights we would need to stay in the studio to claim in-state status. Takoma, DC still has a lot of boomers, but there are tons of young families, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live in Takoma, DC on the DC/MD line and mostly love. No one checks your passport in Takoma Park. Have a charming bungalow, but our street is loud, so we have only started porch-sitting during COVID. Kids are in an excellent walkable charter school, but IB MS/HS is a bid of a cluster-f. If we strike out in the lottery, we might rent a studio in Takoma Park, and airbnb our house to utilize TPMS/Blair. We would have to do the math on how many nights we would need to stay in the studio to claim in-state status. Takoma, DC still has a lot of boomers, but there are tons of young families, too.

If you're considering that, why not just rent in boundary for Wilson/JR? Legally you could live in boundary for the first month of 9th grade, then move home and keep your enrollment until graduation. Many people on DCUM find that policy loop hole distasteful, but still better than actual residency fraud and/or moving a family of teens into a studio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Because school starts at 3 over here and the property taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Like can have 100,000 worth of house for the same PITI lower.

This. Plus as a black person who leans conservative, I feel more comfortable in a neighborhood that isn’t known for being 100% liberal whites, and has a reputation for being the type that talks about diversity and inclusion but doesn’t actually know any black folks. At least on the DC side there are other black folks still remaining. 6 on my block alone.

+1 on performative, sign in the yard liberalism. Not everyone, but it's definitely there. (And I'm pretty liberal myself)

That is everywhere around MoCo, not just Takoma Park, and I don't think it is even more prevalent in Takoma Park. Same goes for the people who talk about diversity but don't actually live it, although again, I think that is more common in most of MoCo than in Takoma Park.

Takoma Park though is actually more diverse than Takoma DC, but like most places, it is pretty segregated because the black and Latino residents are much poorer than the white residents. Again, that's typical for the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always loved the houses in the Takoma (DC) historic district. The proximity to the Metro and the restaurants etc. at the Takoma/Takoma Park border are obvious attractions. The library is lovely. People seem to like the Takoma Education Campus.

But when I drive through, which I do several times a week at different times of day en route to Takoma Park from further-west neighborhoods, I never see people out on their porches or other signs of life on the street or neighborly interaction, except for people walking home from the metro at commuting times. It sort of feels like, lovely as the neighborhood is, too many of the streets are through-routes for it to feel like a sheltered space where kids play outside and whatnot.

Is this a mistaken impression? It could well be. It's idle curiosity, since I like my current house, but occasionally one of those cute bungalows or grand old Victorians comes on the market and I wonder.

I love it myself. I often walk my dog in the early evening and see plenty of people, especially near the metro or the park with the aquatic center. Also a short walk to the new water reed development. Wonder when that Whole Foods is going to open...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Because school starts at 3 over here and the property taxes are SIGNIFICANTLY lower. Like can have 100,000 worth of house for the same PITI lower.

This. Plus as a black person who leans conservative, I feel more comfortable in a neighborhood that isn’t known for being 100% liberal whites, and has a reputation for being the type that talks about diversity and inclusion but doesn’t actually know any black folks. At least on the DC side there are other black folks still remaining. 6 on my block alone.

+1 to all this. Wonder if we live on same block

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in Takoma, DC on the DC/MD line and mostly love. No one checks your passport in Takoma Park. Have a charming bungalow, but our street is loud, so we have only started porch-sitting during COVID. Kids are in an excellent walkable charter school, but IB MS/HS is a bid of a cluster-f. If we strike out in the lottery, we might rent a studio in Takoma Park, and airbnb our house to utilize TPMS/Blair. We would have to do the math on how many nights we would need to stay in the studio to claim in-state status. Takoma, DC still has a lot of boomers, but there are tons of young families, too.

If you're considering that, why not just rent in boundary for Wilson/JR? Legally you could live in boundary for the first month of 9th grade, then move home and keep your enrollment until graduation. Many people on DCUM find that policy loop hole distasteful, but still better than actual residency fraud and/or moving a family of teens into a studio.

Because that is a heinous commute and we can walk to TPMS. We wouldn't commit residency fraud, we would spend the exact amount of nights in the small apartment we rent to make it legal. Still cheaper than private. I really think Takoma DC should be folded into MD, the dividing lines are pretty wacky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak to Takoma DC but Takoma Park, MD definitely has the neighborly feel with kids playing. I don’t know why people prefer to live in Takoma DC when Takoma Park has better schools and is so charming with a community feel.

Less expensive and maybe they are doing privates or just don’t care if their kids go to bad schools.

Takoma Md? Most people I know there are simply in denial about the school quality more so than not caring