Chevy Chase versus Mclean or other areas

[Anonymous]

DH & I are newbies to the DMV area. We don't have children yet but planning on starting a family soon and who knows what will happen. We liked certain areas of NW DC and then Chevy Chase but would also consider Virginia. We know no one but some random work people in DC and I'm very wary of insular, old established, old money neighborhoods where if you have no connection, it's kind of weird if you are there. I don't care about the MD versus VA debate, we'd live in either- I just don't want to be on a street where every other person inherited their homes from their great Aunt Elda and they all have clear, established networks.
Should we steer clear of NW DC or Chevy Chase? Parts of it gave me that feel.

We lived on the Philadelphia main line a few years back and it was lovely but extremely difficult to be someone who wasn't from there and didn't have roots. Being new to an area and making friends as an adult is hard enough and I don't want to repeat that experience.
Would love to hear your feedback purely on neighborhoods and people's experience moving there as a total newcomer. TIA!

[Anonymous]

I have lived in Philadelphia and NW DC and Chevy Chase (Maryland side). I’m pretty familiar with Virginia too. I’d day Arlington and Fairfax are going to give you the most casual vibe. I would avoid Alexandria. I don’t think NW DC and Chevy Chase have the vibe you are talking about on the Main Line because so many of the people here are not from here. DC and the DMV area is so full of transplants, the dynamic and social atmosphere is VERY different. People are more willing to meet new people and expand their circles… I think perhaps due to the transplant culture and networking mentality in DC.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

[Anonymous]

So you have so much money as a very young couple that buying a $2-3 million house is apparently in the cards for you-- but the problem is that your would-be neighbors in the same $2-3 million homes have old money whereas your money is recent?


Are you actually asking where all the overpaid professional 30-somethings live? Apologies if you and DH are trauma surgeons, in which case you probably not overpaid for the work you do. It's Ok to make $500k/yr for regulatory advising but it's not ok to inherit a family house? So confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DH & I are newbies to the DMV area. We don't have children yet but planning on starting a family soon and who knows what will happen. We liked certain areas of NW DC and then Chevy Chase but would also consider Virginia. We know no one but some random work people in DC and I'm very wary of insular, old established, old money neighborhoods where if you have no connection, it's kind of weird if you are there. I don't care about the MD versus VA debate, we'd live in either- I just don't want to be on a street where every other person inherited their homes from their great Aunt Elda and they all have clear, established networks.
Should we steer clear of NW DC or Chevy Chase? Parts of it gave me that feel.

We lived on the Philadelphia main line a few years back and it was lovely but extremely difficult to be someone who wasn't from there and didn't have roots. Being new to an area and making friends as an adult is hard enough and I don't want to repeat that experience.
Would love to hear your feedback purely on neighborhoods and people's experience moving there as a total newcomer. TIA!

DC is so transient. I don't think you have to worry about old money here. If you are thinking of children in the future, McLean is better for public schools. McLean also gives you larger lot sq footage than NW and Chevy Chase, MD. If you are thinking of commute time or access to public transportation, NW or Chevy Chase would probably be better options. I also think the areas have different feels. McLean leans more conservative than NW. I think Chevy Chase is probably in the middle but also slightly more conservative that NW. Another option you haven't mentioned that you may want to consider is Bethesda which would give you a similar commute as Chevy Chase/NW, has better public school options than NW, and larger lots than Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I've lived in Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, McLean, and Vienna, as well as numerous other states and a couple of european countries. I've never lived somewhere I disliked more than Chevy Chase. Snooty, stuck up old people with terrible taste and booooring.

[Anonymous]

Don't do Chevy Chase or McLean - lots of old Washington families in those neighborhoods who all know each other from the same private schools and summers in Nantucket. Same thing in Georgetown DC.

Look at DC (AU Park, Palisades, Glover Park), Arlington, and Fairfax city if you want to find friendly neighbors with families and open to making new friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

OP here. We work mostly from home and have to go to NYC about 2x a month so being somewhat close to the Amtrak is helpful. Like having some walkability like everyone else somewhat but it's really about having a community.
Yeah yeah political leanings blah blah- DC people are easy to play that way- it becomes easy to figure out which way they lean and then talk that up. Everyone here is so emotionally charged about it. Don't really care-it's all about positioning yourself to make $ off the current environment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

OP here. We work mostly from home and have to go to NYC about 2x a month so being somewhat close to the Amtrak is helpful. Like having some walkability like everyone else somewhat but it's really about having a community.
Yeah yeah political leanings blah blah- DC people are easy to play that way- it becomes easy to figure out which way they lean and then talk that up. Everyone here is so emotionally charged about it. Don't really care-it's all about positioning yourself to make $ off the current environment

In your first post you phrased as "moving there" (referring to DC) but in your reply you phrased it as "people here." So I'm calling troll. Keep track of your current location better lol

[Anonymous]

OP you can have a community in any of those neighborhoods, it will just be homogeneously wealthy. If you have kids and send them to school, public or private, you’ll have a neighborhood community. That’s how the burbs work. If you don’t have kids it will be a little tougher but not impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you have so much money as a very young couple that buying a $2-3 million house is apparently in the cards for you-- but the problem is that your would-be neighbors in the same $2-3 million homes have old money whereas your money is recent?


Are you actually asking where all the overpaid professional 30-somethings live? Apologies if you and DH are trauma surgeons, in which case you probably not overpaid for the work you do. It's Ok to make $500k/yr for regulatory advising but it's not ok to inherit a family house? So confusing.



So much $ to buy a 2-3 mill dollar house? Do you realize it's 2022? Yes, self made people tend to be more admirable and interesting and have better stories and not reference "My Mother" every five minutes. Is this really that hard to understand?
Ha after taxes, who are all these "overpaid professionals" in DC? I have yet to meet anyone in DC that really feels like they are paid WAY too much for what they do. Get over your class warfare PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

OP here. We work mostly from home and have to go to NYC about 2x a month so being somewhat close to the Amtrak is helpful. Like having some walkability like everyone else somewhat but it's really about having a community.
Yeah yeah political leanings blah blah- DC people are easy to play that way- it becomes easy to figure out which way they lean and then talk that up. Everyone here is so emotionally charged about it. Don't really care-it's all about positioning yourself to make $ off the current environment

Nah, many people here and in those neighborhoods feel passionately about politics. You can be neutral but if you’re a jerk about it like in that post, yeah, it’s going to be tougher to make friends. Anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

OP here. We work mostly from home and have to go to NYC about 2x a month so being somewhat close to the Amtrak is helpful. Like having some walkability like everyone else somewhat but it's really about having a community.
Yeah yeah political leanings blah blah- DC people are easy to play that way- it becomes easy to figure out which way they lean and then talk that up. Everyone here is so emotionally charged about it. Don't really care-it's all about positioning yourself to make $ off the current environment

Nah, many people here and in those neighborhoods feel passionately about politics. You can be neutral but if you’re a jerk about it like in that post, yeah, it’s going to be tougher to make friends. Anywhere.

It's easy to be a chameleon is what OP is saying

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, where do you commute from? Commuting time should probably be #1 on your list of priorities if you are genuinely indifferent between MD and VA. Also, I wouldn’t dismiss the MD/VA debate so casually because in the DMV your political leanings can create community and/or make you feel like a fish out of water. This is a very political region (for obvious reasons) so if you lean left or right at all, the MD/VA debate is relevant.

I agree with PP that your worry of being shut out of long-established networks is not likely to happen except in the most exclusive/expensive neighborhoods (think $5m+ homes on big lots far from one another) where there isn’t much community vibe anyway. You don’t need to worry about that at all in Chevy Chase, DC, for example. Most people are from somewhere else. Truly multigenerational DMV natives are in the minority.

OP here. We work mostly from home and have to go to NYC about 2x a month so being somewhat close to the Amtrak is helpful. Like having some walkability like everyone else somewhat but it's really about having a community.
Yeah yeah political leanings blah blah- DC people are easy to play that way- it becomes easy to figure out which way they lean and then talk that up. Everyone here is so emotionally charged about it. Don't really care-it's all about positioning yourself to make $ off the current environment

In your first post you phrased as "moving there" (referring to DC) but in your reply you phrased it as "people here." So I'm calling troll. Keep track of your current location better lol

OP here- we are currently renting but looking to buy so have been in DC just does not feel permanent yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in Philadelphia and NW DC and Chevy Chase (Maryland side). I’m pretty familiar with Virginia too. I’d day Arlington and Fairfax are going to give you the most casual vibe. I would avoid Alexandria. I don’t think NW DC and Chevy Chase have the vibe you are talking about on the Main Line because so many of the people here are not from here. DC and the DMV area is so full of transplants, the dynamic and social atmosphere is VERY different. People are more willing to meet new people and expand their circles… I think perhaps due to the transplant culture and networking mentality in DC.

Fairfax, yes, but certain parts of N Arlington, HARD NO. Lyon Village is everything the OP doesn't want sans the roots and Great Aunt Elda, but the misplaced snobbery and egos are very much there (I'm not sure why, it's not that great of an area).