I haven't figured out how people raise children in DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The crazy part is some people LOVE the weather here. I don't like the hot summers, but we have mild winters and exceptionally long spring and fall. Also, where is it that has year-round ideal weather? Maybe in Northern California which is just insanely expensive.

Are you kidding? Spring and fall are exceptionally short, here.

And to answer your weather...southern coastal California.

Southern coastal California is full of whackos and there are not four seasons. It's driven by people into cars, how they look and how perfect the weather is. Those aren't my values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The crazy part is some people LOVE the weather here. I don't like the hot summers, but we have mild winters and exceptionally long spring and fall. Also, where is it that has year-round ideal weather? Maybe in Northern California which is just insanely expensive.

Are you kidding? Spring and fall are exceptionally short, here.

And to answer your weather...southern coastal California.

See this is where weather just becomes incredibly personal. I would hate to live someplace with no seasons. And I also think temps in the 80s (like they get in LA all summer) are honestly too hot. I think San Francisco has close to pretty perfect weather. Just personal preference.

I think in a place that truly experiences four seasons, 1-2 months for spring and fall can be pretty typical. We often get up to 3 months.

San Francisco is freezing and foggy in August. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

"Couldn't agree more. I find the "jobs and education" argument ridiculous. There's more to life than work and formal education. I hate that it was so hot this weekend, my family had to stay indoors most of the time."

Jobs and education poster here. It's purely personal preference. I didn't stay indoors most of the time. We went to outdoor festivals on Saturday and Monday, our community pool on Sunday and Monday. I ran outside two of the three days. That's enough outside time for me. And work and formal education make the rest of life incredibly easy and secure.

[Anonymous]

"I lived in San Diego for 8 years and San Francisco for 2 years. I prefer San Diego, because it's almost always sunny and moderate, except for the occasional May Gray and June Gloom days. And once you've lived in a warm weather state, you do notice the subtle seasonal changes. You're right; it's personal. "

San Diegans don't entertain in their homes much - not much hospitality. Tremendous border patrol issues. Financial issues, always. Just to get 300 + plus days of sunshine a year? Not worth it to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every once in a while someone starts a thread like this that stirs up a brouhaha. Have you noticed that most things you complain about can be solved with more money? The problem seems to be that you don't have enough and other people who have more beat you to the closer/larger house with better things for you LO.

Maybe you should focus on getting a higher pressure job so you can earn more money instead of whining about how you can't have this or that with your low pressure job.

Exactly. I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How shallow are you people to make the weather a major factor in where you live? It's all about jobs and education for the kids. Anything else, like real estate values, follows the jobs and education picture. Anything else is much less important.

Oh god, you're obnoxious. Weather matters because it's about being able to get out and enjoy the outdoors with your family. Where I grew up people spend most of the summer hiking/biking/camping/fishing and most of the fall and winter skiing, hunting, etc. It's about a lifestyle and values. And FWIW, I grew up in the sticks where people didn't obsess over jobs and education like they do here, and somehow I'm still smart and motivated enough to have a great job in this seriously competitive city. It's not so cut and dried.

You're right, it's about values. Jobs and education are more important to me than outdoor recreation. I spend maybe 2 hours a week outside except in the summers.

Lol. You should just move to Manhattan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I sometimes feel the way you do, with our two young kids (6 and 3). And then this holiday weekend, I went back to my (small) hometown and realized that my friends' kids there are academically at least a year behind because their schools (even the private ones) are just not that good. They spend their time watching videos and driving everywhere they go, around their boring little suburbs. "Eating out" means going to Ruby Tuesdays or Chuck-E-Cheese. THE BIG DEAL is the local college football team and even little kids there know little beyond sports, in the way of experiences or entertainment. Much-talked-about vacations are usually trips to Disney World.

Yes, some things are harder here. But we've decided that life it the city is ultimately a much richer experience for children.

Amen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i love DC, but we plan on moving. the quality of life for a family just isn't good here. i've lived here since 1986, husband since 1990. we have approx a 1 hour commute each way, we have good jobs (i love mine), affordable childcare ($1100 a month), live in a townhouse in a good school district, drive decent (non-luxury) cars. but the commute is what kills us. you shouldn't have to spend two hours commuting each day. i don't want to come home and have only 1-2 hours to spend with my son. and why don't we live in an apt in the city? because we want the "luxuries" of living like normal adults -- washer/dryer, central a/c, trees. if that makes us extravagant, call me crazy. cleveland here we come!

as for the people here. yes, some are a-holes, but a lot aren't. and there are a-holes everywhere.

Cl-cl-cl-cleveland?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some good semi-rural, beautiful places that also have a lot of highly educated people & some culture? I mean besides Aspen.

Santa Fe?
Santa Cruz?

Ew
Ew

Spoken like someone who has never been to either.

Is there even one conservative in Santa Cruz?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't like living in "DC" either, if I lived an hour away.

We love living 15 miles away. Of course, we live and work in a 3 mile radius that includes the kids' schools. We go to DC a lot, but not every work day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - We're in the same boat. Bought a house pre-kids in close in Silver Spring, but work in downtown, DC. Couldn't get good childcare in our neighborhood, so DS goes to a very expensive daycare near my office. We have another on the way, so will soon have a $40K per year daycare bill. Pre-kids the commute was up to 45 minutes, all metro and on foot. Now with daycare drop off, commute is about 75 minutes each way. Thank goodness DS loves the metro because he spends more time with us commuting than he does awake at home on weekdays. We only work 8 hour days. Our house has declined in value and although we've outgrown it we can't afford to sell. It feels like we're working really hard and not getting a good quality of life in return. We'd love to leave this area. I loved it pre-kids.

Because you bought in a declining area. If you'd bought in Bethesda instead of Silver Spring, your house would have held its value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are some good semi-rural, beautiful places that also have a lot of highly educated people & some culture? I mean besides Aspen.

Charlottesville.

Portland, Maine.

Portsmouth, NH.

Ithaca, NY.

Hasn't the recession been kinda tough on Portland, Portsmouth and Ithaca? And aren't the winters pretty harsh and long?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Fact: The people who have recently moved to upper NW(Last 10yrs) are wealthy either by their own means or trust funds. THey're the brightest, go-getters in this area and they can afford to live in DC comfortably.

Data to back your statement up, please. I smell some bs!

I have some! NP here. Checking 2010 US Census data, I can see that approx. 40% of the people in my very immediate neighborhood make more than $200,000 a year. This is a 10-fold increase from 10 years ago. As I click around the rest of upper NW DC in 20015, 20016, 20008 and 20007, I see the same thing.

We can debate whether $200,000 a year + is 'wealthy' or not, but I think it's safe to say where the trend is going here in CCDC and AU Park. It's LawyerTown now. Not so much NPRtown

Look under "more maps" then click "Income"

Looking at the map actually saddens me. Those poor people in Bethesda have almost no diversity. It's about 80% white and the Asians out number the African Americans. Crazy-ness.

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/explorer?ref=us

If you want diversity, live in SE.

[Anonymous]

CC Section 5 has more African Americans than Spring Valley. The shifting demo of DC.

[Anonymous]

oh, DCUrbanMoms administrator - please, put us all out of our hell and end this thread. A beautiful DC Weekend is approaching and there are plenty of wonderful things to do. I'd like to go into the weekend on a happy note. Yes, it is only Wednesday, but a mom can dream, right?