Detailed reasons for why you wouldn't live in Prince Georges County...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I lived in DC for over 15 years and recently relocated to PGC. My commute is three metro stops further than before, which adds at most 12-13 minutes to my trip. Since it's the end of the line, I always get a seat, unlike at the Brookland and RI stations. I'm boarding at a station (College Park) that feels 100x safer and more pleasant than my prior station (Brookland) did. My walk home from the metro is super safe in terms of crime and in terms of traffic/lighting and it's along streets lined with beautiful trees and vegetation that are carefully groomed by the city. We see more birds and wildlife here than I ever saw in DC. I can walk to Whole Foods from home in about 5 minutes, and I do so often for a bite to eat, groceries, or flowers. When I lived in DC I had to drive to PGC a couple of times a week for shopping. And if I wanted to shop at a store with a location in DC and PGC, like Home Depot, I always preferred to go to PGC where there was better parking and better customer service. DC has very few big box stores, so nobody in DC really can shop locally in their neighborhood. As for diversity, there is a lot of racial diversity in my new neighborhood, but not much econ status diversity, which is the opposite of my DC neighborhood. My block here in PGC has APIs, Latinos, and Whites, but few African Americans. All are college educated and almost all the houses have at least one person with a graduate degree. I know of at least 5 individuals with PhDs on my one short block. The kids of my neighbors seem to mainly be enrolled in top and second tier colleges, and the younger ones are at the "test-in" schools or at UP Elementary. One set of friends have their child at the Friends Community School, which looks fabulous. Most people in my circle in DC belonged to the PG Pool, and now it's even closer for those times when we want to hang out there. As for restaurants, back in Brookland we had to travel out to PGC for dinner unless we wanted to deal with the awful traffic and parking involved with dining out in DC. A few days ago I was in my old neighborhood for the first time in at least a month and it hit me how much grittier it is than my current location and what a step up in daily life I made by moving here. Although I could have afforded to stay in my DC house, the relative difference in housing costs here in PGC (for a nicer house) is even more enjoyable than I had imagined. Having all that extra disposable income every month is awesome. And as a homeowner and high income earner, it's absolutely wonderful to not have to deal with the inept DC Government anymore, especially the DC Office of Tax & Revenue and the DCRA.

Thank you for your post!! I moved to North College Park two years ago and at first I was uneasy about moving to the area from listening to people. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made!! My neighborhood is diverse, I am near the Greenbelt metro and MARC stations, my neighbors are friendly, and the community is very active. We have an association and neighborhood cleanups every so often not mention the Hollywood Farmers market during the warmer months. I can get downtown in about the same time someone from Deanwood in NE can via Metro, not to mention even less time to U St and Columbia Heights areas. There is a TON of new development and restaurants in the area including Whole Foods as you mentioned and the Purple line is under construction offering more transportation options. We have a lot of bike trails in the area. One of my favorite things to do on the weekends or some evenings is to ride my bike down to Lake Artemesia (one of the best kept secrets in the area, but *ssshhh* don't tell the anti-PG snobs ) and sometimes bike down to the Navy Yard in DC on the Anacostia Riverwalk trail. I shake my head when I hear my friends and colleagues say they want to be near the "action" but will choose a neighborhood in DC that is mostly residential and far away from the busy sections of the city and pay $$$$.

[Anonymous]

My husband grew up in Oxon Hill and carried a gun to high school for personal safety reasons. My sister in law has been carjacked. My mother in law was robbed at gunpoint in the church parking lot. There have been shootings at close range on the street my husband grew up on. Robberies and murders are a regular occurrence. Need I say more?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I never said we are moving to a less expensive area with better schools, I just said we are moving bc the schools are terrible, taxes are high, and community isn't that great. I would not consider St Jeromes, not only are we not Catholic, we are not even Christian generally so it would not be a good fit for my school. We have considered the Friends school, although its not close to our home, and again tuition K-8 would add up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello, I have owned a home in Hyattsville for almost 8 years in the Arts District, but will be selling my house in the Spring as the schools are terrible (even though property taxes are pretty high). Even though the community has been growing crazy for years nothing has been done to address overcrowding at Hyattsville Elementary. And although many people praise Hyattsville for its rich diversity, the reality is, the white people socialize with the other white families, etc.. I have made many attempts to meet other new moms through their robust moms list serve through moms coffees, and other similar events, but found the moms just to be as clicky as you would find in Brookland etc.. In fact, I think a lot of the DC attitude has just moved into Hyattsville for the affordable craftsman homes. There is also a huge divide between people who live in the older homes in Hyattsville, and the new townhouses.

And just going back to the school situation, there are a few magnet/charter programs available to PG County residents, but it is very difficult to get in, especially with the influx of yuppy families. There are also several fantastic private schools, but again, it seems to defeat the purpose of your affordable mortgage if you're shelling out $40K a year for two kids tuition.

Overall, if you don't have kids and want a decent commute, it's not a bad place to live, but I would not recommend to someone who has children.

Where are you moving that is less expensive w/good schools?

I've heard good things about the Mayor of Hyattsville. Are there efforts to address the overcrowding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband grew up in Oxon Hill and carried a gun to high school for personal safety reasons. My sister in law has been carjacked. My mother in law was robbed at gunpoint in the church parking lot. There have been shootings at close range on the street my husband grew up on. Robberies and murders are a regular occurrence. Need I say more?

Yes. You need to say more. I don't know anyone in Upper Marlboro, Greenbelt, College Park, University Park, etc who've been car jacked. Give me a break. Oxon Hill? Who the hell is moving to Oxon Hill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband grew up in Oxon Hill and carried a gun to high school for personal safety reasons. My sister in law has been carjacked. My mother in law was robbed at gunpoint in the church parking lot. There have been shootings at close range on the street my husband grew up on. Robberies and murders are a regular occurrence. Need I say more?

Yes. You need to say more. I don't know anyone in Upper Marlboro, Greenbelt, College Park, University Park, etc who've been car jacked. Give me a break. Oxon Hill? Who the hell is moving to Oxon Hill?

Right? The WHOLE COUNTY is sucky because if Oxon Hill?

[Anonymous]

Every terrible thing that can be found in PG County can be found in DC, whether it's bad local schools, no good stores and restaurants within walking distance, crime, and so on. Obviously, there are parts of DC where DCUM people tend to live, and the same is true of PG County. University Park, Historic Hyattsville, Mt. Rainier, Calvert Hills, etc... are full of White, grad-school educated families who can afford to send their kids to good private schools while coming home to a gorgeous houses in tree-lined neighborhoods every evening, then biking over to Whole Foods for fresh bread for dinner. It's Suburu and pool club heaven over there. Get a clue, people. And of course, there are parts of DC where many have been downtrodden and under or unemployed for generations, and where you have to learn to duck when a fight breaks out to avoid bullets.

More importantly, who in the DMV lives their life in just one jurisdiction? I honestly don't know anybody here who doesn't cross state/District lines at least a few times a week once they have kids. This is a region that offers all sorts of great things to those who live here, and also has some really entrenched social problems in various pockets. There are people with a DC address who never go to the SI museums and events, and people with MD addresses who are there a few times a month. DC people drive out to Rockville, Pentagon City, or PG for their shopping trips all the time, and this was especially true before there was a DC Costco. (Although even now, many DC people still go to the Pentagon City Costco.) People go from MD to NOVA to eat in the API restaurants out there. There are vast areas of DC that don't have good restaurants, and the people who live there still manage to eat out by going to other neighborhoods or jurisdictions. Stop acting like anybody here can walk to everything they want and need in their own neighborhood or even their own state/district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PG looks and feels like an area shit on for 100 years due to systemic racism. Neglected and 2nd class status isn’t something most people want to volunteer for. Might be wrong but it is what it is. The little that is there is there because it is cheap, as with most things in life you get what you pay for.

Um, PG County was majority white until the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an ultra wealthy area. PG would be one of the prized counties in most of Va. NC, SC , Ga .

This area doesn't know how bad those areas suck. One of the things that makes Md great is how wealthy and concentrated the wealth is. PG is the richest minority county in the US.

PG for all its faults still has
1) a B1G ten university with the 8th highest sat scores of all publics
2) the national archives
3) the national weather prediction facility
4) Andrews Airforce Base
5) the Census Bureau.
6) homeland Security
7) the secret service
8) FDA
9) USDA
10) NASA
11) nationally famous Dematha Catholic
12) an NFL stadium and team.


Better than just about 90 percent of all counties nationwide.

PG also has the IRS and ATF.

In almost all states it would be the economic engine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fine dining in Brookland? Really?

Brookland's Finest
Brookland Pint
Nest (stretching since that's really Woodridge)
Menomale and its new shop (although it's really in Edgewood)
Busboys (which is in Hyattsville too)
Silver something or other on 12th Street
Ethiopian place on 12th

San Antonio Grill is gross, although I guess it counts as a local restaurant

Besides those, there are chain fast food and greasy delivery places.

LOL, I had the same thought to that pp. I live in MtR and we do go out to eat at Brookland pint and brookland’s finest, and occasionally menomale but it’s not very kid-friendly. I understand there is a new wine bar there too? But in general, those places are all comparable to franklin’s, pizza paradiso, the busboys we already have in Hyattsville, etc. And we have much better ethnic/Asian food in pgc (which is generally true of the suburbs vs. dc proper).
If I want “fine dining” I go well past Brookland into DC. I like Brookland, but it’s not vastly different from the other side of Eastern Ave, except that you’ll pay 3x as much for a house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fine dining in Brookland? Really?

Brookland's Finest
Brookland Pint
Nest (stretching since that's really Woodridge)
Menomale and its new shop (although it's really in Edgewood)
Busboys (which is in Hyattsville too)
Silver something or other on 12th Street
Ethiopian place on 12th

San Antonio Grill is gross, although I guess it counts as a local restaurant

Besides those, there are chain fast food and greasy delivery places.

LOL, I had the same thought to that pp. I live in MtR and we do go out to eat at Brookland pint and brookland’s finest, and occasionally menomale but it’s not very kid-friendly. I understand there is a new wine bar there too? But in general, those places are all comparable to franklin’s, pizza paradiso, the busboys we already have in Hyattsville, etc. And we have much better ethnic/Asian food in pgc (which is generally true of the suburbs vs. dc proper).
If I want “fine dining” I go well past Brookland into DC. I like Brookland, but it’s not vastly different from the other side of Eastern Ave, except that you’ll pay 3x as much for a house.

I live in Brookland and I completely agree. Truth be told, I like the Busboys in Hyattsville better. I also LOVE Franklins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PG looks and feels like an area shit on for 100 years due to systemic racism. Neglected and 2nd class status isn’t something most people want to volunteer for. Might be wrong but it is what it is. The little that is there is there because it is cheap, as with most things in life you get what you pay for.

Um, PG County was majority white until the 80s.

Not the inner parts but that doesn’t change anything about it. It certainly has been neglected for a long time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband grew up in Oxon Hill and carried a gun to high school for personal safety reasons. My sister in law has been carjacked. My mother in law was robbed at gunpoint in the church parking lot. There have been shootings at close range on the street my husband grew up on. Robberies and murders are a regular occurrence. Need I say more?

Sounds like they grew up in the middle of the damn hood.

The entire county isn't OH [please see below]. Was it here that I read avoid places that mention elevation in PGC? Oxen Hill def. falls in that category

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every terrible thing that can be found in PG County can be found in DC, whether it's bad local schools, no good stores and restaurants within walking distance, crime, and so on......

And in Virginia. South Fairfax County off of Route 1 would rival parts of PG and DC for the worst in crime and crappy schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PG=high crime. Do I need another reason?

Hmm, I live on the cusp of Brookland/Woodridge in NE D.C. I have been physically assaulted. My truck window was smashed and vehicle burglarized. And house broken into as well. The best charter schools are not that great, just great for DC free public education. Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PG=high crime. Do I need another reason?

Hmm, I live on the cusp of Brookland/Woodridge in NE D.C. I have been physically assaulted. My truck window was smashed and vehicle burglarized. And house broken into as well. The best charter schools are not that great, just great for DC free public education. Just saying.

Ok, many parts of PG and DC=high crime. I choose to live in a safe part of DC 3.5 miles from work.