Anyone sick of being looked down on for living in PG?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PG County's Finest:

http://patch.com/maryland/bowie/pg-county-man-arrested-torture-murders-dc-family-0

Right...because crime and criminals don't happen in other places...

Great retort, bro!

For example, crime rates in Nigeria are clearly worse:
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13917

"Pirates attacks in the Gulf of Guinea have increased in recent years. Armed gangs boarded both commercial and private vessels to rob travelers. The navy has limited capacity to respond to criminal acts at sea."

and

"Driving is a major safety concern. Although traffic laws exist, enforcement remains almost non-existent."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PG County's Finest:

http://patch.com/maryland/bowie/pg-county-man-arrested-torture-murders-dc-family-0

Right...because crime and criminals don't happen in other places...

Great retort, bro!

For example, crime rates in Nigeria are clearly worse:
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13917

"Pirates attacks in the Gulf of Guinea have increased in recent years. Armed gangs boarded both commercial and private vessels to rob travelers. The navy has limited capacity to respond to criminal acts at sea."

and

"Driving is a major safety concern. Although traffic laws exist, enforcement remains almost non-existent."

I'm sorry, but wtf are you doing in this thread? Do you live in PG county? Do you have some purpose for coming in here to point out a recent high profile murder suspect lived in PG county? Should I venture into the Montgomery county forum and bring up the Rockville couple recently murdered by their next door neighbor?

Please explain yourself. You sound unhinged.

[Anonymous]

I now live in Howard County, but I've lived in PG before and had no problems. And now they are building up PG and getting more retail stores. The new Laurel Mall area looks nice.

[sharonda1998]

Anonymous wrote:Well i live in PG county and although i am not happy with the school choices i am able to either afford private or apply for the lottery. I have to travel to expose my child to things however, i do not mind. I am able to afford a comfortable lifestyle, a great yard and i have people of all cultures come by to visit and they are not afraid to visit. I also have a friend that just came to the states and she wish she could afford a home in pg county, compared to her living standards in another country. Do i want better yes. However, working in the city with children who are less fortunate than i. I am not complaining. For those who are able to move and live in another area and not live check to check i am happy for you. For those who cannot do not follow others on the forum appreicate what you have and expose your children.

This is the truth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my home in PG looking over a lake and some neighbors playing golf now. Looking forward to our gorgeous community pool opening in a couple months. Love that my family has plenty of room to live and entertain and that we are not paying a huge mortgage so we can afford to send DD to an excellent private school. So, no, not sick of anything.

Yeah I remember feeling that way too, until my $1M house (Oak Creek) sunk in value to $400K. And there are still short sales on my block for $500K. We are next in line to dump our place. We are burning money my staying and its not worth it to painfully commute to the good private schools in DC. Our PG dream has died. Over it. For sale. Goodbye.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I don't get it. I grew up in PG, Landover, Palmer Park and Riverdale mostly. I remember marveling at Bowie and Greenbelt and other areas and generally finding places like Bladensburg and Capital Heights to be a little ghetto, but we shopped where we needed and even hung out at Iverson Mall regularly (it was the perfect teen hangout in the 90s). There are beautiful parks everywhere, where we had our pick to picnic and have family reunions and kickball competitions. Our churches were excellent and we did a lot of community stuff at Seat Pleasant Community Center, the Bladensburg Public Playhouse, it wasn't nearly as bad as people make it seem. Not perfect, there was crime lurking in certain places but if you were a decent family with nerdy /churchy kids, no one was bothering you. We were out and about all the time and as teenagers, my sisters and I caught the Metro everywhere and were safe because we had street sense (had to be back before dinner of course).

All that said, I saw Oak Creek and remember when it was first being built. I also saw Woodmore and now Fairwood (which is nicely landscaped and designed much better). But Oak Creek in comparison was literally mansions in the middle of nowhere. Even me with a working class background knew that it was a complete mistake to buy out there. There are NO neighborhood amenities. Everywhere is a minimum 5 mile drive away from you, even fast food. Its just a bunch of UMC people staring at themselves inside huge, lofty houses with shiny appliances, and baby trees in the backyard that makes the place look desolate. Hubby and I recently came back to the county to tour the area, and it STILL looks like that. Why on earth would anyone buy a McMansion to be surrounded in nothingness?

This happens all the time and then the buyer gets pissed after a few years because their house value decreased and then they call foul. But why did you sink all of your money into a house without considering the surrounding area/neighborhood? No one wants to move to the boondocks just to have a big house anymore--I'd much prefer Landover Hills over Oak Creek!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my home in PG looking over a lake and some neighbors playing golf now. Looking forward to our gorgeous community pool opening in a couple months. Love that my family has plenty of room to live and entertain and that we are not paying a huge mortgage so we can afford to send DD to an excellent private school. So, no, not sick of anything.

Yeah I remember feeling that way too, until my $1M house (Oak Creek) sunk in value to $400K. And there are still short sales on my block for $500K. We are next in line to dump our place. We are burning money my staying and its not worth it to painfully commute to the good private schools in DC. Our PG dream has died. Over it. For sale. Goodbye.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I don't get it. I grew up in PG, Landover, Palmer Park and Riverdale mostly. I remember marveling at Bowie and Greenbelt and other areas and generally finding places like Bladensburg and Capital Heights to be a little ghetto, but we shopped where we needed and even hung out at Iverson Mall regularly (it was the perfect teen hangout in the 90s). There are beautiful parks everywhere, where we had our pick to picnic and have family reunions and kickball competitions. Our churches were excellent and we did a lot of community stuff at Seat Pleasant Community Center, the Bladensburg Public Playhouse, it wasn't nearly as bad as people make it seem. Not perfect, there was crime lurking in certain places but if you were a decent family with nerdy /churchy kids, no one was bothering you. We were out and about all the time and as teenagers, my sisters and I caught the Metro everywhere and were safe because we had street sense (had to be back before dinner of course).

All that said, I saw Oak Creek and remember when it was first being built. I also saw Woodmore and now Fairwood (which is nicely landscaped and designed much better). But Oak Creek in comparison was literally mansions in the middle of nowhere. Even me with a working class background knew that it was a complete mistake to buy out there. There are NO neighborhood amenities. Everywhere is a minimum 5 mile drive away from you, even fast food. Its just a bunch of UMC people staring at themselves inside huge, lofty houses with shiny appliances, and baby trees in the backyard that makes the place look desolate. Hubby and I recently came back to the county to tour the area, and it STILL looks like that. Why on earth would anyone buy a McMansion to be surrounded in nothingness?

This happens all the time and then the buyer gets pissed after a few years because their house value decreased and then they call foul. But why did you sink all of your money into a house without considering the surrounding area/neighborhood? No one wants to move to the boondocks just to have a big house anymore--I'd much prefer Landover Hills over Oak Creek!

I live in Upper Marlboro and bought my house in 2008 for 330k and it’s now worth $490k so I’m not sure where you’re getting your data. I’ll definitely pass on Landover!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my home in PG looking over a lake and some neighbors playing golf now. Looking forward to our gorgeous community pool opening in a couple months. Love that my family has plenty of room to live and entertain and that we are not paying a huge mortgage so we can afford to send DD to an excellent private school. So, no, not sick of anything.

Yeah I remember feeling that way too, until my $1M house (Oak Creek) sunk in value to $400K. And there are still short sales on my block for $500K. We are next in line to dump our place. We are burning money my staying and its not worth it to painfully commute to the good private schools in DC. Our PG dream has died. Over it. For sale. Goodbye.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I don't get it. I grew up in PG, Landover, Palmer Park and Riverdale mostly. I remember marveling at Bowie and Greenbelt and other areas and generally finding places like Bladensburg and Capital Heights to be a little ghetto, but we shopped where we needed and even hung out at Iverson Mall regularly (it was the perfect teen hangout in the 90s). There are beautiful parks everywhere, where we had our pick to picnic and have family reunions and kickball competitions. Our churches were excellent and we did a lot of community stuff at Seat Pleasant Community Center, the Bladensburg Public Playhouse, it wasn't nearly as bad as people make it seem. Not perfect, there was crime lurking in certain places but if you were a decent family with nerdy /churchy kids, no one was bothering you. We were out and about all the time and as teenagers, my sisters and I caught the Metro everywhere and were safe because we had street sense (had to be back before dinner of course).

All that said, I saw Oak Creek and remember when it was first being built. I also saw Woodmore and now Fairwood (which is nicely landscaped and designed much better). But Oak Creek in comparison was literally mansions in the middle of nowhere. Even me with a working class background knew that it was a complete mistake to buy out there. There are NO neighborhood amenities. Everywhere is a minimum 5 mile drive away from you, even fast food. Its just a bunch of UMC people staring at themselves inside huge, lofty houses with shiny appliances, and baby trees in the backyard that makes the place look desolate. Hubby and I recently came back to the county to tour the area, and it STILL looks like that. Why on earth would anyone buy a McMansion to be surrounded in nothingness?

This happens all the time and then the buyer gets pissed after a few years because their house value decreased and then they call foul. But why did you sink all of your money into a house without considering the surrounding area/neighborhood? No one wants to move to the boondocks just to have a big house anymore--I'd much prefer Landover Hills over Oak Creek!

I live in Upper Marlboro and bought my house in 2008 for 330k and it’s now worth $490k so I’m not sure where you’re getting your data. I’ll definitely pass on Landover!

My data? Right here in this thread!

I was responding to someone who claimed that they paid 1M for their Oak Creek home that sank in value more than 50 percent. If that is the case, Oak Creek development is not doing what they are supposed to do to keep those housing prices up. Like, do they at least have an HOA?

Of course Landover isn't the best place (that was the point of the comparison), but I'd rather be there than in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. I shouldn't have to burn $10 in gas and 30 minutes of commuting time just to eat out at a decent restaurant with the fam.

Right down the street from Oak Creek is an excellent brand new public library (South Bowie I think), and that is literally all they have going for them. Still it is not easy to get to. It should've been walking distance to that community, along with a coffee shop and a few small businesses, community center, with a nice playground, etc. That's what middle class families are looking for. Single professionals/couples with money just go to DC or some other urban center.

Have you seen King Farm in Gaithersburg? That's the place to model after.

[Anonymous]

You resurrected a 4 year old thread for what? To troll a community of black doctors, lawyers, judges, and CEOs? Well let me school you. We live in Oak Creek. The grocery store is 5 minutes away. Six Flags is 2 minutes away. My church is one minute away. SkyZone is 7 minutes away. My son's private school is 14 minutes away. The movie theater and shopping are 10 mins away. Our beautiful library is 2 minutes away. The gym is 4 minutes away. The bank is 3 minutes away. I could go on, but I'm preparing to take my child to his piano lesson, which is also 5 mins away. Sorry to burst your bubble of hate, but the Oak Creek community is a fully gated, golf course community with a clubhouse/bar/restaurant, pool, several lakes throughout, and gorgeous homes that are not McMansions. It's really beautiful. And it's primarily black owned. The community is close knit. The homes are reasonably priced for what you get in return. Glad you don't live here in the county. We don't need anymore fake news. Go troll someplace else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my home in PG looking over a lake and some neighbors playing golf now. Looking forward to our gorgeous community pool opening in a couple months. Love that my family has plenty of room to live and entertain and that we are not paying a huge mortgage so we can afford to send DD to an excellent private school. So, no, not sick of anything.

Yeah I remember feeling that way too, until my $1M house (Oak Creek) sunk in value to $400K. And there are still short sales on my block for $500K. We are next in line to dump our place. We are burning money my staying and its not worth it to painfully commute to the good private schools in DC. Our PG dream has died. Over it. For sale. Goodbye.

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but I don't get it. I grew up in PG, Landover, Palmer Park and Riverdale mostly. I remember marveling at Bowie and Greenbelt and other areas and generally finding places like Bladensburg and Capital Heights to be a little ghetto, but we shopped where we needed and even hung out at Iverson Mall regularly (it was the perfect teen hangout in the 90s). There are beautiful parks everywhere, where we had our pick to picnic and have family reunions and kickball competitions. Our churches were excellent and we did a lot of community stuff at Seat Pleasant Community Center, the Bladensburg Public Playhouse, it wasn't nearly as bad as people make it seem. Not perfect, there was crime lurking in certain places but if you were a decent family with nerdy /churchy kids, no one was bothering you. We were out and about all the time and as teenagers, my sisters and I caught the Metro everywhere and were safe because we had street sense (had to be back before dinner of course).

All that said, I saw Oak Creek and remember when it was first being built. I also saw Woodmore and now Fairwood (which is nicely landscaped and designed much better). But Oak Creek in comparison was literally mansions in the middle of nowhere. Even me with a working class background knew that it was a complete mistake to buy out there. There are NO neighborhood amenities. Everywhere is a minimum 5 mile drive away from you, even fast food. Its just a bunch of UMC people staring at themselves inside huge, lofty houses with shiny appliances, and baby trees in the backyard that makes the place look desolate. Hubby and I recently came back to the county to tour the area, and it STILL looks like that. Why on earth would anyone buy a McMansion to be surrounded in nothingness?

This happens all the time and then the buyer gets pissed after a few years because their house value decreased and then they call foul. But why did you sink all of your money into a house without considering the surrounding area/neighborhood? No one wants to move to the boondocks just to have a big house anymore--I'd much prefer Landover Hills over Oak Creek!

I live in Upper Marlboro and bought my house in 2008 for 330k and it’s now worth $490k so I’m not sure where you’re getting your data. I’ll definitely pass on Landover!

My data? Right here in this thread!

I was responding to someone who claimed that they paid 1M for their Oak Creek home that sank in value more than 50 percent. If that is the case, Oak Creek development is not doing what they are supposed to do to keep those housing prices up. Like, do they at least have an HOA?

Of course Landover isn't the best place (that was the point of the comparison), but I'd rather be there than in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. I shouldn't have to burn $10 in gas and 30 minutes of commuting time just to eat out at a decent restaurant with the fam.

Right down the street from Oak Creek is an excellent brand new public library (South Bowie I think), and that is literally all they have going for them. Still it is not easy to get to. It should've been walking distance to that community, along with a coffee shop and a few small businesses, community center, with a nice playground, etc. That's what middle class families are looking for. Single professionals/couples with money just go to DC or some other urban center.

Have you seen King Farm in Gaithersburg? That's the place to model after.

Sweetheart.... if you have it, you don’t trip. Obviously, you’re not on our level. Stay in Landover. I’m fine with being in the middle of no where and not next to Popeyes or the carryout.

[Anonymous]

How is PG county doing these days? Writing from MoCo 👋

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is PG county doing these days? Writing from MoCo 👋

Love it. College Park is amazing. Hyattsville also. Many other areas too. Trails and bike paths have really improved the whole area over the last 10 years and are used by all sorts of people, day and night. We love biking and walking to most places we need to get to. Greenbelt labor day festival happened this weekend and it is always such a fun small town-y experience. We don't want to be anywhere else for the foreseeable future.

[Anonymous]

For a family with small kids, it's idea. We live in University Park and we're ten-minute walks from the library, the movie theater, Whole Foods, several restaurants, and four different playgrounds. Our mortgage, for a three-bedroom historic house, is $2,100 a month. Our kids are too young for us to have had to navigate the tricky public schools, but our older one currently attends the Center for Young Children, run by UMD's early childhood education department, and in terms of quality I'd put it up against any $40k-a-year preschool that the "ritzier" suburbs could offer. When school comes, we'll figure it out, just like the neighbors on our block whose older kids have recently been accepted to name brand colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a family with small kids, it's idea. We live in University Park and we're ten-minute walks from the library, the movie theater, Whole Foods, several restaurants, and four different playgrounds. Our mortgage, for a three-bedroom historic house, is $2,100 a month. Our kids are too young for us to have had to navigate the tricky public schools, but our older one currently attends the Center for Young Children, run by UMD's early childhood education department, and in terms of quality I'd put it up against any $40k-a-year preschool that the "ritzier" suburbs could offer. When school comes, we'll figure it out, just like the neighbors on our block whose older kids have recently been accepted to name brand colleges.

Where do your neighbors send kids to K-12? I loooove University Park and would like to convince my DH to move there. We are in NE DC. Our kid is in a great elementary now but we we don't love our middle or high school options. Curious what the landscape is in PG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a family with small kids, it's idea. We live in University Park and we're ten-minute walks from the library, the movie theater, Whole Foods, several restaurants, and four different playgrounds. Our mortgage, for a three-bedroom historic house, is $2,100 a month. Our kids are too young for us to have had to navigate the tricky public schools, but our older one currently attends the Center for Young Children, run by UMD's early childhood education department, and in terms of quality I'd put it up against any $40k-a-year preschool that the "ritzier" suburbs could offer. When school comes, we'll figure it out, just like the neighbors on our block whose older kids have recently been accepted to name brand colleges.

Where do your neighbors send kids to K-12? I loooove University Park and would like to convince my DH to move there. We are in NE DC. Our kid is in a great elementary now but we we don't love our middle or high school options. Curious what the landscape is in PG.

UP Elementary is considered a solid option that a lot of families are happy with. Other families have tested into the TAG program at Glenarden Woods, or they have lotteried into the language immersion programs, or they pay for Friends Community, a sweet little Quaker school in Greenbelt. For high school, we know families in Eleanor Roosevelt's tag program, College Park Academy (we're keeping an eye on it because they preference applicants from UP) and some assorted private schools, including Holton Arms and Cathedral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is PG county doing these days? Writing from MoCo 👋

I would say that overall PGCPS has made a lot of positive improvements in the 12 years we have been in the system. Our kids went to neighborhood elementary, TAG middle and got into their first choice high school program.
It's far from perfect but we have figured out our path in order to have affordable housing and a short commute.