Takoma Park-like neighborhood?

[Ndldc]

Looking for neighborhood advice. We lived in a condo on H Street with no car during the pandemic and haven’t explored DMV beyond H Street/Capitol Hill much.

We now have three kids, ages 8, 5, and 6 months. We’re looking for a year-long house rental in DC/DMV for $4-6k/month. We currently live in Brooklyn, NY, and will return to Brooklyn next summer, so don’t need to worry about middle/high schools.

When we were on H Street we loved visiting friends and the farmer’s market in Takoma Park, so we initially looked there, but just learned that our kids would have to go to separate schools in TKPK (for K & 4th grade), and we'd like them in the same school.

Our wish list:
- a standalone house so we can let the kids, who’ve always lived in apartments, not worry about noise
- a back yard, ideally fenced, grassy, leafy
- commute to downtown DC <40 minute by transit, or could possibly drive
- walking distance <15min to a decent K-5 public school
- sidewalks/walkability so I can head with baby to a park or playground, groceries, etc
- a leafy neighborhood or being close to a park

Can you suggest a neighborhood or neighborhoods out there that fit the bill? Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Also: Arlington feels too suburb-y/wealthy for my husband, who has been there.

And, AI responded to my question by recommending, roughly in order, Chevy Chase, Cleveland Park, Friendship Heights/Tenleytown, Takoma DC, and Petworth. Is it right?

[Anonymous]

Those are likely to be very different price points. If you like Takoma, you might want to add Takoma Park, Shepherd Park, and Manor Park.
Petworth and Chevy Chase are extremely different neighborhoods, but your list is a good starting point. There are also neighborhoods in Silver Spring that could work,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those are likely to be very different price points. If you like Takoma, you might want to add Takoma Park, Shepherd Park, and Manor Park.
Petworth and Chevy Chase are extremely different neighborhoods, but your list is a good starting point. There are also neighborhoods in Silver Spring that could work,

+1 to first paragraph. School would be Whittier or Shepherd elementary.

[Anonymous]

Did you know that in Takoma Park the two schools are about 50 yards apart? The school for K-2 is literally right next to the grade 3-5 school. The middle school 6-8 is up the street.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP, Takoma DC or slightly further south in Manor Park. That way

[Anonymous]

Cleveland Park is great, but house rentals are rare. You might get lucky, though. John Eaton is a great school.

Most of the elementary schools west of the park are fine. Eaton, Murch, Lafayette, Janney. If you want a bit more urban, people also seem to like Ross in Dupont.

Tenleytown, AU Park, Chevy Chase, Takoma Park, etc are fine. The ones over the border in MoCo in Chevy Chase are fine, too.

Honestly house rentals are not that plentiful so you should probably just monitor Hotpads and Zillow for house in NW DC west of the park and just rent the house you like.

[Anonymous]

What's your issue with your kids going to different schools less than a block apart?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you know that in Takoma Park the two schools are about 50 yards apart? The school for K-2 is literally right next to the grade 3-5 school. The middle school 6-8 is up the street.

+1, there are a lot of good neighborhoods but this would be a bad reason to eliminate TKPK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you know that in Takoma Park the two schools are about 50 yards apart? The school for K-2 is literally right next to the grade 3-5 school. The middle school 6-8 is up the street.

+1, there are a lot of good neighborhoods but this would be a bad reason to eliminate TKPK.

+2. But if this is still somehow your deal breaker, look at the adjacent East Silver Spring elementary school, which is K-5.

[Anonymous]

Have you that about Brookland? Lots of stand alone houses with yards, and I often see rental listings. My child is younger than PreK, but I know ppl do like the elementary schools here. For example, Stokes. Nice Saturday farmers market & many playgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Brookland PP here. Also, a Trader Joe’s just opened! A few sad developments, though, are that some fantastic neighborhood eateries recently closed.

[Anonymous]

Del Ray, University Park, or maybe College Park/Greenbelt give me much more tkpk vibes than Cleveland Park or tenleytown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you know that in Takoma Park the two schools are about 50 yards apart? The school for K-2 is literally right next to the grade 3-5 school. The middle school 6-8 is up the street.

u

Yes, but there is talk of renovating the grade 3-5 school in the hext few years, possibly bussing students to other schools in Montgomery county

[Anonymous]

The renovation for Piney Branch Elementary School isnt happening next school year, which sounds like like the only year that you're going to be here.