Bowie rocks! Why isn't it more popular?

[Anonymous]

I'm kind of new to the area. Just looked at Google maps to figure out where Bowie is--it's waaay out there! I wonder how many people there actually work in DC?

I know a couple of folks who live in Bowie, although not well--one described wanting a large house, and not wanting to pay as much as the same house would cost living in NoVa. Their kid did private all the way through, and is now in a decent college in PA. The other one grew up there and still lives there, and commutes to the Capitol (single, no kids).

I'm AA, and live EOTP upper NW DC. We wanted a short commute, relatively decent schools (Deal/Wilson), and a somewhat walkable area, and were willing to spend a bit more on housing for these options. However, for those that really prefer suburban living, and are prepared to wrangle with the school situation (either by buying in a district with decent schools or going private), maybe they prefer somewhere like Bowie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You are confusing indavidgule biases and sociatial bias on a whole. You are confusing the way it morally should be and the way it is. The question isn't how should people look at Bowie, the question is how do people look at Bowie?

Yes MoCo is starting to be judged by it's increasingly minority majority, have you not seen the snark coming out of fairfax and Arlington. Yes MoCo is experiencing a form of white flight which is partially responsible to the explosion of prices in other places. As to people hating on PG and pulling up bull shit statistics that are out of context or just down right lies, so what? It is just them trying to put into words what nobody can say. The majority of people have no intrest of moving to a majority black area and never have in the entire history of the country. We are simply not there yet. And if you use DC as an example the few little inner pockets of PG that are reversing that trend it would be glossing over the reality that it is happening by using economic pressure which installs a faith that the areas will turn whiter because of low general black wealth. Bowie is the opposite with it's high level of black wealth which means it's black majority isn't going anywhere. I have never met a gentrifier that didn't give me a status of their newly beloved areas's "improvement" within 30sec of being told where they live. What do we think improvement means. Number of new residents vs old. How are hippsters going to push out people who have more money then them?

Places turn white when a richer demographic deems it desirable and starts buying it up, the likelyhood of richer white people targeting Bowie from an already affluent black population is low. Until then it will continue to be pragmatic and open minded people here and there until race relations improve and it can be judged on it's own merits.

So what? If you're going to be racist, then own your bigotry. Stop those trying to hide their bigotry behind BS statistics and taking situations out of context trying to hide their stereotypic behavior. We should all object to those who want to mask their bigotry. I would prefer people saying that they choose not to live in a majority minority county than trying to paint the county with false or misleading accusations. Labeling a county that is 90% low crime as high crime because 10% of the county is high crime is disingenuous.

And it's hypocritical. The majority of those who object to living in PG County and try to use false and misleading information to cover their own bigotry are Montgomery County democrats who pride themselves for being so egalitarian to the black minority in Montgomery County. As long as they are the majority, they are magnanimous to the minority. But they would never subject themselves to being the minority themselves. As a non-black resident of PG County for nearly 25 years, I prefer the most honest attitudes that I get in PG county to the disingenous ones I've encountered in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

I'm a guy who grew up in Anne Arundel County. When I worked as a lifeguard during high school, I was sent to a pool in or near Bowie, but in Prince George's County. It was a very nice neighborhood, consisting of what some here would consider McMansions, newly built as this was back in the mid-90s. I think I was usually the only white person at the pool, which was initially a little bit surprising. The kids and families were all super nice, of course. It was a very pleasant place to work, and I imagine a great place to live.

[Anonymous]

PG is home to the wealthiest African American population in the country on a per capita basis. In fact, I think its the 85th most wealthy county in the US (out of approx 3000 counties). So it's already in the top 3% of counties nationwide.

If it's "not good enough" for you, I think we can accurately deduce the reason why.

[Anonymous]

To put it in perspective, Orange County in California - that bastion of white wealth and country club Republicans - practically has the same HHI as PG County ($74K vs. $72K).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

those are things no one can predict. In 1995 Arlington was not poppin

[Anonymous]

Not many good restaurants and nice stores in Bowie. There are some, but not nearly as many per capita as in other places in the DC region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 colleagues, one lives in Lanham, one lives in N.Arlington both are minorities. The one in Lanham paid $260k for a SFH in Lanham in 1995, the house is worth 350k(as per him), the one in N.Arlington paid 295k for a SFH in 22207 in 1998, the house is worth 1.2million. Both are friends and the contrast in two situations is so stark to me.

I completely agree that your house should not be a part of your investment portfolio but the difference in wealth acquired will reverberate for generations. I know so many professionals who live in PG, they have gained little in real estate wealth. Things may change but these are the facts and realities of today. So, Bowie must be nice but things are good as long as you go there with realistic expectations and knowing that you may not amass much in real estate wealth.

those are things no one can predict. In 1995 Arlington was not poppin

It was poised to pop in 1998, though. The rules don't apply to Arlington. It is one AMAZING real estate market where, yes, indeed, a well timed purchase can support a family for decades and decades to come. No bargains anymore, though.

[Anonymous]

I live in Bowie and commute to D.C. I have neighbors who do the same. Some take the MARC; others drive.

It's actually a shorter commute than it would be from Silver Spring or Bethesda.

A lot depends on where in D.C. you are commuting to, whether you can avoid the beltway and some of the major chokepoints.

But whatever. I wish this thread would get closed. I'm tired of reading what people who don't live in Bowie have to say about a commute they never make or a neighborhood they're completely unfamiliar with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Bowie and commute to D.C. I have neighbors who do the same. Some take the MARC; others drive.

It's actually a shorter commute than it would be from Silver Spring or Bethesda.

A lot depends on where in D.C. you are commuting to, whether you can avoid the beltway and some of the major chokepoints.

But whatever. I wish this thread would get closed. I'm tired of reading what people who don't live in Bowie have to say about a commute they never make or a neighborhood they're completely unfamiliar with.

All of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

If you refuse to move to an area and, further, discourage other people from moving to that area based primarily on race, then, yes, that is racism. Pure and simple. You may believe the racism is justified, but it's still racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annapolis is relevant to the Bowie question, though. When I lived in Bowie, we went to Annapolis very often, as it was only a 15 min drive, and it was a nice benefit of living in Bowie.

Also, the person talking about crime at the town center might be thinking of period about a decade ago, when there was a rash of crime at the parking lot at the town center (even then it was mostly robbing, not stabbing). Bowie residents voted to create a Bowie police force, which now heavily polices the town center.

I agree with a PP that a lot of people knocking Bowie are just racist.

Not liking Bowie = Racism?

most people who knock bowie probably do so because of racist views.

+1 I've given up having the debate with people, because I've found that the more I drill down, the more it becomes apparent that the real issue is racism. Look at all of the posts here that are basically saying that PG property won't increase in value until white people move to PG. That's pretty sad, especially when we're talking about liberal, educated people -- the very same people who will make jokes about how racist and backwards West Virginia or the South is.

I am not sure I can make the same leap of logic you can about the racism. Most educated people can agree PG has been held back because of redlining and . Also it is no doubt hard to plant community roots as a place on the up & up when it's primary demographic is one of the most if not the most disenfranchised in the country. That said not wanting to move there and subject one's self and family to all the negativity that such environments entail doesn't make you racist, it makes you realistic and less likely to be an unintended casualty.

I don't pretend to know what's the answers to society's problems are but I do know it isn't the worse idea to avoid the epicenters of where people are complaining about such things as disproportionate policing, predatory banking, commercial redlining, political corruption and systemic school failures just to name a few. It isn't DCUM who is undercutting the narrative of quality in PG, it is every news cycle. Property values matter

Your assumption that just because PG is majority black that the entire county is "plagued" by all these things and that you are going to be an "unintended casualty" (talk about hyperbolic!!) is...

sort of racist.

One of the founders of Google grew up in PG, people. It's not some sort of inner city nightmare. It's a suburb with a lot of black people. Who are you guys trying to fool?

Right? And most of them are pretty damn affluent UMC black folks at that. Da hell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Bowie and commute to D.C. I have neighbors who do the same. Some take the MARC; others drive.

It's actually a shorter commute than it would be from Silver Spring or Bethesda.

A lot depends on where in D.C. you are commuting to, whether you can avoid the beltway and some of the major chokepoints.

But whatever. I wish this thread would get closed. I'm tired of reading what people who don't live in Bowie have to say about a commute they never make or a neighborhood they're completely unfamiliar with.

When people are accused of racism for not moving to a particular area, that is sort of hard to avoid.

[Anonymous]

I feel sorry for so many of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Bowie and commute to D.C. I have neighbors who do the same. Some take the MARC; others drive.

It's actually a shorter commute than it would be from Silver Spring or Bethesda.

A lot depends on where in D.C. you are commuting to, whether you can avoid the beltway and some of the major chokepoints.

But whatever. I wish this thread would get closed. I'm tired of reading what people who don't live in Bowie have to say about a commute they never make or a neighborhood they're completely unfamiliar with.

When people are accused of racism for not moving to a particular area, that is sort of hard to avoid.

No. It's when people who didn't move here spend time talking about how awful it is. That is racist (not sure if that's you, but you know if it applies).