Arlington or Montgomery County? [VA/MD]
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Anonymous
| I would go for Lyon Park over Lyon Village, I think it has a more neighborhoody vibe. Commute would be about the same. |
Anonymous
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I've lived in both. There are some differences, but I think the bigger differences have to do with how much you can afford, the type of house you want (SFH? Townhouse? Apt?).
From your description, Potomac is right out. Potomac is mostly dispersed, wooded, SFH with pockets, no Metro, few walkable locations. Look carefully at EXACTLY where you would live. Check the rush-hour traffic, schools rating, and crime stats of the exact neighborhood you're considering. There could be a huge difference in just a few miles. Arlington, McClean and Bethesda, Chevy Chase by the metro / malls have lots of "walk opportunity". Walk to school is a crapshoot. Depends on what you can afford, but if you have a N.CA home guessing at least about 2m? You should be able to find a good neighborhood. Not so fond of NoVa traffic, Youngkin, or the way they handle taxes (it's a bit draconian). The deciding factor may be where you work. If you work in NoVA, it may be better to locate there. Traffic can be pretty bad across 270 split at rush. Good luck and welcome to the DC NCR! |
Anonymous
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MoCo Bethesda. We’ve had an amazing experience in MoCo schools so far but admittedly are still in elementary. Great teachers, great schools.
I personally don’t find Bethesda to be at all full of snobby, entitled people and rather have friends that are diverse, kind, and welcoming. Downtown Bethesda is convenient for running errands or meeting friends although Bethesda Row is filled with chain stores so beware if that isn’t your jam (Apple, Jenni Kayne, Madewell, Williams Sonoma, Frambridge, etc.). There are also plenty of homegrown dc shops and restaurants and if you go one block away from the apple store you will in fact find local businesses. It’s great for lots of things - densely packed with families there are a ton of opportunities for kids sports, fun outings like imagination stage, great playgrounds, parks, and hiking all near by. We’ve met families at the playground that we’ve become good friends with and our kids are quite happy here. Metro is a fast way downtown although lately deteriorated a bit. Good luck in your search! |
Anonymous
| I love in DC so I’m a neutral party but of the two I prefer MoCo because 1. More diversity and 2. Greater sense of pride of place and community. People who live in Nova by and large seem upset to be there (they are mostly all transplants and wish they were back where they came from) and competitive with one another. |
Anonymous
So much of this is true. |
Anonymous
So the inference is that there are less transplants in Moco/Bethesda, and that rings true. There is a lot of "old Washington families" vibe in Bethesda. Diversity only comes once you get up to Rockville or Silver Spring. |
Anonymous
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Definitely Montgomery county.
Virginia has Richmond, the capitol of the confederacy. |
Anonymous
Still bitter about your great, great grandpappy being killed at the Battle of the Wilderness? The Union gave your great great grand ma enough of a pension to start that boarding house for B&O workers in Baltimore. That kinda set up your family for life |
Anonymous
| As another recent transplant from a walkable area, just be careful - here people think things are "walkable" even when there's no sidewalk. Like that house pp linked to has none. There are certainly areas that do have it, but you will be far more limited (was a priority for us, and have small target areas). Also, just to be aware going in, Arlington may upzone the whole county to no SFH. So if you want that vibe, may not stay in the long run. |
Anonymous
DP.. I moved from the Bay Area (Peninsula), and the traffic here is just as bad as the Bay Area, probably a bit less worse. I grew up in CA, and was a bit surprised at how many neighborhoods in the DC area (suburbs) don't have sidewalks. That was a deal breaker for me. OP, I would rent for a bit then decide. As for schools, honestly, I think they are much the same around the DC area. APS is a smaller district, and that might impact the program offerings, but at the same time be more manageable. Bonus for any DC area school: they are better funded than CA schools. |
Anonymous
This is a great price for this house. Very walkable. Sidewalks. Across the street from ES. |
Anonymous
| NOVA is just paved and developed everywhere. IMO MoCo is much more verdant and peaceful. We have the canal too which is such a huge asset if you like the outdoors. Hard to find walkable that is also peaceful. |
Anonymous
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Having lived in both Maryland and Nova, my vote is for Nova. The culture is much more friendly, especially for transplants, since so many of us are not native to the region. Maryland has a more stuck-up, good-ol'-boys air in the wealthy areas it sounds like you would be interested in.
Besides which, the infrastructure in Virginia is much better maintained. Try looking in Westover. It's a great, walkable area with good schools, and a fantastic farmers market. |
Anonymous
| Have you looked at Falls Church City? Very walkable, soon to have the biggest Whole Foods in the US, many coffee shops, a lot of kids walking around, schools are amazing. You can get a nice house just under 2. Property and houses hold value very well. |
Anonymous
I have lived in both as well and my vote goes to MD. VA traffic was horendous. The toll lanes are confusing. I am better politically alligned with MD politics. Schools are similar (compairng MOCO to Fairfax). Parents all complain but they are really pretty good. That said they are not that different so commute would defintely be a big factor. |