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Moving to DC with 2 Kids HELP!
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Anonymous
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Silver Spring public schools aren't good. Neither are Alexandria's.
Guarantee that any place w/ houses inside the Beltway (a.k.a. w/in an hour from Chinatown) AND close to Metro AND w/ good schools are more than 400k. That's our housing budget and we have yet to find it. Sorry, but it's just not doable on 2k/month. Our rent on a 2 bedroom apartment is more than that. |
Anonymous
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One of the cheapest, closest, most liberal places around is Greenbelt, MD. You can still purchase large homes for around $400k and there is a metro station there though I suggest using the one in College Park instead. You would most certainly want to be in Old Greenbelt and not the outlying areas.
www.greenbeltmd.gov The commute will still take the better part of an hour but it will be less involved than the commute your husband is doing now. The elementary school is really good and the community is great and very diverse. |
Anonymous
| If it means anything at all here. They are currently working to extend the metro all the way to Dulles Airport in Sterling, VA. You can get SF houses there for under $400,000. And rentals aren't that bad in this area. Might take a couple years though to get the Silver line up and running, but by then, I assume prices will go up in these neighborhoods. |
Anonymous
This person is a snob from Bethesda or some such place. You can get small 3 bedroom/ 2 bath homes in close in Silver Spring in places where the schools are good. There are homes in our neighborhood in the Forest Knolls E.S. which are between 350 - 400K. Forest Knolls is a fine elementary school. There are other places in Silver Spring where the schools are just as good, other places where they are not. That being said. Are you US citizens? People who come from other countries and work at the world bank or some such place must pay for public school because they are foreigners. Obviously there are millions of families who get public education free who are not here legally. What I don't know is who has to pay and who doesn't have to pay. Something to know before moving here. |
Anonymous
| I've never heard of people with other nationalities having to pay for public school! What's all this? There are many acceptable ways to demonstrate residency, but nationality/ citizenship is not an issue. |
Anonymous
| OP will naturally be catching that "good schools" is a subjective judgment. |
Anonymous
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From Montgomery County Website:
Children age 5 by September 1 and not age 21 on the first day of school are eligible for enrollment. * More: Age and attendance requirements If the child is not a U.S. citizen and has not attended a U.S. school continuously for the past two years, or is a U.S. citizen who has been attending a non-U.S. school overseas, contact Residency and International Admissions at 301-230-0686. If the child does not live with a parent or legal guardian, contact Residency and International Admissions at 301-230-0686. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/ |
Anonymous
| In DC, letters confirming embassy postings will establish residency. |
Anonymous
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Interesting cost of living calculator comparing Vancouver to DC for OP. Not sure how current or even accurate the information is, and also noting that OP lives well outside Vancouver and is looking to move to an area outside DC, but FWIW:
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Canada&country2=United+States&city1=Vancouver&city2=Washington%2C+DC |
Anonymous
| Twinbrook area of Rockville - near Metro, reasonable pricing for smaller houses, pretty good elementary school, feeds through to one of the best high schools in country. Pimmit Run area of McLean/Falls Church - not perfect, but a good place to start. Avoid Silver Spring and DC. |
Anonymous
| Funny. Here in DC we tell people to avoid Rockville. |
Anonymous
Montgomery Co. public schools have never made an issue of citizenship. People who live in this county pay taxes here, regardless of citizenship. It would be ludicrous to let diplomats' children in but not non-diplomat, especially since the non-diplomats pay taxes and the diplomats don't. |
Anonymous
This is really not the appropriate thread for an "illegal alien" tax debate. But illegal aliens do not escape taxes. In fact they pay them and then get no tax refund. So they actually pay more than you do. So how in the world are they getting a public education free? And how does it affect you anyway? |
Anonymous
The only "affordable" neighborhood in McLean/Falls Church with decent schools is Pimmit Hills (in zip 22043) where typical ramblers are less than 1,000 sq ft and can be purchased for under 400K if in bad condition (foreclosure, short sale etc.). They rent for more than 2K though. |
Anonymous
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Although Vancouver is expensive, you have to remember that in the States, there is NO universal health care. For a family of four, that will cost several hundred dollars a month.
You sound adamant about not living in an apartment, but given your budget and the desire for a shorter commute, you should very seriously consider renting an apartment, at least for your first year or two until you get to know the area better both geographically and in terms of cost. You should be able to rent a decent 2-bedrooms apartment near Friendship Heights or Bethesda about $2500/month. If you live near the metro, you will need only one car. You will meet other SAHMs if you volunteer for the school. If you are worried about green space, remember that Rock Creek Park is literally only a few minutes away. |