Thoughts About Olney, MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would look closer to Silver Spring...good commute into DC and very active Jewish community. Olney does have a strong Jewish community but the commute downtown is hellish. But you do get more for your money...it's all about tradeoffs around here.

+1

[Anonymous]

Olney is nice but commute to DC won't be easy.

[Anonymous]

The commute via Rockville metro isn't bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The commute via Rockville metro isn't bad.

Olney to Rockville metro is 20-25 min drive in the morning, no?

[Anonymous]

10-15 mins to shady grove metro via icc.

[Anonymous]

does anyone have any idea if the class sizes in the elem schools in Olney are small/large? We are looking to move for smaller class sizes - we're in 20878 currently and the school overcrowding is out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:does anyone have any idea if the class sizes in the elem schools in Olney are small/large? We are looking to move for smaller class sizes - we're in 20878 currently and the school overcrowding is out of control.

I would like to know this as well as we are thinking of moving to Olney.

[Anonymous]

Cashell ES on the Rockville -Olney border is about 24 per class

[Anonymous]

22ish for my kids' classes at Greenwood in Brookeville (feeds into Rosa Parks and Sherwood). Smaller for K.

[Anonymous]

Cashell doesn't feed into Sherwood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Olney/Brookeville area is great! If you are considering the Brooke Grove area, then be sure to check out the 20833 zip for neighboring Brookeville (which feeds into Greenwood Elementary which is excellent). We looked in Olney for two years and ended up in Brookeville on the border with Olney. What's your price range, and what are you looking for in a house? Bnai Shalom is great and the preschool is excellent (not cheap, but excellent). One of the best things about this area is the sense of community. Olney/Brookeville feels like a small town. Google Olney Days, our annual celebration that includes a parade and fireworks. Check out our weekly farmers market. Drive by OBGC to see our sports fields (check it out on a Saturday once baseball, soccer and lacrosse seasons begin). Come to our strawberry festival at the Sandy Spring museum. Head to the town center one night once it's warmer to see families hanging out around the splash fountain eating ice cream. Check out our annual picnic that raises money for the local hospital. We have ponds for fishing, walking trails, and fun neighborhood pools. I could go on.

While DC is a schlep (60-90 mins depending on when you commute), we can get to Baltimore or Annapolis rather easily. This means weekend trips to the maryland zoo which is amazing. And dinner and ice cream in Annapolis when the weather is nice. We have farms within easy driving distance, and lots of girls take riding lessons.

Feel free to post specific questions.

Far far away.

OP, can you leave at 6:45 in the morning? Or will you have elementary school drop off obligations? Commute could be a nightmare.
Strawberries and splash fountains are not limited to the outer outer burbs.

[Anonymous]

We live in the section of Brookeville that is close in to Olney. At least half our neighborhood commutes to D.C. via car or metro. Our neighbor has been commuting from here to Dupont by car for fifteen + years. The key is going in early.

[Anonymous]

I left Brookeville at 8:15 this morning and traffic was awful...bumper to bumper the entire way...and I was at my desk within 75 mins. Most days it's between 50 and 60 minutes.

[Anonymous]

And I'm commuting home now and will be there in 45 mins.

[Anonymous]

I agree that you can find strawberries and splash pads elsewhere, pp. But the thing about Olney is that when you attend these events, you run into neighbors, people from school or OBGC, etc because Olney is like a sma town where you know everyone.

Someone recently posted something on the local listserv that the downside to living in our area is that you can't lay around in jammies over winter break because someone always drops by to say hello or hang out.

The thing about Olney/Brookeville is that people move out here *despite* the commute to DC...because it's worth it.