Wheaton? Opinions? New to the area
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Anonymous
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Try 20853, close to Wheaton.
Why don't you live in Alexandria? |
Anonymous
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Look at north Kensington which borders Wheaton but feeds into better schools. Or check out the part of silver spring south of Wheaton that abuts downtown silver spring.
Wheaton was never desirable...not even way back in the 1950s when it was 100% white. It's always been considered working class housing stock. |
Anonymous
| Is your attraction to Wheaton price-based? |
Anonymous
| Wheaton is lower middle class and getting worse. Schools are bad. Live in VA. What's your budget? |
Anonymous
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I've lived in Wheaton for over a decade. A lot of the posts on here seem to reflect nothing more than unfortunate stereotypes of Wheaton rather than any real experience. I see it all the time on threads about Einstein, which is a really strong school in many ways.
Absolutely there are young professionals and families living in Wheaton. We socialize with each other, we mow our lawns, we discuss which of the local restaurants we prefer. We have fantastic dining options to choose from - Thai, Korean, Japanese, Peruvian, Central American, etc. Two grocery stores to choose from - Giant and Safeway - and the Target and Costco are super convenient. The public library on Georgia Ave is currently being rebuilt, nearby Wheaton regional park has rec classes (skating, tennis) and Brookside Gardens is a little paradise. The Metro makes it easy to commute downtown (although not sure I could say the same for VA.) The houses are really affordable compared to so much around the DC area. The proximity to Georgia Ave, University Blvd, and the Beltway make is easy to get to other areas of the county as well. Honestly OP, this forum is so quick to bash my neighborhood without really knowing it. |
Anonymous
+1 Another long term Wheaton resident, household of two professionals. Most of these naysayers have likely never set foot in Wheaton. That said, a commute to DC is perfectly doable but VA would be difficult on a daily basis. |
Anonymous
| Wheaton is apparently the new PG county on this board, which means a bunch of people who don't live there but who notice it doesn't have enough white people to their liking will constantly post about how awful it is and what an awful investment it is to buy there. |
Anonymous
+1 Lots of people comment with out knowing. However, the commute to VA would be really, really bad. |
Anonymous
| To the posters who live in Wheaton: what school is your kid in? |
Anonymous
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I don't understand the appeal of Wheaton if one spouse works in DC and the other in Alexandria.
South Arlington or Alexandria itself would be probably a better choice, at least in terms of proximity. Maybe OP cannot afford these locations? |
Anonymous
| OP- You should look at outside the beltway Alexandria. It is very comparable to wheaton in terms of housing prices (on the lower side), demographics, and schools (not necessarily that great but ok). It would be a trillion times better commute for your family. |
Anonymous
+1 I've lived in Wheaton (just south of the mall) for almost 10 years and my neighborhood is nothing like people describe. Yes, there is some crime but it's not exponentially higher than anywhere else in SS. We do have an older home but it's updated and has just enough of a lot for us to take care of with two working parents and two small kids. I have friendly neighbors that do block parties, spend time together, walk the dogs together, etc. The neighborhoods honestly vary from block to block so you just have to drive around and get a feel for it but it's nothing like the crime ridden place people claim it to be. It's diverse for sure but that's why we chose it. And there are hard working families (a lot of government workers) who aren't consumed with having the best car or purse like some other parts of MoCo. Our children aren't school age yet and we did have some concerns about the schools but after speaking to my neighbors we'll be sending them to public school when it's their time. With all that said, I wouldn't dare commute to Alexandria from here. I work in downtown DC and it's a straight shot but going to VA would not be fun. |
Anonymous
+2. I live between Silver Spring and Wheaton but closer to Wheaton. I agree that it's a good place to live. My kid is still in daycare but will go to Flora Singer Elementary next year, which is getting rave reviews. However, I would DEFINITELY not commute to Alexandria from Wheaton each day! |
Anonymous
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I live a little further north of Wheaton, in the Layhill area. I've lived here for five years.
The area is going through some changes. High-rises have been built, the library is being rebuilt, and there have been multiple new tenants arriving at Wheaton mall lately--Bar Louie just opened a month or so ago, and AMC Theatres Wheaton 9 should be opening soon (if it's not open already.) A little further north in the Glenmont area (which is very close to Wheaton) there is new construction directly across from the metro station that starts in the mid-400's, I believe. I can't speak to all of Wheaton's schools as my children are still younger, but Wheaton HS was completely rebuilt and has an application only magnet program in engineering that we'll be considering in a couple of years for our DC that's in middle school. I don't think it's a bad area. There is *some* crime but IMO if you're aware of your surroundings, you'll be fine. |
Anonymous
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Wheaton to DC - doable
Wheaton to Alexandria - not doable |