Is Chevy Chase & Bethesda MD old money? When did the WASPs have a white flight of those areas?

[Anonymous]

a lot of the older people in chevy chase are government workers etc. I don't know that it was a super elite/exclusive area 30 or 40 years ago, compared to, say, Georgetown.

I think it is more expensive now than then, hence being lousey with lawyers.

[Anonymous]

Maryland was founded by Catholics and, while there were WASPy parts of Chevy Chase, for the most part its heritage and location means that it's where monied Catholics and Jews buy so they can have something of an "old money" lifestyle with their new cash.

[Anonymous]

I grew up without religion but ethnically catholic in CheChe in the 80’s/90’s and at least half of my friends were Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what exactly is old money?

i do not consider myself old money. my grandpa was middle management for a large company went to a state school, never earned much, will die with $4mm+, will pass on $1mm to 4 grandchildren. parents are from the south, went to state schools, sent me to private school then ivy, they're worth about $10mm, will pass on $5mm to two children. we are a two career family, make $500K in our 30's and live in one of the above cities, should eventually be quite wealthy

I've never belonged to a country club, my ancestors didn't come on the mayflower, and if you go back a generation beyond the grandparents, you'll get small time farmers and such. so yea, defintely not old money. I am a white anglo saxon protestant. i've enjoyed loads of privilege, but not old money.

assuming i don't screw things up or death duties don't become too severe, each generation should get wealthier over time. this should continue and eventually maybe some generation (my future grandkids???) will be considered old money? but is old money measured in generations (ie you're old money if your family has been wealthy for 5 generations) or is it measured by some absolute unmoving metric that is unattainable (ie you're old money if your family was wealthy in 1800/1900/1950). is it some absolute dollar number maintained over a number of generations (you're old money if you have $10mm for 10 generations?)

[Anonymous]

ha, i deserve that. my point is i feel like the "generally wealthy" class of people has gotten much larger than some "his grandpa was an astor/vanderbilt/whatever" group of WASPs that it seems like "old money" isn't really a meaningful thing

but maybe I just don't traffic in the right circles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ha, i deserve that. my point is i feel like the "generally wealthy" class of people has gotten much larger than some "his grandpa was an astor/vanderbilt/whatever" group of WASPs that it seems like "old money" isn't really a meaningful thing

but maybe I just don't traffic in the right circles

To the extent that those folks exist in DC, they do tend to live in CC or Bethesda. They do exist, typically working at nonprofit directors or political appointees for not a ton of money, but, hey, they don't need money. Exquisite educational pedigrees, lovely homes, friends in all the "right" circles, and in high prestige/low pay jobs.

[Anonymous]

Certain developments in Bethesda and Chevy Chase had restrictive covenants that prevented sales to Jews (and Black people, I think). This was true in Kenwood, and in developments built by WC and AN Miller. I live in Kenwood Park, which was developed in the 1950s as a subdivision that would sell to Jews. Many original owners, including the people we bought from 20+ years ago, were Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Op here, thanks for all the responses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certain developments in Bethesda and Chevy Chase had restrictive covenants that prevented sales to Jews (and Black people, I think). This was true in Kenwood, and in developments built by WC and AN Miller. I live in Kenwood Park, which was developed in the 1950s as a subdivision that would sell to Jews. Many original owners, including the people we bought from 20+ years ago, were Jewish.

Kenwood, AU Park, Chevy Chase - ya most of what was developed in the Jim Crow/early 20th century had convenants restricting non-Christians and blacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what exactly is old money?

i do not consider myself old money. my grandpa was middle management for a large company went to a state school, never earned much, will die with $4mm+, will pass on $1mm to 4 grandchildren. parents are from the south, went to state schools, sent me to private school then ivy, they're worth about $10mm, will pass on $5mm to two children. we are a two career family, make $500K in our 30's and live in one of the above cities, should eventually be quite wealthy

I've never belonged to a country club, my ancestors didn't come on the mayflower, and if you go back a generation beyond the grandparents, you'll get small time farmers and such. so yea, defintely not old money. I am a white anglo saxon protestant. i've enjoyed loads of privilege, but not old money.

assuming i don't screw things up or death duties don't become too severe, each generation should get wealthier over time. this should continue and eventually maybe some generation (my future grandkids???) will be considered old money? but is old money measured in generations (ie you're old money if your family has been wealthy for 5 generations) or is it measured by some absolute unmoving metric that is unattainable (ie you're old money if your family was wealthy in 1800/1900/1950). is it some absolute dollar number maintained over a number of generations (you're old money if you have $10mm for 10 generations?)

Your post definitely shows that you are NOT old money. Old money never talks about money, and would certainly never post something like this. You are nouveau riche.

[Anonymous]

yep, I'll forever be banished from the old money club of anonymous internet posters. the agony!

i made it clear that our family's money is new and not that much in the context of big time old money.

to expand a bit, I've gone to fancy schools, had fancy jobs, and hobnobbed or whatever in fancy places. I haven't really ever encountered a situation where by just being a regular old suburban white dude whose parents had good jobs disadvantaged me relative to some Buzz Killington IV in the Social Register.

i feel like old money is either not that important anymore or i simply not trying to do whatever these mythical old money folks do, they are not visible to me.

my neighborhood is full of doctors/lawyers/tech working rich/professional types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White flight? LOL! Have you been there lately. I mean, it was overrun by all of those brown people.

"Overrun by all of those brown people" What kind of language are you using? What do you mean? So brown people over run neighborhoods? I do not know who you are but you need to do some self reflection on your terms and ideas about people of color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White flight? LOL! Have you been there lately. I mean, it was overrun by all of those brown people.

"Overrun by all of those brown people" What kind of language are you using? What do you mean? So brown people over run neighborhoods? I do not know who you are but you need to do some self reflection on your terms and ideas about people of color.

Sarcasm alert, PP.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bethesda in a neighborhood close to the metro. A As others have said, 30/40 years ago it was mostly two parent working professionals (often lawyers) and not "family money" except to the extent that a lot of people probably grew up in professional families/families with the means to educate them as well. The houses were around $250k then. But if you're talking about like "don't have to work for a living" family money, no - I'd say that was more in Chevy Chase DC/Georgetown, certain areas of Chevy Chase, MD, and out towards Potomac. Maybe also Kenwood, as a PP noted. These days, Bethesda is a lot wealthier though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certain developments in Bethesda and Chevy Chase had restrictive covenants that prevented sales to Jews (and Black people, I think). This was true in Kenwood, and in developments built by WC and AN Miller. I live in Kenwood Park, which was developed in the 1950s as a subdivision that would sell to Jews. Many original owners, including the people we bought from 20+ years ago, were Jewish.

Kenwood, AU Park, Chevy Chase - ya most of what was developed in the Jim Crow/early 20th century had convenants restricting non-Christians and blacks.

AU Park wasn’t *developed* with those covenants, though certain households, almost certainly a minority, created them on a small scale.