Watching your friends relocate to the burbs for "schools"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm AA and left for the burbs because I sought more diversity for my children. DC is pretty segregated along race and class.

I am considering a move to the DC area from Brooklyn and am also concerned about the lack of diversity in many of the neighborhoods I have looked at in the District. Several people have told me I may find more diversity in certain suburbs - Silver Springs and Takoma Park? Are there others I should consider? I was very reluctant to consider suburban living because I love urban life. But the things I value about urban life - walkability to local businesses/parks/playgrounds, diversity (racial/religious/socio-economic/family makeup), and community activism/involvement - I am realizing are not a guarantee in the District. If these things are priorities for me - along with schools and, let's be honest, getting more house for the money - which suburbs should I consider?

Which part of Brooklyn? Park Slope or Williamsburg? Most suburbs will depress you, don't go there.

12 years in Bedford Stuyvesant (the Clinton Hill side). Thanks all for the feedback. I'm hearing a lot of Silver Springs/Takoma Park from friends too... But yes, I think where ever I end up will be a very big change.

The "urban" part of Silver Spring is basically an outdoor strip mall. It's horrendous. You might consider Takoma on the DC side for a slightly more urban feel and diversity when compared to Takoma Park (which is way nicer than Silver Spring); similarly, Capitol Hill. Basically, if you're looking at WOTP DC, then yes... not terribly diverse neighborhoods; but the more recently gentrified/mixed neighborhoods? Pretty diverse. Capitol Hill as a whole is about 55% white and 45% non-white, which I think is relatively similar to Clinton Hill and certainly closer than most of the surrounding suburbs.

Capitiol Hill only looks diverse, you have white streets and black streets and the only interactions most of the white street have is with pan handlers on their walk to the metro or store.

Yes, but Capitol Hill now has mostly white professionals and low SES blacks, there are few other ethnic groups and very little positive mixing between the newly gentrifying "haves" and the poor black "have-nots".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Just go private/parochial and save yourself a lot of heartache. People complain about a lot of the schools in the 'burbs too. The only magic is private.

This is our experience. We didn't love DCPS so we moved to MoCo and found 30 kids in each elementary school class so we moved again to private and love it. Very expensive, but worth every penny, and more economically and racially diverse than either of our former public experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm AA and left for the burbs because I sought more diversity for my children. DC is pretty segregated along race and class.

I am considering a move to the DC area from Brooklyn and am also concerned about the lack of diversity in many of the neighborhoods I have looked at in the District. Several people have told me I may find more diversity in certain suburbs - Silver Springs and Takoma Park? Are there others I should consider? I was very reluctant to consider suburban living because I love urban life. But the things I value about urban life - walkability to local businesses/parks/playgrounds, diversity (racial/religious/socio-economic/family makeup), and community activism/involvement - I am realizing are not a guarantee in the District. If these things are priorities for me - along with schools and, let's be honest, getting more house for the money - which suburbs should I consider?

Which part of Brooklyn? Park Slope or Williamsburg? Most suburbs will depress you, don't go there.

12 years in Bedford Stuyvesant (the Clinton Hill side). Thanks all for the feedback. I'm hearing a lot of Silver Springs/Takoma Park from friends too... But yes, I think where ever I end up will be a very big change.

The "urban" part of Silver Spring is basically an outdoor strip mall. It's horrendous. You might consider Takoma on the DC side for a slightly more urban feel and diversity when compared to Takoma Park (which is way nicer than Silver Spring); similarly, Capitol Hill. Basically, if you're looking at WOTP DC, then yes... not terribly diverse neighborhoods; but the more recently gentrified/mixed neighborhoods? Pretty diverse. Capitol Hill as a whole is about 55% white and 45% non-white, which I think is relatively similar to Clinton Hill and certainly closer than most of the surrounding suburbs.

Capitiol Hill only looks diverse, you have white streets and black streets and the only interactions most of the white street have is with pan handlers on their walk to the metro or store.

Yes, but Capitol Hill now has mostly white professionals and low SES blacks, there are few other ethnic groups and very little positive mixing between the newly gentrifying "haves" and the poor black "have-nots".

This is not true. There are plenty of streets with a mix of folks living in houses. There are also quite a few middle class black families living on the Hill... if you look at the stats for non-FARMs students (at, e.g., Watkins), look at the stats for white students and look at the stats for black students, it is clear that the first category contains some of each of the others. I do take your point that there are not very many non-professional whites on the Hill, but that's DC in general... including the close-in burbs. It is true that the Hill has a relatively small non-white/non-black population.

[Anonymous]

As a fellow Brooklynite I urge you to ignore the posters and "friends" telling you Silver spring or Shepherd Park are a good match. They are depressing pokey little suburbs. I would look at Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Hill East, Noma.

NW DC is a suburb. I felt very strange there as a non-white person. The Maryland suburbs are depressing and horrible. Sorry but coming from Brooklyn you will cry thinking that you live in such a boring, depressing place. There are Shepherd Park boosters on here all the time- it's a dismal, far-flung suburb. I'm sorry if I'm insulting your neighborhood, but the advice you're giving on here is beyond bad. Stay urban and stay sane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a fellow Brooklynite I urge you to ignore the posters and "friends" telling you Silver spring or Shepherd Park are a good match. They are depressing pokey little suburbs. I would look at Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Hill East, Noma.

NW DC is a suburb. I felt very strange there as a non-white person. The Maryland suburbs are depressing and horrible. Sorry but coming from Brooklyn you will cry thinking that you live in such a boring, depressing place. There are Shepherd Park boosters on here all the time- it's a dismal, far-flung suburb. I'm sorry if I'm insulting your neighborhood, but the advice you're giving on here is beyond bad. Stay urban and stay sane.

You sound incredibly close-minded and bitter. But I am glad you enjoy living your claimed urban life! I enjoy my frenetic close-in suburban one, which is far from dismal and depressing and horrible. And yes, I also enjoyed living in one of those chosen-places you mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm AA and left for the burbs because I sought more diversity for my children. DC is pretty segregated along race and class.

I am considering a move to the DC area from Brooklyn and am also concerned about the lack of diversity in many of the neighborhoods I have looked at in the District. Several people have told me I may find more diversity in certain suburbs - Silver Springs and Takoma Park? Are there others I should consider? I was very reluctant to consider suburban living because I love urban life. But the things I value about urban life - walkability to local businesses/parks/playgrounds, diversity (racial/religious/socio-economic/family makeup), and community activism/involvement - I am realizing are not a guarantee in the District. If these things are priorities for me - along with schools and, let's be honest, getting more house for the money - which suburbs should I consider?

If your primary goal is diversity, then you should know that DC suburbs are much more ethnically diverse than DC itself. The secret to understanding this is knowing that when people in DC say "diversity", they actually mean "black". Diversity in DC means black, white, and perhaps a handful of Hispanic. Diversity in DC suburbs means what it means in the dictionary - a little bit of everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a fellow Brooklynite I urge you to ignore the posters and "friends" telling you Silver spring or Shepherd Park are a good match. They are depressing pokey little suburbs. I would look at Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Hill East, Noma.

NW DC is a suburb. I felt very strange there as a non-white person. The Maryland suburbs are depressing and horrible. Sorry but coming from Brooklyn you will cry thinking that you live in such a boring, depressing place. There are Shepherd Park boosters on here all the time- it's a dismal, far-flung suburb. I'm sorry if I'm insulting your neighborhood, but the advice you're giving on here is beyond bad. Stay urban and stay sane.

Whatever, dude. We are PoC, one of us grew up in NYC, and we live in Shepherd Park. Do you even live in DC? My guess is you live somewhere in VA, which is why you're painting all of NW DC with one broad brush.

[Anonymous]

Silver spring has a lot of chain stores, it's true. At some moments, it's like Fulton St. As a bed stuy Clinton hill(s) resident. I suspect you should be able to appreciate that. Trust me when I say it's the closest you're going to get in dc. Besides silver spring, most of the areas these other posters are talking about are like cobble hill without the charm of ib spouses with vanity creative retail.

And if you're looking for a Ps 11 equivalent? Again, maybe silver spring. Shepherd elementary, demographics aside, is not it.

[Anonymous]

The truth is. Most of dc is MORE suburban than close in silver spring. Don't believe me? Look at a map and try and figure out how to walk from one part of brookland to another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a fellow Brooklynite I urge you to ignore the posters and "friends" telling you Silver spring or Shepherd Park are a good match. They are depressing pokey little suburbs. I would look at Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Hill East, Noma.

NW DC is a suburb. I felt very strange there as a non-white person. The Maryland suburbs are depressing and horrible. Sorry but coming from Brooklyn you will cry thinking that you live in such a boring, depressing place. There are Shepherd Park boosters on here all the time- it's a dismal, far-flung suburb. I'm sorry if I'm insulting your neighborhood, but the advice you're giving on here is beyond bad. Stay urban and stay sane.

This is a "fellow Brooklynite" whose fmaily helped with a down payment on 3rd st and seventh Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The truth is. Most of dc is MORE suburban than close in silver spring. Don't believe me? Look at a map and try and figure out how to walk from one part of brookland to another.

I think it's pretty easy to walk from one party of Brookland to the other.

[Anonymous]

I live on Capitol Hill, but I think Columbia Heights is a closer match to what you are looking for. More diversity (not just white and black, but LOTS of Hispanic), more urban density (more and taller apartment buildings rather than short Capitol Hill rowhouses) and just more vibrant. I personally like quiet, so Capitol Hill is a good match for me, but I'd look at Columbia Heights if I were you. Also the area between U st and Dupont Circle. That area is less dense than Columbia Heights, but is closer to "downtown DC". Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on Capitol Hill, but I think Columbia Heights is a closer match to what you are looking for. More diversity (not just white and black, but LOTS of Hispanic), more urban density (more and taller apartment buildings rather than short Capitol Hill rowhouses) and just more vibrant. I personally like quiet, so Capitol Hill is a good match for me, but I'd look at Columbia Heights if I were you. Also the area between U st and Dupont Circle. That area is less dense than Columbia Heights, but is closer to "downtown DC". Good luck!

Agree with this, and really the corridor from NoMa to Dupont - mostly through U St., Bloomingdale, Shaw, and Logan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silver spring has a lot of chain stores, it's true. At some moments, it's like Fulton St. As a bed stuy Clinton hill(s) resident. I suspect you should be able to appreciate that. Trust me when I say it's the closest you're going to get in dc. Besides silver spring, most of the areas these other posters are talking about are like cobble hill without the charm of ib spouses with vanity creative retail.

And if you're looking for a Ps 11 equivalent? Again, maybe silver spring. Shepherd elementary, demographics aside, is not it.

If you think Silver Spring is the area of DC + burbs that is most like Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, I can only conclude that you are out of your mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on Capitol Hill, but I think Columbia Heights is a closer match to what you are looking for. More diversity (not just white and black, but LOTS of Hispanic), more urban density (more and taller apartment buildings rather than short Capitol Hill rowhouses) and just more vibrant. I personally like quiet, so Capitol Hill is a good match for me, but I'd look at Columbia Heights if I were you. Also the area between U st and Dupont Circle. That area is less dense than Columbia Heights, but is closer to "downtown DC". Good luck!

This is good advice. I do think it depends a little bit on whether you care about family-friendly at all, since the Hill is definitely better for that than most of the neighborhoods described above where most of the white/high SES demographic is childless.