Is silver spring a decent place to live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a 32-year resident of Silver Spring 20902, I find all this very entertaining. The only thing you may need to worry about is navigating your way through the thousands of families walking their dog every day.

Same thoughts here from 20902. Silver spring is huge and DTSS will have some crime, but overall there are plenty of nice, safe, family friendly neighborhoods across multiple price points if you’re willing to live somewhere with a little diversity.

Generally I agree but if you talk to anyone in 20902 lately, they might have concerns about the increased, and repeated, car break-ins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Used to love in SS but school issues, crime and high taxes made us move to NovA. I don't want to pay high taxes and schools going worse.

Good luck with that -- your taxes will be going up:

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/11/27/arlington-county-forecasting-30-40-million-budget-gap/

You do understand it will never be close to MD counties. MD state tax is pretty close to VA state tax so why pay 3-3.5% county income tax on top of high property taxes? Not sure what they do with all these taxes? Probably funding some welfare programs.

This is one of the main reasons it never made sense to live in MoCo. Crime is high and you pay high taxes for it, no thanks.

[Anonymous]

I live in 20901. Moved here from 20816 because we wanted more house for our money, more diversity, more interesting neighbors, etc., etc. We are very, very happy here.

I don't adore downtown SS but it's ok. It's a little sketchy - but honestly, every city feels a little sketchy right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in 20901. Moved here from 20816 because we wanted more house for our money, more diversity, more interesting neighbors, etc., etc. We are very, very happy here.

I don't adore downtown SS but it's ok. It's a little sketchy - but honestly, every city feels a little sketchy right now.

How crappy was your house in Bethesda where you would trade a meh house for a meh area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Used to love in SS but school issues, crime and high taxes made us move to NovA. I don't want to pay high taxes and schools going worse.

Good luck with that -- your taxes will be going up:

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/11/27/arlington-county-forecasting-30-40-million-budget-gap/

You do understand it will never be close to MD counties. MD state tax is pretty close to VA state tax so why pay 3-3.5% county income tax on top of high property taxes? Not sure what they do with all these taxes? Probably funding some welfare programs.

This is one of the main reasons it never made sense to live in MoCo. Crime is high and you pay high taxes for it, no thanks.

Schools are great, I'm pleased with county services and responsiveness, I have an easy commute to my DC job, and the county is a very pleasant place to live generally. So thank you, I'll happily take MoCo over anywhere else in the region. Not everyone obsesses over every cent of taxes; if low taxes are your goal, then Florida or Texas is probably the place for you, not the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Used to love in SS but school issues, crime and high taxes made us move to NovA. I don't want to pay high taxes and schools going worse.

Good luck with that -- your taxes will be going up:

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/11/27/arlington-county-forecasting-30-40-million-budget-gap/

You do understand it will never be close to MD counties. MD state tax is pretty close to VA state tax so why pay 3-3.5% county income tax on top of high property taxes? Not sure what they do with all these taxes? Probably funding some welfare programs.

This is one of the main reasons it never made sense to live in MoCo. Crime is high and you pay high taxes for it, no thanks.

Schools are great, I'm pleased with county services and responsiveness, I have an easy commute to my DC job, and the county is a very pleasant place to live generally. So thank you, I'll happily take MoCo over anywhere else in the region. Not everyone obsesses over every cent of taxes; if low taxes are your goal, then Florida or Texas is probably the place for you, not the DMV.

Agreed--if you value low taxes first and foremost, there are certainly other regions in the DMV that will appeal to you more. If you value community, good schools, relatively cheap housing (compared to the region) near the metro, and sane state-level politics, Silver Spring is a wonderful choice. I moved back in 2021 to 20910 from DC and it's been great.

[Anonymous]

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-20903/

[Anonymous]

Lots of red light and speed cameras on neighborhood streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it is diverse if thats what youre looking for. I personally could not live in maryland, its too blue. too many rules and regulations.

Yes, I also prefer places that are free of rules and regulations. You know, the types of places where builders don't have any stupid building codes to make sure they build houses that are habitable, the types of places where there aren't these pesky things called "crimes," the types of places where brown water can come out of the tap due to lack of environmental laws. It's really wonderful to not have rules and regulations.

I have a feeling that's not the rules and regulations the previous poster was complaining about, and you are making a dishonest argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it is diverse if thats what youre looking for. I personally could not live in maryland, its too blue. too many rules and regulations.

Yes, I also prefer places that are free of rules and regulations. You know, the types of places where builders don't have any stupid building codes to make sure they build houses that are habitable, the types of places where there aren't these pesky things called "crimes," the types of places where brown water can come out of the tap due to lack of environmental laws. It's really wonderful to not have rules and regulations.

I have a feeling that's not the rules and regulations the previous poster was complaining about, and you are making a dishonest argument.

Well, then someone should explain which rules and regulations exist in MD that don't exist in VA and that are such a big problem. Just complaining about rules and regulations in the abstract is dishonest -- calling that out is not.

[Anonymous]

Go to Wheaton Mall on a weekend and tell me it’s less depressing than Springfield, Fair Oaks, or Pentagon City malls. It’s not just about crime, a lot of young people in MoCo are dressed in pajamas all the time and look like they’ve given up at life. There’s a certain sense of despair and ennui that exists among young people in MoCo, specifically in Silver Spring and points north and east, that doesn’t exist in the same percentages of young people in NoVA and DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to Wheaton Mall on a weekend and tell me it’s less depressing than Springfield, Fair Oaks, or Pentagon City malls. It’s not just about crime, a lot of young people in MoCo are dressed in pajamas all the time and look like they’ve given up at life. There’s a certain sense of despair and ennui that exists among young people in MoCo, specifically in Silver Spring and points north and east, that doesn’t exist in the same percentages of young people in NoVA and DC.

As a resident of SS, I really hope people do this because I think you're way off base. I'll take Wheaton Mall anyday over navigating through the thug paradise that is Pentagon City mall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to Wheaton Mall on a weekend and tell me it’s less depressing than Springfield, Fair Oaks, or Pentagon City malls. It’s not just about crime, a lot of young people in MoCo are dressed in pajamas all the time and look like they’ve given up at life. There’s a certain sense of despair and ennui that exists among young people in MoCo, specifically in Silver Spring and points north and east, that doesn’t exist in the same percentages of young people in NoVA and DC.

This is so weird. The Wheaton Mall has Target and Costco. It's very convenient. You think that people dress differently at Target in Wheaton than they do in Fairfax?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring is some straight up poo-poo. They should call it Diarrhea Spring, and that would even be making it look nicer than it is.

OP move to Bethesda. It’s nice all around and some neighborhoods are straight baller. I’m a bit biased towards B-town because that’s where I was born and raised #BethesdaOG

It's not a town.

More like a Potemkin Village.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to Wheaton Mall on a weekend and tell me it’s less depressing than Springfield, Fair Oaks, or Pentagon City malls. It’s not just about crime, a lot of young people in MoCo are dressed in pajamas all the time and look like they’ve given up at life. There’s a certain sense of despair and ennui that exists among young people in MoCo, specifically in Silver Spring and points north and east, that doesn’t exist in the same percentages of young people in NoVA and DC.

This is so weird. The Wheaton Mall has Target and Costco. It's very convenient. You think that people dress differently at Target in Wheaton than they do in Fairfax?

+1. I'm at the Wheaton Mall pretty regularly and I don't know what's depressing. Someone at the Dick's is wearing pajamas while I buy a basketball? Who cares?