Watching your friends relocate to the burbs for "schools"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Why VA?

She probably lives in a project in SW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Why VA?

She probably lives in a project in SW.

Doubtful. DCUM doesn't seem to draw from the projects, that slur is pretty lame and you'd know that if you'd been here for longer than a cup of coffee.

(NP and not involved in your little tete-a-tete; it simply doesn't pass the smell test.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Streets don't connect.

[Anonymous]

And Brooklyn pp, silver spring is really your best bet. It's not paradise, but it's a lot livelier than the parts of dc that seem diverse. And it is functional. We were driving through today as schools were getting out and I was amazed at the number of kids walking alone, parents socializing at school bus stops, actual school bus routes that serve entire populations, crossing guards at busy, multiple intersections, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And Brooklyn pp, silver spring is really your best bet. It's not paradise, but it's a lot livelier than the parts of dc that seem diverse. And it is functional. We were driving through today as schools were getting out and I was amazed at the number of kids walking alone, parents socializing at school bus stops, actual school bus routes that serve entire populations, crossing guards at busy, multiple intersections, etc.

I thought the middle schools (and even some elementary schools) weren't that great in Silver Spring though. I agree it is a great community but friends I know who live near downtown silver spring (near the whole foods) felt that they would have to move for better schools if they didn't get into a lottery-in french immersion school. So in that sense, it doesn't really seem better than DC (unless you actually prefer living in SS to DC, which is something I think people will have differing opinions about)

[Anonymous]

Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And Brooklyn pp, silver spring is really your best bet. It's not paradise, but it's a lot livelier than the parts of dc that seem diverse. And it is functional. We were driving through today as schools were getting out and I was amazed at the number of kids walking alone, parents socializing at school bus stops, actual school bus routes that serve entire populations, crossing guards at busy, multiple intersections, etc.

I thought the middle schools (and even some elementary schools) weren't that great in Silver Spring though. I agree it is a great community but friends I know who live near downtown silver spring (near the whole foods) felt that they would have to move for better schools if they didn't get into a lottery-in french immersion school. So in that sense, it doesn't really seem better than DC (unless you actually prefer living in SS to DC, which is something I think people will have differing opinions about)

I'm not disbelieving you, but most of the houses around Whole Foods are either already zoned for Sligo Creek (where French Immersion is hosted) or Woodlin, which is well regarded.

Sligo Creek (GS8) feeds into SSIMS (GS7), which is well liked in the neighborhood and which does well.

Woodlin (GS9) feeds into Sligo MS (GS6), which has really turned around in recent years with a strong principal and community buy-in.

If they were a little further out from Whole Foods, maybe they were talking about East Silver Spring (GS6), which feeds into (and has preference for the STEM magnet at) TPMS (GS10).

Still, none of these options are BAD options and I know families who have done well at all of the above.

I'm not trying to talk anyone into moving to Silver Spring, but the idea that schools here are terrible is at best drawing on extremely outdated information. At worst, it is based on the idea that no school with racial and socioeconomic diversity could be "good."

[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?

NP, NYC transplant here. We are from Manhattan so not exactly the same as Brooklyn but struggled at first with the move for the same reasons you've mentioned. I found everything west of the park to be painfully suburban. We ended up in what they're calling North Shaw now (I know, I know, but I'm lazy and it's an easy description) and it's not so bad. It's not NYC, but it's pretty lively, good restaurants, walkable (we don't own a car) and relatively diverse. Having just looked around, the cost per square foot is very high here relative to other neighborhoods but it probably won't phase you if you're coming from New York. Everything still feels like a deal here. Our DCPS schools, especially at the upper levels, are stiff iffy though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

DC is definitely not NYC, but I don't understand that as an excuse for moving to the burbs. That's like the Bernie Bros voting Trump because they're mad Hillary isn't Bernie.

[Anonymous]

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?

NP, NYC transplant here. We are from Manhattan so not exactly the same as Brooklyn but struggled at first with the move for the same reasons you've mentioned. I found everything west of the park to be painfully suburban. We ended up in what they're calling North Shaw now (I know, I know, but I'm lazy and it's an easy description) and it's not so bad. It's not NYC, but it's pretty lively, good restaurants, walkable (we don't own a car) and relatively diverse. Having just looked around, the cost per square foot is very high here relative to other neighborhoods but it probably won't phase you if you're coming from New York. Everything still feels like a deal here. Our DCPS schools, especially at the upper levels, are stiff iffy though.

I wanted to weigh in specifically on this question, since we moved (not from NYC but from another major city) and ended up buying in Silver Spring. For us, because we already had school-aged kids, we wanted someplace that was walkable to public transportation and amenities but where we could feel comfortable with the school situation even if we didn't get one of the handful of spots that came open at that grade.

Now, PP might have a different financial situation coming from NYC. We had a budget of about $650K to spend on a house and that just wasn't getting us anything in the District. I'm really happy with where we landed, though. Our local public is extremely diverse and our kids are doing well, we are walkable to Metro and shops/schools/restaurants, and we have about 1400 square feet plus a small yard, which feels just right for our family. For us, Silver Spring gave us the diversity that we wanted as a family with kids of different backgrounds, as well as letting us live with a minimal dependence on our car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

I agree. I've seen this in other cities too. In my former city the ex-new Yorkers always move to the exurbs or some crappy suburb. Then they complain that they hate it. No wonder!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

DC is definitely not NYC, but I don't understand that as an excuse for moving to the burbs. That's like the Bernie Bros voting Trump because they're mad Hillary isn't Bernie.

Ha, good one! Agree!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

DC is definitely not NYC, but I don't understand that as an excuse for moving to the burbs. That's like the Bernie Bros voting Trump because they're mad Hillary isn't Bernie.

Ha, good one! Agree!

Please the utter lack of decent public schools, playgrounds in any neighborhood other than NW, and literally no stores for children stuff it makes sense to move to suburbs if you have a family. NYC is completely different landscape, and DC proper lacks much of what functions in a city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our children have now attended two well-regarded DC schools: one a dcps and one a charter.

We are heading to dtss and are THRILLED about it. Yes, the class sizes will be larger. But so will the opportunities. And it is a functional city. I'm telling you, as another Clinton Hill expat, DC is not the same thing. Not any part of it. Not even close.

One of the most annoying tropes on DCUM is the "nothing in DC can compare to NYC so therefore we are moving to the suburbs" trope.

My theory is that some (not all) people who live in NYC end up having a lot of their identity tied up in it, and when they leave New York they experience an identity dislocation, plus they don't have the money for the best DC neighborhoods, so they reach for the trope.

DC is definitely not NYC, but I don't understand that as an excuse for moving to the burbs. That's like the Bernie Bros voting Trump because they're mad Hillary isn't Bernie.

Ha, good one! Agree!

Please the utter lack of decent public schools, playgrounds in any neighborhood other than NW, and literally no stores for children stuff it makes sense to move to suburbs if you have a family. NYC is completely different landscape, and DC proper lacks much of what functions in a city.

Not true at all.