Capitol Hill families - If you moved to NW or burbs for school, do you have any regrets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one has mentioned Takoma park on this thread yet (probably bc this is the dcps board). But we moved there a few years ago and have been very happy. It’s more of a small town vibe, rather than sprawling suburbs. Very walkable, easy to commute to my job on the hill, we got an yard, and we’ve been happy with the schools. It sounds like OP is considering Silver Spring, which (depending on the neighborhood they land on) would likely be pretty similar in terms of walkability. It’s not perfect here (traffic, and we have plenty of posturing lawn signs), but it’s much more livable and relaxing, for us.

Takoma park is great if you like insane commuters blasting through the neighborhood, constant traffic, high housing prices for poorly maintained cheap siding covered homes, and truly bad to mediocre schools. Also if you think proximity to Georgia Ave is a plus (pawn shops and McDonald’s) then sure, maybe? I guess some people like crime.

Huh? Georgia Ave doesn’t even go through TKPK… if you don’t like it, don’t move there, though it sounds like maybe you haven’t been there before? I’m just sharing my experience of moving to another neighborhood without big regrets in case it’s helpful to the OP, who may be wrestling with some of the same issues we were (crime, schools, space, etc).

Georgia Ave borders the Takoma area and is one of the closest shopping areas to Takoma DC.

I don’t see any improvement in crime and schools in the Takoma area. What you can definitely get should you move to Takoma DC is proximity to Takoma, Maryland (pretty cute!). However you also get horrible traffic flying through your neighborhood and the housing stock is very poor. The brick houses of Capitol Hill, even the crumbling ones, are at least brick. Takoma is full of rotting wooden houses covered with plastic siding. You can get a stand alone house but most of the windows look directly into your neighbors window a foot away.

In every way Takoma is a big step down from Capitol Hill. Just like you shared your opinion about Takoma, I am sharing mine as a former resident.

I said Takoma Park. Which is in MD, and yes is pretty cute.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My kids went to our local DCPS school through 5th grade. They've won music/academic scholarships to a private school we can afford with the fi aid. We know that there are other great DC neighborhoods, but we're not moving 25 years into our life on the Hill just for schools. We can't stand the idea of taking care of a yard, having to walk more than 10 mins to a Metro station, or starting over socially. To each her own.

We don't walk more than ten minutes to the metro, or the supermarket, or one of 5 coffee shops, or our great middle school here in Arlington. We didn't really start over socially, we kept our old friends and made new ones. We have a yard and pay about $1000/year for someone else to take care of it (we save at least that much in taxes). Sounds like the Hill worked for you because of the scholarships, but honestly I do think some people assume that life outside of the Hill is some kind of suburban hellscape, when it can still be very walkable and pleasant. Our kids are in the car much less since we moved than they were before. And yes, real estate near a metro stop is expensive - but so is the Hill.

I live 2 blocks from Eastern Market, so it’s pleasant, but if I lived in Hill East like so many young families do these days, I’d have moved years ago. So much of the Hill is near nothing and is very inconvenient.

It is adorable how old timers on the Hill think Eastern Market is the epicenter of area amenities.

I actually think near NE in the LT zone is the sweet spot for amenities. Eastern Market, west side of Lincoln Park, or south of Capitol South within easy walking distance to WF/pretty close to Navy Yard are the other good spots. Near Potomac Ave metro/the Roost/new Safeway also not bad. But Hill East (14th/15th & East) slightly farther north/Maury zone is actually pretty inconvenient to any amenities. Maury is a great school, but that part of the Hill really isn’t very walkable.

We bid on a row house literally opposite the Maury playground but we were outbid. Is that not a good location?

It’s a fantastic location. You can walk to h street and Lincoln park. In my opinion the LT area is a dump. There is a lot of crime, lots of public housing, and the houses are too small, and you are not near that many parks except for the LT park and Sherwood rec. Ludlow isn’t great and there aren’t any middle schools on the hill worth attending.

LOL what? The housing stock IB for Maury and IB for LT is the same, and the LT neighborhood is closer to transit, shops and a bunch of parks. Are you even from DC?

It is so funny to me that you seem to actually believe that the falling down Victorian worker housing in the ludlow Taylor area is similar to the gorgeous Victorians around Lincoln park and eastern market. Sure. Okay!

I hate to contribute to this discussion, but I think you must be confusing Maury for a different school.

LT: https://www.redfin.com/school/159511/DC/Washington-DC/Ludlow-Taylor-Elementary-School

Maury: https://www.redfin.com/school/118348/DC/Washington-DC/Maury-Elementary-School

So they basically share a border for the more expensive part of the Maury zone, while LT extends west and Maury extends east from there. LT zone is pretty small and has multiple houses going for over $2 million currently. It goes no further north than H and no further east than 12th. Most of it is only a few blocks to Stanton Park or a few blocks to Lincoln Park. Where is the magic part of it that's a green space deprived dump? I think the Western part of the Maury zone is very nice and well-located, but there's way more of the Maury zone that's near nothing and not very nice than the LT zone. They seem to be equidistant to Eastern Market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overall Barracks Row is quite nice.

But the street where the chipotle/7-11/bus stop is remains problematic. I always walk on the Yes Market/Firehouse side to avoid that street.

That is the literal “Row” referred to in Barracks Row.

It’s one block.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

This. If we moved it would be for the BCC pyramid.

BCC isn't that different from Jackson-Reed though. If you want the best public schools in MD you should move into the Whitman zone or another W pyramid

You’re funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overall Barracks Row is quite nice.

But the street where the chipotle/7-11/bus stop is remains problematic. I always walk on the Yes Market/Firehouse side to avoid that street.

That is the literal “Row” referred to in Barracks Row.

It’s one block.

No, it's not. It runs all the way from Pennsylvania down South to the highway. It's only one street "wide" (i.e., 8th st.), if that's what you mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one has mentioned Takoma park on this thread yet (probably bc this is the dcps board). But we moved there a few years ago and have been very happy. It’s more of a small town vibe, rather than sprawling suburbs. Very walkable, easy to commute to my job on the hill, we got an yard, and we’ve been happy with the schools. It sounds like OP is considering Silver Spring, which (depending on the neighborhood they land on) would likely be pretty similar in terms of walkability. It’s not perfect here (traffic, and we have plenty of posturing lawn signs), but it’s much more livable and relaxing, for us.

Takoma park is great if you like insane commuters blasting through the neighborhood, constant traffic, high housing prices for poorly maintained cheap siding covered homes, and truly bad to mediocre schools. Also if you think proximity to Georgia Ave is a plus (pawn shops and McDonald’s) then sure, maybe? I guess some people like crime.

Huh? Georgia Ave doesn’t even go through TKPK… if you don’t like it, don’t move there, though it sounds like maybe you haven’t been there before? I’m just sharing my experience of moving to another neighborhood without big regrets in case it’s helpful to the OP, who may be wrestling with some of the same issues we were (crime, schools, space, etc).

From what I can tell, the CH boosters don’t like any neighbourhood in DC, MD or VA except CH

I am not a CH booster, but as a former takoma resident, I am also not going to pretend takoma is remotely better than Capitol Hill or even Trinidad. Honestly Brightwood is better than Takoma and it’s a huge dump.

Brightwood is a huge dump? What parts are you referring? We are looking at moving and noticed some inventory south of the new Walter Reed site (west of GA ave) and didn’t get a dump vibe?

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one has mentioned Takoma park on this thread yet (probably bc this is the dcps board). But we moved there a few years ago and have been very happy. It’s more of a small town vibe, rather than sprawling suburbs. Very walkable, easy to commute to my job on the hill, we got an yard, and we’ve been happy with the schools. It sounds like OP is considering Silver Spring, which (depending on the neighborhood they land on) would likely be pretty similar in terms of walkability. It’s not perfect here (traffic, and we have plenty of posturing lawn signs), but it’s much more livable and relaxing, for us.

Takoma park is great if you like insane commuters blasting through the neighborhood, constant traffic, high housing prices for poorly maintained cheap siding covered homes, and truly bad to mediocre schools. Also if you think proximity to Georgia Ave is a plus (pawn shops and McDonald’s) then sure, maybe? I guess some people like crime.

Huh? Georgia Ave doesn’t even go through TKPK… if you don’t like it, don’t move there, though it sounds like maybe you haven’t been there before? I’m just sharing my experience of moving to another neighborhood without big regrets in case it’s helpful to the OP, who may be wrestling with some of the same issues we were (crime, schools, space, etc).

From what I can tell, the CH boosters don’t like any neighbourhood in DC, MD or VA except CH

I am not a CH booster, but as a former takoma resident, I am also not going to pretend takoma is remotely better than Capitol Hill or even Trinidad. Honestly Brightwood is better than Takoma and it’s a huge dump.

Brightwood is a huge dump? What parts are you referring? We are looking at moving and noticed some inventory south of the new Walter Reed site (west of GA ave) and didn’t get a dump vibe?

Can you elaborate?

Don’t take anyone who compared Takoma to Trinidad (you know, the neighborhood that once had checkpoints to enter because the crime was so bad) seriously. You saw the neighborhood for yourself—you decide. It isn’t an answer to a school problem, FWIW, but it’s fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one has mentioned Takoma park on this thread yet (probably bc this is the dcps board). But we moved there a few years ago and have been very happy. It’s more of a small town vibe, rather than sprawling suburbs. Very walkable, easy to commute to my job on the hill, we got an yard, and we’ve been happy with the schools. It sounds like OP is considering Silver Spring, which (depending on the neighborhood they land on) would likely be pretty similar in terms of walkability. It’s not perfect here (traffic, and we have plenty of posturing lawn signs), but it’s much more livable and relaxing, for us.

Takoma park is great if you like insane commuters blasting through the neighborhood, constant traffic, high housing prices for poorly maintained cheap siding covered homes, and truly bad to mediocre schools. Also if you think proximity to Georgia Ave is a plus (pawn shops and McDonald’s) then sure, maybe? I guess some people like crime.

Huh? Georgia Ave doesn’t even go through TKPK… if you don’t like it, don’t move there, though it sounds like maybe you haven’t been there before? I’m just sharing my experience of moving to another neighborhood without big regrets in case it’s helpful to the OP, who may be wrestling with some of the same issues we were (crime, schools, space, etc).

From what I can tell, the CH boosters don’t like any neighbourhood in DC, MD or VA except CH

I am not a CH booster, but as a former takoma resident, I am also not going to pretend takoma is remotely better than Capitol Hill or even Trinidad. Honestly Brightwood is better than Takoma and it’s a huge dump.

Brightwood is a huge dump? What parts are you referring? We are looking at moving and noticed some inventory south of the new Walter Reed site (west of GA ave) and didn’t get a dump vibe?

Can you elaborate?

Don’t take anyone who compared Takoma to Trinidad (you know, the neighborhood that once had checkpoints to enter because the crime was so bad) seriously. You saw the neighborhood for yourself—you decide. It isn’t an answer to a school problem, FWIW, but it’s fine.

I’m the PP. Thanks. We drive around the area from Rittenhouse (where we saw a listing) up to Aspen. The streets have some really nice SFH, row homes, etc.

Some were zoned for Brightwood ES and for townhomes we saw on Aspen were Takoma ES.

[Anonymous]

Contrary to popular belief, just because someone is black doesn’t mean that they are homeless or low income. That black person living in ward 3 isn’t necessarily low income or homeless. Some of these people on this board continue to shock me with their narrow minded thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overall Barracks Row is quite nice.

But the street where the chipotle/7-11/bus stop is remains problematic. I always walk on the Yes Market/Firehouse side to avoid that street.

That is the literal “Row” referred to in Barracks Row.

It’s one block.

No, it's not. It runs all the way from Pennsylvania down South to the highway. It's only one street "wide" (i.e., 8th st.), if that's what you mean?

And only one of those blocks (the one with the Chipotle/7-11) is problematic, with homeless, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contrary to popular belief, just because someone is black doesn’t mean that they are homeless or low income. That black person living in ward 3 isn’t necessarily low income or homeless. Some of these people on this board continue to shock me with their narrow minded thinking.

What are you even responding to? Nobody is saying “yikes so many black people on barracks row!” People are reacting to the drug addict zombies who at best are sleeping on the sidewalk and at worst are harassing/attacking barracks row patrons.

And by the way, Black people in the city are more pro-policing/anti-crime than white people. It’s mostly idiots like you who think it’s ok for neighborhood shopping districts to be an unsafe place to visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We leave the doors unlocked when we are home and the kids walk everywhere.

Honestly this shocked me when I first moved to upper NW. But yes, people just leave their screen doors unlocked. The kids just run from house to house and porch to porch. It took us a bit getting used to when we first moved here. I mean I'm sure crime and stuff happen, but it really isn't a big thing.

This sounds really lovely! What neighborhood are you in?

[Anonymous]

This thread is quintessential DCUM. A bunch of rich people who can afford $1M+ real estate arguing about where to live and p*ssing on places the majority of folks can't afford.

[Anonymous]

Ah yes, the want-to-stay-but-gotta-go-burbs dance. Cycle of life for privileged whites.

[Anonymous]

Along with "privileged" Blacks, Asians and Latinos and Native Americans.