Kent/Palisades/Berkley

[Anonymous]

I can't tell the difference between these neighborhoods. We are house hunting and my husband loves this area. Does anyone who lives in these neighborhoods have a strong sense of why one part is a between place for a family with young children. Our kids are at private schools so walking distance to school isn't an issue.

Specifically:
- Why would it be better/worse to be on the canal side of Macarthur?
- East or west of Arizona?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

OP - "better" not "between". Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I don't have a strong sense of the other neighborhoods - we live on the canal side of MacArthur (Sherier Place) and couldn't be happier. There are lots of families with young kids, the park is fantastic, and it's a very social, friendly street. It has been a perfect place to raise our kids.

[Anonymous]

You'd like to be north of Macarthur, and East of Arizona, that's Kent. Now mind you you won't find too much Kent love here because most of the families here live in the Palisades. Personally I like Kent better, bigger houses, quieter streets, a bit more upscale. Palisades is great, I've noticed that a lot of houses on Potomac Ave are being re-built but they'll probably go for $3m when the custom jobs are done.

Berkley is closest to Foxhall and sometimes doesn't feel like it's part of the neighborhood. Of course the homes there are magnificent and beautiful. Lot's of law firm partners and CEO types. http://franklymls.com/DC7754492 . All in all you can't go wrong in any location.

[Anonymous]

I like all those neighborhoods, but really like the Palisades area bordering the Listrani's strip. The only drawback I have with it is the limited public transit in that area. I want my kids to be able to take the bus and train as they get older. If they ever built a light rail along the canal, then I would seriously consider moving there.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the Palisades area around Listranis is great. We live near there and walk all the time to Safeway, the library, CVS, Starbucks, plus a variety of restaurants (Et Voila, Blacksalt, Figs, Bambu, pizza). We love not having to get into the car all the time. My husband bikes to work using the nearby canal trail. It was important to us to find a place that was very walkable.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Forgot to add: while you are househunting, make sure you swing by the Palisades Farmers Market on Sundays (I think from 9 - 1). We love being able to walk here too!

[Anonymous]

9:48 - Kent is WEST of Arizona Ave.

The housing stock (and prices) vary a bit between the different areas. The topography varies, too. I love the hills north of MacArthur, but they certainly make it less convenient to teach kids how to ride a bike. On the plus side, they give me a better workout.

If I were looking for to buy a house at this time, these are some things I'd consider:

* would I use the Crescent Trail or Tow Path much? If so, being on the Canal side and close to an entrance point would be a huge plus.

* how close do I want to be to a playground / playing fields, etc? And the associated parking issues on weekends.

* what can I afford? I don't want the most expensive house on the block.

* how important are sidewalks to me?

* how is the drainage? Some parts of the Palisades have yards and basements that flood.

* how close to a reservoir is it? They can be a bit stinky when they are drained (although hasn't been as bad lately; they might have improved something in the process).

Then it is a matter of finding a house. I think I would look across all three of those neighborhoods, and keep these things in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't tell the difference between these neighborhoods. We are house hunting and my husband loves this area. Does anyone who lives in these neighborhoods have a strong sense of why one part is a between place for a family with young children. Our kids are at private schools so walking distance to school isn't an issue.

Specifically:
- Why would it be better/worse to be on the canal side of Macarthur?
- East or west of Arizona?

Thanks in advance.

In general, the closer you are to the Potomac River and to downtown, the more airplane noise related to DC National airport pollutes the area, and ruins living there. Spring Valley is a much quieter and sane neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't tell the difference between these neighborhoods. We are house hunting and my husband loves this area. Does anyone who lives in these neighborhoods have a strong sense of why one part is a between place for a family with young children. Our kids are at private schools so walking distance to school isn't an issue.

Specifically:
- Why would it be better/worse to be on the canal side of Macarthur?
- East or west of Arizona?

Thanks in advance.

In general, the closer you are to the Potomac River and to downtown, the more airplane noise related to DC National airport pollutes the area, and ruins living there. Spring Valley is a much quieter and sane neighborhood.

Sure, Spring Valley is quiet. The toxic munitions under your soil are silently killing people in your hood.

[Anonymous]

On airplane noise - I lived in southwest for many years, so right across the river from National, and it never really bothered me. Airplanes are really quiet these days. The helicopter traffic along the river there could be noisy (and I don't think would go as far up as Palisades) but I wouldn't worry about the planes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't tell the difference between these neighborhoods. We are house hunting and my husband loves this area. Does anyone who lives in these neighborhoods have a strong sense of why one part is a between place for a family with young children. Our kids are at private schools so walking distance to school isn't an issue.

Specifically:
- Why would it be better/worse to be on the canal side of Macarthur?
- East or west of Arizona?

Thanks in advance.

In general, the closer you are to the Potomac River and to downtown, the more airplane noise related to DC National airport pollutes the area, and ruins living there. Spring Valley is a much quieter and sane neighborhood.

Sure, Spring Valley is quiet. The toxic munitions under your soil are silently killing people in your hood.

Bull_ _ _ _. Any homesite remotely contaminated was thoroughly remediated decades ago, such that SV is vastly cleaner than 99.999% of the rest of the country.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks to everyone! And to the 9:48 poster, thank you for listing factors you'd consider. Hadn't even thought about drainage issues before.

Anonymous wrote:9:48 - Kent is WEST of Arizona Ave.

The housing stock (and prices) vary a bit between the different areas. The topography varies, too. I love the hills north of MacArthur, but they certainly make it less convenient to teach kids how to ride a bike. On the plus side, they give me a better workout.

If I were looking for to buy a house at this time, these are some things I'd consider:

* would I use the Crescent Trail or Tow Path much? If so, being on the Canal side and close to an entrance point would be a huge plus.

* how close do I want to be to a playground / playing fields, etc? And the associated parking issues on weekends.

* what can I afford? I don't want the most expensive house on the block.

* how important are sidewalks to me?

* how is the drainage? Some parts of the Palisades have yards and basements that flood.

* how close to a reservoir is it? They can be a bit stinky when they are drained (although hasn't been as bad lately; they might have improved something in the process).

Then it is a matter of finding a house. I think I would look across all three of those neighborhoods, and keep these things in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On airplane noise - I lived in southwest for many years, so right across the river from National, and it never really bothered me. Airplanes are really quiet these days. The helicopter traffic along the river there could be noisy (and I don't think would go as far up as Palisades) but I wouldn't worry about the planes.

Pardon me, what did you say ???

[Anonymous]

I live right on Sherier and the air traffic doesn't bother me. I thought it might be an issue before we moved in, based on comments like some of the PPs here, but it hasn't been a problem.