Watching your friends relocate to the burbs for "schools"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most of the people on this thread who were formerly in nyc were renting there, and in some cases pre-kids. That's a different story. You can suck it up and rent a small place in a very fun walkable area. Had you stayed, could you have afforded a row house in Park Slope? If you could, then you could also afford Eastern Market here in DC or really any nice DC neighborhood. If, on the other hand, you are moving to SS or TP because you can't afford $1m, then it is possible you would have ended up in New Jersey had you stayed in nyc. The small apartment would have gotten old pretty soon after the arrival of your second kid. So this is not really a dc vs nyc thing it's a childfree renting versus parent homeowner thing. Indeed DC is a lot cheaper to buy which is a big attraction. You can own square footage in neighborhoods here that would be totally out of reach there.

This !!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most of the people on this thread who were formerly in nyc were renting there, and in some cases pre-kids. That's a different story. You can suck it up and rent a small place in a very fun walkable area. Had you stayed, could you have afforded a row house in Park Slope? If you could, then you could also afford Eastern Market here in DC or really any nice DC neighborhood. If, on the other hand, you are moving to SS or TP because you can't afford $1m, then it is possible you would have ended up in New Jersey had you stayed in nyc. The small apartment would have gotten old pretty soon after the arrival of your second kid. So this is not really a dc vs nyc thing it's a childfree renting versus parent homeowner thing. Indeed DC is a lot cheaper to buy which is a big attraction. You can own square footage in neighborhoods here that would be totally out of reach there.

Nope. Most of us New Yorkers were pretty happy in about 1K square feet, because we had the advantages of the city itself to counter that. Speaking for myself anyway. And, if you know where to look, there's plenty of affordable 500K-range housing in New York City. With th transit and application hs and ms options, you aren't even as tied to a neighborhood as people must be here.

I still would happily live in Flatbush, Cypress Hills, Woodhaven, Glendale, or maybe St George over Capitol Hill, Kalorama, or... well this entire metro region.

However, since this is not an option, we are here. And being here, I have found a few nice areas--Mount Pleasant is probably my favorite within city limits, then Takoma, DC--and a whole lot of meh. And Silver Spring, which I have to say, I like, I can afford, and is a lot less burblike and dull than vast swathes of the District itself. This is just my experience. I sometimes think, if we had moved here earlier, been able to afford Mt Pleasant, bought VERY cheaply in Petworth, or been a bit more cobble hill-esque and liked Capitol Hill, I'm sure my perspective would change. Everything I share is my opinion. It is a funny thing about this city however, that there is never a shortage of people willing to jump up and down on soapboxes happy to explain to someone else that their opinion is totally wrong, and a result of their moral failings, as a person.

That is our gracious District's charm. The charm of the north. How fortunate we are also blessed with southern efficiency for our noble enterprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

We bought within that budget, on Capitol Hill, 4 years ago. We have all the things you're talking about, are closer in and have 1.5x the number of square feet. Maybe you bought in the last year or two and were just barely priced-out? Otherwise, I'm confused by your post.

I'm the PP and we did buy relatively recently. I have to agree with another PP, though, that you have got to be using a very generous definition of "on Capitol Hill." I just did a search of homes zoned for Maury and there was nothing other than condos under $750K, and nothing approaching 2000 square feet (which you claim to have) for under $1 million. When I expand the search to the entire Hill, not just the part zoned for Maury, there's still nothing under $995,000 at that square footage.

If you have that kind of money, Capitol Hill is an amazing choice. I didn't, and a lot of folks don't. For those of use with a housing budget of under $1 million, who want walkability, diversity, and decent public schools without the charter lottery (or who have kids too old to get into the lottery), the close-in suburbs on the Metro line are the most logical choice.

This is not meant to slag off the Hill or any other part of DC. I'm not one of the folks on this thread saying DC has nothing to offer. DC has tons to offer if you can afford it. I'm just saying that many of us ended up either leaving the district or moving to the suburbs out of economic necessity as housing prices have skyrocketed while the charter school system has sucked any momentum out of the neighborhood school option. Since this thread started with someone upset at people leaving for the suburbs, it's relevant to talk about the challenges of staying in the city if you didn't buy five years ago but would like to own a home at some point.

+1 We use to rent a house on the Hill, zoned for Maury, but sent our kid to one of the language immersion charters. We used to live in Brooklyn and I found the Hill closest to my experience in NYC in comparison to other DC neighborhoods. But like the previous poster, we were priced out of the neighborhood when we finally were in a position to buy. We could have bought our rental, but it was too small for a growing family. We ended up in Takoma Park MD for a few reasons. Primarily because we could get more house compared to the Hill, TP feels closer to our lifestyle in Brooklyn, and frankly, we didn't see a path to MS and HS staying in DC.

Is it possible that you have made the same determination had you stayed in Brooklyn? To move out to the suburbs for more space and a clearer path to decent middle and high school? In other words, is this a problem for all urban neighborhoods, or is it something especially problematic about Capitol Hill?

OP here: no, because in Brooklyn we had a good middle school path and plenty of application high schools to consider. I liked our life on the Hill, but school options are not there, at least not for MS. I didn't want to take a chance on DCI (too new and too far away), hoping to get the 5 OOB spots at Deal is delusional and although I like the curriculum at BASIS, didn't think it was a good fit for my kid. Can't afford private school--so moved to TP where we are zoned for a diverse GS 10 MS or attend the diverse IB/language program at SSIMS (GS 7). Both great opportunities for our child to attend schools with neighborhood friends. Not saying there are no problems in MCPS, but so far the balance between neighborhood kids going to the same school, which was not our experience going to a charter school living on the Hill, and opportunities for advanced curriculum in math and science is working for my kid.

Great Schools? The PARCC info is more reliable.

Well I used GS because most people are familiar with that system. However, the PARCC scores are still better than our options in DC living on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most of the people on this thread who were formerly in nyc were renting there, and in some cases pre-kids. That's a different story. You can suck it up and rent a small place in a very fun walkable area. Had you stayed, could you have afforded a row house in Park Slope? If you could, then you could also afford Eastern Market here in DC or really any nice DC neighborhood. If, on the other hand, you are moving to SS or TP because you can't afford $1m, then it is possible you would have ended up in New Jersey had you stayed in nyc. The small apartment would have gotten old pretty soon after the arrival of your second kid. So this is not really a dc vs nyc thing it's a childfree renting versus parent homeowner thing. Indeed DC is a lot cheaper to buy which is a big attraction. You can own square footage in neighborhoods here that would be totally out of reach there.

Nope. Most of us New Yorkers were pretty happy in about 1K square feet, because we had the advantages of the city itself to counter that. Speaking for myself anyway. And, if you know where to look, there's plenty of affordable 500K-range housing in New York City. With th transit and application hs and ms options, you aren't even as tied to a neighborhood as people must be here.

I still would happily live in Flatbush, Cypress Hills, Woodhaven, Glendale, or maybe St George over Capitol Hill, Kalorama, or... well this entire metro region.

However, since this is not an option, we are here. And being here, I have found a few nice areas--Mount Pleasant is probably my favorite within city limits, then Takoma, DC--and a whole lot of meh. And Silver Spring, which I have to say, I like, I can afford, and is a lot less burblike and dull than vast swathes of the District itself. This is just my experience. I sometimes think, if we had moved here earlier, been able to afford Mt Pleasant, bought VERY cheaply in Petworth, or been a bit more cobble hill-esque and liked Capitol Hill, I'm sure my perspective would change. Everything I share is my opinion. It is a funny thing about this city however, that there is never a shortage of people willing to jump up and down on soapboxes happy to explain to someone else that their opinion is totally wrong, and a result of their moral failings, as a person.

That is our gracious District's charm. The charm of the north. How fortunate we are also blessed with southern efficiency for our noble enterprise.

You're either delusional or have insanely low standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

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.

We bought within that budget, on Capitol Hill, 4 years ago. We have all the things you're talking about, are closer in and have 1.5x the number of square feet. Maybe you bought in the last year or two and were just barely priced-out? Otherwise, I'm confused by your post.

I'm the PP and we did buy relatively recently. I have to agree with another PP, though, that you have got to be using a very generous definition of "on Capitol Hill." I just did a search of homes zoned for Maury and there was nothing other than condos under $750K, and nothing approaching 2000 square feet (which you claim to have) for under $1 million. When I expand the search to the entire Hill, not just the part zoned for Maury, there's still nothing under $995,000 at that square footage.

If you have that kind of money, Capitol Hill is an amazing choice. I didn't, and a lot of folks don't. For those of use with a housing budget of under $1 million, who want walkability, diversity, and decent public schools without the charter lottery (or who have kids too old to get into the lottery), the close-in suburbs on the Metro line are the most logical choice.

This is not meant to slag off the Hill or any other part of DC. I'm not one of the folks on this thread saying DC has nothing to offer. DC has tons to offer if you can afford it. I'm just saying that many of us ended up either leaving the district or moving to the suburbs out of economic necessity as housing prices have skyrocketed while the charter school system has sucked any momentum out of the neighborhood school option. Since this thread started with someone upset at people leaving for the suburbs, it's relevant to talk about the challenges of staying in the city if you didn't buy five years ago but would like to own a home at some point.

+1 We use to rent a house on the Hill, zoned for Maury, but sent our kid to one of the language immersion charters. We used to live in Brooklyn and I found the Hill closest to my experience in NYC in comparison to other DC neighborhoods. But like the previous poster, we were priced out of the neighborhood when we finally were in a position to buy. We could have bought our rental, but it was too small for a growing family. We ended up in Takoma Park MD for a few reasons. Primarily because we could get more house compared to the Hill, TP feels closer to our lifestyle in Brooklyn, and frankly, we didn't see a path to MS and HS staying in DC.

Is it possible that you have made the same determination had you stayed in Brooklyn? To move out to the suburbs for more space and a clearer path to decent middle and high school? In other words, is this a problem for all urban neighborhoods, or is it something especially problematic about Capitol Hill?

Not the pp, but I'll bite,as an ex-Brooklynite. Of course, there's an exodus of people from the city (THAT city, not the district) all the time for schools. But there are also a ton more school options. A lot larger population and functional transit does wonders, as does an application middle and high school policy with... as I've said, a lot of options. DC doesn't have that. It has a much healthier charter school thing going; but there's only so much you can do with luck of the draw. We did okay with it, we rented in a good neighborhood with a good middle and high school as well. But when it came time to buy, the in-city options were grim compared to the close in burbs. I'm not knocking Capitol Hill, if we could afford it, I'd move there, go with Stuart Hobson and try to get the kid into Ellington or SWW. Kid has a pretty good shot at both. We only have the one, so we're also fortunate, in terms of how much space we need. But there's nothing. Seriously nothing there we could afford.

And also, not for nothing, I've lived in gentrifying neighborhoods my entire life. There's a certain tolerance I have... and there's a certain tolerance I do not. I do not want to live in a place where everyone hates me and my kids. I feel a lot of tension when I walk around the Hill, and I don't get that vibe at all in silver spring.

I lived in Brooklyn and moved to the Hill and never have felt this tension at all. I would put a gun to my head if I had to live in Silver Spring. No offense but it is just to dumpy for me. We did have great charter luck though and are planning on staying here long term. And yes, we can afford a great rowhouse in the heart of the Hill because we saved when we were making lots of money in New York. So I guess it just depends on what you can afford and your luck in life. I would probably move VA over MD. The schools are just better and both are equally horrible in my opinion i guess.

[Anonymous]

The difference is white people are on the way in on the hill and the legacy residents see it becoming nice and are a little resentful. In silver spring white people are on the way out and are oblivious that it is happening in all but a few highend neighborhoods. In 20 year CH will be mostly white, SS mostly Hispanic and then black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The difference is white people are on the way in on the hill and the legacy residents see it becoming nice and are a little resentful. In silver spring white people are on the way out and are oblivious that it is happening in all but a few highend neighborhoods. In 20 year CH will be mostly white, SS mostly Hispanic and then black.

And, as a white person, I will take "dumpy" silver spring over arriviste capitol hill any day of the week. And. One reason is, I find that people in silver spring as less prone to make derogatory snide statements about other people's choices.

Seriously, if I wanted my children near that kind of thing, we would have taken the job in t-town and moved to larchmont. No, wait. I take that back. Larchmont is actually laid back compared to the silver spring bashes on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most of the people on this thread who were formerly in nyc were renting there, and in some cases pre-kids. That's a different story. You can suck it up and rent a small place in a very fun walkable area. Had you stayed, could you have afforded a row house in Park Slope? If you could, then you could also afford Eastern Market here in DC or really any nice DC neighborhood. If, on the other hand, you are moving to SS or TP because you can't afford $1m, then it is possible you would have ended up in New Jersey had you stayed in nyc. The small apartment would have gotten old pretty soon after the arrival of your second kid. So this is not really a dc vs nyc thing it's a childfree renting versus parent homeowner thing. Indeed DC is a lot cheaper to buy which is a big attraction. You can own square footage in neighborhoods here that would be totally out of reach there.

Nope. Most of us New Yorkers were pretty happy in about 1K square feet, because we had the advantages of the city itself to counter that. Speaking for myself anyway. And, if you know where to look, there's plenty of affordable 500K-range housing in New York City. With th transit and application hs and ms options, you aren't even as tied to a neighborhood as people must be here.

I still would happily live in Flatbush, Cypress Hills, Woodhaven, Glendale, or maybe St George over Capitol Hill, Kalorama, or... well this entire metro region.

However, since this is not an option, we are here. And being here, I have found a few nice areas--Mount Pleasant is probably my favorite within city limits, then Takoma, DC--and a whole lot of meh. And Silver Spring, which I have to say, I like, I can afford, and is a lot less burblike and dull than vast swathes of the District itself. This is just my experience. I sometimes think, if we had moved here earlier, been able to afford Mt Pleasant, bought VERY cheaply in Petworth, or been a bit more cobble hill-esque and liked Capitol Hill, I'm sure my perspective would change. Everything I share is my opinion. It is a funny thing about this city however, that there is never a shortage of people willing to jump up and down on soapboxes happy to explain to someone else that their opinion is totally wrong, and a result of their moral failings, as a person.

That is our gracious District's charm. The charm of the north. How fortunate we are also blessed with southern efficiency for our noble enterprise.

I am PP, and I like Mt Pleasant, so you and I can agree on that. I can see the appeal of Silver Spring. As to your being fine with living in 1000 square feet, there we differ. I have kids and out of town guests. I am realistic enough to admit that if we were living in NY now, we'd be in the burbs.

My point was not to question your choices (except that part about you preferring those parts of Queens to Kalorama??) just to gently suggest that if you are priced out of a Capitol Hill or Mt Pleasant rowhouse today then you were priced out of a family home in Manhattan/Brooklyn some time ago. And you seem to acknowledge that when you talk about looking for a $500k place way out in Queens. The posters upthread weren't talking about Queens/Bronx/Staten Island, they were talking about Manhattan and Brooklyn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The difference is white people are on the way in on the hill and the legacy residents see it becoming nice and are a little resentful. In silver spring white people are on the way out and are oblivious that it is happening in all but a few highend neighborhoods. In 20 year CH will be mostly white, SS mostly Hispanic and then black.

I'm the poster you're referring to and I'm not white. I think you sound most upset about being priced out, which definitely is annoying I grant you that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference is white people are on the way in on the hill and the legacy residents see it becoming nice and are a little resentful. In silver spring white people are on the way out and are oblivious that it is happening in all but a few highend neighborhoods. In 20 year CH will be mostly white, SS mostly Hispanic and then black.

And, as a white person, I will take "dumpy" silver spring over arriviste capitol hill any day of the week. And. One reason is, I find that people in silver spring as less prone to make derogatory snide statements about other people's choices.

Seriously, if I wanted my children near that kind of thing, we would have taken the job in t-town and moved to larchmont. No, wait. I take that back. Larchmont is actually laid back compared to the silver spring bashes on this thread.

T town? Larchmont? No clue. This is the DC schools thread. Are you talking about LA? Tinseltown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like most of the people on this thread who were formerly in nyc were renting there, and in some cases pre-kids. That's a different story. You can suck it up and rent a small place in a very fun walkable area. Had you stayed, could you have afforded a row house in Park Slope? If you could, then you could also afford Eastern Market here in DC or really any nice DC neighborhood. If, on the other hand, you are moving to SS or TP because you can't afford $1m, then it is possible you would have ended up in New Jersey had you stayed in nyc. The small apartment would have gotten old pretty soon after the arrival of your second kid. So this is not really a dc vs nyc thing it's a childfree renting versus parent homeowner thing. Indeed DC is a lot cheaper to buy which is a big attraction. You can own square footage in neighborhoods here that would be totally out of reach there.

Nope. Most of us New Yorkers were pretty happy in about 1K square feet, because we had the advantages of the city itself to counter that. Speaking for myself anyway. And, if you know where to look, there's plenty of affordable 500K-range housing in New York City. With th transit and application hs and ms options, you aren't even as tied to a neighborhood as people must be here.

I still would happily live in Flatbush, Cypress Hills, Woodhaven, Glendale, or maybe St George over Capitol Hill, Kalorama, or... well this entire metro region.

However, since this is not an option, we are here. And being here, I have found a few nice areas--Mount Pleasant is probably my favorite within city limits, then Takoma, DC--and a whole lot of meh. And Silver Spring, which I have to say, I like, I can afford, and is a lot less burblike and dull than vast swathes of the District itself. This is just my experience. I sometimes think, if we had moved here earlier, been able to afford Mt Pleasant, bought VERY cheaply in Petworth, or been a bit more cobble hill-esque and liked Capitol Hill, I'm sure my perspective would change. Everything I share is my opinion. It is a funny thing about this city however, that there is never a shortage of people willing to jump up and down on soapboxes happy to explain to someone else that their opinion is totally wrong, and a result of their moral failings, as a person.

That is our gracious District's charm. The charm of the north. How fortunate we are also blessed with southern efficiency for our noble enterprise.

I am PP, and I like Mt Pleasant, so you and I can agree on that. I can see the appeal of Silver Spring. As to your being fine with living in 1000 square feet, there we differ. I have kids and out of town guests. I am realistic enough to admit that if we were living in NY now, we'd be in the burbs.

My point was not to question your choices (except that part about you preferring those parts of Queens to Kalorama??) just to gently suggest that if you are priced out of a Capitol Hill or Mt Pleasant rowhouse today then you were priced out of a family home in Manhattan/Brooklyn some time ago. And you seem to acknowledge that when you talk about looking for a $500k place way out in Queens. The posters upthread weren't talking about Queens/Bronx/Staten Island, they were talking about Manhattan and Brooklyn.

PP- you were not talking to me but I agree with your point.

[Anonymous]

Kalorama is about six blocks long, has no retail, and is essentially the upper East side on a very steep hill. Preferring queens to it isn't much of a stretch. I also prefer silver spring to kalorama. I doubt I'm alone.

[Anonymous]

And I wasn't looking for a 500k place in queens, I was pointing out that they exist. But it's fine, we can all like different things. I'm just not sure why every time different things are discussed on this board it turns into a pissing match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference is white people are on the way in on the hill and the legacy residents see it becoming nice and are a little resentful. In silver spring white people are on the way out and are oblivious that it is happening in all but a few highend neighborhoods. In 20 year CH will be mostly white, SS mostly Hispanic and then black.

And, as a white person, I will take "dumpy" silver spring over arriviste capitol hill any day of the week. And. One reason is, I find that people in silver spring as less prone to make derogatory snide statements about other people's choices.

Seriously, if I wanted my children near that kind of thing, we would have taken the job in t-town and moved to larchmont. No, wait. I take that back. Larchmont is actually laid back compared to the silver spring bashes on this thread.

Leave Larchmont out of this. I grew up there and it's really nice. (But I live on the Hill now so maybe we just enjoy different things).

(To the PP, she is referencing Tarrytown and Larchmont in Westchester County NY, a suburban exodus location for NYC.)

[Anonymous]

I lived in Brooklyn and moved to the Hill and never have felt this tension at all. I would put a gun to my head if I had to live in Silver Spring. No offense but it is just to dumpy for me. We did have great charter luck though and are planning on staying here long term. And yes, we can afford a great rowhouse in the heart of the Hill because we saved when we were making lots of money in New York. So I guess it just depends on what you can afford and your luck in life. I would probably move VA over MD. The schools are just better and both are equally horrible in my opinion i guess.

You know Silver Spring is huge, right? We initially looked a bit in SS--there are some pretty nice areas there. We were interested in Forest Glen in particular due to the new elementary (Flora Singer). We ended up buying in upper NW to try for the shortest commutes possible with good schools, but still, some parts of SS are perfectly nice neighborhoods. If you live on the Hill, my guess is you haven't ventured too far out of downtown SS, if you've even made it up this far. Here's one nice listing I just found in Woodside Park. Yes, these neighborhoods aren't as "hot" as upper NW, but nice housing stock, and decent school options.

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/1603-Cedar-View-Ct-20910/home/11112552