Tell me the difference between Arlington and Bethesda...

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington now - Rosslyn. I'm tired of the slow pace of change - boring. I think I may want a future in Bethesda. I will not have an easy time convincing my DH to move. What should I base my arguments on?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'm not sure they are hugely different. I live in Bethesda and like the restaurants and shops. I think the MD side is a little bit prettier than sprawling NOVA. YMMV though.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in both. More money in Bethesda (this is a negative to me), but more stuff to do, everything doesn't close down at night (esp compared to Rosslyn)

[Anonymous]

For me, it's the schools. I am a teacher and I personally think Arlington has the best schools in the metro area. The county is much smaller than MoCo, class sizes are smaller, and there is more school choice.

[Anonymous]

Higher taxes, and a county income tax! in Moco.

[Anonymous]

You live in Rosslyn? Where, in River Place? That's the only freaking apartment/condo complex in Rosslyn that I can think of. That place is a sh*thole and Rosslyn is essentially a business park that shuts down after 5pm.

Why not judge Arlington by the 99% of neighborhoods that don't? Courthouse, Clarendon, Lyon Park, Ballston, Shirlington, Westover, etc. They are all fantastic places to live with better commutes and nicer people than Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda has Metro (a couple stations) but Arlington is much more Metro accessible.

Maybe compare the Bethesda Row shopping district to Market Common Clarendon and adjacent shops. Which do you like better?

[Anonymous]

22:37

That was rude.

[Anonymous]

oops! I meant the first 21.37

[Anonymous]

I don't personally see the point in moving from Arlington to Bethesda, as North Arlington and Bethesda are very, very similar in my mind. The housing stock is pretty similar, as is the commute into DC. I would probably look in other neighborhoods in Arlington before you go through all the upheaval of changing counties and states. (insurance, driver's licenses, taxes, etc.)

If you want metro accessibility, look in the areas around Clarendon (Lyon Park), Virginia Square (Ashton Heights) and Ballston (Cherrydale, Woodlawn, etc.) among other neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

oh, and to the 21:37 poster, there are a ton of apartment and condo buildings in Rosslyn, some of them very nice. (the Belvedere, the Atrium and that gorgeous Abdo loft property among them.) rosslyn has come a long way since I lived there in the late 90's. That said, it does not have nightlife unless you walk up toward Clarendon or over the bridge into Georgetown, and on weekends, the neighborhood is pretty deserted. (I swear I have seen tumbleweeds rolling down the street, lol.)

[Anonymous]

Schools in both are stellar and overcrowded. Both have walkable, city-lite areas and more suburb-y areas.

One is in VA, and the other is in MD. Seriously, that's the biggest distinction. No difference on the local level, big difference on the state level.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda has Pepco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda has Pepco.

Ha!

End the debate right here (and I am a Bethesda resident!)

[Anonymous]

I'd argue that the schools in Bethesda are superior than those in Arlington (Whitman>Yorktown; BCC>W-L); the residential neighborhoods are nicer, particularly in the upper brackets; and the urban core of Bethesda appeals to a wider range of ages than the Orange Line corridor in Arlington, which is really geared more toward 20-somethings.

Of course, be prepared to pay for all that, and also accept that Bethesda is a bit more snooty than Arlington. If you can only afford the low end of Bethesda, you might be better off staying put.