S/O of "I Hate DC" thread: Recommend your friendly, active neighborhood

[Anonymous]

I'm another Forest Glen resident who loves it there. Our HHI is under $200K. My DS is a toddler, so no first hand experience but I hear that the schools are good until high school and then you'd want to get into the downcounty consortium. Forest Glen area is zoned for Albert Einstein High School. The commute to downtown DC via metro is about 30 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PP at 11:01:

The areas mentioned so far are not the more expensive areas around DC. For example, Hyattsville, University Park, and Mt. Rainier are in PG County, where a family can definitely buy a nice house and live well on less than $200,000 per year.

I'm the one in Mt. Rainier, and my HHI is about $115. We live very well here.

Woodridge, in NE DC was also mentioned and that is one of the more affordable DC neighborhoods.

My feeling is that the areas with more working class people in them are generally more friendly. Less pretentious.

I think you're on to something there. I think part of the problem, though, is that some people want both a really friendly neighborhood and a middle-to-upper-income neighborhood. Not that you can't have that if you can afford it. But some people who can't afford that don't want to look east of the park or in Prince George's where there are some lovely neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Hill East!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP at 11:01:

The areas mentioned so far are not the more expensive areas around DC. For example, Hyattsville, University Park, and Mt. Rainier are in PG County, where a family can definitely buy a nice house and live well on less than $200,000 per year.

I'm the one in Mt. Rainier, and my HHI is about $115. We live very well here.

Woodridge, in NE DC was also mentioned and that is one of the more affordable DC neighborhoods.

My feeling is that the areas with more working class people in them are generally more friendly. Less pretentious.

I think you're on to something there. I think part of the problem, though, is that some people want both a really friendly neighborhood and a middle-to-upper-income neighborhood. Not that you can't have that if you can afford it. But some people who can't afford that don't want to look east of the park or in Prince George's where there are some lovely neighborhoods.

I'm the PP at the top of this quote who lives in PG. I know exactly what you mean about people wanting a friendly place, but also having certain class expectations - meaning wanting things to look a bit fancier and be surrounded by high level professionals and that sort of thing.

I grew up in Bethesda and am still often back on the street I grew up on visiting my mom. All the newer neighbors, the ones who bought in after the prices went sky high, are much less neighborly. They drive their cars right into the driveways that dominate the fronts of the houses. The kids are cared for by nannies and aren't seen outside much. They have everything they need in their own houses and backyards and don't engage much on the street. They don't come by to ask for an egg - they send the nanny out to buy some.

I know this is just one example, and may not be the rule everywhere, but I do think that the more affluent communities have some special challenges in the friendliness department.

[Anonymous]

We live in the Ft. Hunt area of Alexandria. Easy commute to DC, lovely, crime free, great neighborhoods with lots of families, minutes from Old Town. It's truly a slice of heaven. ES is top notch, not so much the MS and HS.

[Anonymous]

bump - there have got to be more ideas than this! thx

[Anonymous]

We love Chevy Chase DC. Houses aren't cheap, but they're more affordable than Bethesda and the drive downtown is pretty quick. We have met great families w/ kids DS's age at Lafayette playground and (when it's not freezing out) regularly walk to the Lafayette Farmer's Market, Broadbranch Market, and the strip of Connecticut just south of CC Circle. We are planning to give DCPS a shot--hear great things about Lafayette and Deal and the new Wilson principal seems good (plus the renovation should be really nice when it's done). Our neighbors are great and there are tons of families with small kids in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

9:35, you haven't really described social engagement. You talk alot about walkability and school renovations, and produce. but the OP was asking about neighborhoods where people are always engaging with each other -- spontaneously invite each over for pizza dinner, play pick-up basketball in the street with the neighbors and shovel each other's sidewalks.

That is not the dominant model of chevy chase DC, at all. Particularly as you move westerly.

[Anonymous]

Brookland. Super-friendly neighbors. We have an active Kids list where people are very helpful to each other. Metro-accessible (Red Line). We make way less than $200K. We belong to the PG Poo, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now how many of these areas are available to mortals with HHI's under $200k?

My HHI is half that, and we live in Capitol Hill. We rent. I realize this is a strange concept on DCUM, but lots of people do it.

[Anonymous]

Falls Church, VA. We have a basketball hoop in front of our house and kids from a 3-block radius come by to play when the weather is nice out. We also don't have anywhere close to a $200K income and I would imagine that most there do not. Also, it sounds cheesy but you have to be FRIENDLY in order to meet your neighbors. Walk up, smile and introduce yourself. Make a new neighbor cookies to welcome them. My DH and I are both DC natives (so are my parents), and we have tons of friends who are all similarly minded. If you don't extend yourself to others, they won't do so to you and I have to imagine its like that in most areas of the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:35, you haven't really described social engagement. You talk alot about walkability and school renovations, and produce. but the OP was asking about neighborhoods where people are always engaging with each other -- spontaneously invite each over for pizza dinner, play pick-up basketball in the street with the neighbors and shovel each other's sidewalks.

That is not the dominant model of chevy chase DC, at all. Particularly as you move westerly.

I'm not the poster of the post you were responding to, but I couldn't disagree with you more. Do you live, or have you lived, in Chevy Chase DC? DH and I joke that when we want to go out for a jog, we have to add in an extra 30 minutes to chat with all the neighbors as we're coming and going. I couldn't count the number of spontaneous drinks/dinners/snow parties we've been invited to by our various neighbors over the years. When someone on our block is sick, a relative has passed away, the neighbors always bring food or offer to help with yard work. I've made tons of friends just from hanging out at Lafayette Park with my kids.

DH and I have lived in Arlington, Adams Morgan, and two different areas of Capitol Hill and Chevy Chase is definitely the friendliest place we've lived.

[Anonymous]

Hill East - Our HHI is under $200. We have lots of spontaneous playdates - there are tons of young kids. Mix of working and SAH parents. The schools can work for you with a little research and luck. My 7 year old has 5 good friends he has known since the kids were less than one.

[Anonymous]

Del Ray, Alexandria. Lots of families with young kids. A bunch of restaurants within a 10 minute walk that are all kid friendly.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill!