Would you live in Takoma Park, MD with young family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what parts of Takoma Park are considered unsafe?

the ones with brown immigrants
and it's not really unsafe either

What about the 14 year old shot at the metro a couple of days ago? Takoma def has the good block bad block vibe but what it absolutely also has is it surrounded by many of the worst areas in all the DC metro area. The spill over from Langley Park, Cheverly, Brightwood, silver spring and Takoma DC absolutely effect the quality of life. Takoma may be a cute middle school that was configured to avoid much of the piney branch corridor but it still ends up at high school with all the eastern kids. If that is good enough for someone else's kids that is cool, just not mine.

Violence can occur at any metro station unfortunately. That shooting is uncommon.

Seriously, blaming that shooting on the stop they happened to be near when it happened is a low blow. The shooter was from Seat Pleasant, a dozen miles away in PG county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what parts of Takoma Park are considered unsafe?

the ones with brown immigrants
and it's not really unsafe either

What about the 14 year old shot at the metro a couple of days ago? Takoma def has the good block bad block vibe but what it absolutely also has is it surrounded by many of the worst areas in all the DC metro area. The spill over from Langley Park, Cheverly, Brightwood, silver spring and Takoma DC absolutely effect the quality of life. Takoma may be a cute middle school that was configured to avoid much of the piney branch corridor but it still ends up at high school with all the eastern kids. If that is good enough for someone else's kids that is cool, just not mine.

Violence can occur at any metro station unfortunately. That shooting is uncommon.

Seriously, blaming that shooting on the stop they happened to be near when it happened is a low blow. The shooter was from Seat Pleasant, a dozen miles away in PG county.

NP. And wasn't the shooting on the train as it ran between the Silver Spring and Takoma stations? As a Metro rider, any shootings on trains make me nervous, but the shooting had little to do with the neighborhood the train was passing through, and more to do with the safety of Metro in general.

TP is a huge area, including not only the awesome houses near the metro, but also the commercial stretch of New Hampshire Avenue, and even many streets east of New Hampshire and north along Flower Avenue. All those streets near the metro stop are pretty safe. Some other streets farther away are less safe. There's probably a little more street crime in the areas around the metro than in Bethesda, but that's one of the reasons it's less expensive than Bethesda. I'd say those near-metro streets are roughly comparable to Tenleytown in terms of safety. It's a heck of a lot safer than many other neighborhoods. Schools are good, better than DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what parts of Takoma Park are considered unsafe?

the ones with brown immigrants
and it's not really unsafe either

What about the 14 year old shot at the metro a couple of days ago? Takoma def has the good block bad block vibe but what it absolutely also has is it surrounded by many of the worst areas in all the DC metro area. The spill over from Langley Park, Cheverly, Brightwood, silver spring and Takoma DC absolutely effect the quality of life. Takoma may be a cute middle school that was configured to avoid much of the piney branch corridor but it still ends up at high school with all the eastern kids. If that is good enough for someone else's kids that is cool, just not mine.

Violence can occur at any metro station unfortunately. That shooting is uncommon.

Seriously, blaming that shooting on the stop they happened to be near when it happened is a low blow. The shooter was from Seat Pleasant, a dozen miles away in PG county.

But that was the point, people from seat pleasant don't hang out in McLean. Drive around New Hampshire or flower Ave parts of Takoma and you will relize it isn't that different than seat pleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property. These families do not value education-that is why the scores are low. I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it. Awful. Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground). Do not buy in an area that has section 8.

[Anonymous]

Your sheet is showing, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what parts of Takoma Park are considered unsafe?

the ones with brown immigrants
and it's not really unsafe either

What about the 14 year old shot at the metro a couple of days ago? Takoma def has the good block bad block vibe but what it absolutely also has is it surrounded by many of the worst areas in all the DC metro area. The spill over from Langley Park, Cheverly, Brightwood, silver spring and Takoma DC absolutely effect the quality of life. Takoma may be a cute middle school that was configured to avoid much of the piney branch corridor but it still ends up at high school with all the eastern kids. If that is good enough for someone else's kids that is cool, just not mine.

Violence can occur at any metro station unfortunately. That shooting is uncommon.

Seriously, blaming that shooting on the stop they happened to be near when it happened is a low blow. The shooter was from Seat Pleasant, a dozen miles away in PG county.

NP. And wasn't the shooting on the train as it ran between the Silver Spring and Takoma stations? As a Metro rider, any shootings on trains make me nervous, but the shooting had little to do with the neighborhood the train was passing through, and more to do with the safety of Metro in general.

TP is a huge area, including not only the awesome houses near the metro, but also the commercial stretch of New Hampshire Avenue, and even many streets east of New Hampshire and north along Flower Avenue. All those streets near the metro stop are pretty safe. Some other streets farther away are less safe. There's probably a little more street crime in the areas around the metro than in Bethesda, but that's one of the reasons it's less expensive than Bethesda. I'd say those near-metro streets are roughly comparable to Tenleytown in terms of safety. It's a heck of a lot safer than many other neighborhoods. Schools are good, better than DCPS.

Are you sure about that? That areas closer to the metro are safer? I actually think that most of the neighborhoods not around the metro are safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property. These families do not value education-that is why the scores are low. I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it. Awful. Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground). Do not buy in an area that has section 8.

There are ample white US born aging hippies in Takoma Park storing junk furniture outside their homes. Oh, and when they thrown their garbage on the ground, it's called composting so it's all good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property. These families do not value education-that is why the scores are low. I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it. Awful. Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground). Do not buy in an area that has section 8.

This is incredibly tone-deaf and culturally insensitive. If you were a refugee from a war-torn country 3rd world country, you might not be accustomed to neatly setting out your recycling either. That's not desirable, but it can change. As for valuing education, many of the immigrant families I have met in Takoma Park do value it very much. Their kids are bilingual (mine is not!). They work hard and they are disciplined and honest people.

People come in all shapes and sizes: rich, poor, American, foreign. To imply that all immigrants are irredeemably feral makes you look totally bigoted and unaware of the complexities of life outside of a McLean bubble of riches. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what parts of Takoma Park are considered unsafe?

the ones with brown immigrants
and it's not really unsafe either

What about the 14 year old shot at the metro a couple of days ago? Takoma def has the good block bad block vibe but what it absolutely also has is it surrounded by many of the worst areas in all the DC metro area. The spill over from Langley Park, Cheverly, Brightwood, silver spring and Takoma DC absolutely effect the quality of life. Takoma may be a cute middle school that was configured to avoid much of the piney branch corridor but it still ends up at high school with all the eastern kids. If that is good enough for someone else's kids that is cool, just not mine.

Violence can occur at any metro station unfortunately. That shooting is uncommon.

Seriously, blaming that shooting on the stop they happened to be near when it happened is a low blow. The shooter was from Seat Pleasant, a dozen miles away in PG county.

But that was the point, people from seat pleasant don't hang out in McLean. Drive around New Hampshire or flower Ave parts of Takoma and you will relize it isn't that different than seat pleasant.

This comment made me laugh! I live in TKPK and have yet to meet a neighbor who was deciding between here and McLean. Most of the newer neighbors I e met are people with school age kids from DC (mount pleasant, Adams Morgan). If you want McLean, you won't like it here ...

[Anonymous]

My friend was stabbed with a knive working from the Metro there. She had open heart surgery. It was in the day light.
No, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend was stabbed with a knive working from the Metro there. She had open heart surgery. It was in the day light.
No, thank you.

That's crazy! When did this happen???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone.
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option.

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification. If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing. If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property. These families do not value education-that is why the scores are low. I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it. Awful. Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground). Do not buy in an area that has section 8.

That's statistically not true. The children of immigrants statistically tend to be high achieving.

[Anonymous]

As a former New Yorker, I am shocked at the racism by some of the people on this website and in the metro DC area. The comments on the "white sheet" and standardized testing were really uncalled for. Raised in a very culturally diverse section of Queens, I am not used to the constant attitude that ALL white people have "white privilege" that I see on this forum, and in the DC/MD area.)

I am a high school teacher (Btw I worked full-time right out of high school and put myself through college; I didn't qualify for low interest student loans or any other "aid", as I lived in my parent's home and they made "too much", even though I had to help with THEM with the bills. It took me almost 7 years to get my 4-yr degree; that was my "white privilege".)

Anyway, my experience has been that lower income people tend to raise children who come to school less prepared and with less respect for authority, than other children. Most teachers understand that a child raised in poverty (and many times abused) will behave quite differently than a child from other socioeconomic classes.

I do not know about TP, but I would not buy in an area with a lot of low income housing (or in an area with a big heroin problem)