Is Chevy Chase & Bethesda MD old money? When did the WASPs have a white flight of those areas?

[Anonymous]

I live in Bethesda - moved from another part of the country 20 years ago. Definitely not old money or a WASP!! lol Not by a long shot. I feel perfectly at home here, regardless. If snobby people didn't want to associate with me, I certainly wouldn't give a shit. I've got friends, and my job, and my family. What else do you need?

I started from scratch, but am tracking with DCUM "middle class." If I keep on this trajectory, my kids should inherit a good number of mils. I guess their grandkids could be old money if the trend continues (which may be unlikely)....

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bethesda (20816) in the 60s and 70s. Much of it was truly middle class. Not many two working lawyer families because there weren’t that many women lawyers then, especially in private firms. My family was not old money. My grandparents lived nearby in a small split level. They moved there in the 50s and my grandfather was a government worker who took the bus downtown (which was pretty common back then).

I think some people have very warped views of Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Bethesda (20816) in the 60s and 70s. Much of it was truly middle class. Not many two working lawyer families because there weren’t that many women lawyers then, especially in private firms. My family was not old money. My grandparents lived nearby in a small split level. They moved there in the 50s and my grandfather was a government worker who took the bus downtown (which was pretty common back then).

I think some people have very warped views of Bethesda.

Lololol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certain developments in Bethesda and Chevy Chase had restrictive covenants that prevented sales to Jews (and Black people, I think). This was true in Kenwood, and in developments built by WC and AN Miller. I live in Kenwood Park, which was developed in the 1950s as a subdivision that would sell to Jews. Many original owners, including the people we bought from 20+ years ago, were Jewish.

You are 100% correct. There were restrictive covenants in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and other Maryland neighborhoods. I can name some of them: Sumner, Woodacres, Fairway Hills, Manor, among others. Many country clubs were similarly restricted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Bethesda (20816) in the 60s and 70s. Much of it was truly middle class. Not many two working lawyer families because there weren’t that many women lawyers then, especially in private firms. My family was not old money. My grandparents lived nearby in a small split level. They moved there in the 50s and my grandfather was a government worker who took the bus downtown (which was pretty common back then).

I think some people have very warped views of Bethesda.

Lololol

Why is this funny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Bethesda (20816) in the 60s and 70s. Much of it was truly middle class. Not many two working lawyer families because there weren’t that many women lawyers then, especially in private firms. My family was not old money. My grandparents lived nearby in a small split level. They moved there in the 50s and my grandfather was a government worker who took the bus downtown (which was pretty common back then).

I think some people have very warped views of Bethesda.

Lololol

Why is this funny?

NP. Most of the stuff on DCUM about real estate or politics or schools is hilarious, in a darkly comedic way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what exactly is old money?

i do not consider myself old money. my grandpa was middle management for a large company went to a state school, never earned much, will die with $4mm+, will pass on $1mm to 4 grandchildren. parents are from the south, went to state schools, sent me to private school then ivy, they're worth about $10mm, will pass on $5mm to two children. we are a two career family, make $500K in our 30's and live in one of the above cities, should eventually be quite wealthy

I've never belonged to a country club, my ancestors didn't come on the mayflower, and if you go back a generation beyond the grandparents, you'll get small time farmers and such. so yea, defintely not old money. I am a white anglo saxon protestant. i've enjoyed loads of privilege, but not old money.

assuming i don't screw things up or death duties don't become too severe, each generation should get wealthier over time. this should continue and eventually maybe some generation (my future grandkids???) will be considered old money? but is old money measured in generations (ie you're old money if your family has been wealthy for 5 generations) or is it measured by some absolute unmoving metric that is unattainable (ie you're old money if your family was wealthy in 1800/1900/1950). is it some absolute dollar number maintained over a number of generations (you're old money if you have $10mm for 10 generations?)

Old money is family wealth that goes back generations, but it is a lot more than just being wealthy and belonging to the right country club and sending kids to ivy schools. Usually old money has extensive holdings in multiple areas. All of the old money people I know have A LOT of land. Some have multiple homes, but they all have land. It is also, and probably more importantly, being connected. It is having a building at a college named after you. Having a park in town with the family name on it because they donated the land. It is being able to call a banker friend or someone in government and have them take your call and getting the results you wanted.

I was in the office on a weekend one time, and one of the old money people I know was in there with his kids. I went to the copier and the kids were there making copies of their art work. I asked them if they needed help, and they said no, this is just like the one the governor has. This guy's brother was married to a prior VP candidate's daughter. Those are the kind of connections old money have.

[Anonymous]

Old money is few and far between. Years ago I worked at Brown Brothers Harriman. That is old money. Back in 1996 we had a minimum of four million just to open a checking account.

We had several “third generation” accounts. Meaning the customers grandparents opened account with a private banker and today the grandchild of both the customer and probated banker had same account.

Literally our private banker would attend your baptism, marriage and funeral.

We had a doorman at our Wall Street location and our Boston and Newport NJ location was Waterfront. I recall the senior Partner in Boston would take his Yacht from the Boston office to our NJ location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many Catholics live in the Blessed Sacrament parish, which is a good chunk of Chevy Chase on both sides of the DC line, and have for generations.

And that group loves WASP cos play!

[Anonymous]

There are no rich houses in Chevy Chase so how much old mo he could there be. By comparison the north Shore of Long Island has $11 million homes being built 110 years ago Great Gatsby era. https://www.oheka.com/history.htm

I gave a link to one.

Merchant marine academy, CW post college etc are in folks summer houses.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the type of house. WASPs don’t live in Cape Cods unless they are new money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Bethesda (20816) in the 60s and 70s. Much of it was truly middle class. Not many two working lawyer families because there weren’t that many women lawyers then, especially in private firms. My family was not old money. My grandparents lived nearby in a small split level. They moved there in the 50s and my grandfather was a government worker who took the bus downtown (which was pretty common back then).

I think some people have very warped views of Bethesda.

Redlining will do that to a neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Seriously why so many class threads and WASP threads lately?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously why so many class threads and WASP threads lately?

Yeah -- the obsession feels very 20th Century to me. And my WASP husband and his extended family would agree.

[Anonymous]

I am a Catholic WASP. There are a few of us. My
Family actually was in the employ of the King of England. Henry to 8th. We are OG Wasps. I was born Catholic since my Dad married a Catholic. But I get street cred.

Cant fake it.