Montgomery County Friendly Close-in Neighborhood w/ walkable school

[Anonymous]

Hi! We are looking to make a move before our DS goes to Kindergarden next year (2015-2016). Looking for a friendly, close-in Montgomery County neighborhood less than a mile from metro and hopefully walkable to stores, restaurants, etc. . . . We would like a neighborhood where a lot of kids walk to school and where there is an overall friendly atmosphere where neighbors know each other. Any particular schools/ neighborhoods we should be looking at?

My #1 choice is to be right near Bethesda, NIH or Friendship Heights metros-- anyone live there and find their neighborhood/ block to be particularly friendly and welcoming with lots of elementary school kids? And love their school?

Thanks for any help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! We are looking to make a move before our DS goes to Kindergarden next year (2015-2016). Looking for a friendly, close-in Montgomery County neighborhood less than a mile from metro and hopefully walkable to stores, restaurants, etc. . . . We would like a neighborhood where a lot of kids walk to school and where there is an overall friendly atmosphere where neighbors know each other. Any particular schools/ neighborhoods we should be looking at?

My #1 choice is to be right near Bethesda, NIH or Friendship Heights metros-- anyone live there and find their neighborhood/ block to be particularly friendly and welcoming with lots of elementary school kids? And love their school?

Thanks for any help!

What you want is going to cost a lot (a lot!) of money.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Yup, I've done a lot of searching so I'm realistic about pricing. We're open to some of the smaller houses and/or condos (or ones that aren't newly renovated) and the ones I've seen fall within our budget.

Since this is anonymous I'm willing to say we can go up to 1.25 mil (hope this doesn't start off a bunch of insults or catty comments! I don't want this to be the focus of this discussion please)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! We are looking to make a move before our DS goes to Kindergarden next year (2015-2016). Looking for a friendly, close-in Montgomery County neighborhood less than a mile from metro and hopefully walkable to stores, restaurants, etc. . . . We would like a neighborhood where a lot of kids walk to school and where there is an overall friendly atmosphere where neighbors know each other. Any particular schools/ neighborhoods we should be looking at?

My #1 choice is to be right near Bethesda, NIH or Friendship Heights metros-- anyone live there and find their neighborhood/ block to be particularly friendly and welcoming with lots of elementary school kids? And love their school?

Thanks for any help!

The friendly close in walkable stores, restaurants, etc. puts you in only a couple schools/neighborhoods in the BCC cluster -- Bethesda Elementary, Chevy Chase Elementary, Westbrook and Somerset. There may also be some parts of Bethesda that feed to Bradley Hills and then Pyle and Whitman. All 3 schools are good but have different vibes/grade structures/strengths & weaknesses. For BCC cluster, lots of families are in the area just north/behind BCC, in the Town of Chevy Chase (between Conn and Wisc.), and west of Bethesda. Also, in ChCh, there are lots of kids/school walkers between Ct. and Brookeville, but I wouldn't really consider that part "walking distance" to a metro.

1.25 million will buy you a house in one of these areas for sure, but you may have to look a little to find the right one, and there will be many that are on sale for far more than 1.25.

I would really suggest you do some school visits/research before you settle on your final area.

[Anonymous]

Look at Garrett Park proper - not so walkable to restaurants, but lots of kids walk to school and all the neighbors know each other. When all the WF stuff gets built then will be walkable to restaurants. Also, definitely walkable to Grovesnor Metro. And the public school is very good.

[Anonymous]

WF - means White Flint. The Mall is being knocked down for New Urban development.

[Anonymous]

I live near Westbrook and while not urban, a lot of things are within a mile like Friendship Heights, CC trail, Little Falls Library etc.

Very friendly neighborhood with lots of families, very involved int he school.

Could definitely find a house for your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at Garrett Park proper - not so walkable to restaurants, but lots of kids walk to school and all the neighbors know each other. When all the WF stuff gets built then will be walkable to restaurants. Also, definitely walkable to Grovesnor Metro. And the public school is very good.

Yeah a long ass walk. She can do better in the neighborhoods behind NIH.

[Anonymous]

Kensington Parkwood is the place for you. There were more than 100 kindergartner so this year and the majority live in walking distance to the school.

[Anonymous]

You might like East Bethesda. You can walk to Bethesda Elementary (though a lot of parents choose to let the kids ride the bus instead). But the best part is that the kids can walk to high school. (BCC) And you can walk to town, and NIH.

East Bethesda is the neighborhood South of the Naval Medical Center (Jones Bridge Road) and North of East West Highway. (and East of Wisconsin.) I think a poster above referred to it as "town of Chevy Chase" and some maps list it as Chevy Chase, but the neighborhood is called East Bethesda, and the mailing address is Bethesda. As a poster above suggests, you might also like the neighborhood that feeds into Somerset.

[Anonymous]

The houses within walking distance of Bradley Hills are reasonable given the area, and it's a nice neighborhood. Not exactly walkable to downtown Bethesda, but still close. And the school is terrific.

[Anonymous]

West Chevy Chase -- Feeds into Somerset. Nicely positioned between Bethesda and Friendship Heights metros.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park! Your budget will get you a very nice here though inventory is limited. I live on Maple Ave and tons of kids walk to TPES (K-2) and Piney Branch (3-5). Some neighborhoods have set up "walking school buses" where parents switch off days of the week and they pick kids up as they go.

[Anonymous]

FYI, Chevy Chase elementary kids go to Rosemary Hills for k-2-- RH is a great school but your kid would only be walking to schoold for 3-5.

[Anonymous]

It may be further out than you're willing to go but consider Rockville near the Town Square. Lots of restaurants. Metro nearby. Don't have kids in the schools but have heard nothing but good things about Beall from people who go there. Neighborhoods are West End or Woodley Gardens West for easiest access to Town Square. Very friendly neighborhood and you can probably find a very nice house for about half of what you're willing to pay.