Anyone sick of being looked down on for living in PG?

[Anonymous]

I know that I have had enough!

[Anonymous]

Nope! Proud to say I live in PG-and fwiw I am white! (Although since this is in the PG County Schools forum, the schools do suck. I send my kids to DC private ...)

[Anonymous]

I am white too. The schools are bad, but my neighborhood is nice! I just can't stand the judgement. -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that I have had enough!

I go back and forth. Sometimes I'm sick of the PG hate, and then when I sail in on a 20 minute commute, and walk everywhere I need to go, and can go shopping on Saturday without horrible traffic...I wish them all well and hope they stay in MoCo and NoVA!

We even have our kids in PG schools and are happy. We looked at MoCo schools (have to stay in MD) at one point and realized that the ones in neighborhoods we could afford weren't even really trying. They were still coasting on the MoCo schools of 1996. Our local PG school still has middle of the road ratings, but d@mn that staff is working to improve. *They* are tired of being the butt of local jokes, and are working hard to recruit and retain local parents. None of the MoCo schools we visited seemed to care much about the parents. The PG schools reached out and won us over.

[Anonymous]

PP here-I'm white, but my husband is AA.

[Anonymous]

We are white (Middle Eastern) and while it's not nice to live in an area with a stigma, in the end we are laughing all the way to the bank- we are saving tons of money, can afford luxuries, etc. We are living the upper-middle class existence the rest of the country gets to enjoy, and we get the amenities of the DC area. Really, anyone who doesn't live in PG is kind of paying a "black people tax" because that's the only reason I can see for our house being so much cheaper than comparable ones in Moco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are white (Middle Eastern) and while it's not nice to live in an area with a stigma, in the end we are laughing all the way to the bank- we are saving tons of money, can afford luxuries, etc. We are living the upper-middle class existence the rest of the country gets to enjoy, and we get the amenities of the DC area. Really, anyone who doesn't live in PG is kind of paying a "black people tax" because that's the only reason I can see for our house being so much cheaper than comparable ones in Moco.

So much this! I hate the stigma of living here, but we are also laughing all the way to the bank. We live in a lovely, safe neighborhood with wonderful neighbors of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. Our mortgage is 1/3 of similar families around the DC area for the same house, with a shorter commute.

I'm so torn. I want everyone to know PG isn't the cesspool that people believe it is, but at the same time I don't want people to start moving here and turning it into the same old strip mall world of NoVA.

[Anonymous]

I don't live there -- I've lived in the District for 20 years. But I'm posting my opinion that Prince Georges is easily the prettiest county in the metropolitan area. In terms of natural resources, I mean.

I don't think a lot of people know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that I have had enough!

I go back and forth. Sometimes I'm sick of the PG hate, and then when I sail in on a 20 minute commute, and walk everywhere I need to go, and can go shopping on Saturday without horrible traffic...I wish them all well and hope they stay in MoCo and NoVA!

We even have our kids in PG schools and are happy. We looked at MoCo schools (have to stay in MD) at one point and realized that the ones in neighborhoods we could afford weren't even really trying. They were still coasting on the MoCo schools of 1996. Our local PG school still has middle of the road ratings, but d@mn that staff is working to improve. *They* are tired of being the butt of local jokes, and are working hard to recruit and retain local parents. None of the MoCo schools we visited seemed to care much about the parents. The PG schools reached out and won us over.

This is us. If I go by myself, I can be door-to-door in 16 minutes. When I drop my kids at preschool and then go to work, I can make it in 35 minutes. For the same price house as my friend in Bethesda, I get 1200 sf more house and mine was brand new while his was about 20 years old and they had to do major renovation in the first 2 years (complete kitchen and one bath overhaul) plus put up with a lot of really annoying house characteristics.

Plus, the people are much nicer. I have worked in PG for well over 20 years and love the people where I work, where I shop, and where I play. I have been involved in a number of pastimes in the local area and the people I associate with are so much nicer. I have participated in many of the same pastimes in MoCo over the last 20 years and the people grate on my nerves. So many stuck-up, condescending, and rude folks in Moco who just want to feel superior.

We're much happier in PG county. In PG county, we can afford to have a nice house and still send our kids to private school for less than it would cost for comparable in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that I have had enough!

I go back and forth. Sometimes I'm sick of the PG hate, and then when I sail in on a 20 minute commute, and walk everywhere I need to go, and can go shopping on Saturday without horrible traffic...I wish them all well and hope they stay in MoCo and NoVA!

We even have our kids in PG schools and are happy. We looked at MoCo schools (have to stay in MD) at one point and realized that the ones in neighborhoods we could afford weren't even really trying. They were still coasting on the MoCo schools of 1996. Our local PG school still has middle of the road ratings, but d@mn that staff is working to improve. *They* are tired of being the butt of local jokes, and are working hard to recruit and retain local parents. None of the MoCo schools we visited seemed to care much about the parents. The PG schools reached out and won us over.

This is us. If I go by myself, I can be door-to-door in 16 minutes. When I drop my kids at preschool and then go to work, I can make it in 35 minutes. For the same price house as my friend in Bethesda, I get 1200 sf more house and mine was brand new while his was about 20 years old and they had to do major renovation in the first 2 years (complete kitchen and one bath overhaul) plus put up with a lot of really annoying house characteristics.

Plus, the people are much nicer. I have worked in PG for well over 20 years and love the people where I work, where I shop, and where I play. I have been involved in a number of pastimes in the local area and the people I associate with are so much nicer. I have participated in many of the same pastimes in MoCo over the last 20 years and the people grate on my nerves. So many stuck-up, condescending, and rude folks in Moco who just want to feel superior.

We're much happier in PG county. In PG county, we can afford to have a nice house and still send our kids to private school for less than it would cost for comparable in MoCo.

We have our child in PG public schools now, but will send her private next year. Frankly, we'd probably be sending her to a private school next year if we lived in MoCo or NoVA next year too, as the issues are with her and her academic needs and not the school system, per se. We figured we could live in PG, try public school, and if it didn't work out, we have an extra 15k/year or or more to send her to excellent private schools. We couldn't do that in most of the rest of DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are white (Middle Eastern) and while it's not nice to live in an area with a stigma, in the end we are laughing all the way to the bank- we are saving tons of money, can afford luxuries, etc. We are living the upper-middle class existence the rest of the country gets to enjoy, and we get the amenities of the DC area. Really, anyone who doesn't live in PG is kind of paying a "black people tax" because that's the only reason I can see for our house being so much cheaper than comparable ones in Moco.

So much this! I hate the stigma of living here, but we are also laughing all the way to the bank. We live in a lovely, safe neighborhood with wonderful neighbors of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. Our mortgage is 1/3 of similar families around the DC area for the same house, with a shorter commute.

I'm so torn. I want everyone to know PG isn't the cesspool that people believe it is, but at the same time I don't want people to start moving here and turning it into the same old strip mall world of NoVA.

My goal: buy a house for my parents to retire in and maybe an investment property, then hope people discover PG! I don't think it will ever turn into strip mall city a la NOVA, just because there aren't as many physical stores and businesses needed anymore, thanks internet.

[Anonymous]

Do any of you commute to tysons? I feel like that commute would be horrible but would be happy if I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you commute to tysons? I feel like that commute would be horrible but would be happy if I'm wrong.

I'm in Greenbelt and I'm pretty sure it would be awful. I have friends in Tyson's and the drive is very easy non-rush hour (30 minutes?), but if I get caught in traffic that time can double. That said, if your only options were somewhere in PG (maybe closer to National Harbor) vs. far out suburb? I'd choose PG.

[Anonymous]

Another PG resident here. We LOVE where we live, and the local elementary school is pretty good too. Not sure what we'll do about middle and high school. But our house is amazing, our neighborhood is amazing, and my commute is a breeze

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you commute to tysons? I feel like that commute would be horrible but would be happy if I'm wrong.

I live in Laurel and work in Greenbelt. For a while, I had to take my spouse to doctor appointment at NIH. If you travel westbound between 8am and 9:30am it will be painful (like double the normal time). Likewise, the eastbound commute if bad from about 3:30 to 6:00pm. So, for a commute, you have to commit to working very early or very late.

If you go outside of those hours, the commute isn't a problem (about 40 minutes from northern PG).