Which DC neighborhood is right for my growing family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should move to the burbs with that budget. Much safer.

Walkable means that the criminals can also walk to your house, so it’s a catch 22. Safe and walkable are kinda contradictory.

Hahaha this is the craziest comment ever. So criminals only walk?

[Anonymous]

Palisades

[Anonymous]

AU park is wonderful. We're raising our family here and we love it. Our neighbors are friendly and we all help each other out. Great schools, lots of restaurants, shops, and grocery stores, and we can walk to parks. We live around the Wisconsin / Nebraska area. Love the new City Ridge, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can, move to a family friendly neighborhood of Capitol Hill.

The school situation on the Hill is a mess. Every family we know on the Hill is constantly complaining about this or stressing about the lottery. It’s also really not safe.

OP's kid is 1, in a decent elementary zone they are good for 9 years. Who knows how things would be in 2033. If in Stuart Hobson middle school zone, they are good for 14 years.

[Anonymous]

Eastern Market- Lincoln Park is a geey walkable neighborhood for families.

[Anonymous]

AU Park - very walkable, safe, great community, kids love their schools

[Anonymous]

Palisades or glover park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been in CCDC almost 5 years, no british colony vibes. Then again, my DC's nanny who was an African immigrant, so maybe I was one of the "colonizers". LOL.

Seriously though, it is a wonderful place for kids to grow up. Tons of families, dogs. I like that we can walk 3 blocks to school and it is very safe. Neighbors are kind. People take care of their homes and yards.

Yeah that’s what I meant, especially if you also have a Hispanic yard crew. There’s obviously nothing wrong with having an immigrant nanny or a Hispanic yard crew but it’s hard not to notice and think about all the stuff in play.

Is this just an internet trope or does it exist in real life - people who make decisions like housing based on the optics of racial equity and virtue signaling? No one I have ever met in real life thinks and acts like this : hmm I can afford to live in a beautiful safe neighborhood with good schools, but gosh because of the underlying structural issues that led to this neighborhood being so nice (and thereby frequently not very diverse), let me prioritize feeling virtuous over the needs of my family and instead buy or live in a more diverse neighborhood!

Does anyone know a real person from real life, not an internet poster, who behaved this way?

Yes - I’m black and this sort of thought process mystifies me.

[Anonymous]

I think you'd really like 20816.

We were a lot like your family in 2003-04, and we moved to 20816, and our quality of life went up pretty dramatically. A lot of people in your stage of life make the move to the close-in suburbs and never look back.

This zip code borders is the area right near Western and Massachusetts Ave. So it borders DC.

It's very close in, and yet is much more kid-friendly than DC. It feels like you're way out in the suburbs, when you are still within 1 mile of Metro. (My DH still walks or bikes to Metro most days.)

In the past on this forum, when I have suggested 20816, a few people seem very opposed to the idea of moving to the close-in suburbs, and claim that you'll never be able to walk anywhere and that your life will be an empty suburban nightmare. But IMHO, those people have not given the close-in suburbs a try. It's a pretty nice existence, with a lot more amenities than DC. The people are nice and respectful neighbors, and they take care of their homes. We have a neighbor on our street who moved from the area near Catholic University, and she still cannot believe how quiet the neighborhood is, and how rarely she hears sirens anymore.

This place is pending, but you get the idea --
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5221-Duvall-Dr_Bethesda_MD_20816_M61897-13081?from=srp-list-card

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should move to the burbs with that budget. Much safer.

Walkable means that the criminals can also walk to your house, so it’s a catch 22. Safe and walkable are kinda contradictory.

Hahaha this is the craziest comment ever. So criminals only walk?

I've heard many NIMBY anti-pedestrian/ anti-density/ pro car arguments, but this one is by far the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is going downhill. You can buy something decent in McLean or Great Falls for that price.

But then you’d have to live there. Downtown McLean and great falls are terribly depressing and mish mash. Very little sense of community in either and pretty much no walkability. I’d be completely depressed. Also, you’d be surprised at the breakins in McLean. My kids are at a private in McLean, and we know more than one family that has had a break in (in huge houses) over the last 18 mos. We don’t know anyone in dc who has.

[Anonymous]

I’m curious how many people don’t recommend their own neighborhood.