Was Your Neighborhood Nicer 20 Years Ago?

[Anonymous]

The suburbs is general were quieter, cleaner, safer, less traffic, and less dense. Anyone saying otherwise is lying to themselves or is an oblivious transparent from podunk Ohio.

[Anonymous]

Neighborhoods change but does not mean they are better or worse. The block I grew up on all the house built 1923.

Was originally a blue collar mainly Catholic block, later it became a upper middle class Jewish block starting slowly after WWII, then around 1990s it became a block of wealthy mainly Chinese. The houses are the same. But all three of the people if could trim travel would be surprised how houses look the same but the people are totally different. Does not make it better or worse just different

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine was marginally nicer (20906). There were mostly one family and 1-2 cars per house in a neighborhood of starter homes, and lots of little kids. By the time I moved out last year it had become multiple families and cars per house, loud music blasting at all hours and a much more transient population.

Sadly the same thing is happening in 20905. Neighborhood was much less congested and people took pride in maintaining their homes. It will be just like Wheaton in a few more years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have been in McLean/22101 for about 15 years. Housing stock has definitely gotten upgraded with more expensive homes in more neighborhoods. Retail was blah then and blah now, but there's a bit more variety. Schools are still good but overall confidence in FCPS leadership and basic competence has declined.

Way back when most of us were still kids, the architects who designed Seaside Florida and Kentlands (in Gaithersburg) proposed a massive overhaul of downtown McLean with shops, European/style streets with cafes and apartments above, offices, upscale retail, urban parks, and a town center or town green with community amenities. What the heck happened to that? That would’ve been amazing. Instead, downtown McLean looks the same—aging strip malls minus the Pizza Hut, Gourmet Giant, and Evan’s Farm Inn.

So these places are gone but there wasn't a Matchbox or Santini's when there was a Pizza Hut, the Giant is still huge and there's a Balducci's nearby, and Evans Farm was replaced with expensive houses and townhouses that generate a lot of tax revenue for the county.

All the redevelopment plans were sent to the island of lost toys or something, because anything on a large scale never happens. Just incremental, occasional development that is mostly residential apartments/condos (Palladium, Signet, Lowell), although Mars is currently building a new HQ off Elm and additional new apartments have been approved on both Chain Bridge and Old Dominion. The Chesterbrook shopping area down Old Dominion also just got a face lift, so the Call Your Mother bagel place is now in a storefront rather than a trolly in a parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC version. Connecticut Avenue corridor from DuPont to Chevy Chase, no. Ditto U Street, Columbia Heights, and Petworth. Everywhere else, yes.

Meant this the completely opposite way. Upper NW was much nicer 20 years ago as was the whole U Street, Petworth, and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. Petworth peaked in 2008-2013 and has been way more crimey ever since.

To clarify you mean specifically the street named 'Connecticut Ave NW' (eg, the buildings and shops with an address of 1234 Connecticut Ave NW, was much nicer in 2005 than it is today? I might be on board with that.

If you actually meant "all of upper NW DC" -- aka, the entirety of Ward 3 -- was much nicer in 2005 than 2025, you are sorely mistaken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what you mean by “nicer.” Are you equating it with “wealthier?“

For example, a previous poster from 22207 says that that area was not “nicer“ 20 years ago. Actually, we were in the thick of raising kids there 20 years ago and from what I read on DCUM now I would argue that it was, in fact, “nicer” then. It was more affordable, the schools were smaller and less crowded, and the people generally seemed a lot nicer. We still live in the area and on occasion find ourselves in 22207, and the only thing different that we say about it now is that the smaller houses have been replaced with McMansions and I don’t think that makes it a “nicer” neighborhood. It just makes it a less affordable one.

Spoken like a true middle classer who would probably complain about their increased property taxes. I’d much rather have a $3m house in my neighborhood than the $500k teardowns that were there 20years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sligo park hills was nicer, feels like Langley Park is spilling over and piney branch is a nightmare. Flower Ave is a mess

To be fair, hasn’t Langley park always been kinda shady? If I’m wrong please correct me.

It wasn’t this bad and it wasn’t always growing

My white parents lived there when they got married in 1972. One night a bullet flew through the window and they moved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, CCDC.

I would only disagree because Friendship Heights had tons more shops 20 years ago.

You had L&T, Hechts, Borders Books, Linens N Things, Neiman Marcus (yeah...not really a day-to-day store), an AMC 8 movie theatre, Loehmanns, TJ Maxx, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma...Sur La Table just a block down.

Yes, we now have a Bloomingdales and some upscale shops on the CC MD side, but FH was decimated by the Internet and Covid.

Let's hope the new Trader Joe's, Total Wine, new TJ Maxx and the new Mazza-replacement (ground floor retail, plus apartments on top) are the start of lots of great new things.

You're speaking exclusively of retail and you're correct. That is but one aspect of a neighborhood.

However, the residential streets are all "nicer" in that Casey Trees has added thousands of new trees in 20015 over the past 20 years. DCDoT + Pepco have felled and/or trimmed the dying street oaks. Any last rental boarding house from 2005 has been coverted back to a SFH and repainted, re-roofed, relandscaped by the new SFH owners. Sidewalks have been installed. Murch and Lafayette have new playgrounds. Livingston Park has had multiple upgrades to the playground/ball field / spray park in the past 20 years. The city consistently picks up leaves when it says it will and consistently plows snow when it should -- something that was starting to improve by 2005 and has grown much more reliable.

I personally do not think the *people* who moved into the now-$2.9 million four-squares are "nicer" than the OG CCDC families who vacated the same homes after living there on two NPR salaries since 1970. Not really close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what you mean by “nicer.” Are you equating it with “wealthier?“

For example, a previous poster from 22207 says that that area was not “nicer“ 20 years ago. Actually, we were in the thick of raising kids there 20 years ago and from what I read on DCUM now I would argue that it was, in fact, “nicer” then. It was more affordable, the schools were smaller and less crowded, and the people generally seemed a lot nicer. We still live in the area and on occasion find ourselves in 22207, and the only thing different that we say about it now is that the smaller houses have been replaced with McMansions and I don’t think that makes it a “nicer” neighborhood. It just makes it a less affordable one.

Spoken like a true middle classer who would probably complain about their increased property taxes. I’d much rather have a $3m house in my neighborhood than the $500k teardowns that were there 20years ago.

So you’re confirming you’re one of the elitists who don’t feel like middle class families deserve to live in decent neighborhoods. You also are confirming you’re one of the people who doesn’t believe in cohesiveness or charm within neighborhoods. Putting up the $3 million huge homes among houses in a more modest neighborhood changes the entire dynamic and not in a positive way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what you mean by “nicer.” Are you equating it with “wealthier?“

For example, a previous poster from 22207 says that that area was not “nicer“ 20 years ago. Actually, we were in the thick of raising kids there 20 years ago and from what I read on DCUM now I would argue that it was, in fact, “nicer” then. It was more affordable, the schools were smaller and less crowded, and the people generally seemed a lot nicer. We still live in the area and on occasion find ourselves in 22207, and the only thing different that we say about it now is that the smaller houses have been replaced with McMansions and I don’t think that makes it a “nicer” neighborhood. It just makes it a less affordable one.

Spoken like a true middle classer who would probably complain about their increased property taxes. I’d much rather have a $3m house in my neighborhood than the $500k teardowns that were there 20years ago.

And you’d be wrong. My spouse was a Biglaw partner.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about "nicer" but I think it was younger and more fun. Fewer open storefronts. Then again, I was also younger and more fun 😁 Dupont Circle.

[Anonymous]

Yes. 20 years ago, Friendship Heights had more stores — but also more genuinely useful stores as well as the destination department stores. Although the restaurants are now a bit more diverse, there are some back-in-the-day places that I still miss — like Mel Krupin’s / Morty’s Deli, some of the Mazza Gallerie restaurants, and even Julian’s, which had a great buffet option for many holidays. The movie theaters were very convenient too. I probably miss the Borders store more than anything. Traffic used to be much calmer on streets like Willard Ave, and drivers were definitely more polite. It’s still a nice, convenient neighborhood, but the shopping options and pace have changed.

[Anonymous]

I don't know? I didn't live here.

[Anonymous]

20816 seems pretty similar although I will say the county used to maintain the public roads and landscaping much better. Plus a lot of trees have been cut down due to disease or age.

Some of the homes have gotten nicer but some of the yards and maintenance of those yards are not nearly as clean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, CCDC.

I would only disagree because Friendship Heights had tons more shops 20 years ago.

You had L&T, Hechts, Borders Books, Linens N Things, Neiman Marcus (yeah...not really a day-to-day store), an AMC 8 movie theatre, Loehmanns, TJ Maxx, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma...Sur La Table just a block down.

Yes, we now have a Bloomingdales and some upscale shops on the CC MD side, but FH was decimated by the Internet and Covid.

Let's hope the new Trader Joe's, Total Wine, new TJ Maxx and the new Mazza-replacement (ground floor retail, plus apartments on top) are the start of lots of great new things.

You're speaking exclusively of retail and you're correct. That is but one aspect of a neighborhood.

However, the residential streets are all "nicer" in that Casey Trees has added thousands of new trees in 20015 over the past 20 years. DCDoT + Pepco have felled and/or trimmed the dying street oaks. Any last rental boarding house from 2005 has been coverted back to a SFH and repainted, re-roofed, relandscaped by the new SFH owners. Sidewalks have been installed. Murch and Lafayette have new playgrounds. Livingston Park has had multiple upgrades to the playground/ball field / spray park in the past 20 years. The city consistently picks up leaves when it says it will and consistently plows snow when it should -- something that was starting to improve by 2005 and has grown much more reliable.

I personally do not think the *people* who moved into the now-$2.9 million four-squares are "nicer" than the OG CCDC families who vacated the same homes after living there on two NPR salaries since 1970. Not really close.

I get it...but I specifically moved to CC DC to be near all the shops and restaurants that existed at FH in 2005...as well as to also be close to the Safeway and other shops/restaurants on CT Avenue.

I appreciate that a Whole Foods, Amazon Grocery...and a bit further away the Lidl and Wegmans have moved in...and soon the Trader Joe's. The CT Avenue Safeway is soooo tired and needs a dramatic facelift. I rarely shop there anymore because of the other grocery stores.