Wheaton? Opinions? New to the area

[Anonymous]

10+ resident of 20902 here. I've lived in a townhouse community in Wheaton and it's been fantastic.

Housing: Your options in 20902 are rambler type homes, townhouses or one of the many new apartment buildings that have gone up in the past few years. Rent in those apartment are around $2/sq foot. Prices are not going to soar like they will in Arlington but they won't go down either. Wheaton took a hit in 2007-2008 during the housing crises but it's rebounded.

People: In 20902 in my community, I personally know doctors, lawyers, small business owners, white collar corporate types, government employees, military folks (active and retired, one high ranking general), accountants, consultants, etc. Many of these people commute downtown to DC. There are races of all kinds - white, hispanic, black, asian, indian, african, etc. (not many middle easterners however). Yes, many 1st generation immigrants of all kinds, not just hispanic (many of them are Salvadorean by the way) but this is DC so that's to be expected. Many mixed raced couples. You also have super conservatives (e.g. Hasidic Jews) and non-traditional relationships (gay and lesbian marriages) so as you can see, it's super diverse.

Transportation: 20902 is steps from the Wheaton metro (red line). About 20 mins to Union Station to give you an idea. It's easy to get to Rockville, Bethesda, and of course, downtown Silver Spring. Traffic on the beltway is smooth sailing if you go towards PG in the AM or up to Baltimore because it's a reverse commute. Traffic flows to VA in the AM are busier depending on the time of day. I agree with the other posters, that a commute to Alexandria every day would be rough. It's not the AM rush hour that would worry me, it's coming back in the evening. If you come back either through DC or 495 via Tysons, you're going to sit in traffic (it's almost double the commute time in the evening). Your best bet is to go on the other side of the Beltway via PG county in the AM and PM. The distance is almost the same but traffic will be so much better.

Grocery stores: There is a Giant, Safeway (open 24x7), Target (grocery store inside), Costco, and multiple smaller ethnic grocery stores (e.g. H Mart, Latin, Brazilian, Chinese and Vietnamese) all within walking distance of 20902. There is also a Shoppers that's a couple miles away. Every week, one of these grocery stores will offer a $10 off $50 coupon because competition is fierce. If you prefer Whole Foods, downtown silver spring is 4 miles away.

Restaurants: If you want high end fancy restaurants, Wheaton is probably not the best place to eat. But if you are open to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, you are in for a treat. Wheaton probably has the most diverse, affordable, and high quality food options in DC. For Thai, you have 3 of the highest ranked restaurants on Washingtonian magazine (Ruan Thai, Nava Thai and Thai by Kob). For Chinese, if you throw a rock in any direction, you have some of the best Chinese food in DC although Rockville can give Wheaton a run for its money (Full Kee, Paul Kee, New Kam Fong, too many to name). Japanese (Ren's Ramen, Moby Dick Sushi). Irish (Limerick Pub - legit). Bolivian (Kantutas). Honduran (El Catrachito). Peruvian (El Pollo Rico, El Pollo Kiki Riki). There are so many Salvadoran restaurants so if you like pupusas, you'll be in Heaven. Korean (Woomi, Seoul food). Brazilian (By Brazil which is next to Subway, yes the sub place). Diner food (Nick's diner, IHOP). Tacos or Tortas (El Taco Loco, Umberto's, any of the Salvadorean or other hispanic places). Ethiopian (Dessie). Italian (Cristina - old school). Kosher (Max's Deli - best schwarma outside of Israel). Vietnamese (Mi Law Cay, Pho Hiep Ha, Saigonese). Wheaton recently welcomed it's first steak house (Squire's Rock Creek) and New Orleans seafood joint (Beclaws). Indian restaurants have noticeably been absent but there is one in the food court at Wheaton Mall (Masala) and one opening on University Ave (sign says coming soon). Ice Cream (Yummy in my Tummy - homemade ice cream). I'm sure I've missed some but as you can see, you can eat cuisine from around the world within a 5 min walk of 20902. It's truly amazing and the prices are generally very affordable compared to eating in Bethesda or downtown DC. For coffee, there is a Starbucks at the Safeway and one standalone place next to Giant. There is also a 24x7 Dunkin Donuts.

Schools: Not so great. You can read the other posters' comments. My kids go to private.

Crime: I've lived in 20902 over a decade and only had one incident. My car window was broken. Nothing was taken from my car. Mind you, my car sits out on the street, every single day.

Parks: Another poster had already mentioned Wheaton Regional Park and Brookside Gardens. This is probably one of the most under-appreciated things about Wheaton. The train and carousel are awesome for families with young kids. There are many smaller neighborhood parks that are abundant. Sligo Creek is also a huge draw. You can bike or run down all the way to Georgetown.

Doctors: You can find any type of doctor in the 20902, whether at the mall, on Georgia or on University. 5 min commute to see any type of specialist or general practitioner. If you throw a rock in any direction, you will hit a Salavadorean restaurant or a Dentist. If you get a cavity in Wheaton, it will be because you tried to NOT take care of your teeth which is to say, Wheaton has a ton of dentists.

Houses of worship: Whether you are Christian, Jewish, Catholic, etc you will find plenty of places to attend. I'm not sure if there are many mosques however.

There is development that is coming to Wheaton on Reedie (between Georgia and Viers Mill). See here: http://www.wheatonmd.org/discover/redevelopment

OP, let me know if you have any specific questions about Wheaton and I will do my best to answer. I heartily recommend living in Wheaton but as other posters have also mentioned, if you work in Alexandria, that is going to be tough on you and your family.