600k HHI - Where should we live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

We are white. I want my kids to go to a racially diverse school because I went to schools with racial and SES diversity growing up and I consider that to have been an integral, critical part of my education - it made me aware of my privilege and enabled me to comfortably work with people from all walks of life. I want my kids to have the same. Thinking about it more, 15% non-white probably wouldn't get my kids the same experience I had - I would like it to be more diverse than that. But I know there aren't a ton of schools that are both racially diverse (let alone SES) and academically decent that are close-in, so I figured I'd need to compromise a bit here.

Having researched it more, it looks like Shepard Park may come closest to what we're looking for on balance. Takoma Park is a close second - the schools there are pretty much exactly what I'd want for my kids, but to make the commute manageable we'd have to be very close to the metro and there just isn't a ton of housing stock there with what we need (due to the 2 kids and parents who visit frequently, we really need at least 4 bedrooms and 2000 sq ft or we'll all drive each other nuts).

Thank you for all the help - if you have more ideas, please keep them coming.

PP you're responding to here. I agree that Shepherd Park might be a good fit for you. Lots of affluent black, Jewish, and LGBT families. One of the nice things about SP vs. some other parts of the city is that your kids won't associate being black with poverty. Also, SP has much better schools than Takoma DC, and generally larger homes than Takoma Park, MD. It's not far from private schools if you go that route.

Colonial Village is another option that might work, but it's further from the walkable amenities. CV is a gorgeous, diverse (race, religion, not so much SES) neighborhood though, and shares the same schools as SP (Shepherd, Deal, Wilson). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH and I currently live in Petworth in DC with a toddler, and another one on the way. 600k HHI, no debt besides the mortgage on our current place (300k in equity). We are looking for a bigger house - need at minimum 2000 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms. Here are our priorities, in order:

[/b]1. Public schools that are not nearly all (talking over 85%) white [b]
2. Good quality of education at said public schools (through high school)
3. Relatively easy and relatively short (under 45 mins) commute via public transit to Farragut Sq area
4. Walkable neighborhood

Ideas of where to look?

[b]

Is there a HS within the beltway or just outside of it that is 85% or higher white? I don’t think there is. I think you have to go the outer suburbs.

What I mean is, that you don’t really have to worry about your #1.

Even Langley (McLean where we live) is 65% white, and people like to constantly complain about how white McLean is. It's not really, they just mean it doesn't have a large AA population (which we are, and that's actually fine too).

[Anonymous]

Palisades. Key elementary is great. And it’s walkable.

If I wanted to stay in dc, I’d move to Foxhall and do Horace Mann. But not as walkable.

Personally I like Carderock in Bethesda. But much more suburban.

I like that you’re doing the public school option! Bravo.

[Anonymous]

22101 McLean. Diverse, safe, best public schools and appreciating housing market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

We are white. I want my kids to go to a racially diverse school because I went to schools with racial and SES diversity growing up and I consider that to have been an integral, critical part of my education - it made me aware of my privilege and enabled me to comfortably work with people from all walks of life. I want my kids to have the same. Thinking about it more, 15% non-white probably wouldn't get my kids the same experience I had - I would like it to be more diverse than that. But I know there aren't a ton of schools that are both racially diverse (let alone SES) and academically decent that are close-in, so I figured I'd need to compromise a bit here.

Having researched it more, it looks like Shepard Park may come closest to what we're looking for on balance. Takoma Park is a close second - the schools there are pretty much exactly what I'd want for my kids, but to make the commute manageable we'd have to be very close to the metro and there just isn't a ton of housing stock there with what we need (due to the 2 kids and parents who visit frequently, we really need at least 4 bedrooms and 2000 sq ft or we'll all drive each other nuts).

Thank you for all the help - if you have more ideas, please keep them coming.

PP you're responding to here. I agree that Shepherd Park might be a good fit for you. Lots of affluent black, Jewish, and LGBT families. One of the nice things about SP vs. some other parts of the city is that your kids won't associate being black with poverty. Also, SP has much better schools than Takoma DC, and generally larger homes than Takoma Park, MD. It's not far from private schools if you go that route.

Colonial Village is another option that might work, but it's further from the walkable amenities. CV is a gorgeous, diverse (race, religion, not so much SES) neighborhood though, and shares the same schools as SP (Shepherd, Deal, Wilson). Good luck!

Me again, I meant to say that SP generally has much larger homes than both Takoma DC and Takoma MD. Parts of SP are very close to the Silver Spring metro if that helps. there are also bus lines going from SP to the SS metro station. Or could you do an addition in Takoma Park, MD if the schools are exactly what you want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:22202
Oakridge/ Gunston/Wakefield

Can"t imagine making that money and buying a house in the Wakefield district. It's not a good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:22101 McLean. Diverse, safe, best public schools and appreciating housing market.

NO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

Didn't get through the entire thread but clearly OP is white. A person of color would be more specific about the "diversity" they're seeking. OP may certainly value diversity but seems to also want to live in a neighborhood that allows for some virtue signaling.

[Anonymous]

You make $600k and you don't know where you should live? What is your level of education?
You make enough to be able to afford to live where you want in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

Didn't get through the entire thread but clearly OP is white. A person of color would be more specific about the "diversity" they're seeking. OP may certainly value diversity but seems to also want to live in a neighborhood that allows for some virtue signaling.

Wanting to be around neighbors of different backgrounds is not necessarily virtue signaling. I'm black and I appreciate having neighbors of all different backgrounds--lots of other AA families, but also white, Latinx, interracial, Midwesterners, international, Jewish, Muslim, LGBT, adoptive, etc. This has nothing to do with trying to prove something to others--I want to raise my kids to be tolerant and accepting of differences. Also, I personally just like meeting folks from different backgrounds. I live in one of the diverse neighborhoods mentioned here, and I think my neighbors feel similarly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

Didn't get through the entire thread but clearly OP is white. A person of color would be more specific about the "diversity" they're seeking. OP may certainly value diversity but seems to also want to live in a neighborhood that allows for some virtue signaling.

Wanting to be around neighbors of different backgrounds is not necessarily virtue signaling. I'm black and I appreciate having neighbors of all different backgrounds--lots of other AA families, but also white, Latinx, interracial, Midwesterners, international, Jewish, Muslim, LGBT, adoptive, etc. This has nothing to do with trying to prove something to others--I want to raise my kids to be tolerant and accepting of differences. Also, I personally just like meeting folks from different backgrounds. I live in one of the diverse neighborhoods mentioned here, and I think my neighbors feel similarly.

Just curious--are you black or 1/2 black?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

Didn't get through the entire thread but clearly OP is white. A person of color would be more specific about the "diversity" they're seeking. OP may certainly value diversity but seems to also want to live in a neighborhood that allows for some virtue signaling.

Wanting to be around neighbors of different backgrounds is not necessarily virtue signaling. I'm black and I appreciate having neighbors of all different backgrounds--lots of other AA families, but also white, Latinx, interracial, Midwesterners, international, Jewish, Muslim, LGBT, adoptive, etc. This has nothing to do with trying to prove something to others--I want to raise my kids to be tolerant and accepting of differences. Also, I personally just like meeting folks from different backgrounds. I live in one of the diverse neighborhoods mentioned here, and I think my neighbors feel similarly.

Just curious--are you black or 1/2 black?

PP here--why does it matter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CHEVY Chase. Duh. Move in next to the Kavanaugh’s - who really can’t afford to live there but you can!

Feeds into BCC

[Anonymous]

Diversity was important to us that is why we chose private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks!

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?

Didn't get through the entire thread but clearly OP is white. A person of color would be more specific about the "diversity" they're seeking. OP may certainly value diversity but seems to also want to live in a neighborhood that allows for some virtue signaling.

Wanting to be around neighbors of different backgrounds is not necessarily virtue signaling. I'm black and I appreciate having neighbors of all different backgrounds--lots of other AA families, but also white, Latinx, interracial, Midwesterners, international, Jewish, Muslim, LGBT, adoptive, etc. This has nothing to do with trying to prove something to others--I want to raise my kids to be tolerant and accepting of differences. Also, I personally just like meeting folks from different backgrounds. I live in one of the diverse neighborhoods mentioned here, and I think my neighbors feel similarly.

Just curious--are you black or 1/2 black?

PP here--why does it matter?

Bc you felt the need to mention your race to counter someone else's claims. But I think your question/response answers my question.