Takoma Park at night -- safe to walk from Metro?

[Anonymous]

We're looking at Takoma Park, but DH will use Metro, and he'll be coming home at odd hours, sometimes late at night. He's worried about safety walking home from Metro at night. I've read about a few incidents near Metro in TP, so I'm not certain about it either. The other area we're considering is Silver Spring near the Forest Glen Metro. Is is safer there to walk home from Metro at night? We prefer TP, but the safety issue could tip the balance. Thanks.

[Lab]

Generally safe. Probably depends a little on where you're walking from the Takoma Metro. East of tracks is safer than west of tracks, in my opinion. I've been doing the walk for 8 years, sometimes as late as midnight, and never had any problems. My neighbors have been doing the walk for 25 years, and one of them was robbed the first week they lived here (25 years ago) but never any problems since. I do know a couple neighbors who have been robbed in recent years, so it's not 100% safe. Every summer, there is an uptick in street crime on commuters during the 5-9pm hours -- so "odd hours" actually might be a little safer in some respects. However, any such street crime is pretty widely reported and discussed (and complained about) because the neighborhood has a very active email list and active community generally. All in all, a great neighborhood -- I'd definitely recommend it. I can't really compare it to Forest Glen though.

[Anonymous]

I'd look at bus schedules, too. If there's a bus that can get you within a block of your house (definitely possible for large parts of Takoma DC; not sure about the MD side), that might be the best option for late at night.

[Lab]

Maybe this map will help you -- I think it's pretty cool: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107588221628936659690.000447de44f5b6812ff83&ll=38.982164,-77.004032&spn=0.048972,0.079823&z=14

[Anonymous]

07:18, very cool map. did you create it?

[Anonymous]

Not safe, I had a friend robbed going to work years ago. They work in pairs now, one snatched her purse while his friend drove the get away car. One of my ex boss's got stabbed in the early evening while walking home from the subway.(most recent case)>>>> Another friend was robbed of his wallet at night, while walking from the metro, they beat him he was able to run into somebody's yard where the police was called and they gave him a ride home.

You take your chances in the day time hours, I wouldn't even think about walking at night.

[Lab]

Anonymous wrote:07:18, very cool map. did you create it?

Nope, I just saw the link on the Takoma Park Police Dept website and thought it was neat.

[Anonymous]

I definitely feel safer at the Forest Glen stop. I'm uncomfortable after dark at both the Takoma and Wheaton stops. When I take my daughter to something downtown that will end after dark, I always go to the Forest Glen stop.

[Anonymous]

So what do Takoma Park people do -- drive to events in the evening? And in the winter when it gets dark at 5 p.m.?? Is it so unsafe that you can't take Metro home from work after dark? BTW, we're looking in Takoma Park MD, not DC.

Forest Glen metro stop seems safer to me, but I just love Takoma Park.

[Lab]

I guess different people just have different views (not a surprise here on DCUM). I suspect the comfort level has a lot to do with what you are used it and what is unfamiliar. I'd be nervous walking home late at night west of Metro, but not east, mainly because I don't walk to the west at night too often. Nevertheless, I see lots of people walking west each night, and they don't seem scared. The other person posting here is clearly afraid of walking in Takoma at night, but she also does not live here so I'd guess it's a little less familiar for her. All that said, there definitely is some street crime in Takoma Park. I don't know enough about the Forest Glen neighborhood to compare them, but when I spend time in the Forest Glen area, it doesn't feel much different than Takoma. Not knowing Forest Glen too well, I'd be a little nervous walking around there at night, but that's all because I have no sense of what streets might be safe after dark and what's not.

Takoma Park people who take the Metro to work walk home from the Metro just like everyone else, at all times of year. I can't really speak to what other Takoma Park people do about driving to events in the evening -- for me at least, driving or not would depend on things like how convenient/inconvenient the destination is to Metro, how late at night, how lazy I'm feeling about walking, whether I have a child with me, etc. I'd really strongly recommend that OP and her husband come over to Takoma Park 2-3 nights after work to walk around. Stop at someplace crowded like Mark's Kitchen or Middle East Market for dinner, and chat up some people about Takoma Park after dark (people are pretty chatty at those places). After dinner, walk down a couple of the streets where you might buy to see what it feels like at night, and then head back to the Metro. Do the same thing at Forest Glen. That's going to tell you a lot more (and probably be more fun) than trading messages with people on DCUM. I know it's a pain to spend 2-3 nights doing that, but if you're about to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and several years of your life in a house, it seems like wise research.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Everyone I know who walks to and from Metro at night in Takoma Park has been fine. My neighbor often comes home from work at 10:00 or later and he's never had a problem. Yes, there is street crime in Takoma Park, and some of it occurs around the Metro stop, but much of it doesn't. Forest Glen probably feels safer, but I wouldn't like to live around there. It's a completely different vibe. Wheaton feels considerably less safe to me. But Takoma Park has a very close-knit community, as a PP mentioned, and that makes a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

That map freaked me out. Carjacking during the day? I don't know if I could handle that. We're coming from the safe suburbs (although I'm an ex-Manhattanite, no stranger to crime). We have small kids. I love the vibe in TP. It seems great, and full of people we'd have a lot in common with.

Could you elaborate about "street crime"? Muggings? Housebreaks? I've never been a victim of crime, even in New York (although I've witnessed some). Don't want to start now. Silver Spring schools seem iffier than TP schools. Perhaps we'll retreat to Kensington....

[Anonymous]

When you look at the map, realize that most people who live in Takoma Park and walk to Metro from the Maryland side live in the area bounded by Eastern Avenue on the south, Philadelphia Avenue/410 on the north. Crime is relatively low there. The next-farther group of single-family housing is the area east of Carroll Avenue and north of East-West Hwy/410. On the other side of Sligo Creek, particularly along Flower Avenue and over near the New Hampshire/University intersection, the neighborhoods are a little rougher. There are still nice places, but you'd want to be more careful walking around at night. That's where most of the crime on this map occurs. However, I seriously doubt you'd be living over there and walking to the Takoma Metro, since that's a couple miles or more.

What kind of street crime are we talking? Most of the street crime I hear about in the areas within 1 mile east of Metro fits this description: A single person is walking home from Metro around 5-11pm, and is approached by 2-3 young adults (17-19 years old) who display a weapon and demand property. The victim hands over his/her wallet, and the encounter is over. A couple years ago, there was some guy who was entering houses via unlocked back doors and grabbing property, but they caught him. About 2-3 years ago, there were two guys who were robbing stores along Carroll Avenue at gunpoint, but I think they got caught too. About 2-3 times a year, I hear about a car getting stolen. The neighborhood has an extremely active email list, so all crime (all the way from robbery to not picking up your dog poop) gets widely reported and discussed.

I don't want to minimize the crime. Even though it's never happened to me, it's definitely something you're aware of. Am I concerned walking around my neighborhood in daytime or at dusk? No. Am I concerned walking around after dark? I stay on alert, but I'm not so concerned as to make me stay home. Am I concerned about someone breaking into my house? No. Note however that many of the people in Takoma Park moved there from places in downtown DC like Dupont or Adams Morgan, so the crime level in Takoma feels far lower by comparison.

[Anonymous]

The schools are better near the Forest Glen metro (I know you didn't ask).

[Anonymous]

If you want a clear window on crime in Takoma Park, read this listserv, where people report everything from violent crime to unlicensed tree trimmers: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlertTakoma/ . If I were shopping for houses like you, I'd review this listserv and plot any significant crime reports on a map, so I could see where crime is more common and where is less common. Since the AlertTakoma list is not for discussion, just reporting, you might also consider signing up for and posting to the TakomaPAKK list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/takomapakk/), which is very active and could give you lots of good advice on Takoma Park safety. People there probably also have good views on Forest Glen, so you might get some comparison. I hope that helps. Good luck with your housing search.