Why so much hate with EOTP vs WOTP parents

[Anonymous]

My husband and i are moving to DC from NYC. I have narrowed my house search to 3 different neighborhoods. 2 in Ward 3 and the other in ward 4. I have taken the time to tour both schools and talk to the parent body. When I mentioned that i was considering other schools in an another ward I was really disappointed by the feedback provided by both parents in each ward. Why the animosity? Although cheaper than NYC, these neighborhoods are afluent and homes are pretty expensive. It feels like a them versus us mentality.

[Anonymous]

It's localism.
Most people start having strong opinions on small local matters when they've lived in one place for a long time. Things that outsiders might consider minor or inevitable in the grand scheme of things, but that are terribly important and controversial for locals.

It will happen to you, OP - if not on that topic, then on something else equally local.

[Anonymous]

Without even trying, OP compared one location unfavorably to another while asking why others do the same.

[Anonymous]

I live EOTP, but don't have animosity towards WOTP. I don't know much other than "it seems nice", so I leave it at that.

What are you really seeing as far as animosity?

[Anonymous]

OP here, i was told in one instance that "its like a jungle on that side of town, schools tend to be very low performing and its not the environment for a well educated and upper class family." I couldn't believe what i was hearing. The other parents just nodded in agreement.

[Anonymous]

We live in Ward 3 and our kids go to our local school that has lots of families from Ward 4 (and other parts of the city). It would not be the norm at our school to hear animosity towards other wards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, i was told in one instance that "its like a jungle on that side of town, schools tend to be very low performing and its not the environment for a well educated and upper class family." I couldn't believe what i was hearing. The other parents just nodded in agreement.

I'm sorry you were told that. I want to assure you that not everyone in Ward 3 thinks that way.

[Anonymous]

We live in Ward 3 and send our kids to a school in Ward 1. I am a native Washingtonian. I would ignore the negative comments.

[Anonymous]

Op ward three as a whole has much better schools and Lowe crime than ward four. So buying in ward three is a better bet, just an easier assurance that there will probably be lower crime and better schools. Ward four is more hit or
miss though has some good schools and beautiful areas.

I grew up in ward 3. Went to neighborhood schools (public and private) and I absolutely think EoTP people have a bit of a superior attitude. I think it's a chip on the shoulder kind of thing. I also think there's some jealousy that they have to put in with more crime and worry more about finding the right school.

[Anonymous]

OP, I also moved here from another part of the country fairly recently and looked to buy in neighborhoods both EOTP (mostly those zoned for Deal & Wilson), WOTP, and close in suburbs (Bethesda & Chevy Chase MD). Schools, work commutes (one of us had a reverse commute), and proximity to green space/trails/etc. were our primary criteria.

I'd say WOTP has traditionally been the "safer" bet in terms of schools, crime, etc.--even more so for Bethesda/CC MD. However, there are viable options EOTP as well these days, but you just have to do more research. Some EOTP schools still have a long way to go, and crime can sometimes vary block-by-block--BUT, a lot of this is changing rapidly. Accordingly, you may come across some dated attitudes about EOTP areas. Also, you may hear occasional disparaging remarks about WOTP, although I'll say I haven't heard this much IRL.

All in all, it really depends on your preferences, how risk-averse you are, and how much time you're willing to spend researching schools/neighborhoods vs. going with the tried and true. Our approach was renting in an excellent school district in Montgomery County, MD for a year so we could research neighborhoods. We ended up buying in a great EOTP neighborhood, but again, we considered WOTP as well.

Don't feel you have to get caught up in the local, sort of tribal fights about which side of Rock Creek Park you live in, or city vs. suburb. We had the attitude that we could see ourselves in several different neighborhoods, as long as it met our main criteria.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Because they have nothing better to do.

[Anonymous]

I live EOTP - we are both professionals and have two children in our DCPS school. Schools EOTP tend to be more diverse with a greater number of children from lower SES families. And more people who have lower income levels live EOTP. Scores of schools EOTP are lower than schools WOTP. Crime is less WOTP. It's just different - different climates. I like our neighborhood and even though we could afford to move to AU Park/ Tenley, Chevy Chase etc. I don't want to. I simply like the vibe of our community - for whatever reason, I feel comfortable here and we are happy.

[Anonymous]

Try not to let others generalize when it comes to crime for you. If you're considering the neighborhoods I think you are, crime is equivalent.

http://crimedc.com

[Anonymous]

This may not be popular to say, but DC was a Southern and very segregated city. The park was a huge part of the racial dividing line. The city has also gentrified tremendously in the last 10 years and entire neighborhoods have shifted in terms of socio-economics and race. Some of these biased opinions are directly related to sections of the city that were predominantly African-American in the recent or even distant past. I would ignore the comments and live where you feel the most comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Just tell me OP, are you moving from the Upper East side? west side? brooklyn? We can better direct you which neighborhood by where you lived in NYC.