Tell me about Kenwood!

[Anonymous]

We are considering moving there. Have young kids. Any current/former residents have insights to share, especially about what the community feel is like, traffic getting in/out of the neighborhood, convenience of the location, commute to downtown, use of the Kenwood Club, etc? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If you can afford, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the region. There is a shopping center off River Road nearby and it is also very close to downtown Bethesda and the Crescent Trail. Only downside I think is that when the cherry trees blossom a lot of tourists flood into the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Love Kenwood, easy access to city, beautiful, kid friendly

[Anonymous]

I'd choose Edgemoore or Somerset over Kenwood, but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the region. There is a shopping center off River Road nearby and it is also very close to downtown Bethesda and the Crescent Trail. Only downside I think is that when the cherry trees blossom a lot of tourists flood into the neighborhood.

Cherry Blossoms (yoshino trees, just like on the Tidal Basin) are a good thing during the week and horrible on the weekends. But the hubub only lasts a few days a year.

Kenwood has a bit of a vibe of doctors showing off in cheesy ways, hence others' preference for Somerset or Edgemoor. It's probably a bit of an artifact of Kenwood originally being nouveau riche from the 30s to 50s. And more recently, Kenwood is less 'cool' due to its being further from metro stops and walkable commercial areas. All this means you do get more house for your $, which is a plus in these times!

[Anonymous]

The redevelopment of the Westbard shopping area will take years, and both the construction and the final development are going to make traffic on River Road -- and cut-through traffic in Kenwood -- much worse. For the kind of money you'll need to spend on a house in Kenwood, I'd look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the region. There is a shopping center off River Road nearby and it is also very close to downtown Bethesda and the Crescent Trail. Only downside I think is that when the cherry trees blossom a lot of tourists flood into the neighborhood.

Cherry Blossoms (yoshino trees, just like on the Tidal Basin) are a good thing during the week and horrible on the weekends. But the hubub only lasts a few days a year.

Kenwood has a bit of a vibe of doctors showing off in cheesy ways, hence others' preference for Somerset or Edgemoor. It's probably a bit of an artifact of Kenwood originally being nouveau riche from the 30s to 50s. And more recently, Kenwood is less 'cool' due to its being further from metro stops and walkable commercial areas. All this means you do get more house for your $, which is a plus in these times!

This is a good way to put it. The neighborhood, while pretty, just looks like it's trying too hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the region. There is a shopping center off River Road nearby and it is also very close to downtown Bethesda and the Crescent Trail. Only downside I think is that when the cherry trees blossom a lot of tourists flood into the neighborhood.

Cherry Blossoms (yoshino trees, just like on the Tidal Basin) are a good thing during the week and horrible on the weekends. But the hubub only lasts a few days a year.

Kenwood has a bit of a vibe of doctors showing off in cheesy ways, hence others' preference for Somerset or Edgemoor. It's probably a bit of an artifact of Kenwood originally being nouveau riche from the 30s to 50s. And more recently, Kenwood is less 'cool' due to its being further from metro stops and walkable commercial areas. All this means you do get more house for your $, which is a plus in these times!

This is a good way to put it. The neighborhood, while pretty, just looks like it's trying too hard.

Can one really accuse a neighborhood with a 2mil entry level price point of "trying too hard"?

[Anonymous]

Make lots and lots of money! We don't live there but, like to visit when it is Cherry Blossom time. I'm sure that can be annoying but, it is better than fighting the tourists down at the Tidal basin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford, it is one of the best neighborhoods in the region. There is a shopping center off River Road nearby and it is also very close to downtown Bethesda and the Crescent Trail. Only downside I think is that when the cherry trees blossom a lot of tourists flood into the neighborhood.

Cherry Blossoms (yoshino trees, just like on the Tidal Basin) are a good thing during the week and horrible on the weekends. But the hubub only lasts a few days a year.

Kenwood has a bit of a vibe of doctors showing off in cheesy ways, hence others' preference for Somerset or Edgemoor. It's probably a bit of an artifact of Kenwood originally being nouveau riche from the 30s to 50s. And more recently, Kenwood is less 'cool' due to its being further from metro stops and walkable commercial areas. All this means you do get more house for your $, which is a plus in these times!

This is a good way to put it. The neighborhood, while pretty, just looks like it's trying too hard.

Can one really accuse a neighborhood with a 2mil entry level price point of "trying too hard"?

DCUM is something else.

[Anonymous]

There are no/very limited sidewalks

[Anonymous]

Spiro Agnew lived there when he was VP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering moving there. Have young kids. Any current/former residents have insights to share, especially about what the community feel is like, traffic getting in/out of the neighborhood, convenience of the location, commute to downtown, use of the Kenwood Club, etc? Thanks!

If by use of the club you mean get sponsored and join, then sure.

[Anonymous]

The cheesy doctors thing is interesting. Compared to Somerset (which, BTW, has very few doctors), I've always seen Kenwood as sort of trapped in the '50s -- very WASPy and a bit outdated in terms of curb appeal, though houses are well-maintained. Lately it seems there are more renos/exterior updates, though fewer tear-downs.

[Anonymous]

The area definitely is dominated by white people (like all expensive areas in the DMV), but if you look around the club there are Middle Eastern, Black, Asian families