Moving to DC Area from Westchester, NY, Want a Different Vibe...Where Should We Definitely Avoid?

[Anonymous]

Did OP give a price range?

I think the hardest "wish" on the list is the lot size, combined with being close in. However, there are some weirdly large lots in Takoma Park and East Silver Spring, so it might just be a matter of being patient.

This is sold, but an example of something under $800K, on a big lot, and spitting distance to DTSS. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/612-Thayer-Ave-Silver-Spring-MD-20910/37282803_zpid/?mmlb=g,27

[Anonymous]

I would vote for Silver Spring or Kensington. Of all the areas around DC, I think it will give you the best options for your budget. Good schools, diversity, more of a town type of feeling (although that does not exist here the way it does in New England).

Definitely avoid Chevy Chase. I live in CC and love it, but it’s like a Westport clone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Budget? Commute? Where in Westchester did you live?

This area just doesn’t have the town centers like Westchester does. And lots tend to be small, so you may have to look around for .25 acres if that’s important to you.

OP here. What does the area have instead of town centers? Strip malls?

We were in the Rivertowns, but looked all over Westchester and talked to people in Scarsdale, Bronxville, Rye, Mamaroneck, etc and it all seems to be the same. One exception is White Plains - we like that vibe a lot.

We're flexible on budget, finding the right area to live is more important. If it's expensive, we can just buy a smaller house. Hoping to stay under a million but could go up to 1.2. Commute under an hour.

Hi OP. We lived in Dobbs Ferry and now live in a different NYC burb, but I’m from Northern VA. Don’t worry, you won’t find anything like Westchester in the DC area. There are no towns, just endless ugly sprawl, 4 lane roads, and strip malls. The schools are large, bureaucratic, and look like prisons. But, the good news for you is that there is more going on down there (restaurants, big box stores, etc) and it is quite impersonal so no one will be in your business. It is also, way more diverse in the DC area.

If you like White Plains, I’d suggest the Tysons area or Bethesda. Also remember that your budget will go much further in the DC area than in Westchester given the super cheap property taxes. We were paying almost $40k per year for our $1.3mil home in Westchester, but in the DC area it will be a fraction of that.

[Anonymous]

I spent part of my childhood in westchester and still have friends there raising their kids in the same town we grew up in. I personally hated it and from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t changed.

Now I live in DC and I generally agree with those who say to avoid places like chevy chase DC, Bethesda, Potomac. I also think if you’re coming from westchester the Virginia vibe won’t be something you’ll like.

Honestly, it sounds more like DC could give you most of what you want, but not all of it. For public schools, Stoddert, Eaton and Hearst could give you some of what you’re looking for in terms of diversity (at least in the schools)- those neighborhoods would be Glover Park, Cleveland Park, North Cleveland Park. Generally I find those neighborhoods in NW to be the least pretentious.

As others have mentioned, Takoma Park and Silver Spring might be worth a look. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Westchester and I live in Bethesda. I think you will find a tremendous amount of diversity here, it is quite multicultural and very educated. There is a lot to do, a lot of nature as well. It is close to DC also. Bethesda has many different areas, check out all of the different ZIP Codes: 20814, 20816, 20817.

+1 Large. Not small town feel here. Huge public schools. Walter Johnson High School, for instance, is very diverse. With NIH nearby, world bankers, etc. neighborhoods are filled with smart and international neighbors. Anything close in will be pricey and yards are not big. That said, lots of local parks in neighborhoods, with others like C&O canal nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent part of my childhood in westchester and still have friends there raising their kids in the same town we grew up in. I personally hated it and from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t changed.

Now I live in DC and I generally agree with those who say to avoid places like chevy chase DC, Bethesda, Potomac. I also think if you’re coming from westchester the Virginia vibe won’t be something you’ll like.

Honestly, it sounds more like DC could give you most of what you want, but not all of it. For public schools, Stoddert, Eaton and Hearst could give you some of what you’re looking for in terms of diversity (at least in the schools)- those neighborhoods would be Glover Park, Cleveland Park, North Cleveland Park. Generally I find those neighborhoods in NW to be the least pretentious.

As others have mentioned, Takoma Park and Silver Spring might be worth a look. Thanks

Ignoring the head-scratching, detached-from-reality fact that you're talking up Glover Park, Cleveland Park or North Cleveland Park as bastions of non-pretentiousness -- I'll give you Glover Park, maybe, but the latter two: no, just no -- OP said their limit is $1.2 million and they want a yard. That more or less rules out all three neighborhoods because of price or small lot sizes or both.

[Anonymous]

Silver Spring, MD
In DC, Shepherd Park, Takoma, Crestwood, Logan Circle


AU Park and Chevy Chase are a wealthy, white bubble. I used to live there until I moved to one of the neighborhoods listed above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Westchester and I live in Bethesda. I think you will find a tremendous amount of diversity here, it is quite multicultural and very educated. There is a lot to do, a lot of nature as well. It is close to DC also. Bethesda has many different areas, check out all of the different ZIP Codes: 20814, 20816, 20817.

+1 Large. Not small town feel here. Huge public schools. Walter Johnson High School, for instance, is very diverse. With NIH nearby, world bankers, etc. neighborhoods are filled with smart and international neighbors. Anything close in will be pricey and yards are not big. That said, lots of local parks in neighborhoods, with others like C&O canal nearby.

Ewww David

[Anonymous]

I think OP may like Arlington. I live in Lyon Park but OP could also consider S Arlington. Some parts of N Arlington are very white and Fancy but that is not all of the county. I am from Darien CT so I know what OP is trying to avoid. Lyon Park has a very different feel.

Lyon Park may be tough at OPs price range but it is doable. I agree Takoma Park would work too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No to North Arlington. (I live here).

I'm curious to hear more about Arlington. A friend is planning to move there because it's close to DC, more urban feel with things to do, and she says it's diverse and not snobby. But it hasn't been mentioned much on this thread one way or the other.

DP who also lives in north Arlington. Arlington has a very strong trend from more affluent to less affluent as you move from north to south. Given your budget and what you described, I would suggest looking in central to south Arlington rather than north Arlington (especially north of Rt. 29 Arlington). That part will be largely out of your budget and I don't think will give you the socioeconomic diversity you are looking for. But central Arlington (north and south of Rt. 50) and south Arlington have neighborhoods that fit your budget and what you're describing community/lifestyle-wise.

+1 The experience can be very different in different parts of Arlington. We live in central Arlington which IMO is a great location. Walkable to metro, zoned to good but also economically and racially diverse schools -- my kids have gone to Long Branch ES, Jefferson MS, Washington-Liberty HS. Generally, the neighborhoods that run along route 50 through Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP may like Arlington. I live in Lyon Park but OP could also consider S Arlington. Some parts of N Arlington are very white and Fancy but that is not all of the county. I am from Darien CT so I know what OP is trying to avoid. Lyon Park has a very different feel.

Lyon Park may be tough at OPs price range but it is doable. I agree Takoma Park would work too

+1 I'm the PP who mentioned Long Branch/Jefferson etc. We're in Ashton Heights which is essentially the same neighborhood as Lyon Park

[Anonymous]

Fairfax City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington

but that's a wealthy white bubble in most parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax City.

c'mon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax City.

c'mon.

C’mon what?