Vienna vs Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Poolesville? You must live there. Never even heard of it. Look at google maps on both sides of the Potomac River. I’d pick dc up to leesburg over Bethesda to poolsville.

MoCo has some nice sections, mainly built up around 270 however when you look at it in its entirety, it’s a lot of rural/farmland. Most folks don’t want to live in the sticks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in Vienna for 12 years and love it here for our family.
Our kids walk and bike all around town, as do most of their friends. Everywhere you go, you run into someone you know (which can be good or bad - but it's also good to know there are lots of eyes watching out for all those kids wandering around town.)

We lived in Vienna for years and while there were things to like about it we never “loved” it. I think you have to not have lived in nicer parts of the country, or even the DC area, to “love” Vienna. It’s certainly more affordable than closer-in areas, and it is family-oriented, but it is so, so basic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poolesville? You must live there. Never even heard of it. Look at google maps on both sides of the Potomac River. I’d pick dc up to leesburg over Bethesda to poolsville.

MoCo has some nice sections, mainly built up around 270 however when you look at it in its entirety, it’s a lot of rural/farmland. Most folks don’t want to live in the sticks.

It’s funny when people try and debate points with no knowledge of what they’re talking about. I’ve lived in the area for 50 years and have driven to Poolesville on River Road and 28 and to Leesburg on Route 7. I would much rather live in a place like the Kentlands over a place like Sterling or Reston, which is comparably priced and as far away from DC. Don’t even get me started on the public schools in places like Reston or Sterling either. Talk about going downhill…

For such a socialist hellhole, you’d think Republican Supreme Court Justices wouldn’t live there, yet Kavanaugh and Roberts live in Chevy Chase, not some crappy McMansion next to depressing 1960s ramblers in Vienna. You know why? Because it’s nicer. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poolesville? You must live there. Never even heard of it. Look at google maps on both sides of the Potomac River. I’d pick dc up to leesburg over Bethesda to poolsville.

MoCo has some nice sections, mainly built up around 270 however when you look at it in its entirety, it’s a lot of rural/farmland. Most folks don’t want to live in the sticks.

It’s funny when people try and debate points with no knowledge of what they’re talking about. I’ve lived in the area for 50 years and have driven to Poolesville on River Road and 28 and to Leesburg on Route 7. I would much rather live in a place like the Kentlands over a place like Sterling or Reston, which is comparably priced and as far away from DC. Don’t even get me started on the public schools in places like Reston or Sterling either. Talk about going downhill…

For such a socialist hellhole, you’d think Republican Supreme Court Justices wouldn’t live there, yet Kavanaugh and Roberts live in Chevy Chase, not some crappy McMansion next to depressing 1960s ramblers in Vienna. You know why? Because it’s nicer. Period.

Kavanaugh grew up there and depended on his prep school friends to help him pay off his gambling debts. Hardly a ringing endorsement of the area.

Chevy Chase is nice, but again there are just a few areas in MoCo propping up the rest of the county, whereas Arlington is mostly nice, Fairfax has more MC/UMC areas, and MoCo could only dream of ever seeing Loudoun HHIs. You can see the anxiety on the threads about Woodward HS reopening, because you're all afraid of getting moved out of the few decent schools left there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poolesville? You must live there. Never even heard of it. Look at google maps on both sides of the Potomac River. I’d pick dc up to leesburg over Bethesda to poolsville.

MoCo has some nice sections, mainly built up around 270 however when you look at it in its entirety, it’s a lot of rural/farmland. Most folks don’t want to live in the sticks.

It’s funny when people try and debate points with no knowledge of what they’re talking about. I’ve lived in the area for 50 years and have driven to Poolesville on River Road and 28 and to Leesburg on Route 7. I would much rather live in a place like the Kentlands over a place like Sterling or Reston, which is comparably priced and as far away from DC. Don’t even get me started on the public schools in places like Reston or Sterling either. Talk about going downhill…

For such a socialist hellhole, you’d think Republican Supreme Court Justices wouldn’t live there, yet Kavanaugh and Roberts live in Chevy Chase, not some crappy McMansion next to depressing 1960s ramblers in Vienna. You know why? Because it’s nicer. Period.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley lives in the Town of Vienna.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poolesville? You must live there. Never even heard of it. Look at google maps on both sides of the Potomac River. I’d pick dc up to leesburg over Bethesda to poolsville.

MoCo has some nice sections, mainly built up around 270 however when you look at it in its entirety, it’s a lot of rural/farmland. Most folks don’t want to live in the sticks.

It’s funny when people try and debate points with no knowledge of what they’re talking about. I’ve lived in the area for 50 years and have driven to Poolesville on River Road and 28 and to Leesburg on Route 7. I would much rather live in a place like the Kentlands over a place like Sterling or Reston, which is comparably priced and as far away from DC. Don’t even get me started on the public schools in places like Reston or Sterling either. Talk about going downhill…

For such a socialist hellhole, you’d think Republican Supreme Court Justices wouldn’t live there, yet Kavanaugh and Roberts live in Chevy Chase, not some crappy McMansion next to depressing 1960s ramblers in Vienna. You know why? Because it’s nicer. Period.

Who cares where kavanaugh lives/lived? If anything, I’d avoid him and his loser friends. Dan Snyder lived in Rockville, again another loser to avoid. Obama lives in kalorama, is that other peoples’ basis for deciding where to live?

[Anonymous]

More traffic to get to Vienna or anywhere in VA because of bridges. And just so many highways in VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in Vienna for 12 years and love it here for our family.
Our kids walk and bike all around town, as do most of their friends. Everywhere you go, you run into someone you know (which can be good or bad - but it's also good to know there are lots of eyes watching out for all those kids wandering around town.)

We lived in Vienna for years and while there were things to like about it we never “loved” it. I think you have to not have lived in nicer parts of the country, or even the DC area, to “love” Vienna. It’s certainly more affordable than closer-in areas, and it is family-oriented, but it is so, so basic.

Lol I’ll make sure to tell my new Asian neighbor here and others in the neighborhood: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Vienna/9133-Old-Courthouse-Rd-22182/home/9369531

I’m sure they will all wake up at night worrying about a Karen in Bethesda not approving of them… their pool, tennis court, beautiful home, or being 3 minutes to Tysons (side note: interesting you don’t even know is in VIENNA yet educating others on travel), or 3 minutes to a small town feel, 10 minutes to RTC and tech corridor, 20 minutes to downtown, and all of the wealth coming here because they are not woke Karens who live in a clueless bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax County may be getting the new FBI headquarters. Virginia got Amazon also. Maryland has more of a health focus, with NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located there. Fairfax and Arlington Counties have amazing interconnected bike paths. Virginia has more college options for kids so it could be better to be in state there.

How are GT (gifted and talented) types of programs handled in Bethesda? In Vienna, through Fairfax County, there’s a program called AAP (Advanced Academic Programs) for third through eighth grade. It can be divisive and cause stress to families and discouragement to some students, while enriching others. Kids selected are separated from others and attend classes at AAP centers located at some of the schools. (There are some cases where a school will have a local AAP program with kids staying at their original school and no one else coming in.) DCUM has a separate AAP forum, reflecting the importance of and strong feelings around this program.

Aren't a huge percentage of kids accepted to AAP every year? I read parents complaining that it is hardly accelerated at all.

I believe about 20% of kids are accepted. Out of a class of 25 second-graders, about 5 may be accepted. Since several schools, such as five schools, may have kids in AAP at a center, about half of the AAP center classrooms will be AAP and about half will be GE (general education, or gen ed). So if a kid grows up in gen ed at a center school, they may have the impression that they are in the bottom half of all kids intellectually. Whereas in reality they may be at the 96th or 97th percentile (need to be at 98th or 99th percentile for AAP, which in our highly educated area is about 20% of the kids). AAP can be a great program for those who are in it. Maybe it is better to be at a non-AAP center school if not in AAP, so the disparity isn’t there within your own school. The AAP parents do a lot, though, to bring in great after-school programs to the school, for example, and everyone can benefit from those.

Another school-related consideration is that Fairfax County Public Schools has language immersion programs at some schools. You can attend at other schools (there is a lottery) but must provide your own transportation in that case. The programs begin at either kindergarten or first grade and continue through eighth grade. You can’t be in both AAP and language immersion.

Fairfax County has the well-known Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ). It is ranked #1 in the nation in the US News high school rankings. You must apply for admission through a very competitive process. There doesn’t seem to be anything at this level for Bethesda, but only a small number of kids will make it to TJ anyway.

MCPS has several very competitive magnet programs open to Bethesda kids. Blair for math science and Richard Montgomery for IB. There are a good number of other choices as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in Vienna for 12 years and love it here for our family.
Our kids walk and bike all around town, as do most of their friends. Everywhere you go, you run into someone you know (which can be good or bad - but it's also good to know there are lots of eyes watching out for all those kids wandering around town.)

We lived in Vienna for years and while there were things to like about it we never “loved” it. I think you have to not have lived in nicer parts of the country, or even the DC area, to “love” Vienna. It’s certainly more affordable than closer-in areas, and it is family-oriented, but it is so, so basic.

Lol I’ll make sure to tell my new Asian neighbor here and others in the neighborhood: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Vienna/9133-Old-Courthouse-Rd-22182/home/9369531

I’m sure they will all wake up at night worrying about a Karen in Bethesda not approving of them… their pool, tennis court, beautiful home, or being 3 minutes to Tysons (side note: interesting you don’t even know is in VIENNA yet educating others on travel), or 3 minutes to a small town feel, 10 minutes to RTC and tech corridor, 20 minutes to downtown, and all of the wealth coming here because they are not woke Karens who live in a clueless bubble.

I like Vienna but it’s not 20 min to dc. I’m in McLean and it takes 25 from central McLean to foggy bottom. From Vienna right now - 33 min. probably 50+ at rush hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax County may be getting the new FBI headquarters. Virginia got Amazon also. Maryland has more of a health focus, with NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located there. Fairfax and Arlington Counties have amazing interconnected bike paths. Virginia has more college options for kids so it could be better to be in state there.

How are GT (gifted and talented) types of programs handled in Bethesda? In Vienna, through Fairfax County, there’s a program called AAP (Advanced Academic Programs) for third through eighth grade. It can be divisive and cause stress to families and discouragement to some students, while enriching others. Kids selected are separated from others and attend classes at AAP centers located at some of the schools. (There are some cases where a school will have a local AAP program with kids staying at their original school and no one else coming in.) DCUM has a separate AAP forum, reflecting the importance of and strong feelings around this program.

How would AAP work for rising third grader relocating from DC to Vienna? Would they have to wait until 4th grade to see if accepted? I can ask in the other forum too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in Vienna for 12 years and love it here for our family.
Our kids walk and bike all around town, as do most of their friends. Everywhere you go, you run into someone you know (which can be good or bad - but it's also good to know there are lots of eyes watching out for all those kids wandering around town.)

We lived in Vienna for years and while there were things to like about it we never “loved” it. I think you have to not have lived in nicer parts of the country, or even the DC area, to “love” Vienna. It’s certainly more affordable than closer-in areas, and it is family-oriented, but it is so, so basic.

Lol I’ll make sure to tell my new Asian neighbor here and others in the neighborhood: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Vienna/9133-Old-Courthouse-Rd-22182/home/9369531

I’m sure they will all wake up at night worrying about a Karen in Bethesda not approving of them… their pool, tennis court, beautiful home, or being 3 minutes to Tysons (side note: interesting you don’t even know is in VIENNA yet educating others on travel), or 3 minutes to a small town feel, 10 minutes to RTC and tech corridor, 20 minutes to downtown, and all of the wealth coming here because they are not woke Karens who live in a clueless bubble.

Say Karen one more time if you can

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax County may be getting the new FBI headquarters. Virginia got Amazon also. Maryland has more of a health focus, with NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located there. Fairfax and Arlington Counties have amazing interconnected bike paths. Virginia has more college options for kids so it could be better to be in state there.

How are GT (gifted and talented) types of programs handled in Bethesda? In Vienna, through Fairfax County, there’s a program called AAP (Advanced Academic Programs) for third through eighth grade. It can be divisive and cause stress to families and discouragement to some students, while enriching others. Kids selected are separated from others and attend classes at AAP centers located at some of the schools. (There are some cases where a school will have a local AAP program with kids staying at their original school and no one else coming in.) DCUM has a separate AAP forum, reflecting the importance of and strong feelings around this program.

How would AAP work for rising third grader relocating from DC to Vienna? Would they have to wait until 4th grade to see if accepted? I can ask in the other forum too.

The information you would need is on the page linked below. Depending on your timing and eligibility, immediate placement should be available if you are new to the county. What you would ideally be looking for is the full-time level IV services. I would reach out to FCPS itself if you have questions though DCUM is really helpful to get people’s perspectives.

https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/students-new-fcps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in Vienna for 12 years and love it here for our family.
Our kids walk and bike all around town, as do most of their friends. Everywhere you go, you run into someone you know (which can be good or bad - but it's also good to know there are lots of eyes watching out for all those kids wandering around town.)

We lived in Vienna for years and while there were things to like about it we never “loved” it. I think you have to not have lived in nicer parts of the country, or even the DC area, to “love” Vienna. It’s certainly more affordable than closer-in areas, and it is family-oriented, but it is so, so basic.

Lol I’ll make sure to tell my new Asian neighbor here and others in the neighborhood: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Vienna/9133-Old-Courthouse-Rd-22182/home/9369531

I’m sure they will all wake up at night worrying about a Karen in Bethesda not approving of them… their pool, tennis court, beautiful home, or being 3 minutes to Tysons (side note: interesting you don’t even know is in VIENNA yet educating others on travel), or 3 minutes to a small town feel, 10 minutes to RTC and tech corridor, 20 minutes to downtown, and all of the wealth coming here because they are not woke Karens who live in a clueless bubble.

What’s your point? There’s way bigger, nicer, more expensive houses in other areas that are closer in. Plenty of old tear downs on that street you linked too. It’s not exactly Calabasas.