Why is Kensington so much cheaper than Bethesda and Takoma Park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

There’s a small area near St. Paul Park that is part of the town of Kensington and sends kids to WJ - blocks around Lexington, Dupont, Perry, St. Paul, Farragut, Wheatley, etc.

Everything east of Connecticut between Plyers Mill and Everett St goes to WJ too.

Everything in light gray in this map is TOK and goes to WJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:daily gridlock

It’s gridlock if you live north of Plyers Mill / Howard Ave. Living south of there cuts almost 5-10 minutes off of your commute to DC.

And like PPs have said you can buy homes within walking distance to MARC, Safeway and restaurants. MARC is 20 minutes to Union Station.

[Anonymous]

People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parts of “Kensington” feed into significantly lower ranked elementary and middle schools so that depresses prices some. Also I don’t think Kensington has a similar town vibe, with its own services, like Takoma Park does. It also is substantially less walkable.

Kensington school boundaries are likely to shift a lot in the next couple of years when schools like Woodward open to relieve overcrowding at WJ and Einstein which both service Kensington now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

Yes there are quite a few 2mil homes in Ken but you’re crazy to think TP is a 2mil$ area, most of the best homes in the historic are low $1mil ranges. Special homes in the 1.5 range. 2mil sales for all of time could be counted on one’s fingers. The vast majority of TP is still under 1Mil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

Yes there are quite a few 2mil homes in Ken but you’re crazy to think TP is a 2mil$ area, most of the best homes in the historic are low $1mil ranges. Special homes in the 1.5 range. 2mil sales for all of time could be counted on one’s fingers. The vast majority of TP is still under 1Mil.

That's because they are 1500 sq ft 80-100 year old houses on tiny lots

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parts of “Kensington” feed into significantly lower ranked elementary and middle schools so that depresses prices some. Also I don’t think Kensington has a similar town vibe, with its own services, like Takoma Park does. It also is substantially less walkable.

Kensington school boundaries are likely to shift a lot in the next couple of years when schools like Woodward open to relieve overcrowding at WJ and Einstein which both service Kensington now.

So does Bcc in south and west Kensington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

Yes there are quite a few 2mil homes in Ken but you’re crazy to think TP is a 2mil$ area, most of the best homes in the historic are low $1mil ranges. Special homes in the 1.5 range. 2mil sales for all of time could be counted on one’s fingers. The vast majority of TP is still under 1Mil.

Chevy chase view is the most expensive part of Kensington, but people rarely move and most kids go to holy redeemer not public.

[Anonymous]

Kensington prices are similar to the areas with Bethesda address that goes to Walter Johnson. Prices are lower than the areas of Bethesda that go to Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

Yes there are quite a few 2mil homes in Ken but you’re crazy to think TP is a 2mil$ area, most of the best homes in the historic are low $1mil ranges. Special homes in the 1.5 range. 2mil sales for all of time could be counted on one’s fingers. The vast majority of TP is still under 1Mil.

Seems recently $1.2M+ for Takoma Park homes. Recent $1.9M for a not particularly special house. Prices in TP are definitely going into a higher category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

One of the nice things about Takoma Park, from a quality of life perspective, is you are very unlikely to be forced to engage with folks who use words like "slummy" to describe their kids' schoolmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

So the Victorians in Kensington are going for $2M+?

Yes there are quite a few 2mil homes in Ken but you’re crazy to think TP is a 2mil$ area, most of the best homes in the historic are low $1mil ranges. Special homes in the 1.5 range. 2mil sales for all of time could be counted on one’s fingers. The vast majority of TP is still under 1Mil.

That's because they are 1500 sq ft 80-100 year old houses on tiny lots

And not near the metro but so so close to the Barrio. Or in other words most of Takoma Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People act like Kensington is one area with one personality while TP is all the trendy homes near the metro. They both have a spectrum of homes.

The Victorians in the town of Kensington go for more than the best homes in TP by the metro. The cheaper parts of Kensington are still more expensive than slummy parts of TP that most people think is Langley Park along university. The middle areas are comparable. All in all there is way more nice parts of Kensington than TP and way more poverty in TP. TP is just more trendy and on people tongues but even then most of them are only thinking about a few roads near the center of it.

One of the nice things about Takoma Park, from a quality of life perspective, is you are very unlikely to be forced to engage with folks who use words like "slummy" to describe their kids' schoolmates.

Also important to point out that the boundaries of 20895 are right next to Silver Spring and Wheaton zip codes that are quite similar pricewise and demographic wise to Langley Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:….East of Conn is much cheaper but it feeds into the Einstein HS cluster, plus it’s also not easily walkable to the KP pool and the little restaurants (plays bowl, gelato, chipotle) on the W side of Ct Ave.

That’s not accurate. Most of the Town of Kensington is east of Conn Ave and it all feeds into WJ. Also, it’s the far more walkable side, with easy walking to brewery, Tacos Don Perez, farmers market, gym, MARC train station, etc.

That’s totally right about the walkability to things like the frankly pizza etc. but I really thought east of Conn all went to Einstein. My kids are at WJ and NB and all their Kensington friends are in the KP area west of Connecticut. What MS do those families east of Connecticut go to? Where is the WJ/Einstein dividing line if it’s not Ct Ave?

There’s a small area near St. Paul Park that is part of the town of Kensington and sends kids to WJ - blocks around Lexington, Dupont, Perry, St. Paul, Farragut, Wheatley, etc.

Everything east of Connecticut between Plyers Mill and Everett St goes to WJ too.

Everything in light gray in this map is TOK and goes to WJ.

I think this map shows the whole area that is 20895 area code. However, some of the areas to the north of University and East of Connecticut are zoned for Rock View ES or Oakland Terrace ES, then Newport Mill MS and Einstein.

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps.html