Chevy Chase, DC v. Takoma Park, MD

[Anonymous]

TPDC resident here. I think 11:48 did the most level headed comprehensive job summing up the differences. We have also considered moving both places but are leaning toward TP for the culture of simplicity and community.

[Anonymous]

COMMUTE: According to Google maps, by subway from TP it’s 17 minutes to Metro Center whereas CCDC it’s 14. The commute to downtown seems comparable to me at least.

RESALE: In recent years, rate of return on TP real estate is significantly higher than CCDC. This was covered by 21:40.

SCHOOLS: School options are decent in both places; however, MCPS has a slight edge in my opinion. Since this is subjective, checkout the greatschools website or US News high-school rankings linked by 10:56 to get a clearer picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:COMMUTE: According to Google maps, by subway from TP it’s 17 minutes to Metro Center whereas CCDC it’s 14. The commute to downtown seems comparable to me at least.

RESALE: In recent years, rate of return on TP real estate is significantly higher than CCDC. This was covered by 21:40.

SCHOOLS: School options are decent in both places; however, MCPS has a slight edge in my opinion. Since this is subjective, checkout the greatschools website or US News high-school rankings linked by 10:56 to get a clearer picture.

We actually timed the commute from Takoma park to metro center on a Sunday (so short stops). 22-23 minutes each way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tp has metro, ccdc has only irregular bus access. Tp has viable public school through high school. You will hear differing opinions over whether elementary is viable. Nothing after that is an option in DC. Money will go a little farther in tp given it is farther from the core and has less desirable areas as neighbors.

Parts of TP are walkable to the Takoma metro. Parts of CCDC are walkable to Friendship Heights. In both areas there are parts where you'll need to take a bus to metro (partially depending on what you consider "walkable"). CCDC has lower crime, so late at night the metro might seem like a more realistic option.

TP's public elementary is more diverse than Lafayette or Janney, and more economically diverse than Murch. This bring lower test scores (although it's hard to compare) but also smaller class sizes. Montgomery County definitely has the more carefully thought out curriculum, although it can also be less imaginative than the curriculum in the Upper NW schools where teachers have more freedom. In reality people are generally pretty happy with Murch, Lafayette, and Janney, and are also happy with Takoma Park Elementary and Piney Branch which is where the 3rd through 5th graders go.

In Middle school, both Takoma Park Middle and Deal have good reputations and are sought after options. Montgomery County has significantly more arts and more PE in middle school than DCPS, which was important to me but may not be important to you. TPMS houses the gifted math/science program which is very hard to get into, DC does not have a similar option.

Blair and Wilson are both big, diverse, comprehensive high schools. They can be exciting places to get a fantastic education, and they can be overwhelming and an easy place for a kid to get lost. It all depends on your kid. Kids in both areas also have the option of attending some magnet programs, both through the Down County Consortium, or through the DCPS test in programs (Ellington, Banneker, Walls, McKinley).

I'd give MCPS a slight edge in schools. Diversity early on is important to me, and I think that the more scripted curriculum MCPS uses provides a little protection against bad teachers although clearly not total. In middle school, MCPS has more arts and PE which I like, and I like some of the test in options in MCPS better than the equivalent in DC. However it's a slight edge. Both are solid systems, very doable for most kids, but can be overwhelming for kids who are more vulnerable.

As far as neighborhood, both have similar suburban semi-walkable feels, but TP is much more "crunchy" and earthy. TP is also closer to areas like Downtown Silver Spring, the Arts District in Hyattsville, etc . . . Chances are if you lived in TP your day to day life would have more diversity and, IMO, richness. CCDC is more homogenous, both within the community itself, but also in the places that CCDC people tend to go for extracurriculars, and restaurants and shopping that are outside of their walking zone. On the other hand, the places that CCDC residents go are probably a little higher quality, and carry a higher price. There are definitely more affordable options in TP than CCDC, and if you were to spend the same in both areas, you'd probably get a "cooler" more historic house with more features and space in TP than in CCDC.

I've lived in both, and I'd choose TP, but it's not an open and shut case. The differences are ones of taste and priorities, not ones where one is definitely better than the other.

This a very even-handed and I think accurate comparison.

I love both places. Your housing dollar will go further in Takoma Park and you'll get a much more interesting house. CCDC would allow you to walk to places like Politics & Prose and in the past I would have said that tipped the balance. But Takoma Park is definitely on the rise with Trohv and all the new retail moving in, and I think in just a couple of years it's going to be a hot place to live. There is a much younger, hipper vibe in downtown Takoma Park now than even just a few years ago. In contrast, CCDC feels a bit static and staid. But as another PP said, if your "universe" is all WOTP, you might prefer that location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:COMMUTE: According to Google maps, by subway from TP it’s 17 minutes to Metro Center whereas CCDC it’s 14. The commute to downtown seems comparable to me at least.

RESALE: In recent years, rate of return on TP real estate is significantly higher than CCDC. This was covered by 21:40.

SCHOOLS: School options are decent in both places; however, MCPS has a slight edge in my opinion. Since this is subjective, checkout the greatschools website or US News high-school rankings linked by 10:56 to get a clearer picture.

We actually timed the commute from Takoma park to metro center on a Sunday (so short stops). 22-23 minutes each way.

The red line on that side is SLOW. I don't think speeds have ever gone back to normal since the crash a few years back.

[Anonymous]

To follow-up on 16:23 - owners of the café in Politics & Prose are opening up a café "La Mano" right by the Takoma Park metro. Also Jeff Black is opening a restaurant, and Busboys and Poets is coming too.

[Anonymous]

If you tend to be more traditional go CC,DC. More secure investment.

[Anonymous]

OP, the truth is that the market now is very tight, and in either area is probably going to take a while before you manage to buy (I have friends who have been trying to buy for over a year with a up to 1M budget, and after several failed bids are still looking, inventory is very low), so you may have to time to look are these areas yourself and get to know them better before you are able to find a house

[Anonymous]

I like both places.

I think the people who assert that the architecture will be "more interesting" for sure in TP aren't actually familiar with the housing stock across 20015.

And P&P isn't even in Chevy chase, lovely though it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like both places.

I think the people who assert that the architecture will be "more interesting" for sure in TP aren't actually familiar with the housing stock across 20015.

And P&P isn't even in Chevy chase, lovely though it is.

I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like both places.

I think the people who assert that the architecture will be "more interesting" for sure in TP aren't actually familiar with the housing stock across 20015.

And P&P isn't even in Chevy chase, lovely though it is.

I don't know that the architecture in TP is in general more interesting, but for most budgets, the architecture you can afford in TP is definitely more interesting.

For example, I find this:

http://tour.mouseonhouse.com/property/195/22553/?Branding=0

to be much more architecturally interesting than

http://www.weichert.com/47763020/

even though the latter is almost 100K more.

The house linked to above in TKPK is in the historic district. CCDC is not a historic district - which is a plus or minus depending on your sensibilities. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2008/10/chevy_chase_dc_rejects_histori.html. Rumor also has it that the TKPK house went for at least $100K above list. We were one of five bids on a house down the street that listed at $895,000. Rumor is that winning bid on that one also went at least $100K over asking.

[Anonymous]

Politics and Prose is in CCDC

[Anonymous]

You should check out Bethesda too for great schools and great investment (homes sell very fast and never really lost much value during recession). There are some really nice family friendly neighborhoods in Bethesda, and it's more low key than Chevy Chase. Crime is somewhat high in Takoma Park, unfortunately, but I love the houses there. You should check out the crime reports. You could also check out Garrett Park -- similar to Takoma Park in many ways, but safer and better schools. Kensington is also nice (just north of Chevy Chase), but you have to be careful of school districts since I think it overlaps into 3 different districts. Anyway, you're moving to a great area (I also came here from Seattle). Good luck in your move!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Politics and Prose is in CCDC

Very close, but it isn't. Nebraska is the cutoff for CCDC.

[Anonymous]

Another thing about buying a home in Takoma Park is the huge local TP tax. In Bethesda, we only pay county taxes, not county + local neighborhood tax. Homes in Bethesda start about 600K and go up from there (my little neighborhood has a huge range from 550K to 1.5M). Equivalent homes in CC are about 100K higher. I think more people in CC send their kids to private school than in Bethesda. Bethesda has great schools and pretty good diversity, at least in my neighborhood (though not as much as TP), and is very safe. Chevy Chase, DC is very nice, but I have not heard very good things about DC public schools. If you want to live in DC, you should also check out AU Park (around American University). Too pricey for us, but I love the homes and lots of families with young kids and nice neighborhoods.