Why is Bethesda so expensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the Bethesda haters and I live in Bethesda. The houses are ugly and downtown is a rip off. That said, if you live near the river and have access to the capital crescent trail, the tow path, etc. it's a good life. Plus, Strathmore is a great venue, Pike & Rose is fun, and Barnes & Noble is thinking about returning to Bethesda Avenue.

But as pp's have said, it's safe and that's the reason it's so expensive.

Literally everything you said is in Rockville (Pike and Rose, Strathmore, etc.), not Bethesda.

Plus Rockville, gaithersburg and Frederick all have Barnes & Noble

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the Bethesda haters and I live in Bethesda. The houses are ugly and downtown is a rip off. That said, if you live near the river and have access to the capital crescent trail, the tow path, etc. it's a good life. Plus, Strathmore is a great venue, Pike & Rose is fun, and Barnes & Noble is thinking about returning to Bethesda Avenue.

But as pp's have said, it's safe and that's the reason it's so expensive.

Literally everything you said is in Rockville (Pike and Rose, Strathmore, etc.), not Bethesda.

The river?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All the safe, human-sized, walkable, leafy, sidewalked, small town neighborhoods with reputable public schools close to DC are expensive.

I lived in downtown Silver Spring, and moved close to downtown Bethesda for the schools and the better quality of life as a pedestrian. Downtown Silver Spring does not have that small town feel, and it is unsafe in the evening (and sometimes during the day). As a pedestrian, it's much more pleasant to walk in downtown Bethesda than downtown Silver Spring (there are more street crossings, the shops/restaurants are closer together and the buildings mostly aren't as tall). I've personally witnessed multiple fights in the pedestrian alley in Silver Spring, none in Bethesda.

- multiethnic foreigner, living on a Bethesda street full of people from all over the world.

I love how internationally diverse Bethesda is, one of my very favorite things about it.

Lol

The fact that I have South American, African, Israeli, and Iranian neighbors is amusing?

You can just replace all those words with “the right type of diversity”.

Since your a transplant we call that “world bank” diversity, it’s code for we don’t have to deal with those dirty poor people/immigrants.

Not like there aren’t more places with that type of diversity to choose from. Does every place have to be grungy like silver spring? If you value proximity to poor people you can take a discount and move there. Picking the opposite doesn’t make you racist it makes you classist or simply tried of guttural drama.

Anyone who can afford it will move to a safe close-in neighborhood with good schools. It is certainly a shame those things are a function of socioeconomic status and inflected by systemic racism. But that doesn't mean the people desiring good location, schools, and safety are racist.

That is wholeheartedly untrue. There are plenty of wealthy people living all over Maryland that could afford to live in Bethesda that would never in a million years wanna live there.

Sure, Jan.

Easton md is more wealthy than Bethesda

Easton proper has a median household income of around $60,000 a year. In Bethesda the figure is around $175,000. (Google median household income for both.) There are some rich folks with houses on the water near, but not in, Easton — and some of those places are second homes owned by people from places like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and DC.

[Anonymous]

I live in Bethesda and like it. But we bought in 2004. I would never buy here now. Waaaaay too overpriced for what it is. Our house would probably sell for close to 2M now and that’s ridiculous. We bought it for 500k!

Just because things cost a lot doesn’t make them worth the money. My alma mater costs ~ 90k a year now. Same thing. No effing way I’d it worth that.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote: It's very simple. Bethesda is the closest to place to downtown DC that's not DC.

In Maryland that is tire. But overall, that would be Arlington.

Or oxen hill

Bethesda is closer distance wise. Commute may be the same but there less built up between Oxen Hill and Downtown (for a reason that is reflected in price).

No it’s not. Get out your map.

Just did - 11 miles on the road from Oxen Hill to Metro Center; 8 miles from Bethesda.

12 miles to Penn quarter from OH, 18 from Bethesda
Capital one arena: 12 miles Oh, 19 mikes Bethesda
Nats stadium; 8.8 OH, 18 Bethesda
Wharf: 11 OH, 12 Bethesda
18

Must be measuring from the furthest out address possible in Bethesda. If you just type in Bethesda into google maps, these are really off. Penn Quarter is 8, not 18.

Or picking a time when moronic Google maps will send you through Virginia on the GW Parkway to save 2 minutes.

Agreed, Bethesda is 8 miles away from central DC. The only place closer in is Arlington and possibly Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bethesda.

I drive back to it regularly for my work. I'm so glad I don't live there.

[Anonymous]

Many of those $1m condos in downtown Bethesda were built for and purchased by Potomac retirees looking to downsize.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All the safe, human-sized, walkable, leafy, sidewalked, small town neighborhoods with reputable public schools close to DC are expensive.

I lived in downtown Silver Spring, and moved close to downtown Bethesda for the schools and the better quality of life as a pedestrian. Downtown Silver Spring does not have that small town feel, and it is unsafe in the evening (and sometimes during the day). As a pedestrian, it's much more pleasant to walk in downtown Bethesda than downtown Silver Spring (there are more street crossings, the shops/restaurants are closer together and the buildings mostly aren't as tall). I've personally witnessed multiple fights in the pedestrian alley in Silver Spring, none in Bethesda.

- multiethnic foreigner, living on a Bethesda street full of people from all over the world.

I love how internationally diverse Bethesda is, one of my very favorite things about it.

Lol

The fact that I have South American, African, Israeli, and Iranian neighbors is amusing?

You can just replace all those words with “the right type of diversity”.

Since your a transplant we call that “world bank” diversity, it’s code for we don’t have to deal with those dirty poor people/immigrants.

Not like there aren’t more places with that type of diversity to choose from. Does every place have to be grungy like silver spring? If you value proximity to poor people you can take a discount and move there. Picking the opposite doesn’t make you racist it makes you classist or simply tried of guttural drama.

I love you so much because you are literally so incredibly racist and it’s amazing that you keep typing things. “Grungy “?

Silver spring is kind of grungy. Have you been to Long Branch? Dilapidated and run down fit many parts too

NP. Long Branch is new immigrants in dilapidated apartments (one of them had a gas explosion a few years ago). Housing stock is completely different from Woodside or wherever people are looking for SFS. But sure, beat up on the immigrants....

Lots of those dilapidated-looking garden apartments in Bethesda and Arlington also.

[Anonymous]

I live in Westmoreland Hills and I have a 13 minute drive to my office in Dupont..

That is why it is expensive. Most white collar jobs are in the K Street, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Corridor and it's less than 20 minutes into the city, even at rush hour.

I get a nice lot, larger home and parks while being 15 minutes from downtown..how is this hard to understand?

Why is Frederick cheap?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Westmoreland Hills and I have a 13 minute drive to my office in Dupont..

That is why it is expensive. Most white collar jobs are in the K Street, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Corridor and it's less than 20 minutes into the city, even at rush hour.

I get a nice lot, larger home and parks while being 15 minutes from downtown..how is this hard to understand?

Why is Frederick cheap?

Oh and it's 4.5 miles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Westmoreland Hills and I have a 13 minute drive to my office in Dupont..

That is why it is expensive. Most white collar jobs are in the K Street, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Corridor and it's less than 20 minutes into the city, even at rush hour.

I get a nice lot, larger home and parks while being 15 minutes from downtown..how is this hard to understand?

Why is Frederick cheap?

Cheap? My neighbor's house sold for $1M this summer. Frederick might be "cheaper", but it ain't cheap.

[Anonymous]

For us, it's the location, and a bit better than upper NW in terms of the pros/cons. More house, more space, etc. There's also a wide variety of housing stock, it's just very low inventory.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All the safe, human-sized, walkable, leafy, sidewalked, small town neighborhoods with reputable public schools close to DC are expensive.

I lived in downtown Silver Spring, and moved close to downtown Bethesda for the schools and the better quality of life as a pedestrian. Downtown Silver Spring does not have that small town feel, and it is unsafe in the evening (and sometimes during the day). As a pedestrian, it's much more pleasant to walk in downtown Bethesda than downtown Silver Spring (there are more street crossings, the shops/restaurants are closer together and the buildings mostly aren't as tall). I've personally witnessed multiple fights in the pedestrian alley in Silver Spring, none in Bethesda.

- multiethnic foreigner, living on a Bethesda street full of people from all over the world.

I love how internationally diverse Bethesda is, one of my very favorite things about it.

Lol

The fact that I have South American, African, Israeli, and Iranian neighbors is amusing?

You can just replace all those words with “the right type of diversity”.

Since your a transplant we call that “world bank” diversity, it’s code for we don’t have to deal with those dirty poor people/immigrants.

Not like there aren’t more places with that type of diversity to choose from. Does every place have to be grungy like silver spring? If you value proximity to poor people you can take a discount and move there. Picking the opposite doesn’t make you racist it makes you classist or simply tried of guttural drama.

Anyone who can afford it will move to a safe close-in neighborhood with good schools. It is certainly a shame those things are a function of socioeconomic status and inflected by systemic racism. But that doesn't mean the people desiring good location, schools, and safety are racist.

That is wholeheartedly untrue. There are plenty of wealthy people living all over Maryland that could afford to live in Bethesda that would never in a million years wanna live there.

Sure, Jan.

Easton md is more wealthy than Bethesda

Easton proper has a median household income of around $60,000 a year. In Bethesda the figure is around $175,000. (Google median household income for both.) There are some rich folks with houses on the water near, but not in, Easton — and some of those places are second homes owned by people from places like Bethesda, Chevy Chase and DC.

You don’t understand the math behind “median”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Westmoreland Hills and I have a 13 minute drive to my office in Dupont..

That is why it is expensive. Most white collar jobs are in the K Street, Foggy Bottom, Dupont Corridor and it's less than 20 minutes into the city, even at rush hour.

I get a nice lot, larger home and parks while being 15 minutes from downtown..how is this hard to understand?

Why is Frederick cheap?

Cheap? My neighbor's house sold for $1M this summer. Frederick might be "cheaper", but it ain't cheap.

median list price is $460k in Frederick

There are only two homes for sale over $1M in Frederick..your neighbor is an outlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All the safe, human-sized, walkable, leafy, sidewalked, small town neighborhoods with reputable public schools close to DC are expensive.

I lived in downtown Silver Spring, and moved close to downtown Bethesda for the schools and the better quality of life as a pedestrian. Downtown Silver Spring does not have that small town feel, and it is unsafe in the evening (and sometimes during the day). As a pedestrian, it's much more pleasant to walk in downtown Bethesda than downtown Silver Spring (there are more street crossings, the shops/restaurants are closer together and the buildings mostly aren't as tall). I've personally witnessed multiple fights in the pedestrian alley in Silver Spring, none in Bethesda.

- multiethnic foreigner, living on a Bethesda street full of people from all over the world.

Don’t let your guard down. Things happen in Bethesda, too.

Pp you replied to. Yes, I stay on top of the news, because my kids are teens and out and about. But statistically, there is no comparison between the two downtowns.

And to the person laughing that there might be diversity in Bethesda, maybe they're forgetting that foreigners can be white but still provide plenty of diversity. I can tell you what I'm living - that there are more foreigners living next to me than there ever were when I lived in Silver Spring. BCC high school has a significant percentage of international students. There are World Bank families and NIH families. My kids go to the French weekend school at St Jane de Chantal, just 5 minutes away. There is a Spanish weekend school right across the street. There is a community of Japanese families in the luxury downtown apartments (because most of the mothers don't drive), and a Japanese weekend school not far away. As another PP said, the international feel is one of the things I really like about this little place.

+1. I'm a 20-year resident of Bethesda, and it is fun to meet World Bank and IMF neighbors from around the world. We've had neighbors from Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, etc.

Also, I like that people in Bethesda tend to maintain their houses in a nice way and are courteous to their neighbors. It seems like a very well-educated community of people who behave nicely.