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

[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.

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.

Wheaton is much nicer than Langley Park. It’s not paradise, but compared to Langley Park it’s a much better place to live by any metric: amenities, congestion, crime, Metro access, schools, etc. Einstein is WAAAY better than the high schools that LP kids are zoned for.

I know you want to defend TP, but let’s not get carried away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's further away from DC. And east of Rock Creek which is significant at rush hour.
Kensington is currently zoned for Walter Johnson which is considered by some (not by me, I DGAF) a "lesser" W school.
There are some cool restaurants here and there but the commercial area is divided by a busy 6 lane road.

+1 its just geography. Kensington is further out and the traffic is a nightmare (everywhere).

[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.

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.

Wheaton is much nicer than Langley Park. It’s not paradise, but compared to Langley Park it’s a much better place to live by any metric: amenities, congestion, crime, Metro access, schools, etc. Einstein is WAAAY better than the high schools that LP kids are zoned for.

I know you want to defend TP, but let’s not get carried away.

I actually live in the cheaper part of Kensington (zoned for Einstein) very close to Wheaton. I agree that it's a nice place to live. We looked at houses in Takoma Park zoned for Rolling Terrace and New Hampshire Estates elementaries and they were not cheaper, if anything you get less for your money.

Also you've shifted from talking about Takoma Park, which is zoned for Blair High School (currently more in demand than Einstein) to Langley Park in Prince George's County.

[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.

On the flip side, it’s filled with extremely tedious people who love to call attention to their performative acts of virtue - which gets really old.

[Anonymous]

Why is Park Avenue more than Third Aven in Manhattan? It just is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why is Park Avenue more than Third Aven in Manhattan? It just is.

Park avenue residents get access to the monthly orgy meeting. Third Ave residents don’t. Therein lies the value difference.

[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.

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.

Wheaton is much nicer than Langley Park. It’s not paradise, but compared to Langley Park it’s a much better place to live by any metric: amenities, congestion, crime, Metro access, schools, etc. Einstein is WAAAY better than the high schools that LP kids are zoned for.

I know you want to defend TP, but let’s not get carried away.

I agree- Wheaton is a good place to live. We have Costco and Target at the mall! Depending on which side of Georgia you live on. you can be in between two or there metro stops-- Wheaton, Forest Glen, or Grosvenor. You're near two major arteries to get to the beltway or downtown -- Georgia or Connecticut. You're also way closer to Rockville and all the stores there.

Takoma Park has a really cute, walkable downtown area. But Langley Park is a 1950's strip mall mess with a lot of crumbling infrastructure and not particularly close to the metro.

[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.

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.

Your idea of TP and the reality is very different. TP is apparently much bigger than you are aware of and has some of the poorest parts of MoCo. TP is not a million dollar area even if a few streets get that.

Anonymous wrote:According to this data (https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/MD/Montgomery-County-Demographics.html) these are the three lowest income zip codes in the county

20877: Gaithersburg
20903: White Oak
20912: Takoma Park

Would you call White Oak a million dollar area? There have been a few sales that support that orrrrrrrr do you go of the vast majority of sales.

[Anonymous]

Down country consortium schools.

South Kensington is pricier because of BCC and WJ and their feeder schools.