Looking to buy SFH in good neighborhood. Seeking recommendations. New Job is in Gaithersburg, MD

[Anonymous]

Olney, why not Olney?

[Anonymous]

BayAreatoMD wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greenbelt. Takoma Park. Glen Echo. Frederick.

? traffic would be a nightmare. You would be going with traffic on 270, and 495 would be horrible, too. You could take 200 toll road I suppose.

Someone coming from Cupertino is going to want their neighbors to be smart, quirky, and probably liberal. They are going to appreciate heritage homes. They are used to a certain type of green space. People who work at AstraZeneca in G'burg live in all of these cities. Especially with WFH options.

You don't know Cupertiono. That area is not quirky or have any heritage homes, nor does that area have much green space, for the most part.

-former Sunnyvale/Cupertino resident

Right, a certain company pretty much bought all available land . We do have a decent size backyard and those are hard to find now. I'm looking forward to a change of pace. I'll like to bring the weather with me though.... Thank you!!

Former Bay Area PP here... I would be your BFF if you could bring the great Bay Area weather here LOL I miss it sooo much.

If you want to live near G'burg for work, and you want to avoid the "Cupertino pressure cooker", I would stay away from Wootton cluster. QO cluster is fine, but heavily into sports, but it's supposed to have a great school spirit, though again, mostly around sports.

IMO, RM cluster is a bit more well rounded-- they have IB magnet, and of course lots of AP classes, a good athletic department, a pretty awesome theater department. Of course, with the boundary study things may change, but no one really knows what that change will look like. Bayard Rustin has the Chinese Immersion program; College Garden ES has PYP IB and Julius West MS has MYP (these programs aren't a huge deal, though). RM cluster is one of the most diverse cluster in the county.

From a "things to do" perspective, I think Rio and Kentlands area have more shops/restaurants as there is a lot more new development in that area, but I also find that area really crowded.

Most of Kentland homes do not have large back yards. There are a few that do, but from what I have seen, most do not. You will get larger lot sizes outside of the Kentand area.

I'm sure you know this... but while your water bill will be much lower compared to CA, your heating and electricity bill will be much higher, but your taxes will be lower

[Anonymous]

BayAreatoMD wrote:Took a job in Gaithersburg. We're moving from Cupertino CA and looking to buy SFH. We have 2 kids in elementary school so desired neighborhood will be safe, good public school, diverse, suburban(close to urban center) and not more than 30min commute. My spouse works from home. We're thinking not more than $750k. We've read good things about Kentlands, North Potomac and Rockville. Your recommendations are greatly appreciated.

I’d add Kensington to the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Rockville! This is a super cute house:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Rockville/708-W-Montgomery-Ave-20850/home/10514442?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

This house is a huge no for a young family right on W Montgomery. Not only will it be hard to back out of driveway traffic is horrific in the mornings. It needs a ton of work and is on the main road,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Rockville! This is a super cute house:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Rockville/708-W-Montgomery-Ave-20850/home/10514442?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy_link&utm_nooverride=1&utm_content=link

This house is on a VERY busy street.

[Anonymous]

I moved to Rockville from outside of the DC area a few years ago. We had a similar list of things we were looking for. And looked in similar neighborhoods. We ruled our North Potomac due to a lack of sidewalks and the feeling, in some neighborhoods, that we were locked in by main roads if we wanted to go for a long walk. We also liked Kentlands.

We ended up in the college gardens/Woolley gardens/west end area and are happy here. (College Gardens ES, Beall ES, Bayard Rustin ES).

We also looked in the Farmland and wildwood areas. Your commute would be ok, but your budget is the low end of those neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glen Echo is charming and close to Gaithersburg. Also Frederick.

Frederick is lovely, but the commute on 270 is not. Stick to Rockville or G'burg.

Whoever suggested Virginia is insane. Honestly I wouldn't even consider Bethesda or Germantown. Commute times are important.

I work in Gaithersburg and live in Bethesda. It's a consistent 25 min commute each way with hardly any traffic. The $750k budget would make Bethesda tough though for the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend my neighborhood (Wildwood), near Walter Johnson HS. It would be a reverse commute and is really close to 270, so probably 15-20 minutes, tops.

Just...no!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

BayAreatoMD wrote:Took a job in Gaithersburg. We're moving from Cupertino CA and looking to buy SFH. We have 2 kids in elementary school so desired neighborhood will be safe, good public school, diverse, suburban(close to urban center) and not more than 30min commute. My spouse works from home. We're thinking not more than $750k. We've read good things about Kentlands, North Potomac and Rockville. Your recommendations are greatly appreciated.

I’d add Kensington to the list.

No!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Olney, why not Olney?

Too far.

[Anonymous]

OP, the area of 270 between Gaithersburg and Frederick is some of the worst, traffic-wise. So if you want to optimize commute, I'd look either right in Gaithersburg or between Gaithersburg and Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Stick with N. potomac, QO.

Stay away from.wootton... Search this site for Wootton of you want to know why.

Look at Jones lanes area for classic neighborhood lots of green space close to hiking kayaking creeks ponds river.

If your kids want magnet it's poolesville with amazing options.

kentland's is fine is you want no yard, planned community.

It's not complicated and people posting are trying to make it complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stick with N. potomac, QO.

Stay away from.wootton... Search this site for Wootton of you want to know why.

Look at Jones lanes area for classic neighborhood lots of green space close to hiking kayaking creeks ponds river.

If your kids want magnet it's poolesville with amazing options.

kentland's is fine is you want no yard, planned community.

It's not complicated and people posting are trying to make it complicated.

Every community in this area is planned -- even in the District. Petworth, for example, is a subdivision. That's why all the houses look the same there.

Some Kentlands houses DO have yards. It just depends on how much money OP can spend, as the houses are expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not Fairfax or Arlington? Commute could be a little long but you will like everything else about the area.

You can’t get anything in Arlington for $750k. Stay on the md side if you are working in Md. you might be able to find something older in potomac too. Great schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not Fairfax or Arlington? Commute could be a little long but you will like everything else about the area.

You can’t get anything in Arlington for $750k. Stay on the md side if you are working in Md. you might be able to find something older in potomac too. Great schools.

Exactly. So many VA posters on here can't understand why people could possibly want to live in Maryland. Why the hell would OP move to Arlington if they work in Gaithersburg?! That's SO stupid.