Moderate sized housing communities in popular MCPS elementaries

[Anonymous]

We are looking to move from DC to MoCo, hoping to move inbounds for an elementary school in the Whitman, BCC, or Walter Johnson clusters.

When I drive around this part of Montgomery County, it feels like there are a lot of very large homes. This isn't our style. We have a fairly large budget but we prefer communities that are smaller and have a tighter knit, and laidback, feel among the families who live there.

We would be looking for housing stock that is relatively small (2-3 bedrooms). Townhomes and condos appeal to us for their ease, as do single family homes that are somewhat smaller and have communities with lots of families that know each other. We have an only child who loves to roam around a neighborhood with friends.

Suggestions on where to look?

[Anonymous]

We go to Rosemary Hills, the primary school (K-2) that feeds to Chevy Chase and North Chevy Chase elementary schools (3-5). It is in the BCC cluster. Many of the homes near RHPS seem to fit what you are looking for. The school is very diverse because the catchment area is huge and they bus kids to achieve diversity. We like it a lot, though we aren’t in the immediate neighborhood so our kid takes the bus there. We moved from DC after a few years with DCPS, andnoverall we are happy with the move (though there were some things better about DCPS, particularly in the WOTP schools).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

There are lots of smaller houses and townhomes (and apartment/condos) in the WJ district. I am most familiar with The Gables on Tuckerman Lane which has condos and townhouses. Also lots of neighborhoods with some large recently renovated/rebuilt homes and other small original 1950s homes. But I have not experienced a huge amount of kids roaming these neighborhoods alone. There are condo buildings tucked between the Grosvenor metro and Rock Creek that are Garrett Park/WJ.

[Anonymous]

Moved from DC to Wood Acres ES. There is quite a mix of housing zoned for WA. Community is strong, many long time residents and many who moved from DC.

[Anonymous]

I think there are a number of neighborhoods more or less along east west highway from just before 16th st to wisconsin that could fit your description with varying budgets, from Rosemary Hills to North Chevy Chase to Section 5 to East bethesda (if you got an older home, not a replacement mcmansion).

[Anonymous]

OP there is a good community at The Fields in bethesda which is an apartment complex in the center of town. Also opposite that, the other side of Bradley Blvd are town houses (on Hillanddale road) where I know there are even more families. they have a communal playground and common green spaces and back onto the public pool.

[Anonymous]

Op, Westhaven ....has Westbrook Elementary, great neighborhood for families. House can be 1,700 sf or you can make it bigger. There is a combination of both in the neighborhood ... zip code is 20816.

[Anonymous]

The houses in Carderock are not huge and there is a very distinctive community vibe. Community/pool club with lots of activities including summer camp. If you are looking for a place where your kid can go free-range it's here. Some of the lots are more woodsy than grassy so that's less yard maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Wildwood Manor (between Old Georgetown road and 355, behind Wildwood shopping center) is a mix of der smaller footprint homes and bigger ones. Great community, local pool, walk to Wildwood.

[Anonymous]

We're in Wyngate and love it. Mix of older and new homes. The new ones are huge, but the older homes are more reasonably sized. We bought an older home and renovated it.

[Anonymous]

We’re very happy in Parkwood—Kensington and Bethesda, zoned for WJ.

[Anonymous]

Small homes, big budget, close community packed together sounds like Somerset to me. It's very upscale. It also has sidewalks! Feeds into BCC.

If you want an apartments you should look around Bethesda Elementary, but I'm not sure about the community feel. Lots of diplomats and other transient folks. Also feeds into BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The houses in Carderock are not huge and there is a very distinctive community vibe. Community/pool club with lots of activities including summer camp. If you are looking for a place where your kid can go free-range it's here. Some of the lots are more woodsy than grassy so that's less yard maintenance.

+1 You will either love the houses or not. They are mid-century modern. But your description of free-range children made me think of this neighborhood too.

[Anonymous]

Small homes are old and have problems, OP. We know, we renovated one in Battery Park, Bethesda. Even with the reno, it still has lots of issues.

Go on Redfin and visit all the ones you like. You’ll see what I mean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We go to Rosemary Hills, the primary school (K-2) that feeds to Chevy Chase and North Chevy Chase elementary schools (3-5). It is in the BCC cluster. Many of the homes near RHPS seem to fit what you are looking for. The school is very diverse because the catchment area is huge and they bus kids to achieve diversity. We like it a lot, though we aren’t in the immediate neighborhood so our kid takes the bus there. We moved from DC after a few years with DCPS, andnoverall we are happy with the move (though there were some things better about DCPS, particularly in the WOTP schools).

Good luck!

The neighborhood around Rosemary Hills is super tight-knit. Also zoned for Rock Creek Pool to which they all belong and have a very strong sense of community.