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What's wrong with the Maryland burbs?
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Anonymous
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We used to live in Dupont. Then moved out to downtown SS when we had kids. Now we're looking to move to a bigger house-- trying to decide between DC and Maryland burbs (further west than SS for commute purposes-- Bethesda, Brookmont, Chevy Chase--way inside the beltway).
I have a lingering memory of promising myself to move back into the city as soon as I could afford to. But now, I can't remember why! Can anyone refresh my memory? Why is the city better than the burbs in MD just across the line? (Schools are not a factor- kids are in private). Thanks! |
Anonymous
| What is wrong with you that you really want to start this thread?????? |
Anonymous
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Well, in Maryland we get our streets plowed, potholes repaired, and someone actually responds to our 911 calls. It sucks.
I think you're either someone who's comfortable/happy in the burbs or not. If you had a hard time adjusting when you first moved there and have now settled in and gotten accustomed to it, great! Why try to make yourself unhappy? |
Anonymous
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I don't really understand your post either. We love the downtown SS area. To be able to walk to the metro and own a house in a cute neighborhood seems amazing to me.
We looked all over when our income grew and we decided we were outgrowing the house a bit as we expanded our family, and couldn't find a better spot. So, we are adding on this spring - a bigger kitchen and bathroom and another bedroom. I love this area and feel like even though housing prices have dropped, we will always be in a desirable spot, with proximity to the red line. We are happy with the elementary schools and will consider private for middle and high school, or maybe not, we'll see. But at this point, I have nothing against Bethesda and Chevy Chase and certainly they have their upsides, but nothing I saw there was compelling me to move. Maybe if we had 7 figures to spend on a house I'd feel differently! But we are thrilled with this area. I made a deal with myself when I moved to DC at 22 - I would never move to the burbs near a major city, I would just move to a smaller town. Well, things change and I feel like I did break the promise to my 22 year old self, we are in the burbs, but we still get by on one car and we both have good commutes, and we are in a charming house and a very walkable area. I think if it means that much to you to not stay in the burbs and if you have to justify it to yourself, you should consider moving to a different area or just consider apartment living. I've never understood why people settle and then bash what they've settled for. If you are unhappy, change! Don't mean to pick on you OP - I'm really speaking to other more inflammatory threads on this matter recently. |
Anonymous
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Why can't people just be happy? Is it that hard? Why do you need a reason to question your happiness?
OP, you have an issue! |
Anonymous
| The OP is not bashing the suburbs, just the opposite. She is asking for someone to remind her why she should made the deal with herself to move back to DC! Read people. |
Anonymous
| We also lived in DC until time came to buy a house. Now we are happily in the MD burbs. Being metro accessible means we have the best of both worlds, IMO. |
Anonymous
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I get your post, I think. We're in Bethesda for 2 reasons. The schools and because we love being in walking distance to downtown bethesda. If you live close enough to downtown bethesda (within a mile or so) you really get the benefits of living in an urban area but it's a little nicer and more compact. That said, when I worked downtown I had to deal with essentially two "downtowns" of traffic when I drove. It took me 15-20 minutes just to get out of Bethesda and we live right off Old Georgetown Rd. Frankly, I would live in either chevy chase or the spring valley area if I could afford a home there and didn't have to worry about schools. But, although spring valley (and other NW burbs) are close to so much, you can't really walk many places like you can in downtown bethesda.
Please, don't flame me for my response: I'm just answering OPs question from my experiance. |
Anonymous
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We moved from the city to the burbs, thinking we would one day move back. Once the kids go to their Ivy League of choice (still 15 years away) I would still like to move back, maybe to Dupont or somewhere. But equally I could see us staying put in metro-accessible Bethesda.
I mean, it is not like the choice is between White Plains and Manhatten. Downtown DC is really not that much better for everything than downtown Bethesda. |
Anonymous
You really think it will be 15 years? I'm planning on mine fast tracking. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic. |
Anonymous
We did the same (but went south). We even kept our first house tiny rowhouse in NW....my future retirement home  . We moved over to arlington for the schools. Truthfully, I like it more than I thought I would-only 2 blocks from metro and all the shops, restaurants, etc. Clarendon is much like Bethesda in that aspect. Def got more house for the $ and can actually host a playdate which was not remotely poss. in our other house.
For me it's partly a sentimental attachment---firstborn was born in the city and have fantastic memories of him in the city and that tiny rowhouse. I get nostalgic everytime I drive the 1.5 miles back in . I also had fantastic neighbors that made it hard to leave. But- i really am loving it over here too and seriously think it was the best move for our family.
I could see raising kids in either place. I just didn't want to shell out $60k every year for 2 kids private school tuition----which would have been necessary in the neighborhood we were living in (at least from 6th grade on). If I had a huge trust fund and $ was never a factor--I might not have made the move. who knows. |
Anonymous
| I also took OP's post to mean, "help me remember why this took getting used to." I also moved from Dupont to Downtown SS. At the time, the things that took getting used to were: the quietness at night; the lack of delivery and take out restaurants (this has improved); and the urban vs. suburban "feel" on the walk home. Now, seven years later, I just don't remember those things. In fact, a night in downtown was so noisy I couldn't sleep. |
Anonymous
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OP Here. Thanks PP's. To clarify for those confused, I'm not bashing the burbs, not unhappy in MD. Quite the contrary, I love it here. I'm just trying to figure out if there's something i have forgotten that's awesome about living in the city, or if I've changed and I just don't value the city living anymore.
Would love to hear from folks who moved from the burbs back into the city with kids. Or folks who made the move out and found it worthwhile for reasons other than schools. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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I dunno. I lived in Dupont for 10 years prekids, then moved to AU Park, and am now in Chevy Chase. I wouldn't move back to the city and really advocate for my surrounding neighborhoods (Somerset and the Village of Chevy Chase) because:
- The infrastructure is awsome. Private contracting means that our trash gets picked up even on holidays, our streets are ploughed first - In the Village of CC, the garbage men come and wheel your trashcan out of your garage for you, so you don't have to do it - When it snows more than a couple of inches, people shovel your sidewalk for you - People are nice and friendly. There are a ton of kids - In Somerset, there is a very large community pool and no fees or waitlist to join. |
Anonymous
| I want to move to Suomerset now. |