Where would you live for 1M

[Anonymous]

Someplace safely walkable to grocery, dinning, shopping, entertainment , healthcare,parks, libraries etc and metroable to work and other places, not too far from airports and waterbodies and mountains.

In DMV, probably Logan, Dupont, Eastern Market but lots of good options within States and in other countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so weird to me and not how SP seems at all. Anywhere in upper NW in DC WOTP or Chevy Chase has far more wealthy/elite people than SP. The typical house here is a split level or raised ranch. Most of the houses look a lot like Wheaton or Silver Spring outside the beltway - 1960s and 1970s houses. We live in a new house in an older neighborhood. Yeah the diversity of all kinds is low but classist and snobs? I just don’t see it. What I see is close knit neighborhood groups where like orients around your kid’s swim team.

You are either oblivious, didn’t live in Severna Park in 2015 or 2019 when proposals for affordable housing came to the county council, or maybe you weren’t paying attention to the numerous classist and racist comments made by a plethora of SP residents in public testimony and in local FB groups. Lots of families I knew with kids who played sports wouldn’t let their kids befriend or date student athletes attending Pasadena and Glen Burnie schools. It wasn’t uncommon for kids in SP who misbehaved to be told they were acting “like Glen Burnie trash.” Some years ago, Severna Park HS parents wanted a magnet program at SPHS, but they wanted the magnet program to be open to ONLY kids zoned for SPHS because they didn’t want to create an opportunity for kids from poorer parts of the county to have an opportunity to attend SPHS. Go ask Shipley’s Choice families what they think of their kids going to Old Mill HS and then tell me SP doesn’t have snobs and classist people.

Seriously, anyone native to Anne Arundel County about Severna Park will almost always tell you that SP is full of snobby rich people. It may not be as affluent as Bethesda/CC/Potomac, but it’s a huge stretch to say it’s like Wheaton or even Silver Spring. Those places have multi family housing and apartments, Severna Park literally has none except for two senior citizens restricted apartments. SP is almost all SFHs that start at $600k and often go as high as the $1M+ range. Home prices and income levels in SP are very comparable to those in the River Hill school district area in Howard County, which is also notorious for being competitive, affluent, and snobby.

Severna Park is literally the DMV’s poster child of upper-middle-class affluence and NIMBYism. It’s all SFHs, and they’re so NIMBY that they even NIMBY’d away their potential to have good restaurants and infrastructure that isn’t shit so that they can avoid any chance of the poors and non-parkies having a reason to go to SP.

Our neighbors down the street moved to SP and they fit the snob description to a t. And all that is near sp is strip malls. You have to drive to Annapolis to get a downtown type area. But it is near the water! Though you better hope you only commute 1x a week. It is a 90 min drive on the commuter bus to downtown DC.

Yup, SP is nothing but strip malls, and the irony is that they call their strip malls “Downtown Severna Park.”

The commute to DC from Severna Park is a large part of what steers me away. Even if I’m not going in often for work, I’d want to spend weekends in DC frequently, and SP is too far away for even that. I’d take Edgewater or Riva over SP any day because they’re much closer to DC, also have great schools, and are less than 10 minutes away from all the shopping and dining in Annapolis. Getting to anywhere interesting from SP requires being in a car for at least 15 minutes.

I’ll say though, if you’re commuting to Fort Meade, Baltimore, Columbia, or even Bowie, then Severna Park is a great choice. Probably one of the best choices in the area.

[Anonymous]

Sigh, maybe we're just disagreeing on the definition of snobby. Yes, Severna Park suburbia with strip malls but when we lived in DC we would have to drive up to an hour into the suburbs to find any kid-centric businesses. Now 5 minutes away I have a toy store, a music store, their taekwando lessons, a great library, a children's book store, Froyo House and Rita's, a ton of kid-friendly restaurants, their neighborhood pool, and their school in walking distance. Not to mention our boat and six kayaks at the community dock down the street. Where I lived in DC with a walk score of 95 we literally had no kid friendly businesses and had to drive out to the burbs for almost everything. The kids went to a charter school I had to drive them to, that had no path to high school.

Here in Serverna Park we don't have great dining (except I love The Point Crabhouse) but I can easily get to Annapolis and I regularly go to DC to see friends (not during rush hour - it's 45 min); my sister's place in Baltimore by the Inner Harbor is 30 min.

As to snobbiness - here's a sampling of neighbor professions: NSA (management), IT consultant, nonprofit management, construction small business owner, airline pilot, airline mechanic, Baltimore City school teacher, Severna Park schoolteacher, software engineer, bank commercial lending, lawyer, business consultant, active military (multiple), retired military, feds (Homeland Security, USDA), NSA (security and administrative), construction manager, nurses, DC firefighter, clothing small business owner, florist. At least 1/4 are in blue collar or trades jobs. My husband is the construction small business owner and is in heaven compared to DC where there were very few blue collar people. He talks all the time about how much more down to earth it is here.

Again, YMMV but for us the great parts have been our very affordable house compared to DC (yes I get it is expensive compared to Pasadena or other places), access to the water, super beautiful area, access to great schools and kid friendly activities, and yes, very friendly people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sigh, maybe we're just disagreeing on the definition of snobby. Yes, Severna Park suburbia with strip malls but when we lived in DC we would have to drive up to an hour into the suburbs to find any kid-centric businesses. Now 5 minutes away I have a toy store, a music store, their taekwando lessons, a great library, a children's book store, Froyo House and Rita's, a ton of kid-friendly restaurants, their neighborhood pool, and their school in walking distance. Not to mention our boat and six kayaks at the community dock down the street. Where I lived in DC with a walk score of 95 we literally had no kid friendly businesses and had to drive out to the burbs for almost everything. The kids went to a charter school I had to drive them to, that had no path to high school.

Here in Serverna Park we don't have great dining (except I love The Point Crabhouse) but I can easily get to Annapolis and I regularly go to DC to see friends (not during rush hour - it's 45 min); my sister's place in Baltimore by the Inner Harbor is 30 min.

As to snobbiness - here's a sampling of neighbor professions: NSA (management), IT consultant, nonprofit management, construction small business owner, airline pilot, airline mechanic, Baltimore City school teacher, Severna Park schoolteacher, software engineer, bank commercial lending, lawyer, business consultant, active military (multiple), retired military, feds (Homeland Security, USDA), NSA (security and administrative), construction manager, nurses, DC firefighter, clothing small business owner, florist. At least 1/4 are in blue collar or trades jobs. My husband is the construction small business owner and is in heaven compared to DC where there were very few blue collar people. He talks all the time about how much more down to earth it is here.

Again, YMMV but for us the great parts have been our very affordable house compared to DC (yes I get it is expensive compared to Pasadena or other places), access to the water, super beautiful area, access to great schools and kid friendly activities, and yes, very friendly people.

I think the difference between us is that I’m an Anne Arundel County native, whereas you sound like a DC native. You probably grew up seeing elitism and classism that was much worse than Severna Park, whereas I grew up in the SP area, and it was the most elitist and classist suburb around when I was growing up. Still though, I’ve lived in DC, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Arlington, so I know that there’s a difference between the wealth in Severna Park and the wealth in the elite suburbs of the DC area. I’d still voucher that Severna Park would be considered an affluent and prosperous suburb even for DC area standards. It has a median household income of $151,969. Bethesda, in comparison, has a median household income of $172,873. That’s not a large difference. Severna Park is in the Baltimore metro area, and it *is* the Bethesda of the Baltimore metro area. For the Baltimore metro area, Severna Park is one of the most affluent, elite, and prestigious suburbs that you can get. Though there’s still some blue-collar people in Severna Park, they’re decreasing in number over time. The new people moving into SP work white-collar jobs in Fort Meade, DC (like yourself), Baltimore, and Columbia. Even ranchers and split levels not unlike the kind you find in Glen Burnie are being snatched up for $600k+ because of the demand to be in the Severna Park school district and the prestige associated with having a Severna Park address.

Unlike the other affluent suburbs in Anne Arundel which are more new money—such as Crofton, Davidsonville, Crownsville, Odenton, Millersville, Riva, and Gambrills, Severna Park and Arnold are old money suburbs and have always been historically oriented as affluent suburbs of Baltimore and Annapolis since they were first built out. Thus, the Severna Park and Broadneck areas have a certain prestige that the other affluent Anne Arundel suburbs don’t. Davidsonville may be full of multi-million dollar McMansions now and have an even higher income than Severna Park, but it’s not as prestigious as Severna Park because it was known for being country bumpkin for all of its history before the 1990s.

It is the prestige of having a Severna Park address and sending kids to highly-coveted Severna Park public schools that make a lot of SP residents snobby, not their jobs. Even many blue-collar Parkies participate in this snobbery for those reasons. There have been numerous examples of incidents that demonstrate the strong aversion many SP residents have to people who aren’t from SP, and their desire to keep their schools and communities exclusive to whites and people with higher income levels. Seriously, I’ve even heard SP residents make snide comments about people in Crofton, Cape St Claire, and Odenton, let alone places like Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Linthicum, and Severn.

It’s still a very nice area to raise kids, one of the best in the Baltimore metro area and probably even the state of Maryland, putting commute times aside. But like any other area, Severna Park does have problems. Theirs happen to be associated with classism, snobbery, and exclusion of “outsiders.” Severna Park HS wouldn’t have been the focal point of a study on suicides in affluent suburbs if it didn’t have a problem with these issues.

[Anonymous]

Urbana

[Anonymous]

Bethesda has a huge amount of apartments and rental housing, which SP completely lacks so the fact that Bethesda has a higher median income than SP even with all the rental housing shows how much wealthier it is. The Zillow home value for Bethesda is double what Severna Park's is; Chevy Chase MD's is close to triple. The area of DC that is most comparable to Severna Park in terms of home value that I looked at is Petworth. Petworth is near and dear to me but it's not where you move for great schools and kid-friendly activities. In terms of price, if you live in Petworth, Columbia Heights, Brightwood, Hill East or any of the other scrappy but still very expensive places to buy a house, you have great neighborhood community spirit, but are sorely lacking in home size, space, or good schools (couldn't get into that charter), and crime is going nuts...well you can find all that you're missing for the kids in SP. You can probably keep your DC salary because your office is still mostly remote. The lack of affordability in the DC area is driving a lot of people to move elsewhere, including SP, and improving SP for the better, too. Given that a $1M housing budget will easily get you a home in any of the water-privileged communities it's not hard to see why it's appealing if you're priced out of something similar in DC. You'll also likely have a similar to much higher income compared to your new neighbors in SP, too. Just be active in your community and vote!!!

[Anonymous]

I know this has largely turned into a thread about SP, but my vote for OP’s needs and budget would be Howard County—somewhere around Clarksville, as others have suggested. 1M generally won’t be enough for a new build (I saw someone suggest that it would be), but the budget will still get you a nice house in a really solid school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have a budget of 1M and you need:

--- a Single Family Home
---- at least 4 bedrooms
---- Good to Great Schools
---- Willing to renovate, but not a total gut
--- Tolerable 1 day a week commute to DC

Where do you buy? and why?

Western loudoun county.

Beautiful that’s why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Burke

Burke is no longer considered part of the immediate DC suburbs, frankly no one can possibly commute on a daily basis from Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, PW or Loudoun County. Northern Virginia? Yes. DC? No.

Maybe my reading comprehension is off. The OP said one day a week commute. I commute one day a week to Richmond from Loudoun County. It’s not a big deal. Going into DC would be a podcast away.

[Anonymous]

This house - been on the market for a while. Last sold in 1998. Make an offer...

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Alexandria/3605-Orlando-Pl-22305/home/11850434

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have a budget of 1M and you need:

--- a Single Family Home
---- at least 4 bedrooms
---- Good to Great Schools
---- Willing to renovate, but not a total gut
--- Tolerable 1 day a week commute to DC

Where do you buy? and why?

Western loudoun county.

Beautiful that’s why.

I'm the "hey SP has been great for us poster" but I'd 100% support this. The area around Frederick is similarly amazing. I have other friends with kids who moved west instead of east and have had similar positive experiences with bigger houses and kids connecting to nature"

In SP news my husband walked down the street to our boat for a quick spin after work this evening and encountered a pod of dolphins on the Magothy River at sunset - love!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have a budget of 1M and you need:

--- a Single Family Home
---- at least 4 bedrooms
---- Good to Great Schools
---- Willing to renovate, but not a total gut
--- Tolerable 1 day a week commute to DC

Where do you buy? and why?

Western loudoun county.

Beautiful that’s why.

I'm the "hey SP has been great for us poster" but I'd 100% support this. The area around Frederick is similarly amazing. I have other friends with kids who moved west instead of east and have had similar positive experiences with bigger houses and kids connecting to nature"

In SP news my husband walked down the street to our boat for a quick spin after work this evening and encountered a pod of dolphins on the Magothy River at sunset - love!

I have zero desire to live in a crowded urban or suburban area. I don’t understand the appeal, but to each his own. I’d love a water view too! I’m also an outdoor person, hate being inside so for me having access to good biking, hiking, paddle board, kayak, and to be able to go on a run without the company of automobile exhaust is critical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This house - been on the market for a while. Last sold in 1998. Make an offer...

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Alexandria/3605-Orlando-Pl-22305/home/11850434

I love a good screened porch - this is a great one.

[Anonymous]

There are some people on this board with real chips on their shoulders about SP. I think it’s a bit irrational. As a PP pointed out, snobbery and elitism is common in MANY corners of the DMV. Anyway I live on the waterfront in AACo (not SP) and I’d do it again every time. I’m still shocked that we could afford water views for less than people pay to live in outer ring NOVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some people on this board with real chips on their shoulders about SP. I think it’s a bit irrational. As a PP pointed out, snobbery and elitism is common in MANY corners of the DMV. Anyway I live on the waterfront in AACo (not SP) and I’d do it again every time. I’m still shocked that we could afford water views for less than people pay to live in outer ring NOVA.

Anne Arundel County has a lot of untapped potential. If the schools were as strong as HoCo’s and there were more Asian grocery stores and ethnic restaurants, nobody would choose Howard County over Anne Arundel County. Location wise, they’re similarly far from DC, and in fact, some parts of Anne Arundel like Davidsonville, Crofton, Odenton, and Gambrills have even better commutes to DC than Columbia and Ellicott City.