What neighborhoods are best for kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring around Forest Glen.

Yep.

Agree with this too

Also agree. We are on the west side of GA Ave and are walkable to Forest Glen metro, both local elementary schools, which people tend to like; both local pool clubs which, again, people tend to like; the mall (not that I’d want to walk there necessarily) and town of Kensington (do so on weekends for brewery and farmers market). Modest but nice houses, tons of kids, safe, friendly, diverse, down to earth. East side of GA Ave is basically the same profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is amazing for kids. The kids aren’t any more warped than anywhere else in NW DC or Bethesda, Potomac, etc

OP asked about diverse neighborhoods. Somerset is one of the few majority white elementary schools.

Each year, Somerset Elementary has families who speak 35-40 different languages at home. Lots of World Bank, IMF, and embassy families. From that perspective, it has a ton of diversity. Just on our street, I can think of people from 4-5 different countries. Many people are rich but many are also having their housing paid for my their employers.

Did you not get the MoCo memo that those people don’t count when we talk about diversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is a nice place to raise kids, don’t get me wrong, but diversity and getting exposed to different kinds of people is not one reason for it being a good neighborhood. Diversity is not a universal good anyway: I don’t wanna be close to convicts or violent people

If you can afford Somerset, sure, go live there. They’ll do great, since it means you have the resources to help the kid if anything should arise. It’s just a wealthy neighborhood in MoCo, with the problems of wealthy neighborhoods (drugs in high schools, pressure cooker environment, you’ll have to work to teach tour kids empathy toward people that would never be able to afford living in a wealthy neigborhood

People in Somerset send their kids to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you could afford to live anywhere in dc or md, and wanted to be within 45 min of downtown (reliably 45 minutes in mornings and afternoons, not Howard county), which neighborhoods would you look at?

What is the sweet spot of safety, diversity, family activities, good public and/or private schools, nice housing and not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped?

Safety and diversity are mutually exclusive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring - North Hills, Four Corners, Forest Glen

Takoma Park

Bad schools, lots of crime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is a nice place to raise kids, don’t get me wrong, but diversity and getting exposed to different kinds of people is not one reason for it being a good neighborhood. Diversity is not a universal good anyway: I don’t wanna be close to convicts or violent people

If you can afford Somerset, sure, go live there. They’ll do great, since it means you have the resources to help the kid if anything should arise. It’s just a wealthy neighborhood in MoCo, with the problems of wealthy neighborhoods (drugs in high schools, pressure cooker environment, you’ll have to work to teach tour kids empathy toward people that would never be able to afford living in a wealthy neigborhood

People in Somerset send their kids to private.

This is not true. There are plenty of kids in Somerset that attend Somerset Elementary, Westland and BCC. Many people switched to private during covid and since new families in the neighborhood are primarily sending their kids to Somerset for K.

[Anonymous]

Post covid people are sending their kids now to Somerset elementary again.

[Anonymous]

Falls Church City

[Anonymous]

Woodmoor in Silver Spring

[Anonymous]

Rockville MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bradley Hills in Bethesda. Not as rich as Somerset, very family/kid friendly, very diverse.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Mt. Pleasant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring - North Hills, Four Corners, Forest Glen

Takoma Park

Bad schools, lots of crime

Actually great schools (TPES / TPMS are amazing. Most serious kids are in Piney Branch CES). Walk to school, not high crime in areas where you’d want to live. By far shortest commute and metro accessible. And of course diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Silver Spring - North Hills, Four Corners, Forest Glen

Takoma Park

Bad schools, lots of crime

Nope. You obviously don’t live there and are making assumptions. Great neighborhood/great schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is amazing for kids. The kids aren’t any more warped than anywhere else in NW DC or Bethesda, Potomac, etc

OP asked about diverse neighborhoods. Somerset is one of the few majority white elementary schools.

Each year, Somerset Elementary has families who speak 35-40 different languages at home. Lots of World Bank, IMF, and embassy families. From that perspective, it has a ton of diversity. Just on our street, I can think of people from 4-5 different countries. Many people are rich but many are also having their housing paid for my their employers.

Did you not get the MoCo memo that those people don’t count when we talk about diversity?

Actually Somerset ES is one of the more diverse schools in this area of the county, for example:

Somerset: FARMS: 18.9%, Black: 11%, Hispanic: 17.5%, White: 50.3%
Wood Acres (also mentioned): FARMS: 7.4%, Black <5%, Hispanic: 13.4%, White: 65.1%
Bradley Hills: FARMS: <5%, Black: <5%, Hispanic: 7.1%, White: 63.8%

It's similar to Bethesda Elementary:
FARMS: 20.6%, Black: 11.1%, Hispanic: 17%, although they have lower White population, and larger Asian one

The public school uptake rate of town residents is pretty high, if not a majority, at least in elementary, and certainly is the modal school choice. I am not sure where the weird snob comments are coming from, but that is really surprising to me, as our experience has been the polar opposite...people have been very welcoming (including to renters, which we were). They even have an annual newcomers party to welcome new town members.

There is also a wider range of wealth than people are suggesting. It's not a town full of mansions. Of course all real estate is expensive, but half of the homes sold in the past year were under 2m, and many residents have been here for a long time. The older kids seem very well grounded, and are often role models for the younger kids.

All to say...I would say Somerset, and some of the reasons people are giving against it don't seem to jive with my experience.