Has anyone decided to give up on DCPS and move to Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the article needs to be updated. I see many middle-class AA families in Capitol Hill, NE (N.Cap St area), 16th St, and Shaw area. Yes, a lot of AA families exited in the late 90s, but with PG County becoming the old DC, middle-class families are returning to DC for the lifestyle and better public and charter school options.

Very true. Let's pay for another Census so we can see if a few more yuppies with kids have moved into Bloomingdale. The last one was so 2010.

The snark isn't necessary. The PP may be suggesting that if you're only looking at the total number of children in the city (as the Post article does) you're not seeing the underlying shift in economic circumstances, nor how they will ripple through the school system.

Oh, good heavens! Don't scare snarky PP away with nuance. This is pretty obvious if you think about it for more than thirty seconds, but it's so much easier to be snotty.

[Anonymous]

Politically, DC is just an echo chamber with little to no exchange of ideas, merely adherence to orthodoxy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the article needs to be updated. I see many middle-class AA families in Capitol Hill, NE (N.Cap St area), 16th St, and Shaw area. Yes, a lot of AA families exited in the late 90s, but with PG County becoming the old DC, middle-class families are returning to DC for the lifestyle and better public and charter school options.

Very true. Let's pay for another Census so we can see if a few more yuppies with kids have moved into Bloomingdale. The last one was so 2010.

The snark isn't necessary. The PP may be suggesting that if you're only looking at the total number of children in the city (as the Post article does) you're not seeing the underlying shift in economic circumstances, nor how they will ripple through the school system.

Oh, good heavens! Don't scare snarky PP away with nuance. This is pretty obvious if you think about it for more than thirty seconds, but it's so much easier to be snotty.

Like your post, for example?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Politically, DC is just an echo chamber with little to no exchange of ideas, merely adherence to orthodoxy.

If you're off orbiting Neptune on Wingnut Base Alpha, it absolutely must seem that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The snark isn't necessary. The PP may be suggesting that if you're only looking at the total number of children in the city (as the Post article does) you're not seeing the underlying shift in economic circumstances, nor how they will ripple through the school system.

Oh, good heavens! Don't scare snarky PP away with nuance. This is pretty obvious if you think about it for more than thirty seconds, but it's so much easier to be snotty.

There's nothing even remotely obvious about how the changing economic circumstances of some DC residents will "ripple through the school system." At this point, it's a crap shoot.

So long as the number of well-heeled in DC who send their kids to public schools remains substantially lower than the number living in DC with 2-year-olds, the ripple effect may be very shallow. Most of the noise is from people who are trying to convince others to stay in DC because it's in their personal financial interests that they do so. Other people remain stubbornly resistent, however, to using their kids to advance someone else's agenda.

This is a town, after all, where Adrien Fenty and Michelle Rhee were sent packing in short order. So why is it "pretty obvious" to hope that crappy DC schools will be transformed into Boston Latin and Hunter College in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Politically, DC is just an echo chamber with little to no exchange of ideas, merely adherence to orthodoxy.

If you're off orbiting Neptune on Wingnut Base Alpha, it absolutely must seem that way.

Um, anyone who can do math and read a poly sci map will tell you that 70%+ one party = corruption.

[Anonymous]

I'll bite. I lived in DC pretty much since I moved to the U.S. in 1999, and thought I'd never leave the city. Fast forward to 2010, I'm married and pregnant, and even though I thought we would stay till DS turns five, we decided to move when he was two months old.

Here's the thing. DC can be an absolutely lovely, vibrant, fun place to be for a single person or a childless couple. And yes, there are good elementaries, pretty leafy neighborhoods and smart people, but we finally faced the fact that we cannot and will not be able to afford a house in Spring Valley or even upper NW or sexy parts of the Hill, or a large place in Dupont or Georgetown, and we weren't willing to live in a condo. Outside of a handful of desirable neighborhoods, DC can be very gritty and unwelcoming. I lived in Trinidad (H Street) for four years and never felt at home. Not unsafe, but not at home, either. Your problem is that you are taking Georgetown and even gentrified Bloomingdale, and declaring it to be “DC”. It isn’t. It’s only a small part of DC, and many, many people in the city cannot afford the sort of stylish urban paradise you described. I really don’t get the benefit my kid gets from walking past beat-up bus shelters, vinos and boarded-up houses – aplenty in Trinidad.

We bought a big house in Falls Church near McLean. Yes, the place needs work but the neighborhood is pretty and friendly, there are parks and supermarkets within walking distance, and people are interesting enough. Most everyone is from somewhere else. I’m suddenly enjoying the space, the quiet and the backyard. Traffic? It takes me less time to drive from McLean to Van Ness (to work) than from Trinidad to Van Ness. Public transit? Don’t care. Never used the metro even when lived in Dupont, drove everywhere and loved it. Driving is actually more fun and convenient (to me) than public transit. There will, however, be a metro station in walking distance from the house two years from now. Our elementary school is one block away. Can all of this be had in DC? Sure. Just for a lot more money.


Museums and restaurants don’t disappear anywhere just because I have to drive half an hour to get there. It’s not outer space, is it.

A week ago we had to take DS to emergency room. We drove to NOVA in 15 minutes, valet parked, were seen by a doctor in 10 minutes and sent home in half an hour fully checked. The one time I went to GWU emergency, it took four hours in and out. And don’t forget surly, indifferent, inefficient public services in DC. Even my local Safeway is way pleasanter than the one in Trinidad.

I guess that this reluctant suburbanite is beginning to appreciate some good things about suburbia. And ladies, for all the talk about your treasured diversity, you sure aren’t very friendly to people who dare to voice a different opinion in this thread – witness all the “good riddance” posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. I lived in DC pretty much since I moved to the U.S. in 1999, and thought I'd never leave the city. Fast forward to 2010, I'm married and pregnant, and even though I thought we would stay till DS turns five, we decided to move when he was two months old.

Here's the thing. DC can be an absolutely lovely, vibrant, fun place to be for a single person or a childless couple. And yes, there are good elementaries, pretty leafy neighborhoods and smart people, but we finally faced the fact that we cannot and will not be able to afford a house in Spring Valley or even upper NW or sexy parts of the Hill, or a large place in Dupont or Georgetown, and we weren't willing to live in a condo. Outside of a handful of desirable neighborhoods, DC can be very gritty and unwelcoming. I lived in Trinidad (H Street) for four years and never felt at home. Not unsafe, but not at home, either. Your problem is that you are taking Georgetown and even gentrified Bloomingdale, and declaring it to be “DC”. It isn’t. It’s only a small part of DC, and many, many people in the city cannot afford the sort of stylish urban paradise you described. I really don’t get the benefit my kid gets from walking past beat-up bus shelters, vinos and boarded-up houses – aplenty in Trinidad.

We bought a big house in Falls Church near McLean. Yes, the place needs work but the neighborhood is pretty and friendly, there are parks and supermarkets within walking distance, and people are interesting enough. Most everyone is from somewhere else. I’m suddenly enjoying the space, the quiet and the backyard. Traffic? It takes me less time to drive from McLean to Van Ness (to work) than from Trinidad to Van Ness. Public transit? Don’t care. Never used the metro even when lived in Dupont, drove everywhere and loved it. Driving is actually more fun and convenient (to me) than public transit. There will, however, be a metro station in walking distance from the house two years from now. Our elementary school is one block away. Can all of this be had in DC? Sure. Just for a lot more money.


Museums and restaurants don’t disappear anywhere just because I have to drive half an hour to get there. It’s not outer space, is it.

A week ago we had to take DS to emergency room. We drove to NOVA in 15 minutes, valet parked, were seen by a doctor in 10 minutes and sent home in half an hour fully checked. The one time I went to GWU emergency, it took four hours in and out. And don’t forget surly, indifferent, inefficient public services in DC. Even my local Safeway is way pleasanter than the one in Trinidad.

I guess that this reluctant suburbanite is beginning to appreciate some good things about suburbia. And ladies, for all the talk about your treasured diversity, you sure aren’t very friendly to people who dare to voice a different opinion in this thread – witness all the “good riddance” posts.

Sincerely glad it all worked out for you. But you sound like you were a good fit for the suburbs all along what with driving everywhere, hankering for a big house, feeling out if sorts in Trinidad etc.

The good riddance posts are for the people coming in the DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS forum and lecturing others about it being time to grow up and move to the suburbs. That's annoying. Your post, in comparison is charming

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't know why anyone would tell other people what to do, but I guess it happens. I just wanted to throw in my perspective on why some people decide to leave DC. I love DC, really, I do, I bought in Trinidad when people thought I was crazy, I did my share of urban-pioneerin'. I contemplated staying very seriously, I really tried to love it as a family place.

And after I had DC, all the things I was able to shrug off suddenly became unshruggable. So there you have it..

[Anonymous]

I think that is a good analysis of why people leave DC. I think people who knock the suburbs are pretty obnoxious. PP, that moved from Trinidad to Falls Church--I respect your decision and you seem to have a level enough head on your shoulders to be able to respect that those who stick it out in DC are able to achieve some balance that makes them happy.

[Anonymous]

22:25: Boy, does that sound familiar. "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."

While the line "sounds like you were a good fit for the suburbs all along" is probably a nicer form of "good riddance," I think individual parents have to make their own decisions. The number of parents who thought they were "urban pioneers" and would always remain in DC, yet moved to NoVa or Maryland, are legion.

In our case, we were in Mount Pleasant. There were quite a few families with young children. We were in a beautiful rowhouse within easy walking distance to a bus stop and the Zoo. Commuting downtown was a breeze. And yet....once we had kids the drug dealers on the block, the vagrants urinating and defecating in the alleys, the lousy retail, and the elementary school that could never quite get its act together really started to wear on us. Eventually, at least 3/4 of the families on our block with young kids when we moved in left. Today, the neighborhood is even more expensive, there are more renovated townhouses than ever, and there are still drug dealers on the streets, men who urinate in the alleys, a retail strip that's completely uninviting, and an elementary school that struggles to retain middle-class students past pre-K.

So, what did we get in the suburbs in return? A larger house on more land, better schools with far more diversity than DCPS, neighbors with a mix of political opinions, and far more family-friendly amenities. Do we have to drive places and endure longer commutes? Absolutely. Do we still come into DC? Frequently. It works best for us. However, if we couldn't have afforded a nice house within 10 miles of DC, we might have stayed. Everyone's circumstances are different, and it's really tiresome to read posts that suggest either that those who've moved to the suburbs are traitors and wimps, or that those who've decided to remain in the city are narcissists.

[Anonymous]

Question for the last coupe PP's...if you are so gung ho about your decision to move, why are you posting on a forum for DC public schools? Seriously. Its hard not to read any of those responses and not wonder if you are just paradigm predators.

[Anonymous]

Just to hazard a guess, it might be because the posts are responsive to the OP's question. There are other threads for people who would never leave or decided to stay.

Guess you want to hit the reset button to "don't let the door hit you on your way out."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. I lived in DC pretty much since I moved to the U.S. in 1999, and thought I'd never leave the city. Fast forward to 2010, I'm married and pregnant, and even though I thought we would stay till DS turns five, we decided to move when he was two months old.

Here's the thing. DC can be an absolutely lovely, vibrant, fun place to be for a single person or a childless couple. And yes, there are good elementaries, pretty leafy neighborhoods and smart people, but we finally faced the fact that we cannot and will not be able to afford a house in Spring Valley or even upper NW or sexy parts of the Hill, or a large place in Dupont or Georgetown, and we weren't willing to live in a condo. Outside of a handful of desirable neighborhoods, DC can be very gritty and unwelcoming. I lived in Trinidad (H Street) for four years and never felt at home. Not unsafe, but not at home, either. Your problem is that you are taking Georgetown and even gentrified Bloomingdale, and declaring it to be “DC”. It isn’t. It’s only a small part of DC, and many, many people in the city cannot afford the sort of stylish urban paradise you described. I really don’t get the benefit my kid gets from walking past beat-up bus shelters, vinos and boarded-up houses – aplenty in Trinidad.

We bought a big house in Falls Church near McLean. Yes, the place needs work but the neighborhood is pretty and friendly, there are parks and supermarkets within walking distance, and people are interesting enough. Most everyone is from somewhere else. I’m suddenly enjoying the space, the quiet and the backyard. Traffic? It takes me less time to drive from McLean to Van Ness (to work) than from Trinidad to Van Ness. Public transit? Don’t care. Never used the metro even when lived in Dupont, drove everywhere and loved it. Driving is actually more fun and convenient (to me) than public transit. There will, however, be a metro station in walking distance from the house two years from now. Our elementary school is one block away. Can all of this be had in DC? Sure. Just for a lot more money.


Museums and restaurants don’t disappear anywhere just because I have to drive half an hour to get there. It’s not outer space, is it.

A week ago we had to take DS to emergency room. We drove to NOVA in 15 minutes, valet parked, were seen by a doctor in 10 minutes and sent home in half an hour fully checked. The one time I went to GWU emergency, it took four hours in and out. And don’t forget surly, indifferent, inefficient public services in DC. Even my local Safeway is way pleasanter than the one in Trinidad.

I guess that this reluctant suburbanite is beginning to appreciate some good things about suburbia. And ladies, for all the talk about your treasured diversity, you sure aren’t very friendly to people who dare to voice a different opinion in this thread – witness all the “good riddance” posts.

enough said. my personal opinion on your way of life is that it is not sustainable for the long term and maybe even the short term. i think you will be pretty glad to have that metro station some day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bite. I lived in DC pretty much since I moved to the U.S. in 1999, and thought I'd never leave the city. Fast forward to 2010, I'm married and pregnant, and even though I thought we would stay till DS turns five, we decided to move when he was two months old.

Here's the thing. DC can be an absolutely lovely, vibrant, fun place to be for a single person or a childless couple. And yes, there are good elementaries, pretty leafy neighborhoods and smart people, but we finally faced the fact that we cannot and will not be able to afford a house in Spring Valley or even upper NW or sexy parts of the Hill, or a large place in Dupont or Georgetown, and we weren't willing to live in a condo. Outside of a handful of desirable neighborhoods, DC can be very gritty and unwelcoming. I lived in Trinidad (H Street) for four years and never felt at home. Not unsafe, but not at home, either. Your problem is that you are taking Georgetown and even gentrified Bloomingdale, and declaring it to be “DC”. It isn’t. It’s only a small part of DC, and many, many people in the city cannot afford the sort of stylish urban paradise you described. I really don’t get the benefit my kid gets from walking past beat-up bus shelters, vinos and boarded-up houses – aplenty in Trinidad.

We bought a big house in Falls Church near McLean. Yes, the place needs work but the neighborhood is pretty and friendly, there are parks and supermarkets within walking distance, and people are interesting enough. Most everyone is from somewhere else. I’m suddenly enjoying the space, the quiet and the backyard. Traffic? It takes me less time to drive from McLean to Van Ness (to work) than from Trinidad to Van Ness. Public transit? Don’t care. Never used the metro even when lived in Dupont, drove everywhere and loved it. Driving is actually more fun and convenient (to me) than public transit. There will, however, be a metro station in walking distance from the house two years from now. Our elementary school is one block away. Can all of this be had in DC? Sure. Just for a lot more money.


Museums and restaurants don’t disappear anywhere just because I have to drive half an hour to get there. It’s not outer space, is it.

A week ago we had to take DS to emergency room. We drove to NOVA in 15 minutes, valet parked, were seen by a doctor in 10 minutes and sent home in half an hour fully checked. The one time I went to GWU emergency, it took four hours in and out. And don’t forget surly, indifferent, inefficient public services in DC. Even my local Safeway is way pleasanter than the one in Trinidad.

I guess that this reluctant suburbanite is beginning to appreciate some good things about suburbia. And ladies, for all the talk about your treasured diversity, you sure aren’t very friendly to people who dare to voice a different opinion in this thread – witness all the “good riddance” posts.

Sincerely glad it all worked out for you. But you sound like you were a good fit for the suburbs all along what with driving everywhere, hankering for a big house, feeling out if sorts in Trinidad etc.

The good riddance posts are for the people coming in the DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS forum and lecturing others about it being time to grow up and move to the suburbs. That's annoying. Your post, in comparison is charming

I think we've got to give her that one. Native Washingtonian or not, I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in Trinidad.