I’m making the leap from Va to Maryland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPif you already live in VA (title) then you know what VA is like. Bethesda = Arlington, Mclean = Chevy Chase, Vienna = Kensington. Olney I’m not sure maybe Chantilly.

Bethesda = Arlington???
Are you joking?

If anything, Bethesda=McLean. Chevy Chase is unique (like Kenilworth, IL or Bronxville, NY because it is older and planned, unlike McLean).

I thought Arlington = NWDC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park is great. University Park is great. Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville are great. Greenbelt is great. Cheaper than MoCo and NoVa.

What is it you think "great means"

It's all cheap for a reason, and far from great.

Sayeth the racists who have never been there (or not been there recently). College Park/University Park look very much like the Midwestern college town I grew up in - there are beautiful historic homes, good coffee shops. quirky stores, and parts are very walkable. It hasn't been cheap for some time. Hyattsville and Mt. Rainier have a Takoma Park feel with a more affordable price point. Artists, gay couples, and millennial families are buying there in droves. Finally, Greenbelt is frequently picked as one of the best cities to live in in the entire country. It's very diverse. Very good public services. Walkable. Green. Small town feel. There are a lot of racists who write nasty posts any time any one mentions a great house or an event in PG county. If it's not a McMansion in a light and bright NoVa neighborhood it's ugly or unsafe or full of crime. It's noted (and disgusting).

Nah, it’s just cheap with a lot of aging housing that hasn’t been maintained, plus the public schools are so bad real estate agents don’t even bother to include them on the listings because the agents know they only further discourage people from wanting to live there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park is great. University Park is great. Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville are great. Greenbelt is great. Cheaper than MoCo and NoVa.

What is it you think "great means"

It's all cheap for a reason, and far from great.

Sayeth the racists who have never been there (or not been there recently). College Park/University Park look very much like the Midwestern college town I grew up in - there are beautiful historic homes, good coffee shops. quirky stores, and parts are very walkable. It hasn't been cheap for some time. Hyattsville and Mt. Rainier have a Takoma Park feel with a more affordable price point. Artists, gay couples, and millennial families are buying there in droves. Finally, Greenbelt is frequently picked as one of the best cities to live in in the entire country. It's very diverse. Very good public services. Walkable. Green. Small town feel. There are a lot of racists who write nasty posts any time any one mentions a great house or an event in PG county. If it's not a McMansion in a light and bright NoVa neighborhood it's ugly or unsafe or full of crime. It's noted (and disgusting).

Nah, it’s just cheap with a lot of aging housing that hasn’t been maintained, plus the public schools are so bad real estate agents don’t even bother to include them on the listings because the agents know they only further discourage people from wanting to live there.

Did you think about how stupid this was before you hit "submit?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPif you already live in VA (title) then you know what VA is like. Bethesda = Arlington, Mclean = Chevy Chase, Vienna = Kensington. Olney I’m not sure maybe Chantilly.

Bethesda = Arlington???
Are you joking?

If anything, Bethesda=McLean. Chevy Chase is unique (like Kenilworth, IL or Bronxville, NY because it is older and planned, unlike McLean).

Here's a good article on the MD/VA sister neighborhoods: https://ggwash.org/view/76089/northern-virginia-montgomery-county-maryland-neighborhoods

???????
That's someone's opinions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OPif you already live in VA (title) then you know what VA is like. Bethesda = Arlington, Mclean = Chevy Chase, Vienna = Kensington. Olney I’m not sure maybe Chantilly.

Bethesda = Arlington???
Are you joking?

If anything, Bethesda=McLean. Chevy Chase is unique (like Kenilworth, IL or Bronxville, NY because it is older and planned, unlike McLean).

Here's a good article on the MD/VA sister neighborhoods: https://ggwash.org/view/76089/northern-virginia-montgomery-county-maryland-neighborhoods

???????
That's someone's opinions.

Yes... Of course it's an opinion article. The author of the article was simply providing cities that are most similar to one other. And I think for the most part, he was spot on .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I just put "" there to emphasize that most people I've met would not use those specific terms to describe any of those areas. I wasn't intending for any read between the lines, whatever that means. All three areas are higher crime than other areas of MoCo like Bethesda, and Bethesda is already between 2x and 4x higher crime than Nova.

+1. Just go bestplaces.net/crime and you can compare any two cities. Bethesda vs Vienna double the violent crime. College Park vs Bethesda double violent crime again.

I'm not sure that website fully reflects the situation because it's using some kind of weird "index" that it created itself. If you go to https://www.areavibes.com/crime-comparison/ they have the actual rates of crime per 100k residents. Based on the comparison you just did, it looks a lot worse. Vienna 48/100k violent crime. Bethesda 216/100k. College Park 639/100k!!! This makes Bethesda over four times worse than Vienna, and College Park three times worse than Bethesda. Hyattsville, on the other hand, is "only" double the violent crime of Bethesda.

You racist for saying that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You may already know this, but the property taxes in MD are some of the worst in the country, that's why homes are so much cheaper there. Their income taxes are also higher than Virginia's. Also, Virginia has some of the best public schools in the country and great public universities. Just be sure to weigh the cons as well as pros. But you know your circumstances best. Best of luck!!

I moved from Virginia to Maryland to buy a house in the same price range as OP. You can get into a much bigger house in a nicer area, closer to their work with less commute, and better schools for the price. You think they should forego all that to save a couple thousand in taxes? My taxes were only slightly higher in Maryland. The really large tax differences only happen at very high income levels and that’s not the case fro someone buying a home for 550k.

Exactly! I did the same and although my taxes are slightly higher in MD than when I lived in NoVa, I got a much better place closer in than I would have been able to get in VA. Plus all that you save in taxes will be made up in car fees, longer commutes and/or expensive tolls. The Dulles Greenway now is what like $6 dollars just to go a couple miles? Thats not counting the Dulles Toll Road and I-66 tolls inside the beltway. Those cost add up significantly over time.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda and Moco are dying while Arlington, Falls Church City, and Mclean/Tysons are booming.

Arlington, Mclean and FCC capture all top rankings in the DC area for education, health, and median incomes.

Best city in the US to live in on niche for 2020: Arlington
https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/

Healthiest city in the US: Falls Church City
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-03-26/falls-church-virginia-is-americas-healthiest-community-due-to-education-economy#:~:text=It%20doesn't%20hurt%20that,rate%20is%20around%203%20percent.

25 best counties in the U.S. to live in based on education, poverty and life expectancy: 1. FCC and 3. Arlington
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/02/05/25-best-counties-u-s-live-based-education-poverty-and-life-expectancy/1062019001/

[Anonymous]

8. Arlington County, Virginia — $120,950
7. Fairfax County, Virginia — $122,035
6. San Mateo County, California — $122,930
5. Marin County, California — $122,933
4. Los Alamos County, New Mexico — $124,947
3. Santa Clara County, California — $125,933
2. Falls Church City, Virginia — $137,551
1. Loudoun County, Virginia — $140,382

[Anonymous]

Although MD's purple line is making up for NOVA getting Amazon and Google.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda and Moco are dying while Arlington, Falls Church City, and Mclean/Tysons are booming.

Arlington, Mclean and FCC capture all top rankings in the DC area for education, health, and median incomes.

Best city in the US to live in on niche for 2020: Arlington
https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/

Healthiest city in the US: Falls Church City
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-03-26/falls-church-virginia-is-americas-healthiest-community-due-to-education-economy#:~:text=It%20doesn't%20hurt%20that,rate%20is%20around%203%20percent.

25 best counties in the U.S. to live in based on education, poverty and life expectancy: 1. FCC and 3. Arlington
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/02/05/25-best-counties-u-s-live-based-education-poverty-and-life-expectancy/1062019001/

https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959/

[Anonymous]

Hi OP-
Out of the 3 places I recommend Silver Spring, MD - either Forest Glen or Woodside Park. I don't know what your budget is but this is less than a mile from the Forest Glen Metro:
https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/10015-Quinby-Ct-20901/home/11030876
A good thing about Silver Spring is that you'll be part of the down county consortium (DCC) which means your kids can attend any of the high schools that are within that consortium depending on their interest. Blair for instance is part of the DCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park is great. University Park is great. Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville are great. Greenbelt is great. Cheaper than MoCo and NoVa.

What is it you think "great means"

It's all cheap for a reason, and far from great.

Sayeth the racists who have never been there (or not been there recently). College Park/University Park look very much like the Midwestern college town I grew up in - there are beautiful historic homes, good coffee shops. quirky stores, and parts are very walkable. It hasn't been cheap for some time. Hyattsville and Mt. Rainier have a Takoma Park feel with a more affordable price point. Artists, gay couples, and millennial families are buying there in droves. Finally, Greenbelt is frequently picked as one of the best cities to live in in the entire country. It's very diverse. Very good public services. Walkable. Green. Small town feel. There are a lot of racists who write nasty posts any time any one mentions a great house or an event in PG county. If it's not a McMansion in a light and bright NoVa neighborhood it's ugly or unsafe or full of crime. It's noted (and disgusting).

Nah, it’s just cheap with a lot of aging housing that hasn’t been maintained, plus the public schools are so bad real estate agents don’t even bother to include them on the listings because the agents know they only further discourage people from wanting to live there.

Yikes these racist trolls keep coming out from under their rocks. Must be the same people that the forced the creation of the separate PG schools topic. Yuck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Park is great. University Park is great. Mt. Rainier and Hyattsville are great. Greenbelt is great. Cheaper than MoCo and NoVa.

What is it you think "great means"

It's all cheap for a reason, and far from great.

Sayeth the racists who have never been there (or not been there recently). College Park/University Park look very much like the Midwestern college town I grew up in - there are beautiful historic homes, good coffee shops. quirky stores, and parts are very walkable. It hasn't been cheap for some time. Hyattsville and Mt. Rainier have a Takoma Park feel with a more affordable price point. Artists, gay couples, and millennial families are buying there in droves. Finally, Greenbelt is frequently picked as one of the best cities to live in in the entire country. It's very diverse. Very good public services. Walkable. Green. Small town feel. There are a lot of racists who write nasty posts any time any one mentions a great house or an event in PG county. If it's not a McMansion in a light and bright NoVa neighborhood it's ugly or unsafe or full of crime. It's noted (and disgusting).

Nah, it’s just cheap with a lot of aging housing that hasn’t been maintained, plus the public schools are so bad real estate agents don’t even bother to include them on the listings because the agents know they only further discourage people from wanting to live there.

Yikes these racist trolls keep coming out from under their rocks. Must be the same people that the forced the creation of the separate PG schools topic. Yuck!

Where did the PP mention anything about race? You're the one who brought race into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda and Moco are dying while Arlington, Falls Church City, and Mclean/Tysons are booming.

Arlington, Mclean and FCC capture all top rankings in the DC area for education, health, and median incomes.

Best city in the US to live in on niche for 2020: Arlington
https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-cities/

Healthiest city in the US: Falls Church City
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-03-26/falls-church-virginia-is-americas-healthiest-community-due-to-education-economy#:~:text=It%20doesn't%20hurt%20that,rate%20is%20around%203%20percent.

25 best counties in the U.S. to live in based on education, poverty and life expectancy: 1. FCC and 3. Arlington
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/02/05/25-best-counties-u-s-live-based-education-poverty-and-life-expectancy/1062019001/

https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959/

Hawaii is happy?