For Westchester New York Transplants Which neighborhoods are most similar in NoVA and MD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase is the closest you will get for neighborhood feel but you may have to adjust your budget.

I grew up in Rockland and we just moved from northern jersey to Chevy chase right before the pandemic. I don’t really get a true neighborhood vibe here. That doesn’t mean people aren’t friendly - they are - but I don’t think you’re going to recreate what you see up north. It’s just different here.

But I do agree with PP that you can adjust the house price to cover the difference in property tax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase is the closest you will get for neighborhood feel but you may have to adjust your budget.

I grew up in Rockland and we just moved from northern jersey to Chevy chase right before the pandemic. I don’t really get a true neighborhood vibe here. That doesn’t mean people aren’t friendly - they are - but I don’t think you’re going to recreate what you see up north. It’s just different here.

But I do agree with PP that you can adjust the house price to cover the difference in property tax.

Hello, Rocklander! I'm from New City .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase is the closest you will get for neighborhood feel but you may have to adjust your budget.

I grew up in Rockland and we just moved from northern jersey to Chevy chase right before the pandemic. I don’t really get a true neighborhood vibe here. That doesn’t mean people aren’t friendly - they are - but I don’t think you’re going to recreate what you see up north. It’s just different here.

But I do agree with PP that you can adjust the house price to cover the difference in property tax.

Hello, Rocklander! I'm from New City .

Spring Valley in da house!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Your problem is that you grew up UMC, but you only have a MC budget for DC. Schools are much worse here than in those towns, but we don’t have the high taxes like Westchester does. I don’t think anything is really comparable here with the town center feeling. Maybe Vienna or DelRay.

Schools are much worse where? They certainly aren't much worse in Fairfax or Loudoun County.

No offense pp, but I'd say the schools in places like Scarsdale or Bronxville are definitely better than the ones in Fairfax and Loudoun.

+1

People who have never been to Scarsdale or Bronxville have still heard of them from tv,movies,pop culture, etc. as being very nice.

Not true for Fairfax Co.

Such a weird flex. I'm on my 40s, well educated, well read, and well traveled, and I've never heard of Scarsdale or Bronxville. Not everyone is from the Tri-State region...

I'm not sure it's only a Tri-State region thing. It may be more of a thing for educated people with a Boston-DC orientation. I have a college roommate who lives in Scarsdale and a partner at my law firm lives in Bronxville. Of course I know about those parts of Westchester, and similar areas like Short Hills in NJ, Great Neck on LI, etc. When they found out we moved to McLean, they congratulated me, because they are also familiar with McLean, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase. Do they know anything about Burke? Probably not. But they know about the expensive DC suburbs.

+ 1

It's a wealthy East Coast thing. Everyone has heard of Scarsdale or McLean. Who hasn't heard of Sidwell or Spence or Chapin or Dalton. I can go on and on.

I thought the same thing, to be honest. I'm surprised that anyone who is affluent in DC hasn't heard of Scarsdale or Bronxville.

I grew up all the way out in Denver and knew of Scarsdale. Not McLean. I also knew of New Trier in Chicago.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda maybe by Wildwood shopping center.

[Anonymous]

There is a big difference between Yonkers and North Salem. Where does OP reside in Westchester County? You are not going to find the equivalent of Pound Ridge, New York, for instance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i grew up in Westchester and my family and friends all live/lived in Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Bronxville. We metro train route without several transfers. We're open to commutable from Maryland too.

Alexandria 22307 and 22308 fit the budget of $700-$850K but there is something about it that we find depressing each time we look at homes there. I can't put my finger on what it iI is but each time we drive through there we gut instincts say no.

We like Del Ray, but houses in the area at that price are fixers or tear downs. We saw three in Arlington that we bid on but each went way over asking and needed a ton of work beyond modernizing i.e., structural, electrical work, landscaping, crab grass lawn and dangerous slate paths in need of repair. Same thing happened in Bethesda. Great house but again tons of work needed. We're in a temporary rental in Mark Center, don't feel comfortable there and it's a small apartment. Half of our belongings are in storage and we don't have that much. We're looking for a home with 3+ bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and room for guests in one of the spare bedrooms or an office or finished basement where we can set up sleeper sofas or a trundle bed. I never expected how different it would be here from what I'm familiar with in NY. We didn't like Rockville or Silver Spring.

I miss walking to town to grab coffee or people watch. I miss meeting friends for a quick bite at the local eatery. I miss the charm of these areas.

Do any of my fellow Westchester transplants relate? Where did you relocate in the area? Any suggestions?

Mosaic District in Merrifield.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

OP, I also grew up in Westchester, and have family still there. You are really not going to find exactly what you are looking for in the DMV. Parts of Takoma Park and close in Silver Spring could possibly feel like the river towns. Parts of Garrett Park, Chevy Chase and Town of Kensington may feel a little like some of the towns not on the river. But there are very, very few actual towns in this region, and that makes a huge difference in schools, taxes and neighborhood feel.
I have lived in Montgomery County for 15 years. It is ok, but it is not the same.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Your problem is that you grew up UMC, but you only have a MC budget for DC. Schools are much worse here than in those towns, but we don’t have the high taxes like Westchester does. I don’t think anything is really comparable here with the town center feeling. Maybe Vienna or DelRay.

Schools are much worse where? They certainly aren't much worse in Fairfax or Loudoun County.

No offense pp, but I'd say the schools in places like Scarsdale or Bronxville are definitely better than the ones in Fairfax and Loudoun.

+1

People who have never been to Scarsdale or Bronxville have still heard of them from tv,movies,pop culture, etc. as being very nice.

Not true for Fairfax Co.

Lol ... I’m not sure you are aware of how you sound (not flattering) or if this is a great out-on. 😎

Such a weird flex. I'm on my 40s, well educated, well read, and well traveled, and I've never heard of Scarsdale or Bronxville. Not everyone is from the Tri-State region...

I'm not sure it's only a Tri-State region thing. It may be more of a thing for educated people with a Boston-DC orientation. I have a college roommate who lives in Scarsdale and a partner at my law firm lives in Bronxville. Of course I know about those parts of Westchester, and similar areas like Short Hills in NJ, Great Neck on LI, etc. When they found out we moved to McLean, they congratulated me, because they are also familiar with McLean, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase. Do they know anything about Burke? Probably not. But they know about the expensive DC suburbs.

+ 1

It's a wealthy East Coast thing. Everyone has heard of Scarsdale or McLean. Who hasn't heard of Sidwell or Spence or Chapin or Dalton. I can go on and on.

And an education thing. I grew up in Westchester. I went to an Ivy for college. So, I am familiar with Brookline, Newton, Lexington in MA, Greenwich, New Canaan, etc in CT, the NJ burbs, Severna Park, Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Potomac, McLean in the DC area, Grosse Point, Bloomfield Hills in MI, Winnetka and other north suburbs of Chicago. Those are the places my classmates and friends were from.

This. And you are quite possibly as likely to be familiar with day schools (Boston Latin, Dalton, Collegiate, etc.) or top suburban schools (New Trier, Newton North, TJ, etc.) as with boarding schools (Andover, Exeter, St. Paul's, etc.).

I’ve only heard of Newton South and Newton North because of the now-celebrities that went to them.
Don't be mistaken - it's an education AND money thing. Folks who live in the above towns and/or attend those schools are much more likely to be wealthy and full pay for college. That wealth also enabled them to buy houses in the "top" school districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I also grew up in Westchester, and have family still there. You are really not going to find exactly what you are looking for in the DMV. Parts of Takoma Park and close in Silver Spring could possibly feel like the river towns. Parts of Garrett Park, Chevy Chase and Town of Kensington may feel a little like some of the towns not on the river. But there are very, very few actual towns in this region, and that makes a huge difference in schools, taxes and neighborhood feel.
I have lived in Montgomery County for 15 years. It is ok, but it is not the same.

They don't build them like they used to, as they say. It really is such a shame that this country spent billions of dollars encouraging suburban expansion and single-family homeownership, and did such a poor job of planning that now we're spending billions more trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, the City of Falls Church also comes close to replicating Westchester towns, bc it is a stand alone city in VA. Has its own schools, mayor, police, etc. Has a "main street" area.

That said, there is very slim pickings at your price point. Maybe some newer condos.

FCC is a bit like White Plains or Eastchester, in terms of housing.

Yep and as someone who grew up in Chappaqua, White Plains is not the nice part of Westchester. People in Chappaqua, Scarsdale, and Bedford look down on people who live in White Plains.

Not fair but it’s the truth.

The average HHI in Westchester is about $30K lower than in Fairfax, so most of Westchester isn't like Scarsdale any more than most of Fairfax is like Great Falls.

Yeah I know, but my point is that if OP is from Scarsdale/Chappaqua/Bedford, he/she isn’t going to want something that’s like White Plains or Yonkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase is the closest you will get for neighborhood feel but you may have to adjust your budget.

I grew up in Rockland and we just moved from northern jersey to Chevy chase right before the pandemic. I don’t really get a true neighborhood vibe here. That doesn’t mean people aren’t friendly - they are - but I don’t think you’re going to recreate what you see up north. It’s just different here.

But I do agree with PP that you can adjust the house price to cover the difference in property tax.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I also grew up in Westchester, and have family still there. You are really not going to find exactly what you are looking for in the DMV. Parts of Takoma Park and close in Silver Spring could possibly feel like the river towns. Parts of Garrett Park, Chevy Chase and Town of Kensington may feel a little like some of the towns not on the river. But there are very, very few actual towns in this region, and that makes a huge difference in schools, taxes and neighborhood feel.
I have lived in Montgomery County for 15 years. It is ok, but it is not the same.

They don't build them like they used to, as they say. It really is such a shame that this country spent billions of dollars encouraging suburban expansion and single-family homeownership, and did such a poor job of planning that now we're spending billions more trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

+1

The county-based government system makes it very hard to foster a human-scale sense of community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That feeling is because Alexandria is definitely The South.
Also hybla valley and Mount Vernon / route 1 there have always been sketchy from a crime perspective.

OK, agree re Hybla Valley and Mount Vernon, but complaining that Alexandria is the South is odd. Of course a city on the border of the South isn't going to feel like New England or Westchester, but it has its own charm... If you don't like that, DC (itself, like Baltimore, a southern city) may not be the right fit for you.

[Anonymous]

I’m from the tri-state area and disagree that you can’t find community here. My neighborhood is terrific and very close-knit.