Do you regret moving to the suburbs?

[Anonymous]

We currently live in NW DC and have a 18 month old son w #2 on the way. We are completely torn about whether to stay in DC or move to Virginia. We love living in the city, being able to walk places, etc but would also love a house (live in a townhouse now) and more space in general. We are in a good elementary school district now (mann)so schools wouldn't be an issue for awhile. I just keep thinking that if we move we'll miss the conveniences of the city but it would also be so nice to have more space. Has anyone been in a similar situation and moved and then wished they hadn't? We are so torn so I'd love to hear thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Believe it or not, there are places in the suburbs where you can actually walk to things! What about Arlington or near Old Town Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

I would never try to convert someone who loves living in the city to the suburbs, and therefore I never understand the fights that break out on DCUM, as this area is all about trade offs and some people value some things and some people value others.

But since you asked, I think the close in suburbs are fantastic. No, they are not the city - but they can give you a good commute, great shops, restaurants, services, and farmer's markets, and can be walkable plus have more space, outside areas, etc. Please let me reiterate I am not saying the city lacks this stuff, I am just talking about my experience in the close in suburbs (I live near downtown Silver Spring).

We can walk to a metro, which is huge for us because we only have one car and aren't planning on being a two car family for a while. And there are a ton of trails around, and playgrounds and parks, and all the other stuff I mentioned. I can walk to all this stuff plus our local farmer's market, I do have to drive a couple of miles to get to the grocery (though people did walk to the grocery store during the snow storm last month - it is only about 1.5 miles), and other errands, but the trade off is worth it. I love being able to have the space, a yard, and we love our neighborhood. We also wanted to own a home which just wouldn't be possible in DC.

I love working in DC - but I lived there for several years in my 20s and was ready to move on when we started a family. If you are in doubt rent for a while - you could always move back!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never try to convert someone who loves living in the city to the suburbs, and therefore I never understand the fights that break out on DCUM, as this area is all about trade offs and some people value some things and some people value others.

But since you asked, I think the close in suburbs are fantastic. No, they are not the city - but they can give you a good commute, great shops, restaurants, services, and farmer's markets, and can be walkable plus have more space, outside areas, etc. Please let me reiterate I am not saying the city lacks this stuff, I am just talking about my experience in the close in suburbs (I live near downtown Silver Spring).

We can walk to a metro, which is huge for us because we only have one car and aren't planning on being a two car family for a while. And there are a ton of trails around, and playgrounds and parks, and all the other stuff I mentioned. I can walk to all this stuff plus our local farmer's market, I do have to drive a couple of miles to get to the grocery (though people did walk to the grocery store during the snow storm last month - it is only about 1.5 miles), and other errands, but the trade off is worth it. I love being able to have the space, a yard, and we love our neighborhood. We also wanted to own a home which just wouldn't be possible in DC.

I love working in DC - but I lived there for several years in my 20s and was ready to move on when we started a family. If you are in doubt rent for a while - you could always move back!

What neighborhood in Silver Spring do you live in? Your neighborhood sounds like the ideal location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We currently live in NW DC and have a 18 month old son w #2 on the way. We are completely torn about whether to stay in DC or move to Virginia. We love living in the city, being able to walk places, etc but would also love a house (live in a townhouse now) and more space in general. We are in a good elementary school district now (mann)so schools wouldn't be an issue for awhile. I just keep thinking that if we move we'll miss the conveniences of the city but it would also be so nice to have more space. Has anyone been in a similar situation and moved and then wished they hadn't? We are so torn so I'd love to hear thoughts.

If you're in-bounds for Mann you're already missing most of the city's conveniences. Would it be so different just over one state line or the other?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never try to convert someone who loves living in the city to the suburbs, and therefore I never understand the fights that break out on DCUM, as this area is all about trade offs and some people value some things and some people value others.

But since you asked, I think the close in suburbs are fantastic. No, they are not the city - but they can give you a good commute, great shops, restaurants, services, and farmer's markets, and can be walkable plus have more space, outside areas, etc. Please let me reiterate I am not saying the city lacks this stuff, I am just talking about my experience in the close in suburbs (I live near downtown Silver Spring).

We can walk to a metro, which is huge for us because we only have one car and aren't planning on being a two car family for a while. And there are a ton of trails around, and playgrounds and parks, and all the other stuff I mentioned. I can walk to all this stuff plus our local farmer's market, I do have to drive a couple of miles to get to the grocery (though people did walk to the grocery store during the snow storm last month - it is only about 1.5 miles), and other errands, but the trade off is worth it. I love being able to have the space, a yard, and we love our neighborhood. We also wanted to own a home which just wouldn't be possible in DC.

I love working in DC - but I lived there for several years in my 20s and was ready to move on when we started a family. If you are in doubt rent for a while - you could always move back!

What neighborhood in Silver Spring do you live in? Your neighborhood sounds like the ideal location.

We are in Forest Estates - less than a mile from Forest Glen metro. We love the neighborhood. The drawback with being "down county" is the schools. The elementary school is great but not sure about the middle and high school. We are a few years away from that and we will assess down the road.

I do love being able to walk to Sligo Creek trails and my toddler loves the playgrounds. A good mix of young families to folks with school aged kids and teens, to some who have raised their kids and are older. Especially during the snow storm, I felt like the neighborhood really pulled together - lots of really nice people.

[Anonymous]

If you're in-bounds for Mann you're already missing most of the city's conveniences. Would it be so different just over one state line or the other?

This is a really excellent point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never try to convert someone who loves living in the city to the suburbs, and therefore I never understand the fights that break out on DCUM, as this area is all about trade offs and some people value some things and some people value others.

But since you asked, I think the close in suburbs are fantastic. No, they are not the city - but they can give you a good commute, great shops, restaurants, services, and farmer's markets, and can be walkable plus have more space, outside areas, etc. Please let me reiterate I am not saying the city lacks this stuff, I am just talking about my experience in the close in suburbs (I live near downtown Silver Spring).

We can walk to a metro, which is huge for us because we only have one car and aren't planning on being a two car family for a while. And there are a ton of trails around, and playgrounds and parks, and all the other stuff I mentioned. I can walk to all this stuff plus our local farmer's market, I do have to drive a couple of miles to get to the grocery (though people did walk to the grocery store during the snow storm last month - it is only about 1.5 miles), and other errands, but the trade off is worth it. I love being able to have the space, a yard, and we love our neighborhood. We also wanted to own a home which just wouldn't be possible in DC.

I love working in DC - but I lived there for several years in my 20s and was ready to move on when we started a family. If you are in doubt rent for a while - you could always move back!

What neighborhood in Silver Spring do you live in? Your neighborhood sounds like the ideal location.

Woodside Park and East Silver Spring are walkable to downtown, accessible to trails, etc.

[Anonymous]

We moved from Logan Circle to Del Ray, Alexandria so we could have a yard and more space. I do miss the pace of the city, but honestly with a baby I can't just head out to a bar or restaurant anyway (at least the kind in the city), so the burbs are the right place for us now. And, we can walk to all the bars/restaurants on mt vernon ave which ARE family-friendly. I also drive to the grocery now, which is a big change for me, but walking to whole foods was truly a luxury that wasn't going to last forever.

[Anonymous]

I used to live in Silver Spring, and it was not for me. I was soooo much happier in DC. Now I live in Cleveland Park, and I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you're in-bounds for Mann you're already missing most of the city's conveniences. Would it be so different just over one state line or the other?

This is a really excellent point.

We just moved within the past year from the Palisades to a suburb just inside the beltway. even though we were in the palisades: huge difference. We could walk to georgetown, had sandwich shops and farmer markets within walking distance to us, etc... Now, we are car bound no matter what. Yes, we do miss the burbs. But we were living in a tiny house and even with one baby, we would have been busting at the seam.

[Anonymous]

We live in the burbs - Arlington, and have all the things that 6:50 gave up when she chose her suburb.

We commute with the metro (we walk). We walk to all sorts of things. Yeah, Ballston isn't charming, but since there are so many things there, including some really cute restaurants, ice skating, and athletic fields, we don't miss the cute anymore. We could not have survived my son's childhood without our small but sufficient back yard.

We're not so rich that we have a charming house, but it is functional and comfortable with sufficient space for us.

[Anonymous]

Moved to Bethesda (10 min walk from metro) from Logan Circle. Occasionally miss the charming houses, nightlife etc, but are much happier where we are now. the restaurants may not be great, but they are at least kid friendly, take reservations, and don't make you wait 1 hour to get seated. There is lots of stuff within walking distance.

[Anonymous]

We moved from Logan Circle (pre-kid) to Arlington (walking distance to East falls Church). I do miss being close to "stuff" and being able to walk to more restaurants, but I think our quality of life is better -- we have more choices. We are happy with our school choices, are close enough to walk to farmers market, pediatrician, quite a few restaurants, lots of parks and playgrounds. And we have great services -- our streets were plowed quickly, schools have aftercare (at least now, who knows what happens by the time our kid starts school). And if you stay closer in, near Clarendon, it might be even more "urban" than where you are now. Upper NW seems as suburban to me as where I live.

[Anonymous]

I agree that you can certainly still get a walkable area close to restaurants, shopping, etc in the suburbs. It just depends where you settle. Parts of Arlington (close to Clarendon, Courthouse, Ballston, etc) are certainly walkable and are probably just as close to downtown DC as neighborhoods within the District itself. Where I am (Waverly Hills), we can get to downtown DC in about 10 minutes on weekends, the zoo in 15 minutes, Palisades in 10 minutes, Eastern Market in 10-15 minutes, etc. We also have tons of parks and playgrounds nearby and all the restaurants and shopping of Clarendon/Courthouse 5 minutes by car or 20-30 minutes by foot. As another poster mentioned Del Ray is also nice, as is Old Town Alexandria. I would also look at Falls Church City and possibly even parts of Vienna (although that might be too far from DC for you).