Looking to buy SFH in good neighborhood. Seeking recommendations. New Job is in Gaithersburg, MD

Anonymous
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Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend my neighborhood (Wildwood), near Walter Johnson HS. It would be a reverse commute and is really close to 270, so probably 15-20 minutes, tops.


Just...no!


Why no?


Why would you?

The houses are overpriced. It was actually ranked #3 in the nation for overpriced houses.

The roads are horrible ... 4 people have died walking in that area in The past 4 months.

The people are snobby. Little to no green m space. Congested streets even on the weekends.


I live there and I love it! The neighborhood off Cheshire Drive? I have not heard of any pedestrian deaths in my neighborhood- link? No one is snobby at all that I know. Are you sure you are thinking of the right neighborhood?


Well that’s typical that you don’t know about the multiple deaths Of beloved children in your community.

Google it. I’m not your secretary,



I googled. Nothing. You sound like an awful person, BTW. I'm glad you don't live in my neighborhood.


Ditto

It’s sad you don’t know your community ... typical though.


I don't make absurd claims without backing them up with proof. Nor do I make generalizations of hundreds of people.
Anonymous
I think the PP who mentions the multiple pedestrian deaths in the Wildwood community is thinking more broadly than just in the precise Wildwood community. Very sadly, yes, we have had multiple pedestrian injuries and deaths in the surrounding areas to Wildwood
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Check out College Gardens and Woodley Gardens in Rockville. Nice neighborhoods.


+1 for Rockville.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:$750 will get you a big house in baker park neighborhood in Frederick. That’s where I’d go.

Not if OP is coming from Cupertino CA, and commuting to Gaithersburg.

-signed a former SV resident
BayAreatoMD
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Anonymous wrote:OP take away from this thread. You will need to do your own home work.

MCPS has plenty of good schools. The fit you are looking for might not exist any where. Parents are intense no matter which schools. We all want the best for our perfect children. LOL...

Focus on your kids and your family needs.

Commute- can be horrible here reverse or not. Pick a radius you are comfortable. Google maps can even tell you at rush hours.

Public schools - quite varied and it depends on what you are looking for. Nothing is perfect, of course some are better than others.

Gaithersburg itself is divided. 355 is kind of a dividing line as is Gaithersburg closer to Germantown and Gaithersburg/North Potomac.

My personal opinion take it for what it's worth. Richard Montgomery Cluster (make sure to check out elementary school ratings, I like Richie Park or College Gardens), Wootton cluster, can have high pressure parents ,but you do you.

Stay away from Crown Farm planned development. Pulte homes there are poorly constructed, and schools not great. There was a shooting their this past week and no one seems to know where the bullets came from?

Clarksburg, Urbana, Frederick all too far and have their own issues.

Poolesville, not a fan, even with the magnet program at the high school. Too many Trump fans for me. Too insular. Yes, I said that. And it's a rough commute to parts of Gaithersburg.

Kentlands is a mixed bag. The community is nice and family oriented. Make sure to have an excellent inspection if buying there. Schools are middle of the road, some people think they are awesome, some opt for private immediately. Walkable to shopping, pools, parks, and lots of kids. No metro.



Very helpful, Thank you! Us Parents can be partial to a fault. I've gleaned a lot of valuable information here and it's gonna help with our search.
BayAreatoMD
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Anonymous wrote:
BayAreatoMD wrote:
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Anonymous wrote:Greenbelt. Takoma Park. Glen Echo. Frederick.

? traffic would be a nightmare. You would be going with traffic on 270, and 495 would be horrible, too. You could take 200 toll road I suppose.


Someone coming from Cupertino is going to want their neighbors to be smart, quirky, and probably liberal. They are going to appreciate heritage homes. They are used to a certain type of green space. People who work at AstraZeneca in G'burg live in all of these cities. Especially with WFH options.

You don't know Cupertiono. That area is not quirky or have any heritage homes, nor does that area have much green space, for the most part.

-former Sunnyvale/Cupertino resident


Right, a certain company pretty much bought all available land . We do have a decent size backyard and those are hard to find now. I'm looking forward to a change of pace. I'll like to bring the weather with me though.... Thank you!!

Former Bay Area PP here... I would be your BFF if you could bring the great Bay Area weather here LOL I miss it sooo much.

If you want to live near G'burg for work, and you want to avoid the "Cupertino pressure cooker", I would stay away from Wootton cluster. QO cluster is fine, but heavily into sports, but it's supposed to have a great school spirit, though again, mostly around sports.

IMO, RM cluster is a bit more well rounded-- they have IB magnet, and of course lots of AP classes, a good athletic department, a pretty awesome theater department. Of course, with the boundary study things may change, but no one really knows what that change will look like. Bayard Rustin has the Chinese Immersion program; College Garden ES has PYP IB and Julius West MS has MYP (these programs aren't a huge deal, though). RM cluster is one of the most diverse cluster in the county.

From a "things to do" perspective, I think Rio and Kentlands area have more shops/restaurants as there is a lot more new development in that area, but I also find that area really crowded.

Most of Kentland homes do not have large back yards. There are a few that do, but from what I have seen, most do not. You will get larger lot sizes outside of the Kentand area.

I'm sure you know this... but while your water bill will be much lower compared to CA, your heating and electricity bill will be much higher, but your taxes will be lower



Thank you. This is very helpful. You understand where we're coming from..... and AMEN to the TAXES
Anonymous
Is the job with AstraZeneca? Many employees live in Kentlands.
If you want a large yard, look elsewhere like North Potomac.
I like Kentlands because of community pool and activities, and everything I need is here (except Target) and I can walk to it all. Many restaurants, nail salons, a new movie theater and we love the walking trails around lake and soccer field that the kids use when it’s not reserved.
Some people don’t like the density. Or don’t mind driving everywhere.
Anonymous
The Potomac Chase/Jones Lane community is nice and close to Gaithersburg. You can get a decent sized yard too, assuming you're OK with Quince Orchard, which is a good school, just not as good when compared to the W's
Anonymous
North Potomac!! Or Darnestown. Absolutely lovely, good schools, lots of green space and nice SFHs between $550k-800k.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:The Potomac Chase/Jones Lane community is nice and close to Gaithersburg. You can get a decent sized yard too, assuming you're OK with Quince Orchard, which is a good school, just not as good when compared to the W's


Well, unless you look at USNWR, in which case it's quite good. #5 in MD. For reference, Churchill is #6. The schools above QO are RM, BCC, Wootton, and Whitman.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools-104047
Anonymous
Stay out of Rockville. Its terrible.

-signed, someone who lives in Rockville, and doesn't need to puff his own town and invite in more people.

also, stay away from Bethany Beach, its a craphole
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Stay out of Rockville. Its terrible.

-signed, someone who lives in Rockville, and doesn't need to puff his own town and invite in more people.

also, stay away from Bethany Beach, its a craphole

eh.. Rockville is fine. No worse than the surrounding towns, and in some cases much better, IMO. At least we have sidewalks.

-signed Rockville resident and former Bay Area resident.

One thing to note OP... certain areas around the QO and RM cluster will get rezoned to a new HS - Crown HS - by the time your kids are in HS. That may not be a bad thing. MCPS usually will put some interesting program in the new HS to make it a draw. And then of course, the HS will be brand new.
Anonymous
I really like the Quince Orchard area. It's great for families with kids. Rockville is nice too but I find it a bit more congested. I also like Clarksburg- tons of families with kids of varying ages there, really diverse; and you'll get a newer house for your money- but it's a bit further out.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I really like the Quince Orchard area. It's great for families with kids. Rockville is nice too but I find it a bit more congested. I also like Clarksburg- tons of families with kids of varying ages there, really diverse; and you'll get a newer house for your money- but it's a bit further out.

eh.. Kentlands area is super congested. Kentland homes are pretty close together. If one doesn't mind houses being that close together, then it's fine. Of course, there are homes outside of Kentlands that are spaced further apart. Rockville, too, has some homes that are close together, but they also have many homes that are further apart. I don't see how Rockville is any more congested than QO area.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I really like the Quince Orchard area. It's great for families with kids. Rockville is nice too but I find it a bit more congested. I also like Clarksburg- tons of families with kids of varying ages there, really diverse; and you'll get a newer house for your money- but it's a bit further out.

eh.. Kentlands area is super congested. Kentland homes are pretty close together. If one doesn't mind houses being that close together, then it's fine. Of course, there are homes outside of Kentlands that are spaced further apart. Rockville, too, has some homes that are close together, but they also have many homes that are further apart. I don't see how Rockville is any more congested than QO area.


I'm thinking more so of the neighborhoods near Rockville Pike as being congested. As for the QO area, i'm talking about the Jones Lane community, Potomac Chase, etc. Not necessarily Kentlands, although Kentlands really is unique and its super family friendly. Regarding Clarksburg, I think it's a really great option if OP is looking to find a nice, new, move-in ready house, with a 750K budget. Heck, she can even get a new build in that price range and the homes are definitely bigger, with front loading garages (check out NV and Winchester homes in Cabin Branch).
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