Reply to Chevy Chase, DC v. Takoma Park, MD

Forum Index » Real Estate

Reply to "Chevy Chase, DC v. Takoma Park, MD"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Tp has metro, ccdc has only irregular bus access. Tp has viable public school through high school. You will hear differing opinions over whether elementary is viable. Nothing after that is an option in DC. Money will go a little farther in tp given it is farther from the core and has less desirable areas as neighbors.[/quote]

Parts of TP are walkable to the Takoma metro.  Parts of CCDC are walkable to Friendship Heights.  In both areas there are parts where you'll need to take a bus to metro (partially depending on what you consider "walkable").  CCDC has lower crime, so late at night the metro might seem like a more realistic option.

TP's public elementary is more diverse than Lafayette or Janney, and more economically diverse than Murch.  This bring lower test scores (although it's hard to compare) but also smaller class sizes.  Montgomery County definitely has the more carefully thought out curriculum, although it can also be less imaginative than the curriculum in the Upper NW schools where teachers have more freedom.  In reality people are generally pretty happy with Murch, Lafayette, and Janney, and are also happy with Takoma Park Elementary and Piney Branch which is where the 3rd through 5th graders go.

In Middle school, both Takoma Park Middle and Deal have good reputations and are sought after options.  Montgomery County has significantly more arts and more PE in middle school than DCPS, which was important to me but may not be important to you.  TPMS houses the gifted math/science program which is very hard to get into, DC does not have a similar option.

Blair and Wilson are both big, diverse, comprehensive high schools.  They can be exciting places to get a fantastic education, and they can be overwhelming and an easy place for a kid to get lost.  It all depends on your kid.  Kids in both areas also have the option of attending some magnet programs, both through the Down County Consortium, or through the DCPS test in programs (Ellington, Banneker, Walls, McKinley).

I'd give MCPS a slight edge in schools.  Diversity early on is important to me, and I think that the more scripted curriculum MCPS uses provides a little protection against bad teachers although clearly not total.  In middle school, MCPS has more arts and PE which I like, and I like some of the test in options in MCPS better than the equivalent in DC.  However it's a slight edge.  Both are solid systems, very doable for most kids, but can be overwhelming for kids who are more vulnerable.

As far as neighborhood, both have similar suburban semi-walkable feels, but TP is much more "crunchy" and earthy.  TP is also closer to areas like Downtown Silver Spring, the Arts District in Hyattsville, etc . . . Chances are if you lived in TP your day to day life would have more diversity and, IMO, richness.  CCDC is more homogenous, both within the community itself, but also in the places that CCDC people tend to go for extracurriculars, and restaurants and shopping that are outside of their walking zone.  On the other hand, the places that CCDC residents go are probably a little higher quality, and carry a higher price.  There are definitely more affordable options in TP than CCDC, and if you were to spend the same in both areas, you'd probably get a "cooler" more historic house with more features and space in TP than in CCDC.

I've lived in both, and I'd choose TP, but it's not an open and shut case.  The differences are ones of taste and priorities, not ones where one is definitely better than the other. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics