Reply to Would you live in Takoma Park, MD with young family?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone. 
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option. 
[/quote]

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification.  If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing.  If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.  [/quote]

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.[/quote]

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.[/quote]

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property.  These families do not value education-that is why the scores are low.  I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it.  Awful.  Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground).  Do not buy in an area that has section 8.[/quote]

This is incredibly tone-deaf and culturally insensitive. If you were a refugee from a war-torn country 3rd world country, you might not be accustomed to neatly setting out your recycling either. That's not desirable, but it can change. As for valuing education, many of the immigrant families I have met in Takoma Park do value it very much. Their kids are bilingual (mine is not!). They work hard and they are disciplined and honest people.

People come in all shapes and sizes: rich, poor, American, foreign. To imply that all immigrants are irredeemably feral makes you look totally bigoted and unaware of the complexities of life outside of a McLean bubble of riches. Shame on you. [/quote]

They don't own so they don't care about property values. Obviously everyone who buys property cares about their property value. If I'm driving through a neighborhood and see  trash strewn across the front yard I will not buy there. And that's reality for many people. Your neighbors actions directly effect your investment. So you can go on and on about being sensitive to other cultures but we will see how much you care about that when you lose 100k on your house due to neighbors who dgaf. But sure-you are a better person than me. I care about living next to neighbors who own and have a vested interest in the neighborhood. I don't care what color they are or what country they are from-as long they respect the property. You don't see that in areas with low income housing. It's just a fact. [/quote]

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