Reply to 600k HHI - Where should we live?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here - thanks for the input. To answer everyone's questions - we are open to either staying in DC or moving to the close-in suburbs. My concern with upper NW DC is that, although Deal and Wilson seem reasonably diverse now, the elementary schools appear to be quite white and by the time my kids would be in middle/high school it would be very segregated. Bethesda also appears to be pretty white. I'm not familiar with Lyon Village - will look into that. Thanks![/quote]

OP, what are you trying to achieve regarding diversity? The world isn't separated into just white and non-white.

Are you a black family looking to be around other upper middle / upper class black families? Are you an Asian family who doesn't want your kid to be the only non-white? Are you a mixed race family looking to be around the same? Are you a white family just looking to be around enough non-whites (15%) and any other race will do?

My advice would change based on the above.

Regarding how much you want to spend on a home, is that $600K HHI stable and expected to stay the same or rise over the next 20 years?[/quote]

We are white. I want my kids to go to a racially diverse school because I went to schools with racial and SES diversity growing up and I consider that to have been an integral, critical part of my education - it made me aware of my privilege and enabled me to comfortably work with people from all walks of life. I want my kids to have the same. Thinking about it more, 15% non-white probably wouldn't get my kids the same experience I had - I would like it to be more diverse than that. But I know there aren't a ton of schools that are both racially diverse (let alone SES) and academically decent that are close-in, so I figured I'd need to compromise a bit here.

Having researched it more, it looks like Shepard Park may come closest to what we're looking for on balance. Takoma Park is a close second - the schools there are pretty much exactly what I'd want for my kids, but to make the commute manageable we'd have to be very close to the metro and there just isn't a ton of housing stock there with what we need (due to the 2 kids and parents who visit frequently, we really need at least 4 bedrooms and 2000 sq ft or we'll all drive each other nuts).

Thank you for all the help - if you have more ideas, please keep them coming.[/quote]

PP you're responding to here. I agree that Shepherd Park might be a good fit for you. Lots of affluent black, Jewish, and LGBT families. One of the nice things about SP vs. some other parts of the city is that your kids won't associate being black with poverty. Also, SP has much better schools than Takoma DC, and generally larger homes than Takoma Park, MD. It's not far from private schools if you go that route.

Colonial Village is another option that might work, but it's further from the walkable amenities. CV is a gorgeous, diverse (race, religion, not so much SES) neighborhood though, and shares the same schools as SP (Shepherd, Deal, Wilson). Good luck![/quote]

Me again, I meant to say that SP generally has much larger homes than both Takoma DC and Takoma MD. Parts of SP are very close to the Silver Spring metro if that helps. there are also bus lines going from SP to the SS metro station. Or could you do an addition in Takoma Park, MD if the schools are exactly what you want?[/quote]

OP, it's me again. I was reading the thread on Takoma Park neighborhoods and thought of you. There's one 4 bedroom home for sale on Willow that someone posted that looks like it might be a little larger. You could add a bedroom in the basement or attic for your in laws. Looks like the kitchen was renovated, and you could hire someone to paint the interior if desired. It would look a lot better without all that dated furniture in there. The exterior looks absolutely charming from the picture.

Takoma Park, Takoma, Shepherd Park, and Colonial Village are all known for diversity. Good luck with your decision![/quote]

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