Reply to Moving to DC area from Boston area

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[quote=Anonymous]Transplant here from a town just west of Boston, where house prices are pretty comparable to Chevy Chase and Bethesda.  I have been here ten years, love it, AND still miss Boston.  Those feelings coexist because of the apples/oranges comparison.  You definitely give up a lot of nice things to come here, including towns (and I think the elementary schools are better in Boston because they are run by the town, not the county), more unified neighborhoods with similar architectural feel, and sidewalks.  I was shocked to discover that many homes here are not only on sidewalk-less streets, they even lack a driveway!  I will get to the positives of this area in a second, but for me, the hugest negatives are the following:  the lack of truly easy access to swimming lakes, mountains for skiing, and beaches.  When I arrived, I kept asking where the "day trips" are.  I also missed that town feeling you are reluctant to give up.  People try hard here to manufacture it, with streets planning their own 4th of July parades, Memorial Day picnics, families joining pools, etc.  Also, as a transplant, you won't have any relatives to help with kids etc.  That is a keen loss in and of itself, and you need to separate that feeling out from the rest of it.  When I first got here, I made the mistake of looking for "New England" here, taking day trips to Lewes, St. Michael's, Annapolis, Old Town, Alexandria and anything else that had the potential to feel like home.  While that helped with the transition, it also set me back, because I still preferred New England.  Also, to replicate New England as much as possible costs a lot of money here.  Private schools here remind me of public schools west of Boston.   Neighborhoods like Edgmoor in Bethesda and Chevy Chase Village look like home, but cost a fortune.  When I stopped comparing, and threw myself into the local scene, here is what I discovered and liked.  This region is full of transplants--if you put yourself out there, you will be welcomed.  Folks are definitely friendlier than New Englanders.  I have learned to exude more warmth from my time here, and I never considered myself a chilly person.  Join a pool, as someone suggested.  Even better, buy in a neighborhood with its own neighborhood pool, or one close by.  Buy somewhere you can walk to town--though that costs extra too!   Dedham is not a good comparison to many of the towns people are suggesting--I think the suggested towns are more like Newton, Brookline, etc.  For the Dedham equivalent in prices, you would need to look further out.  But close on, I like many of the suggested neighborhoods, including Woodacres and Parkwood.  But a smallish home in Woodacres will likely be 750k and up.  Good luck with the decision![/quote]

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