Del Ray, hands down.

Bethesda…won’t exactly match what you want (not super diverse, still UMC but not ultra wealthy), but it’s close. BCC HS is not as highly regarded as Whitman or Churchill but definitely diverse.

Seems like tweens and teens love hanging out in downtown Bethesda.

My door to door commute from Rockville (car to twinbrook metro) to Gallery Place is about 48 minutes in mornings and 55 in afternoons. I’ve timed it for months now.

If you want consistently 45, probably Grosvenor and closer to Bethesda is your best bet. If you are willing to be under an hour, you got all of Rockville, which is a big area

Anonymous wrote:If you could afford to live anywhere in dc or md, and wanted to be within 45 min of downtown (reliably 45 minutes in mornings and afternoons, not Howard county), which neighborhoods would you look at?

What is the sweet spot of safety, diversity, family activities, good public and/or private schools, nice housing and not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped?

Nearly every neighborhood in DC or MD would fit this, because you haven't given any details as to how much you weigh each of these factors individually.

Falls Church, VA

People, OP wants " safety, diversity.. good public and/or private schools, nice housing .and not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped."

That is a unicorn around here.

Silver spring isn't that safe.

Chevy Chase is insanely expensive, and most who live there are uber wealthy. That usually leads kids who have no sense of reality. Not to mention that CC is not diverse.

Diverse areas around here have some safety issues, and the public schools are ok, not great.

Again, OP is looking for a unicorn.

If such a place exists, the housing cost would be insane (more than it is now) since so many people would want to live there.

I would love to live in such a unicorn place. I settled for Rockville.

Anonymous wrote:Inside the beltway Silver Spring

Agree with Silver Spring

Anonymous wrote:Somerset is the first place I think of

not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped?

For me it was be a neighborhood with decent size yards and side walks. Where we live there are no sidewalks. Kids out playing or people waking dogs in the evenings.
Playground or open space within walking distance.
Not super close to a main road
Ideally shops in walking distance although not a deal breaker.

Inside the beltway Silver Spring

Silver Spring around Forest Glen.

Chevy Chase, DC

Somerset is the first place I think of

You are looking for a unicorn.

If you could afford to live anywhere in dc or md, and wanted to be within 45 min of downtown (reliably 45 minutes in mornings and afternoons, not Howard county), which neighborhoods would you look at?

What is the sweet spot of safety, diversity, family activities, good public and/or private schools, nice housing and not so wealthy that the kids are irretrievably warped?