There is east Rockville (between dowtown Rockville and I270) which is greats and then there is East Rockville...not so great.

I think that buying property in that ara of Rockville would be an excellent investment. I do not, however, think it would be a great place to live with young children.

That area is almost certain to get developed and into a nice neighborhood. It is so well-situated with the metro and Rockville downtown. It just isn't there yet. We looked over there and saw some really nice houses within 200 yards of the metro. We really tried to convince ourselves that it would work. In the end though, it was the schools that swayed up to the otherside of 355. We now have a big end-unit TH just north of Rockville Town Square within walking distance to it all. I think we made the right choice.

I'm talking about the area around Park Road/Horners Lane. My buddy is a City of Rockville Police Officer and he says 75% of their drug related and violence calls are from this area. If you want to buy a house there, by all means have at it.....

I now live in the west end of Rockville, but my starter home was on the east side as I used to live in Twinbrook and I have friends who still do. The neighborhood is working class. They are mechanics, daycare workers, SAHMs, etc. I have a friend who (with her husband) are both professionals, and they still live there as they are content with the neighborhood and their neighbors; however, they do have some concerns about the school and may move before their children reach that point. When I visit we take walks and I feel safe; albeit I probably wouldn't walk alone at night. Her house has never been broken into, nor have the houses of her neighbors. When I lived there, no one on my block was broken into either. So, while the houses are not attractive, the neighborhood is not bad. I had another friend who lived near the Maryvale elementary school and that neighborhood was working class as well. She was happy there and only moved because her husband's job was in Baltimore and she quit her job to be a SAHM and there was no need to live here and commute to Baltimore. There is another neighborhood off West Edmondston which feeds into Beall elementary and you can walk to the Rockville Town Center. I don't know anyone who lived there, but for kicks I went to an open house and it looked like a nice little neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:And I'll pay you a dollar to take your family on a leisurely stroll to the shopping center with the Pizza Palace after 5pm.....

You are an idiot. Go spend some time in SE DC.

East Rockville is a fine middle class neighborhood, very down to earth. Enjoy OP!

OP here--there are some renovated properties listed that are move-in ready between $300k-$400k as well as some new single family home construction around $500k. I've been spending time in the neighborhood with my daughter to get a feel for the area and it's not as scary as some report. Unless you count the neighborhood Halloween parade the neighborhood association is hosting next week.

And I'll pay you a dollar to take your family on a leisurely stroll to the shopping center with the Pizza Palace after 5pm.....

Anonymous wrote:And make sure to get some really good deadbolts and an alarm system to keep the crack addicts out.....

They have been few and far between ever since they opened the new substance abuse clinic down at Sibley Hospital.

And make sure to get some really good deadbolts and an alarm system to keep the crack addicts out.....

Almost bought there ourselves, but there weren't any decent houses when we looked a year ago.

We liked it for the same reasons (close to Metro, near Rockville Town Center, etc.).

If you can find a decent house that isn't a fixer-upper, go for it!

Anonymous wrote:The elementary schools are not so good; in addition to freight trains, you have big fire house nearby with many siren calls; also, the neighborhood can go from ok to sketchy pretty quickly......

The firehouse is northwest and up the Pike is not too much of a concern and nothing like living by a big hospital like Sibely or Shady Grove. The neighborhoods do drop in value as you go east on 28 towards Wheton/Kensington. The area seems like a good value for the money especially with the Metro so close. Seems undiscovered to me.

Thank you for the responses! The train noise doesn't bother me too much. I know the schools aren't the best in Montgomery County but my daughter is only 11 months old, so we could conceivably move if necessary.

The elementary schools are not so good; in addition to freight trains, you have big fire house nearby with many siren calls; also, the neighborhood can go from ok to sketchy pretty quickly......

Anonymous wrote:We are considering a move to East Rockville since the housing is more affordable and it's close to the Metro and the Town Center. The East Rockville Civic Association looks active and seems to plan fun activities. I would appreciate any thoughts from current residents. Thanks in advance!

My mom lives near St Mary's and it's a solid working class neighborhood and you can walk to the Metro and Rockville Town Center. I'm not sure about the schools but crime is very low and there are many nice old homes. You can hear freight trains in the distance but it's not too bad and much more pleasant (some folks like the sound of a train in the distance) than the constant airplane noise that plagues close-in neighborhoods like Brookmont and the Palaiades. I would throughly check out the schools if you have kids. Prices are reasonable too.

We are considering a move to East Rockville since the housing is more affordable and it's close to the Metro and the Town Center. The East Rockville Civic Association looks active and seems to plan fun activities. I would appreciate any thoughts from current residents. Thanks in advance!