Anonymous wrote:Also, I most certainly would not describe Silver Spring as "hipster." We are getting an Urban Butcher though - that's pretty hipster.

Maybe they are just looking at where there are American Apparel stores. Silver Spring had one of the first in the region. But most of the people I know moved to Silver Spring when they got married and it was kid-time.

OHHH del ray got slammed!

"Hard to see how you could go wrong in any of these areas unless, of course, living in an area with a "cool vibe" is important to you. People who live in these parts of Arlington or McLean are generally in the post-Del Ray stages of their lives."

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/45/344856.page#4334829

Anonymous wrote:We live in downtown Silver Spring and I can only think of a handful of people I know from the area who don't have young kids. The group of us that moved in our street at about the same time all came to Silver Spring BECAUSE it was great for young families who want a public transportation-friendly place at about the $5-600k house range. We love the elementary school, love being right by the Metro, love walking to see a movie or eat at the downtown area, love all the down-to-earth people.

ditto. we moved to silver spring before we had kids (so I guess we were hipsters back in 2002? hard to imagine) but now that we have young kids we defnitely plan on staying. It's very family-friendly. Williamsburg it is not, though.

Also, I most certainly would not describe Silver Spring as "hipster." We are getting an Urban Butcher though - that's pretty hipster.

There are some current threads about Mount Vernon Community School in the VA Public Schools forum if you want more details. Or some of the Alexandria City school threads. Opinions are divided as to whether sending your children to these schools is tantamount to child abuse or a culturally rich experience that will prepare them for real life and get them into good colleges.

We live in downtown Silver Spring and I can only think of a handful of people I know from the area who don't have young kids. The group of us that moved in our street at about the same time all came to Silver Spring BECAUSE it was great for young families who want a public transportation-friendly place at about the $5-600k house range. We love the elementary school, love being right by the Metro, love walking to see a movie or eat at the downtown area, love all the down-to-earth people.

del ray schools are horrible Most people who stay do private
It's a great area if you enjoy smaller older homes that are "cute" and can pay for private school.

We prefer larger newer homes and better schools and would rather live in N arlington or McLean.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Del Ray is crawling with young families. It's all strollers and pregnant women. And lots and lots of dogs.

How are the schools? Do these families stick around once school starts?

Schools are meh. Some people stick it out (and test scores for certain sub groups within the schools are decent), some move (compounded by the fact that many of the houses are small and families outgrow them), and some go private.

But it's not what I would call hipster by any stretch.

I was wondering about schools in that area too. One of my co-workers raves about the area and recommends we should buy there but every place I look at on Zillor or Redfin shows not so great schools. Am I missing something or is he maybe just raving about the other aspects of the neighborhoods? Also, I realize Greatschools isn't the end all and be all but I'm using it as a ballpark metric.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Del Ray is crawling with young families. It's all strollers and pregnant women. And lots and lots of dogs.

How are the schools? Do these families stick around once school starts?

Schools are meh. Some people stick it out (and test scores for certain sub groups within the schools are decent), some move (compounded by the fact that many of the houses are small and families outgrow them), and some go private.

But it's not what I would call hipster by any stretch.

I love Del Ray but there is nothing hipster about it. We lived in Arlington until we had kids and then packed up and moved here. We're not alone, a lot of our neighbors did the same thing. If I had lived here in my single days I would have been bored stiff.

The term "hipster" needs to die. There are no more hipsters. And anyone who is remotely close to whatever a "hipster" was is certainly not living in Del Ray, SS or BALLSTON for cryin out loud. BALLSTON? really?

Young and hipster are not the same thing...

SS is full of families, too.

Anonymous wrote:Del Ray is crawling with young families. It's all strollers and pregnant women. And lots and lots of dogs.

How are the schools? Do these families stick around once school starts?

Del Ray is crawling with young families. It's all strollers and pregnant women. And lots and lots of dogs.

Interesting, great places to be single and rent. I think once you get married you move out so I wouldn't recommend these places for families looking to buy and settle in.

http://wtop.com/41/3510142/Washingtons-most-hipster-ZIP-codes

Full List
http://www.realtytrac.com/Content/news-and-opinion/top-25-hipster-zips-for-returns-on-rental-properties-7940

"RealtyTrac recently analyzed zip code-level data to identify established and emergent hyper-local hipster markets where investors can realize solid returns on rental properties while also enjoying low vacancy rates that ensure they won’t have much down time between renters. (We’ll look at top hipster zips for fix-and-flip profits in a later analysis)."