Anonymous wrote:Arlington probably has the best reputation of the three.

Whether you believe this or not, Arlington is not particularly convenient to get to Bethesda. It would make more sense where one spouse works in Tysons and the other works in downtown DC.

OP. I live in McLean and family is in Maryland. Some in Bethesda and some up 270. Almost all work in Tysons corner. I sometimes go to Maryland in the morning. From my family's experience, commuting from McLean to Bethesda in the morning is much better than Maryland to Virginia. And from Bethesda to Virginia in the evening. We have discussed why and when it will improve at many a family dinner but it is just the way it is. From the Tysons exits on 495 it can take my mother over an hour to get to her house in Bethesda in the evening if she tries to leave my house after 4. OTOH, I take my kids to Bethesda in the morning for various reasons or just to visit grandma and it is 30 minutes with traffic.

As to the schools. I went to Bethesda public. They are comparable to McLean public--really splitting hairs to find major differences in the quality of education between McLean and Langley High Schools and Whitman and Churchill. I would say BCC (in MOCO) is more comparable to Marshall (in FCPS) and Walter Johnson (MOCO) is more comparable to (Madison). The magnet structures are different. At the high school level, MCPS has magnet centers within high schools. In FCPS, the magnet high school is a single school (Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology).

Politically, Maryland has always been more liberal. But it just elected a Republican. Virginia has always trended more republican but it just elected a Democrat. So there is nothing too different. Both suburbs are generally well educated and upwardly mobile. I would do some house hunting and dig around about the commutes.

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.

Oh, from what I've read VA has many of "those" people, too.

OP - I'm from CA. We thought about the same question you had. We chose MD.

Commute is a big factor. I'm guessing traffic in the DMV area is way worse than in OR.

MD has adopted Common Core standards; VA has not, although from some of the SOL (VA standards) I have seen of their's, they are pretty similar to CC standards. I think I read an article stating something similar.

MCPS also has a more restricted magnet/gifted program, whereas VA's AAP program allows more % of their students in. That could be both a good and bad thing, for both districts. I would go onto each district's website to look at more information.

NoVa is liberal, yes, but it is unique to that area in the state of VA. MD is generally more liberal.

Make a list of your priorities and start from there. We could probably provide better feedback that way.

Anonymous wrote:Arlington probably has the best reputation of the three.

Coming from Oregon, Reston might be a good consideration for you. Environment is very important there. Lots and lots of trees. Variety of housing types.

OP, I think if you are near the beltway in Virginia-east of 66-you could have a decent commute to NIH. Reston or Vienna might be good places to look. McLean if you have the budget.

I'd suggest one of you live close to where the kids go to school for those emergency situations.

Also, makes it easier for after school activities, sports, etc. If both have a commute it's a little tougher.

Sounds like you need to live in Potomac if you're going to NIH and the other one is going to McLEan.

Then they both have commutes. I'd suggest one of you live close to where the kids go to school for those emergency situations.

Parts of MoCo look like China and some other parts look like India.

You will find this in any school district in the DC area.

Where will you be working? Will you be taking public transportation or the beltway?

Sounds like you need to live in Potomac if you're going to NIH and the other one is going to McLEan.

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.

Parts of MoCo look like China and some other parts look like India. That said, the neighbors on both sides of me are white.
I don't know what point I'm trying to make.

I recommend renting for a year while you get to know the area. I know you said that you hate moving, but I still think it's better than buying a house, and then it turns out that the commute is horrible, or the neighborhood is horrible, or whatever. Also, what type of school will you use?

(I live in Montgomery County, have two children in Montgomery County public schools, and am enthusiastically on Team Montgomery County, but I have never lived in Virginia, so I'm not really an authoritative source...)

This creates another set of problems.

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.

Yes, it's true, OP! We have a large rain forest in the central and eastern parts of the county (from Gaithersburg east towards Columbia); a mountain range with 15,000+ foot peaks along the western part of the county (the Sugarloaf Mountains); beautiful beaches along the eastern boundary of the county, on the Triadelphia Reservoir; and then of course there are the famous penguin colonies in Friendship Heights.

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County looks like South America. If you like that, then move here. If not, Virgina.


Huh?

OP, This poster is trying to tell you something. Both Virginia schools, and, I guess MD schools, are quite diverse. I don't see that as a problem.