Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go through, did anyone say Hyattsville? It’s less expensive than you need but super community feel and a big and concentrated Catholic community. I’m not sure I would want the commute to Georgetown and the public middle and high schools can be challenging to navigate. But other than that it seems like exactly what you want.

Here is an old story but I think it’s still like this:
https://www.npr.org/2017/04/10/522714982/catholics-build-intentional-community-of-like-minded-believers

I agree with others that CCDC and Chevy Chase Village (and adjoining) also have lots of kids and a strong Catholic presence. It’s idk, 3x more expensive than Hyattsville? So just depends on what you want to prioritize and how much house you need.

I didn’t go through, did anyone say Hyattsville? It’s less expensive than you need but super community feel and a big and concentrated Catholic community. I’m not sure I would want the commute to Georgetown and the public middle and high schools can be challenging to navigate. But other than that it seems like exactly what you want.

Anonymous wrote:Glover Park is the perfect choice for you.

Second this.

Anonymous wrote:Beverley Hills/North Ridge in Alexandria may meet a lot of your criteria as an option to check out. While the Alexandria school district gets a lot of deserved flack on DCUM, people really enjoy the Charles Barrett and George Mason elementary schools (look at private beyond elementary). You see kids playing in the streets all around and lots of block parties and community events. The Blessed Sacrament parish community (there’s another one in Alexandria aside from the MD one you’ve seen recommend here) is pretty vibrant. We see lots of kids from the neighborhood at mass and CCD, and there are many social events. The commute to downtown or Georgetown is well under 30 minutes if you don’t have to leave at the peak of rush hour - if you’re leaving to come home from downtown at exactly 5 pm, it’ll be longer; if you leave at 4:15 and log back on at home, it can be 15-20 minutes depending on where you’re coming from. Lastly, lots of people in the neighborhood go to Army Navy CC, which is really close by.

+1 lots of Catholics here. I find Del Ray, which is nearby, very very friendly and walkable also

Beverley Hills/North Ridge in Alexandria may meet a lot of your criteria as an option to check out. While the Alexandria school district gets a lot of deserved flack on DCUM, people really enjoy the Charles Barrett and George Mason elementary schools (look at private beyond elementary). You see kids playing in the streets all around and lots of block parties and community events. The Blessed Sacrament parish community (there’s another one in Alexandria aside from the MD one you’ve seen recommend here) is pretty vibrant. We see lots of kids from the neighborhood at mass and CCD, and there are many social events. The commute to downtown or Georgetown is well under 30 minutes if you don’t have to leave at the peak of rush hour - if you’re leaving to come home from downtown at exactly 5 pm, it’ll be longer; if you leave at 4:15 and log back on at home, it can be 15-20 minutes depending on where you’re coming from. Lastly, lots of people in the neighborhood go to Army Navy CC, which is really close by.

1. Feeling of community -- we both grew up in family and community-oriented neighborhoods, and this is pretty important for us. Have seen that this can vary based on the street, but we'd like to optimize to the extent possible. We live in an affluent neighborhood now (renting to be close to work) and there is no sense of community. We barely see anyone out socializing, kids aren't out and about, no block parties, people don't intro themselves. I know DMV may not be the first people think of for friendliness, but hoping there are some hidden gems and we're willing to make efforts to integrate and host, just want the people to be receptive and community-oriented. Also ideal if kids are going out and playing on their own vs having all playdates scheduled.

I recommend the Westbrook Elementary neighborhood of 20816 (Bethesda, Maryland). It is near Little Flower, which is a vibrant Catholic community. Also, tons of the neighborhood kids attend Westbrook, even if many go private for middle or high school. I looked on Realtor.com, and I don't currently see anything great in your price range, but keep looking as that budget can definitely get you something there.

Others have suggested Chevy Chase, MD, and Blessed Sacrament. That is a great suggestion too! The advantage of 20816, IMHO, is that it's an easier commute to downtown/Georgetown because it's right off of Mass Ave (near the intersection of Western Ave). It's quite easy to get to either Georgetown or downtown from our neighborhood, as I've been commuting downtown for 15 years from 20816.

2. Schools -- we both went to public schools and leaning towards our kids having the same experience. We're not opposed to private school but would like the option of strong public schools if possible.
Westbrook/Westland/Bethesda Chevy Chase HS Then you'd always have the option to switch to Catholic schools, of which there are a lot in the Bethesda area .

3. Dense suburban feel -- DH and I lived Georgetown in the past, and while we loved the neighborhood we'd like a house with yard, while still having "city elements" like town center, more densely spaced houses. Basically don't want to feel isolated or packed in. Bonus if neighborhood is known for having architecturally interesting homes.
With kids, it's way better to have suburban amenities like in 20816, than architectural interest. The yards are small in 20816. I still think 20816 is cute.

4. Vibrant Catholic community -- we want to make an effort to focus on our faith with this move, and we'd ideally like to move somewhere that has a Catholic church / strong Catholic community nearby. Currently, our neighborhood church is pretty empty and people don't really socialize outside of mass. Not sure if there are certain enclaves to be aware of.
I recommend Little Flower or Blessed Sacrement.

5. Athletics -- we both love to stay active (golf, running, swimming). We're not currently "country club people" but have heard this is how a lot of families get involved in active activities? Regardless, we're looking to meet others who love athletics and give our kids opportunities to stay active as well.
Lots of country clubs in Bethesda and Chevy Chase -- Kenwood, Chevy Chase Club, Columbia, Congressional, etc.
The Capital Crescent Trail is awesome and goes right through 20816, all the way down to the Kennedy Center. Lots of people commute via bicycle downtown.

OP, I'm from the Bay Area, used to live on the Peninsula. I moved to the DC area about 10 yrs ago.

Here's what I noticed when we were looking here:

1. sidewalks -- I lived in CA most of my life, and I am used to sidewalks. Here in the DC area, a lot of areas don't have sidewalks.
People mentioned Potomac on here. We looked in Potomac. No sidewalks. So, just be aware.

2. kids playing outside -- that does not happen in a lot of the UMC neighborhoods here. The kids are all in activities, classes, etc.. The moms (mostly) organize a lot of the playdates.

3. In the summer, families socialize at the private pool clubs. This is not a thing for me, but we joined the neighborhood pool club so our kids had someone to play with in the summer. A lot of the pools here also have swim teams, and it seems like a lot of the kids join the swim team for social reasons. My kids didn't want to do it, and I didn't want to force them. But, it did mean that they were not part of the social circle.

4. Also, I'm sure you know that a lot of people around here vacation in August. We did not realize this when we moved here.

5. Public schools -- your kids are young, so you probably didn't experience public schools in CA. Mine did, and I did, too, since I grew up there.

The public schools around here are vastly superior to the public schools in the Bay Area. FCPS and MCPS have magnet programs starting in mid ES all the way up to HS. They can do this because both school districts are large, and there are a ton of really smart people around here, which equates to a lot of smart kids. While the Bay Area also has a lot of smart people, most of the school districts are small -- town based -- and so they don't have the economies of scale to provide real magnet programs. When I looked into gifted programs in the Bay Area, it was just basically pull outs a few times a year to work on "projects". The budget cuts in CA also meant that some of the "gifted programs" were cut, and so the parents were basically propping those programs up.

Even if your kids don't go to the magnets, a lot of the schools are really good, and offer an array of challenging programs.

The downside of such a large district is that it is unwieldy, and some of the schools are really really large. So, your kid can get "lost" in the crowd. Some parents will put their kids in private due to their kids getting lost in the large schools. I don't blame them. If your kid needs smaller class sizes, I would look at private school. There are a ton of them around here. As expected, you will find that a lot of kids in neighborhoods that are very wealthy do go to private school.

But, if you want a tight knit neighborhood with kids playing outside, I would not pick an area where a lot of the kids go to private school.

To be honest, I regret picking a wealthy-ish area. I think I was overly impressed with how big of a house I could get with Bay Area money. If I had to do it over again, I'd pick an area that is on the lower end of UMC where the kids aren't as overly scheduled as UMC/wealthy kids. But, that's probably also because I'm not really into the UMC lululemon wearing, private pool club lifestyle.

Good luck picking a place.

Anonymous wrote:CCDC/CCMD around Blessed Sacrament seems very aligned with what you’re looking for, including housing stock, density, general lifestyle, country club options. Good public schools on both sides of the line if you decide not to send kids to Blessed Sacrament.

A 30-minute commute is tough anywhere in this area, as others have noted, but you’ll be sub-45 in CCDC/CCMD.

I would agree with this. The one thing I will say about the CCMD side is that the homes along the line and near blessed sacrament are likely out of budget. You may be better off looking at martins additions and section 3 and 5 (lots of kids on thornapple and underwood), as well as the streets near brookville market.

However, I will say that as a former martins additions resident (who also worked in Georgetown) you do see a strong private school leaning. Either the kids start at blessed sacrament then go on to other catholic high schools, or there is a push to private after elementary school.

I think if you value the public school community above all else, falls church city might be your best bet, but, the town itself does not have the same charm as CCDC or CCMD at all.

Best of luck with the move.

Anonymous wrote:North Arlington. Join the Columbus Club. It's wonderful! Many great neighborhoods and Catholic churches. Great public schools.

+1

CCDC/CCMD around Blessed Sacrament seems very aligned with what you’re looking for, including housing stock, density, general lifestyle, country club options. Good public schools on both sides of the line if you decide not to send kids to Blessed Sacrament.

A 30-minute commute is tough anywhere in this area, as others have noted, but you’ll be sub-45 in CCDC/CCMD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington - Cherrydale and send your kids to St Agnes? Live in Westover or Bluemont and send your kids to St Ann’s?
Live in Falls Church and send your kids to St James?

If you want to focus on your faith, pick your parish and move to a nearby neighborhood where a decent number of people send their kids to Catholic school.

But know that if you choose Catholic or private school, at least in my Arlington neighborhood, you will be at a social disadvantage because most kids go to public school. We are walking distance to an elementary and a junior high, so a lot of socializing and making plans happens among elementary parents walking to and from school, school based activities, and school events.

And I know you said public school, but the handful of practicing Catholic families we know send their kids to Catholic elementary. If you want a vibrant Catholic community, it’s going to be hard to find it otherwise in NoVa.

Several families that we know at our Arlington public school attend church here and are active in the parish community:

https://www.ourladyqueenofpeace.org/

The Palisades in DC is an option that meets several of your criteria - really I’d say everything but the strong catholic community. It is a welcoming neighborhood with lots of community activities and very close to Georgetown. There is a Catholic Church off MacArthur boulevard with school in the neighborhood. At least for elementary public schools are very good. Surprised no one has mentioned yet.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you so much for the quick replies -- going to look into the neighborhoods you all mentioned. We were leaning towards outside DC based on our initial knowledge of homes and communities, but not opposed to living in DC proper. Would anyone be able to tell me more about Glover Park, Mt Pleasant, Woodley Park and how that may compare to MD/VA top contenders (likely Fall Church VA and CCMD)?

I agree with posters above that Glover Park may be the only neighborhood that meets your commute requirements + at least a couple of other things. It's difficult to get a <30 minute commute on public transit in a neighborhood where you can have a yard, that is not Georgetown, to both Georgetown and downtown (and I'm not sure where in downtown you're referring to). I live a 5 minute walk to the Tenleytown metro, and work by a close-ish red line stop, and I say it's 40 minutes door to door even though the actual train time is probably 15 minutes and sometimes the GoogleMaps estimate is only 30 minutes total. It just talks awhile to walk down to the platform, wait for the train, etc.

That being said, Tenleytown/ Cathedral area/ Friendship Heights other neighborhoods on Wisconsin could work because you can easily take the 31/33 buses to Georgetown and parts of downtown (I often take them to the K St/ Farragut area, and it takes about 40 minutes - but sometimes I have to wait). There are great communities in these neighborhoods, although it is a bit block to block. There are Catholic churches in the area, like St. Ann's. And they are zoned for the best DC schools.

I disagree on Mt Pleasant as it's difficult to find a house there with much of a yard (although with a big enough budget you could make it work).

If you are also considering neighborhoods outside DC where you would have a car commute and car-dependent lifestyle, that opens up other options that I am not familiar with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Catholic and go to mass. I moved here from NY. My Catholic Church in Potomac is very active and full of people.

What surprised me is my two kids enrolled in Winston Churchill HS and very few Catholic kids. Turns out a large amount of Catholic people go Catholic HS.

I found that surprising as in NY we had around 99.9 percent of town in public schools and everyone kids from CCD was in school my kids.

So that was another wired thing I found when moving.

Also I did notice my Catholic Church publishes amount of Baptisms and Weddings etc each year. Potomac is size on my old town in NY and the Catholic Church does way less Baptisms and Weddings than NY.

Unusual I am literally zoned one of the best High Schools in country and yet people pay for Catholic school.

Churchill is heads and tails better than any Catholic school for Math & Science.

OMG there are parents that send their kids to Bullis, Georgetown Day, Sidwell, and Boarding schools in the Churchill district just like any other. Even omg Jewish Day Schools.

Yow want Catholic school more power to you. However not everyone is Catholic, and not everyone respects the Catholic Church given the whole Child abuse scandals and the ones that keep happening. Like just this week there was another creepy Priest. And this happened as well MAGA Catholic priest Father Frank Pavone, who headed “Catholics for Trump” has been removed from the priesthood for breaking rules against political activism.

My kids go to Churchill I just wish all the Catholics in Potomac used public schools. I live near Bullis tons of non Potomac people go there. In fact they are planning on building a boarding school with dorms.

No kidding of course tons of other kids go to Bullis that are not from Potomac. However, the majority of students do come from the surrounding area which is POTOMAC.

Not sure what your point is except you are sounding antisemitic and racist but hey you do you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Catholic and go to mass. I moved here from NY. My Catholic Church in Potomac is very active and full of people.

What surprised me is my two kids enrolled in Winston Churchill HS and very few Catholic kids. Turns out a large amount of Catholic people go Catholic HS.

I found that surprising as in NY we had around 99.9 percent of town in public schools and everyone kids from CCD was in school my kids.

So that was another wired thing I found when moving.

Also I did notice my Catholic Church publishes amount of Baptisms and Weddings etc each year. Potomac is size on my old town in NY and the Catholic Church does way less Baptisms and Weddings than NY.

Unusual I am literally zoned one of the best High Schools in country and yet people pay for Catholic school.

Churchill is heads and tails better than any Catholic school for Math & Science.

OMG there are parents that send their kids to Bullis, Georgetown Day, Sidwell, and Boarding schools in the Churchill district just like any other. Even omg Jewish Day Schools.

Yow want Catholic school more power to you. However not everyone is Catholic, and not everyone respects the Catholic Church given the whole Child abuse scandals and the ones that keep happening. Like just this week there was another creepy Priest. And this happened as well MAGA Catholic priest Father Frank Pavone, who headed “Catholics for Trump” has been removed from the priesthood for breaking rules against political activism.

My kids go to Churchill I just wish all the Catholics in Potomac used public schools. I live near Bullis tons of non Potomac people go there. In fact they are planning on building a boarding school with dorms.