I have found a severe lack of community and just a lack of social connections in this area. People are too busy with work or driving their kids around to their activities. No one has time to socialize. Many parents are also working on weekends or running errands. This is just the culture here. Families just stick to themselves and if you are ok with that, then the DMV is a great place to raise kids. If you’re looking for a close knit community where people get together and unwind on weekends, you probably won’t find it here.

Anonymous wrote:One of the reasons we left the DC area was the unfriendliness and lack of neighborly connections. Even kids are scheduled, not just the parents.

We moved to the Mountain West after 3 years in Northern Virginia and we immediately found neighbors and friends.

Sorry you are stuck there.

I wouldn’t call it unfriendliness, it’s just not the right fit. My not being close to my neighbors or school parents has more to do with them not really being ppl I usually hang out with (and vice versa) or develop close friendships with.

Ultimately, my close friends are still friends from pre-kids.

I think ppl move here and expect to find ppl that are like their friends from other places and it’s just not going to be like that.

One of the reasons we left the DC area was the unfriendliness and lack of neighborly connections. Even kids are scheduled, not just the parents.

We moved to the Mountain West after 3 years in Northern Virginia and we immediately found neighbors and friends.

Sorry you are stuck there.

Anonymous wrote:Nah republicans stick together from what I've seen. You should have no problem making friends if you give a few subtle hints you are republican.

This is true only in deep blue areas. Being Republican in those is like being from the same village in the old country. Automatic bond and trust.

Get a dog. Seriously, we met more people from walking the dog then having kids.

Anonymous wrote:I would focus on the people who live near to you. Invite them a few times for low-key stuff like pizza and hanging out.

If anyone asks you for help with childcare, picking up a kid when they are in a pinch, etc., step right up. This is a great way to befriend people. If the school has any half days, it's great to offer to the other moms that you can take their kids for the half day.

Have you joined the PTA? That can be a good way.

This is great advice. We moved to a new neighborhood and I have found that volunteering and being the village you hope to create for other people goes a loooooong way. Offer to watch the kids at your house after an early dismissal day.

Anonymous wrote:Hi op, it really depends on neighborhood here but there are still some for sure.

I would try:

Burke or kings park west in Fairfax
Westover in Arlington
Ft hunt in Alexandria

Those are some that I know from experience have kids running around. Kids bike around kings park west and play together. Kids in westover walk up from Swanson after school in hoards together, neighbor kids are outside playing basketball etc. Yes kids have activities but people walk a lot of places so you get community that way. And Ft hunt people love the community

We live in Ft Hunt and have more of what you are looking for. You still have to put yourself out there though. Is there a particular neighbor or classmate your kids would like to get to know better? Invite them over to your house! Email the class and say hey we’re gonna be at the playground, want to join? Host a bbq for your kids’ rec soccer team after the last game. Join the pool and be really friendly. It will happen but it definitely takes time.

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don't understand why people insist this is a DC thing. My sister lives in a suburb of Denver and the people there are insane. The activities and the competitiveness put us all to shame IMO. Although they don't care as much about academics. But I don't see it as any more relaxed.

They dumb dough

I honestly don't understand why people insist this is a DC thing. My sister lives in a suburb of Denver and the people there are insane. The activities and the competitiveness put us all to shame IMO. Although they don't care as much about academics. But I don't see it as any more relaxed.

Nah republicans stick together from what I've seen. You should have no problem making friends if you give a few subtle hints you are republican.

Are you Republicans? That can really put people off.

Do you have Midwestern hair?

Hi op, it really depends on neighborhood here but there are still some for sure.

I would try:

Burke or kings park west in Fairfax
Westover in Arlington
Ft hunt in Alexandria

Those are some that I know from experience have kids running around. Kids bike around kings park west and play together. Kids in westover walk up from Swanson after school in hoards together, neighbor kids are outside playing basketball etc. Yes kids have activities but people walk a lot of places so you get community that way. And Ft hunt people love the community

This was not my experience in ccdc. I made tons of friends and my kids had activities but did plenty of last minute hang outs. Everyone loves to bash on Lafayette but they had parent dinners for every class, so designed to be social.

It depends where you live, OP. Some neighborhoods in DC metro still have an old school feel. My kids do all the sports activities but we still have time to send the kids down the street to neighbors and always get random knocks on our doors. My DS plays pick up basketball quite a bit with the other boys on the street - even before his travel soccer practice times.

It helps that we live a block from the school and most of the kids are walkers so the walk to/from school together every day. They also get home from school immediately, which gives them a ton of free time

My advice is to buy a house where you are walkers. Its very easy to meet the families that way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids play outside unstructured in my neighborhood but it only leads to bullying and drama, “he took my stuff,” even though we’re all in very similar 3 bedroom THs, some kids just don’t seem to have any toys or anything to share so they just take and act entitled to other kids’ stuff.

+1

This is true, actually.

I saw on my Ring camera a girl take a much younger kid’s scooter out of the bushes in his front yard the other day. The kid is in day care so he gets home later than the local ES walkers. Then she rode it around for awhile and presumably dumped it at the elementary school when she was done and meanwhile the little kid gets home, is freaking out about his scooter being gone, and she just walked by like nothing had happened. Again - 3 bedroom suburban TH’s and no one is “poor.” If anything, the older residents are more likely to be lower income if they are retired and bought back in the early 80s when the neighborhood was built. Are any parents around, few but of course it’s the kids who aren't problem kids to begin with, and some of the kids that roam freely I swear are still preschool or day care age.