Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to hear more specific feedback on neighbourhoods. We bought our first house in old town Laurel a few years ago and honestly have planned on leaving PG before our DC starts kindergarten in 5 years. I see how MoCo coasts on reputation and has plenty of bad/mediocre schools, but our local schools in Laurel are terrible. I also miss living closer to the city (we used to rent in Takoma Park). We are committed to public school, at least for elementary. Was thinking of Four Corners Silver Spring area, but any suggestions on where we should look in PG instead of MoCo? The things you all are saying about making friends and feeling connected to your neighborhood are really encouraging to me. I also have to say that relying purely on the hope of a lottery spot, particularly in the northern half of the county where the wait lists are crazy, seems way too chancy for me - I feel like I would have to be ok with the zoned elementary. Thanks!

You wouldn't get walkability, but Bond Mill Elementary School is excellent, and the surrounding neighborhood in West Laurel is terrific. (20707)

For elementary, the PP is right. Bond Mill is a fantastic elementary, arguably the best int the county. Additionally, we live just outside the zone for Bond Mill and we are zoned for Vansville which is also a good elementary. I have 2 years before I need to worry about it, but I may request an OOB placement for Bond Mill, but if not, we will be okay with Vansville. For middle school, we are zoned for MLK Jr Middle School and that is also a good middle school. Alternatively we may apply for the charter school at CMIT which will include middle school (up to 8th grade). For High School unless we get into the charter for Eleanor Roosevelt in Greenbelt, the pickings are slim. We'll see by then, but if we don't get into ERS, the current thought is to look for private for high school.

Truly, you aren't very far from decent schools here in PG.

I think PG is on an upswing, esp. in closer-in neighborhoods like Hyattsville and Mt. Rainier -- lots of nice-looking housing stock and development interest. I definitely think lots of parts of PG are undervalued, and that that will turn around in the next several years. If I was an investor, I'd totally buy something in Hyattsville right now. I live in the Takoma Park historic district and had a colleague say to me, in a tone of concern, "were you aware that Takoma Park is really close to PG county when you moved there?" People are idiots.

Anonymous wrote:I find it rather ironic that on a thread in which you're all complaining that you're tired of the nasty comments about PG country, several of you made remarks about NoVA being all strip malls....

Certainly that's not quite the truth of NoVA, either. Not to mention that McLean is different from Annadale, Old Town Alexandria from Falls Church. Sweeping generalizations aren't the way to go, that's what you're all complaining about.

I have limited experience with PG County--mostly through sports events held there. So most of what I've seen has been really unattractive, and frankly, pretty sketchy looking. Clearly there are nice areas there, too.

LOL. See, we cannot even escape the racist, PG-hating trolls in our own forum, in a thread where we are bemoaning these exact types of comments!

Really-what are you doing here? Bristling over your $800k mortgage?

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to hear more specific feedback on neighbourhoods. We bought our first house in old town Laurel a few years ago and honestly have planned on leaving PG before our DC starts kindergarten in 5 years. I see how MoCo coasts on reputation and has plenty of bad/mediocre schools, but our local schools in Laurel are terrible. I also miss living closer to the city (we used to rent in Takoma Park). We are committed to public school, at least for elementary. Was thinking of Four Corners Silver Spring area, but any suggestions on where we should look in PG instead of MoCo? The things you all are saying about making friends and feeling connected to your neighborhood are really encouraging to me. I also have to say that relying purely on the hope of a lottery spot, particularly in the northern half of the county where the wait lists are crazy, seems way too chancy for me - I feel like I would have to be ok with the zoned elementary. Thanks!

Check out this thread on Cheverly.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/424358.page#5992239

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to hear more specific feedback on neighbourhoods. We bought our first house in old town Laurel a few years ago and honestly have planned on leaving PG before our DC starts kindergarten in 5 years. I see how MoCo coasts on reputation and has plenty of bad/mediocre schools, but our local schools in Laurel are terrible. I also miss living closer to the city (we used to rent in Takoma Park). We are committed to public school, at least for elementary. Was thinking of Four Corners Silver Spring area, but any suggestions on where we should look in PG instead of MoCo? The things you all are saying about making friends and feeling connected to your neighborhood are really encouraging to me. I also have to say that relying purely on the hope of a lottery spot, particularly in the northern half of the county where the wait lists are crazy, seems way too chancy for me - I feel like I would have to be ok with the zoned elementary. Thanks!

You wouldn't get walkability, but Bond Mill Elementary School is excellent, and the surrounding neighborhood in West Laurel is terrific. (20707)

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to hear more specific feedback on neighbourhoods. We bought our first house in old town Laurel a few years ago and honestly have planned on leaving PG before our DC starts kindergarten in 5 years. I see how MoCo coasts on reputation and has plenty of bad/mediocre schools, but our local schools in Laurel are terrible. I also miss living closer to the city (we used to rent in Takoma Park). We are committed to public school, at least for elementary. Was thinking of Four Corners Silver Spring area, but any suggestions on where we should look in PG instead of MoCo? The things you all are saying about making friends and feeling connected to your neighborhood are really encouraging to me. I also have to say that relying purely on the hope of a lottery spot, particularly in the northern half of the county where the wait lists are crazy, seems way too chancy for me - I feel like I would have to be ok with the zoned elementary. Thanks!

In terms of what constitutes a good school, are you looking primarily at the Great Schools ratings or are you talking about dedicated teachers, engaged school leadership, and a strong PTA? Quite a few schools that meet the latter sometimes have complicated demographic reasons for their low scores - the children from higher SES families are doing really well in the school but the majority of the children may be from lower SES background or even ELL students, so their scores carry the average. The schools are diverse, the leadership is working on improving how it serves all its students, and in the mean time children from homes where parents are engaged seem to not be doing well there - so if you value diversity, are willing to look at the data broken down a bit more rather than a single summary number, then perhaps you'd be happy with the school. I'm thinking of Hyattsville Elementary and Mount Rainier Elem to name a couple. If you're not so open to all of that, then there are highly rated elementary schools in Greenbelt, College Park, and Bowie - to name a few. There also are private schools options through out the county.

I'm in Mount Rainier and really like the walk-ability factor and my commute to work, as well as the arts & culture options. We have subsidized housing for artists, so lots of musicians, painters, and dancers, which means lots of enriching programs for the little ones and fun stuff for us to do as a family on the weekend all within a couple blocks.

I find it rather ironic that on a thread in which you're all complaining that you're tired of the nasty comments about PG country, several of you made remarks about NoVA being all strip malls....

Certainly that's not quite the truth of NoVA, either. Not to mention that McLean is different from Annadale, Old Town Alexandria from Falls Church. Sweeping generalizations aren't the way to go, that's what you're all complaining about.

I have limited experience with PG County--mostly through sports events held there. So most of what I've seen has been really unattractive, and frankly, pretty sketchy looking. Clearly there are nice areas there, too.

I'd love to hear more specific feedback on neighbourhoods. We bought our first house in old town Laurel a few years ago and honestly have planned on leaving PG before our DC starts kindergarten in 5 years. I see how MoCo coasts on reputation and has plenty of bad/mediocre schools, but our local schools in Laurel are terrible. I also miss living closer to the city (we used to rent in Takoma Park). We are committed to public school, at least for elementary. Was thinking of Four Corners Silver Spring area, but any suggestions on where we should look in PG instead of MoCo? The things you all are saying about making friends and feeling connected to your neighborhood are really encouraging to me. I also have to say that relying purely on the hope of a lottery spot, particularly in the northern half of the county where the wait lists are crazy, seems way too chancy for me - I feel like I would have to be ok with the zoned elementary. Thanks!

I used to work at UMD and many professors had little houses near campus. Lovely neighborhoods, friendly people.

Now I live in Bethesda so that DH can walk to work. That was worth paying extra for!

Yes, it bothers me a lot even though I like where I live. I have a 30 minute commute to my job in DC plus I live near a train station, and have a nice house. I do hope to see more businesses come to PG and hope that the schools continue to improve especially since my kids are approaching school age.

Also, I've read that PG County had a bad reputation even when it used to be all white. Not sure why this county gets such hate. My husband's family made a lot of money from selling their homes in DC in areas that used to considered bad that now everyone wants to live in. So you never know how an area will flip.

I love my community (Mount Rainier), and I like the school my kid attends (Greenbelt middle). It's a really good fit for him.

I don't let the judgey folks get to me. frankly I hope they stay out of my area, as it's not a mindset I wish to impart on my offspring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes the housing premiums in other counties are exactly an extra tax to escape living near people who look like me. I am a lawyer and I cannot tell you how many times I have to deal with the look and comments about where I live amongst my colleagues who live in the expected Potomac, McLean, Arlington, NW DC neighborhoods. It has gotten to me at times and then I think about how I prefer private school and how much more realistic it is to pay for it by staying where I am and I think about our disposable income in general and how living way below our means allows my family a lifestyle of travel and extras that I value more than anyone else's shortsighted, uninformed and sometimes racist opinion about my zip code.

You said it so well. I'm also an attorney, living in PG with children in private school.

Before we moved we knew we wanted private for our kids. Why pay 800 or 1 mill in another area when we could get the same home for 500 PR less in PG? Bonus: our neighborhood is 10 x better than we expected. We made friends. We thought this was a 3-5 year comittment, and now we are willing to stay longer. Wouldn't have happened elsewhere in DC.

Anonymous wrote:Yes the housing premiums in other counties are exactly an extra tax to escape living near people who look like me. I am a lawyer and I cannot tell you how many times I have to deal with the look and comments about where I live amongst my colleagues who live in the expected Potomac, McLean, Arlington, NW DC neighborhoods. It has gotten to me at times and then I think about how I prefer private school and how much more realistic it is to pay for it by staying where I am and I think about our disposable income in general and how living way below our means allows my family a lifestyle of travel and extras that I value more than anyone else's shortsighted, uninformed and sometimes racist opinion about my zip code.

You said it so well. I'm also an attorney, living in PG with children in private school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't live there -- I've lived in the District for 20 years. But I'm posting my opinion that Prince Georges is easily the prettiest county in the metropolitan area. In terms of natural resources, I mean.

I don't think a lot of people know that.

Please tell me more. About to move to PG and we love spending time outside.

I'm on my phone so can't link to specifics, but check out the website for PG parks and recreation--Watkins Mill, Montpellier, and Dinosaur Park are our favorites. There's also Greenbelt Park, Patuxtant National Wildlife Refuge, and Jug Bay, all with lots of trails, public programs, and acres of open space.

While I'd love to see more economic development in the county, the lack of development has left SO much beautiful open space--mainly in the Northern and Western areas of the county. If you enjoy spending time outside, there are lots of good local options.

Thank you!

Watkins Regional Park is such a gem, train, carousel, putt putt, a farm, great playgrounds. We drive from Alexandria several times per year.

Yes the housing premiums in other counties are exactly an extra tax to escape living near people who look like me. I am a lawyer and I cannot tell you how many times I have to deal with the look and comments about where I live amongst my colleagues who live in the expected Potomac, McLean, Arlington, NW DC neighborhoods. It has gotten to me at times and then I think about how I prefer private school and how much more realistic it is to pay for it by staying where I am and I think about our disposable income in general and how living way below our means allows my family a lifestyle of travel and extras that I value more than anyone else's shortsighted, uninformed and sometimes racist opinion about my zip code.