So because things are so good here, people want to leave?

Is that what you are saying?

Maryland does not have the top schools in the nation. Among *large county-run school systems with >65K students*, MCPS performs well. But that is a BIG qualifier.

If you take out the 4 Ws MCPS plummets. The education isn't superior in the W clusters you just have higher SES and smarter kids.

Top schools in the nation is complete BS and a textbook example of playing with the numbers. If you take out the HS clusters that are filled with high SES and super educated parents who supplement for their kids outside the system, then MCPS scores toward the bottom. People in the high SES and highly educated group used to be happy with MCPS because as long you taught them on your own, MCPS would allow them to accelerate and not do work several years below their abilities. Now, with 2.0 the system is AWFUL. It serves no one.

The only think Montgomery County is good at is disseminating misinformation and telling everyone its wonderful when it sucks.

Anonymous wrote:I love Maryland. It's where I was born. It's where I was raised. It is where I am raising my kids. My friends are here and my family is here. I have traveled a lot and I am always happy to be home. The only other place I could see myself living is either Bend or Portland, Oregon.

I can understand how people who are not from here want to go somewhere else. If I had to live in another state just for a job, I would also be ready to leave and go home. I used to want to live anywhere but here. However, I found that when I learned to love and accept myself, I became content and happy where I was. I know that is not the same for everyone, but I know a few other people that had the same issue.

I happen to think Maryland is a beautiful state with a lot to offer. I wish more people would see there is more to it than just the D.C. suburbs or Baltimore.

PP here, Totally agree!!

Why does everyone think top school in nation = best place to live? If you don't have kids that's irrelevant. Even if you do public school may carry a different weighted value (e.g,, you want to go private, send kid to boarding school, you have a genius, want to home school, you're ok w a B- school, etc., etc., )

I'm from Reston & Vienna and am a product of FCPS, where we were taught to do a 1040 in the 9th grade. Lived in a few states which I liked a lot (incl. GA), but I've been in MD 6years now and love it. All states and their cities have pros and cons.

Schools are important, sure, but not being a top public school doesn't mean everything else is a bad school, or that your child is doomed to a crap education. Plus there are other factors to consider in daily quality if life -- I love my community, home, commute, proximity to places of interest, and not having crazy traffic and snobby flashy pretentious community neighbors anymore. I miss all the swimming pools. We still rent out our property in NoVa, but don't see ourselves moving back because we enjoy MD so much. Friends all think it's funny bc like many other Virginians I looked down on MD for years just because it wasn't VA and in wit too has a place in my heart.

Virginia is beautiful, and will always be home -- but Maryland is my home now too and I love it. I think it depends on where you live in the state, what you are looking for in a community, and that will vary person to person. Which is fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland has the top schools in the nation. We have one of the highest standards of living and per capita income. It's beautiful here -- the mountains, the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay. We have the most affluent majority African-American county in the United States.

Because things are so good here, Maryland is probably more transient than a lot of other places -- hence people want to go back to whatever crapburg they came from. I'm a native Marylander but I can't count too many among my circle of friends who are. And yes, they all want to go back to Pennsylvania (ha) or Illinois, because home is home.

Maryland doesn't have the top schools in the nation by a long shot. Virginia, California, etc have better state schools. Other states definitely have better private colleges.

Maryland does, in fact, have the best public schools in the nation. I wasn't speaking about higher education. Although I would argue that while Virginia schools may have more cachet (UVA, William and Mary), Maryland's public colleges are great. St. Mary's is a hidden gem. UMBC is becoming a powerhouse and College Park has some stellar departments.

VA Tech, JMU, VCU(med school too), GMU --you mentioned the big 2 pp--but VA has way more great public/state university options.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=2192&type=archive&startYear=2007&pageNumber=10&mode=

"The Forbes analysis focused on 775 counties with more than 65,000 residents that had the highest average property taxes. Forbes narrowed the final list to 97 by looking at the jurisdictions where more than 50 percent of the education spending came from property taxes. The study examined the per pupil spending costs adjusted for the cost of living in these communities and compared them with national student performance indicators such as SAT scores and participation rates and high school graduation rates. "

This leaves out many, many, MANY school systems that are not county-based.

Anonymous wrote:Maryland has the top schools in the nation. We have one of the highest standards of living and per capita income. It's beautiful here -- the mountains, the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay. We have the most affluent majority African-American county in the United States.

Because things are so good here, Maryland is probably more transient than a lot of other places -- hence people want to go back to whatever crapburg they came from. I'm a native Marylander but I can't count too many among my circle of friends who are. And yes, they all want to go back to Pennsylvania (ha) or Illinois, because home is home.

So because things are so good here, people want to leave?

Is that what you are saying?

Maryland does not have the top schools in the nation. Among *large county-run school systems with >65K students*, MCPS performs well. But that is a BIG qualifier.

I love Maryland. It's where I was born. It's where I was raised. It is where I am raising my kids. My friends are here and my family is here. I have traveled a lot and I am always happy to be home. The only other place I could see myself living is either Bend or Portland, Oregon.

I can understand how people who are not from here want to go somewhere else. If I had to live in another state just for a job, I would also be ready to leave and go home. I used to want to live anywhere but here. However, I found that when I learned to love and accept myself, I became content and happy where I was. I know that is not the same for everyone, but I know a few other people that had the same issue.

I happen to think Maryland is a beautiful state with a lot to offer. I wish more people would see there is more to it than just the D.C. suburbs or Baltimore.

Anonymous wrote:Maryland is awful and getting worse. I grew up outside Baltimore.

When we first moved there, the grade schools were not even an option in Baltimore city. Kids shot each other and violence was the norm in city schools. That year at Lake Clifton, there were 6 shootings - in the school.

The prep schools had their own set of issues and produced an entitled class of people. The concept of laws is a joke to many in Baltimore- ie Doug Ganslers drunken teens party. Yes - I partied with plenty of kids parents as a teen and the alcohol flowed.

Baltimore city is a wretched den of addicts. They estimated it at 30 thousand in the early 90s. By the end of that decade the estimate was revised upward to 70,000 addicts in a city that fell below 700,000 people around that time.
The area around Hopkins hospital is a disgrace.

Horrible state. So glad I left!

I guess you haven't been there lately.

Anonymous wrote:MD sucks and I left (3rd gen.). It's gone downhill considerably in MoCo anyway. And you couldn't pay me to live (again) in the Baltimore area omg it's the most ghetto place I've ever seen in my life. And the eastern shore is all farms. The Appalachia panhandle is hillbilly. There's Fredneck. Howard county, while improved, is a suburb of Baltimore. I would only live there if I was African American due to the lack of in NoVA. I wouldn't feel comfortable being way in the minority in my town.

Awww it wasn't white enough for you? Good thing you left

Absolutely LOVE Maryland - have lived in many states.

I'd much rather live in MD than VA or DC. I'm not originally from this area but I feel MD offers much more. I would gladly live in MD for the rest of my days if I could live further away from DC. In the mountains maybe? I'm so tired of traffic and people and the hot and humid summers.

MD is a one party state.

Maryland is awful and getting worse. I grew up outside Baltimore.

When we first moved there, the grade schools were not even an option in Baltimore city. Kids shot each other and violence was the norm in city schools. That year at Lake Clifton, there were 6 shootings - in the school.

The prep schools had their own set of issues and produced an entitled class of people. The concept of laws is a joke to many in Baltimore- ie Doug Ganslers drunken teens party. Yes - I partied with plenty of kids parents as a teen and the alcohol flowed.

Baltimore city is a wretched den of addicts. They estimated it at 30 thousand in the early 90s. By the end of that decade the estimate was revised upward to 70,000 addicts in a city that fell below 700,000 people around that time.
The area around Hopkins hospital is a disgrace.

Horrible state. So glad I left!

Anonymous wrote:
Maryland sucks. So glad I left.


I'm glad you left too!

Good. Now we are both happy.