Anonymous wrote:The best school district in the region is Howard county. The most balanced, best and most stylish are Whitman and Churchill (check the alumni). The best privates are in MD and DC. The best country clubs are in Montgomery . Most of the regions billionaires live in montgomery .MD is a richer and more educated state than Va and skews private with Georgetown( a gift from Md) and Hopkins. Umd is the premier STEM Institution in the region but Va has a much more extensive public college organization.

x2.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

LOL!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently, taxes are lower in Virginia. Economy is better, too. Of course, don't know how long that will last with a Dem governor.

and the schools do not follow Common Core.

That a positive. And they don't have Casa De Maryland up political asses.

Anonymous wrote:Currently, taxes are lower in Virginia. Economy is better, too. Of course, don't know how long that will last with a Dem governor.

and the schools do not follow Common Core.

Be firm on your decision re: commute, then decide schools.

Currently, taxes are lower in Virginia. Economy is better, too. Of course, don't know how long that will last with a Dem governor.

Anonymous wrote:Politics in Maryland will be more similar to Oregon, but it will be easier if you live in McLean near the Beltway. It's easier to commute to Bethesda from McLean in the AM than it is to commute from Maryland to the Tysons/McLean area.

With the republican governor-elect in Maryland who will cut education spending and cancel subway and light rail projects to focus on building roads, I'd say Virginia is currently more hospitable to liberal Oregon transplants.

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to decide between MCPS and the NOVA districts and really wanted to get an outside opinion. Do the state's differ dramatically? I know SES wise they seem similar but I wanted to get some info (we are house hunting from out of state and our commutes are basically the same living in Mont. vs. living in Arlington or Fairfax.

. As a geek having come from Oregon, I picked VA for the public colleges for my kids. The plan worked. William&Mary, VCU for arts, UVA , Tech - all great. Alexandria, Arlington area. For a brief guide, Silver Spring is like Eugene or the more liberal parts of Portland, Montgomery County and McLean/Potomac are more like Lake Oswego/Beaverton, and Cleveland Park has no real parallel in Oregon. Nor does the Mid Arlantic have the Columbia river gorge.

Look in the Wyngate section of Bethesda. Wyngate elementary feeds to Walter Johnson high school. Nice neighborhood, close to NIH and the beltway, close to downtown Bethesda. Lots of families. Be prepared to spend $750k to $1.2 mill for a 4 bedroom home.

Anonymous wrote:Either McLean or Bethesda (north of NIH). The area near Old Georgetown Road YMCA would be good. Easy access to 495, the trolley trail. Good schools, lots of kids. House prices vary dramatically. In my opinion, Property values are safe thanks to proximity to NIH. Good luck!

This is the Walter Johnson high school cluster, just FYI.

Anonymous wrote:The best school district in the region is Howard county. The most balanced, best and most stylish are Whitman and Churchill (check the alumni). The best privates are in MD and DC. The best country clubs are in Montgomery . Most of the regions billionaires live in montgomery .MD is a richer and more educated state than Va and skews private with Georgetown( a gift from Md) and Hopkins. Umd is the premier STEM Institution in the region but Va has a much more extensive public college organization.

Balanced? In what way? Certainly not racially or by SES.

The best school district in the region is Howard county. The most balanced, best and most stylish are Whitman and Churchill (check the alumni). The best privates are in MD and DC. The best country clubs are in Montgomery . Most of the regions billionaires live in montgomery .MD is a richer and more educated state than Va and skews private with Georgetown( a gift from Md) and Hopkins. Umd is the premier STEM Institution in the region but Va has a much more extensive public college organization.

Anonymous wrote:It's a 6 on on hand half a dozen on the other. I will be working at NIH. DH will be working in McLean. We can pick either but one of us is going to have to drive a bit.

I just wanted to get some thoughts on this because the idea of buying in one state versus the other worries me. (I also hate moving so this is basically it for us. I want to park it and be done).

NP here moved from out of state last year. I can't speak to the other neighborhoods, but will tell you what has worked for us.

We're in N. Arlington (22205, north of I-66 sort of by VA Hospital Ctr.) and DH can walk to Ballston metro, or hop on I-66 depending on the timing (due to carpool restrictions). Or he can bike in. The neighborhood is nice and it's not hard to get to McLean (although it depends where in McLean; I haven't explored it fully--but getting to that area where there is Balducci's, Organic Butcher etc. is easy)

We are doing a Catholic school--great, but the publics are also great, as I'm sure other PPs will attest. The high schools we're looking at are also good--Bishop O'Connell, or Washington-Lee or Yorktown.

OP, I highly recommend that you rent a house for a year first. Stop rolling your eyes! ('') I probably hate moving as much as you do, but having lived here a little bit, I can see there are nooks and crannies to these neighborhoods and it's great to get a feel--of the traffic flow, of the neighborhoods--it takes a little time!

That said, Arlington is divided up into little neighborhoods and one I am in love with is Westover. If we bought, I'd buy there somewhere. I remember a friend driving me through Westover and thinking, "one block of little dinky stores, how is this great?" but it IS. Another good one for your work situations would be Cherrydale.

Good luck, OP! DCUM helped me pick my location and I hope it helps you pick yours!

I drive from McLean to North Bethesda every day and it's do-able. About 25 minutes in the morning and longer (sometimes up to an hour) in the evening. The commute from Bethesda - McLean is pretty backed up both ways, though, so I'd estimate about an hour each way because you're going with traffic for both legs.

Arlington/McLean, anywhere would be fine. One thing to consider, I think it's easier to shoot up the GW Parkway north than to rely on the beltway; therefore, if in VA, I'd recommend living closer to the Parkway than west of the beltway...but it's also a lot more expensive, so there's that.

Hope you find something you like!

Either McLean or Bethesda (north of NIH). The area near Old Georgetown Road YMCA would be good. Easy access to 495, the trolley trail. Good schools, lots of kids. House prices vary dramatically. In my opinion, Property values are safe thanks to proximity to NIH. Good luck!