College Park? That housing budget seems pretty low with your HHI...

Takoma Park? Pockets of Kensington? Washington Parent is more for MD than Washington Families magazine so that would be a good starting point. Good luck with the move.

Anonymous wrote:OK, you have a lot of money and bad taste.

And you have a lot of time on your hands and lots of bitterness.

OP-- you have certainly gotten your introduction to the DCUM posters who dislike DC. All I can say is that a lot of DCUM doesn't correspond to real life as I experience it. Certainly I can understand posters who dislike living here because of the HCOL, but I also think the area has a ton going for it-- it's a manageable size with decent culture, restaurants, and climate.

We have lived in DC but moved to Montgomery county and like living here-- we're in East Bethesda and walk pretty much everywhere, but prices (and McMansions have gone up). On a smaller budget, I'd probably look around downtown SS (if you have the appetite for it, you could look into DC neighborhoods as well, but the school situation there is much more fluid and may be too uncertain/difficult to navigate).

Back on topic, the super-competitive preschools all require applications 9-12 months in advance, but if you want a full-time program that was great for us you might look into Wonders-- they have a few different locations. Also, there are a number of Montessori programs (like Franklin, Oneness, Bethesda) if that's of interest.

OK, you have a lot of money and bad taste.

Anyway, one thing to keep in mind is that even a high income won't buy you a spot in a top notch toddler daycare in close in DC. Waitlists are long and random. For the better preschools, you have missed admissions season. You may have to plan on a nanny and playgroups for this year.

As for location, probably a house in NW DC walking distance from a metro is the only thing that makes sense. I just cannot accept someone who can literally live anywhere in the country chosing to live in Silver Spring. (Not that Silver Spring is awful; but it is just too depressing a thought that you would squander your freedome that way.)

I understand why you are moving. My uncle's property taxes doubled in 10 years in IL. He finally left when they hit 30k a year.
People here seem to always want to move somewhere else. Myself included. This area can wear on you - the traffic, the competitiveness about everything, the cost of living. But we are staying because of jobs and the schools.
I would spend a great deal of time researching neighborhoods before moving. I wouldn't worry so much about preschool. There are great ones every where.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, well, again, all you've explained is why you want to leave Chicago and you haven't really said anything about what it is that made you choose the DC area.

I have. Good public school districts, less crime, regional stability.

We also love that it is culturally diverse, close to New York and other East Coast cities, close to the ocean and museum-heavy. Also, it has milder weather than Chicago. I am so done with winter weather that lasts from mid October to early May.

donewithchicago wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The property taxes are generally lower out here, but mine just went up $2100, so it happens everywhere. I'm in DC.

Went up 'by' $2100 or 'to' $2100?

No, I mean up by $2100, annually. It's been going up bit by bit over the 9 years we've lived here but this was the biggest hike yet.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, there have got to be better options if you have the ENTIRE WORLD to chose from. People dream about leaving the dmv precisely because of schools and real estate. They only come here for jobs. You make no sense.

Jesus Christ.

No I don't have the 'entire world' to choose from. I would like to stay within the United States.

Where do people dream of going? I'm asking honestly!

The West Coast is out because it's too far removed from everything. The West (and the frontier culture) felt too foreign. Midwestern weather sucks. The South was our number 2 option (in terms of region) but I am politically progressive, and many areas aren't. The East Coast was my number 1 option in terms of region, and my top areas were New York, New Jersey and Washington DC. DC area felt like the best fit for single family home/good school district/close to urban center.

It feels really crass to say this, but I suppose I will because I'm being prodded and pried. My husband and I are high earners. We gross $400,000/year, have a nice investment cushion and own two properties in Chicago we plan to sell before our move (one currently on the market, one being touched up), so money is not an issue for us although we live below our means and have lived in socioeconomically diverse areas our entire married lives.

I've gotten some great advice from this thread, but one thing I've certainly come to realize is there are a ton of miserable people in DMV who hate it there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would move to a college town somewhere where the public schools are good and living is more relaxed. If schools are your priority and you can live anywhere, it is frankly bizarre to chose the DC area. Public schools have so many compromises, and privates are extremely $$ and competitive. Plus the cost of living ...

We looked at Raleigh NC for the very reasons you listed (college town, good public schools, relaxed living) and it felt like a giant suburb. We wanted some kind of proximity to an urban center and DMV felt like a good compromise. Also I did clarify up thread that we've narrowed it down to Montgomery County, which is outside of DC proper.

So you think you want to hang out in Down Town Silver Spring (tm)?

Seriously, there have got to be better options if you have the ENTIRE WORLD to chose from. People dream about leaving the dmv precisely because of schools and real estate. They only come here for jobs. You make no sense.

Okay, well, again, all you've explained is why you want to leave Chicago and you haven't really said anything about what it is that made you choose the DC area. I've lived in both as well as other cities in the US and outside the US. There are many places that I would choose before I would choose DC. As you noted, the sheer cost of living in DC would be enough to make me choose elsewhere if I didn't need to live there, which you don't since you work from home. But to each his own.

Anonymous wrote:A $200 increase is really not that bad.

I meant $200 a month. $2400 total.

Anonymous wrote:I haven't lived there in a decade but my immediate family is all still there and we go back regularly. I keep up with the local issues and I understand what you're saying. I'm not questioning your decision to leave there; I'm not clear what it is about DC that made you choose DC over Chicago.

I get the impression that maybe you need to hear my reasons more for your sake than mine. So I'll oblige.

1. Regional stability
I've lived in the Chicagoland area for 14 years -- including 10 in Chicago proper. The city hasn't gotten better. It's gotten worse by many measures (more taxes, less affordable, more public school closures, park closures, mental health facility closures, crime rate increase.) I'm looking to move to an area of the country where quality of life measures have been stable over time or improved. I believe that the DMV fits that bill.

2. Good public schools
I'm not even going to begin to discuss the nightmare that is getting kids into good Chicago public schools. As a child my husband attended the top-ranked (in city and state) Andrew Jackson Language Academy. We live very very close to it and inquired about their application pool. There are 1,000 children who compete... for 60 slots. And this is not unusual. Even the neighborhood kids aren't guaranteed slots in top-ranked neighborhood schools. There is so much corruption, too, with suburban kids stealing slots at top-ranked city schools. I would like to skip all this and move to an area of the country where the public schools are good and easy to get into.

3. Less crime
This is self-explanatory.

4. Taxes that lead to better amenities
Right now Chicago is raising its taxes -- just to get out of debt. I am fine with being taxed if I see my dollars going to improved schools, parks, public transportation, etc. I'm not okay with being taxed to pay for the mistakes of shortsighted politicians.

I mean, I'm not sure what else I can say here. Chicago is more affordable than DC (although, with taxes on the rise, the COL is going up), and it has nicer people (Midwestern friendliness!) and a more vibrant culture. But these are not reasons to stay in a city that is deeply troubled. I've noticed and applaud Emanuel's efforts in bringing big businesses into Chicago, but this doesn't seem to be having an impact on the bottom line.

donewithchicago wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to live there now and would move back in a heartbeat if my husband could get a job there.

How long has it been since you lived here? My property taxes just went up by $200 and I have nothing to show for it -- no improvements in neighborhood schools, roads, parks, etc -- because that money is going to plug the city's never-ending budget deficit. The city and state's debt are at junk status and we can't borrow our way out of the budget crisis.

I am not anti-Chicago. It's a beautiful city with good people and a great culture and I hate to leave it. But I'm not willing to ignore the mounting issues. Some people choose to. I don't.

A $200 increase is really not that bad. I haven't lived there in a decade but my immediate family is all still there and we go back regularly. I keep up with the local issues and I understand what you're saying. I'm not questioning your decision to leave there; I'm not clear what it is about DC that made you choose DC over Chicago.

Anonymous wrote:The property taxes are generally lower out here, but mine just went up $2100, so it happens everywhere. I'm in DC.

Went up 'by' $2100 or 'to' $2100?

The property taxes are generally lower out here, but mine just went up $2100, so it happens everywhere. I'm in DC.

Anonymous wrote:I would love to live there now and would move back in a heartbeat if my husband could get a job there.

How long has it been since you lived here? My property taxes just went up by $200 and I have nothing to show for it -- no improvements in neighborhood schools, roads, parks, etc -- because that money is going to plug the city's never-ending budget deficit. The city and state's debt are at junk status and we can't borrow our way out of the budget crisis.

I am not anti-Chicago. It's a beautiful city with good people and a great culture and I hate to leave it. But I'm not willing to ignore the mounting issues. Some people choose to. I don't.