really, difference between vienna and DC is moot, imho. Iw we want to compare Vienna to Burbs...look at Fairfax, Raston, Springfield, Burke.

I like vienna, and have chose over the other areas primarily for hte feeling of communnity.

Anonymous wrote:Crestwood, Kent, AU Park, Spring Valley, Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Forest Hills, 16th Street Heights, Palisades.

Crestwood - not very safe; probably better for an embassy than a family

Kent - suburban; might as well be in North Arlington or Bethesda (oh, but then you'd have decent public schools and better services)

AU Park - same types of older houses as in much of town of Vienna, but more expensive and on smaller lots

Chevy Chase - need to be in Maryland, not DC, part of Chevy Chase for decent public schools after elementary

Colonial Village - tiny enclave; sort of like North Arlington, but with worse shopping and lousier schools

Forest Hills - see "Kent"

16th Street Heights - see "Crestwood"

Palisades - "Kent" with better views

Some of these areas do have redeeming qualities, but we'll happily take Vienna instead.

Anonymous wrote:Crestwood, Kent, AU Park, Spring Valley, Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Forest Hills, 16th Street Heights, Palisades.

Going to franklymls ...

With "22180 active" I find 29 houses on over 0.2 acres going for under $600k in zip code 22180. Some of them are pretty much "buy for the land only" but others appear to have been renovated within.

Going through the ZIP codes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/realestate/features/2008/housing-outlook/gr/art-dc_map.jpg (for future reference)
20007: Only condos, mostly 1BR
20008: Condos, but a mix of 1/2 BR.
20012: Nice variety here, seems similar to what is in Vienna except with 0.10-0.15 acre lots.
20016: Only condos, mostly 1BR
20017: Nice mix of SFH's.

Not sure about safety -- there's Great Falls level, Vienna level, 7 Corners level, and then Hybla Valley level.

I'm guessing crime in 20012 and 20017 is like 7 Corners, where you've got some GPS and laptop thefts from cars, and then the occasional thug shooting/stabbing another thug.

Why do we like Vienna?
1. Good to great PUBLIC schools.
2. Sense of community.
3. (Relatively) lower price.
4. Comfortable lot sizes, plenty of room for later expansion but OK as is.

I'm the OP and frankly, I'm sorry I asked the question. I was interested in learning why so many people seem to love Vienna, not another "DC v. Suburbs" pissing contest. But apparently everyone is so insecure and defensive on DCUM that you can't say "my neighborhood is great" without someone else posting, "no, mine's better and yours sucks." It's just so tiresome. . . .

Anonymous wrote:
Really how would you know that? Vienna gives them what experience exactly? Hands down I can name about 5 neighborhoods in DC that are much better than Vienna, have tons of yard space, great services etc. and have just as good public schools (yes you have us beat on high schools but my kid going to a private HS is much better than a drug infested, over crowded Nova public). We're talking about Vienna..not McLean, not Great Falls. Vienna.

Drug infested?? Really?? I'm pretty sure, given your desire for private HS, you think you're going to be immune from the drug infestation in high school (good luck with that)... I'll take Madison over Coolidge any day. (which is pretty much why we did make the move from NWDC to Vienna)

Besides, the biggest druggie I knew my freshman year of college (small private liberal arts) was a graduate of one of the better known privates in DC... and he didn't just suddenly start using once he got to college.

Anonymous wrote:Madison High School

What's so great about Madison? How is it in comparison to Oakton High?

Crestwood, Kent, AU Park, Spring Valley, Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Forest Hills, 16th Street Heights, Palisades.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are plenty of areas in NW DC with all those amenities.

In smaller quantities, together with lousy services and terrible public schools.

We just didn't find NW DC a particularly attractive place to raise kids. If you have the money, you send them to a posh private school, after going through all the drama of the school acceptance process, and then they grow up in a bubble of extreme privilege. And, even then, they aren't really exposed to the benefits of a city like New York or London. It's ultimately a more pampered and more parochial upbringing than the suburbs.

Really how would you know that? Vienna gives them what experience exactly? Hands down I can name about 5 neighborhoods in DC that are much better than Vienna, have tons of yard space, great services etc. and have just as good public schools (yes you have us beat on high schools but my kid going to a private HS is much better than a drug infested, over crowded Nova public). We're talking about Vienna..not McLean, not Great Falls. Vienna.

o.k. name them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are plenty of areas in NW DC with all those amenities.

In smaller quantities, together with lousy services and terrible public schools.

We just didn't find NW DC a particularly attractive place to raise kids. If you have the money, you send them to a posh private school, after going through all the drama of the school acceptance process, and then they grow up in a bubble of extreme privilege. And, even then, they aren't really exposed to the benefits of a city like New York or London. It's ultimately a more pampered and more parochial upbringing than the suburbs.

Really how would you know that? Vienna gives them what experience exactly? Hands down I can name about 5 neighborhoods in DC that are much better than Vienna, have tons of yard space, great services etc. and have just as good public schools (yes you have us beat on high schools but my kid going to a private HS is much better than a drug infested, over crowded Nova public). We're talking about Vienna..not McLean, not Great Falls. Vienna.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whenever someone says they could live in DC but yet they live in some far flung suburb I don't really believe them.

You don't think some people like grass, trees and space?

There are plenty of areas in NW DC with all those amenities.

With renovated ramblers on quarter-acre lots for under $600k, and with schools as good (or at least as high-scoring) as those in Vienna? (I'm not even getting into the 4000-square-foot SFH's with three-car garages many DCUM posters believe they "need.")

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are plenty of areas in NW DC with all those amenities.

In smaller quantities, together with lousy services and terrible public schools.

We just didn't find NW DC a particularly attractive place to raise kids. If you have the money, you send them to a posh private school, after going through all the drama of the school acceptance process, and then they grow up in a bubble of extreme privilege. And, even then, they aren't really exposed to the benefits of a city like New York or London. It's ultimately a more pampered and more parochial upbringing than the suburbs.

Then don't raise them in NW DC. Come on over to my neighborhood. We live next to public housing and my kid goes to private school after going through public elementary and middle school. Hardly a pampered or parochial existence.

I'm not knocking Vienna at all -- just the attitude that one can only live a "pampered and parochial" upbringing in DC. That's hilarious!

Anonymous wrote:
There are plenty of areas in NW DC with all those amenities.

In smaller quantities, together with lousy services and terrible public schools.

We just didn't find NW DC a particularly attractive place to raise kids. If you have the money, you send them to a posh private school, after going through all the drama of the school acceptance process, and then they grow up in a bubble of extreme privilege. And, even then, they aren't really exposed to the benefits of a city like New York or London. It's ultimately a more pampered and more parochial upbringing than the suburbs.

Anonymous wrote:I think you need at least 600-750k to live comfortably in DC as you would in 500k Vienna.

What???? We live in Vienna on $125K.

I have a 2000 dollar mortgage payment, great schools, great shopping...and a 15 min commute

I think you need at least 600-750k to live comfortably in DC as you would in 500k Vienna.