The Supposed Affluence of PG County (Bowie, Clinton: wages, rental, jobs)

[TraceyM77]

If you enjoy being near a big city with museums, government and the arts, but also near the water, if you enjoy seafood and like to see the seasons change but don't love very cold, snowy weather, if you are a friendly kind of person who is willing to do a favor for a neighbor now and then, I'd say, move to Prince George's County, yes! Oh, and we have a TON of very large churches in the county of late. You can find a lot to occupy you by joining a ministry or two in one of these -- and we hope that you will make sure that ministry really reaches out and touches the people in the county, who need the help.

I think that Prince Georges is a great and exciting place if you are willing to put some work into living here -- you can't move somewhere and take the attitude that you'll sit and wait until things come to you.[/quote]



Your statement above paired with the post of PG places like Mitchellville, Bowie and Upper Marlboro really helped me to narrow my search down..
You hit the nail on the head with everything that I'm looking for!

Thank you!

[jallen]

Originally Posted by mayjormom

Wow, as a teacher I am very impressed by your candor and accuracy. You pretty much summed it up about PGC. I am happy to hear that you did learn something in PGCPS. I personally think this "Black Affluent Suburb" notion is just that: a notion. I grew up in DC and upon graduating from college moved to PGC. I am very disappointed and every day it seems to mirror DC. It is not a desirable place to raise children nor is it desirable for single people. I live 3 blocks from DC and I am appalled by the things that go on in my apartment complex. It just seems like quality people don't exist anymore. I don't profess to be the greatest person in the world, but really where are these people coming from? My neighbors consist of domestic abusers, drug users and sellers, and future evicted tenants. It seems every month someone gets evicted making me feel like I live in the projects or something. I do not recommend the DC metro area to anyone right now. I am definitely moving. The cost of living is ridiculous compared to what you get. I'm just curious to the writer of this thread: why do you want to move from Hotlanta?

You obviously live inside the beltway where the crime in this county is concentrated. Atlanta and its surrounding area has worse crime per capita than PG. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence until you get over there and realize to the contrary. Go over to the Georgia forum and see how much people are complaining about crime over in the Atlanta and surrounding areas. Just like any place else if you want to decrease your chances of being a victim of crime you have to move out into a surburban/rural communitiy with a decreased population density where home ownership predominates.

If you want to get rid of crime you do what DC is doing-turn everything into condos that were once apartment building. People who have a vested interest in where they live in general will not tolerate high crime in their community. Crime is steadily going down in DC because of this.

A good portion of the county that is outside of the beltway is the home of many AA living in upper middle class homes. The problem is PG county having a large segment of Apartments (specifically inside the beltway) will be a magnet for those leaving DC because of what is going on over there. PG County is concerned about this that is why over in Greenbelt (specifically Springhill lake which are high crime apartments) they plan on tearing them down and rebuilding with 40% of the rebuilt housing having to be purchased. This is also happening in Suitland where they have torn drug infested apartments down and are rebuilding with homes to be purchased.

It is a sad fact however a few AA's within the lower aspect of the socioeconomic ladder living to a large extent in these apartments is commiting the bulk of the crime and destroying the once galvanized fabric within the black community. An AA killing another AA has become an accepted sport in our community. I should not have to worry about my own people regarding my property and general safety when I stop at the gas station in Capital Heights or some other aspects of PG County however I 'am.

[Zippy7fo]

PG county is seperated by Interstate 495. One half is Affluent and the other half is low income to middle class. Its got great cities like Bowie, Largo, Lake Arbor, Upper Marlbor and then the not so good parts like Bladensburg, Hyatesville, and District Heights. All the crime comes from poor AA moving out of DC because the cost of living is increasing due to the Mayor being in bed with developers to rid the city of undesirables and push people and problems onto PG county. Its really a smart strategy in a sick sort of way. New Orleans is going through the same thing by Mayor Nagin. I had girlfriends who lived in Pg county and my old jobs and never once had a problem.

[jallen]

Originally Posted by stvincent

I am Black and I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia. I do not live in an all Black area here and I would not wish to do so in Maryland. However, I am curious still about PG county. I have heard and read that it is supposed to the most affluent county for African Americans in the country. Yet, I have read other reports where PG County is plagued with bad schools, high crime, high poverty rates, and slow commercial development. Will someone clear up this issue just to satisfy my curiosity? I would like to know where the affluent areas of the county are, if any, and I would like to know if anyone would actually suggest a move there. Any insights would be appreciated.

Why were you curious if you would not live around an all black area? Were you just looking to compare the ATL to PG after the Ebony Ad? Did you not like that the ATL did not get the Accolades that PG received in Ebony. Atlanta is plagued with worse crime than PG County and the school system is bad if not worse than PG. Commercially what is over in Atlanta? What was your point?

AA in PG county are paying more for their homes compared to the Atlanta area because of the economy here. From what I hear the salaries in the ATL are not much less that PG County. AA purchasing homes in subdivisions starting at $700,000 and being the primary customer base is real here. Can you say the same in Atlanta? Mitchellville Maryland and the surrounding area is home of the wealthiest AA in the USA and that is a fact. I 'am sure Mitchellville Maryland with it being primarily African American can rival any wealthy white community in Atlanta in terms of median family income and median home prices. In addition to Mitchellville you have Fort-Washington Accokeek, Upper Marlboro, Glendale, Largo/Kettering and Bowie which is home of many wealthy African Americans. Homes in Atlanta there are much cheaper so an AA can better afford to live in nicer homes compared to PG County. The $200,000 home in Atlanta is probably costing at least $350,000 and up here in PG County.

[1973 Forced Busing]

Mitchellville is great. If you only didn't have to drive through the ghetto to get in and out.

[2MCHPSI]

I grew up in Bowie and my parents live in Mitchellville. There are some very nice and expensive houses in Mitchellville. It has some of the wealthiest AA families in the country for sure. The school systems suck though. Most people my parents know send their kids to private school. Mitchellville is over 80% AA, most of them are doing very well financially.. To be honest , the crime is there even in their community of 600-800k homes. Cars are stolen on a regular basis, and police are so busy, it takes forever sometimes for them to respond. They had their cars stolen twice, and mine stolen once when I lived with them. Also someone stole equipment out of their open garage in broad daylight, making me install a security system for them. But for PG county, the crime would be considered miminal considering other parts of the county are terrible crime wise.

Bowie while not nearly as crime free as it used to be, the housing is pretty affordable considering the area, and it is around a 50/50 mix of white and AA. Crime recently shot up in Bowie, so they are now starting a Bowie police force, which should help out , as PG police are way to busy to respond to many calls. Saying that, I lived here off and on for over 37 years and it is safe.

To be honest, if I could afford it, since I work around DC, I would move to Northern Va. and get out of PG county altogether.

[jgoodall]

I agree with the last reply in the next few years you will not be able to recongnize PG County. There is so much development going on in the area, because it is the most affordable county within the metro area. There are wonderful areas in PG ( more exclusive areas are Lake Arbor, Tantallon, Upper Marlboro, Accokeek, parts of Fort Washington, parts of College Park) and there are those areas that are problematic. But as in any large urban area you can't lump the whole county in as being bad. If you go to Virginia to Prince William, Loudon and Fairfax counties, you will find that there are areas and some of the schools that are facing the same problems as PG. I've lived in the area for over 15 years and find that yes it does have some work to do; but it's coming when citizens work together and developers find that the citizens of PG county can afford what they have to offer.

[Georgia]

I would compare PG county Maryland to parts of Gwinnett and DeKalb County since your from the Atlanta area.
Laurel is Duluth, Bowie is Norcross, etc.
Considering it is Northeast of Washington DC is another good comparison with the above, considering Washington DC can be compared to the city of Atlanta.

I guess what I am saying is there is not much difference from the Atlanta area and the DC area outside of taxation. Maryland can rob you blind.

[fishfister]

PG county might be for you. I live outside of the beltway and I am less than 8 miles from that magical spot named "ground zero" on the ellipse behind the white house.
Why do I say sub-standard? The expected service level here is very low. There are no real restaurants as you might enjoy in Atlanta as everything is chain based. The restaurants that are here don't stay long and there are far too many strip malls with nothing in them but a liquor store, grocery store and dry cleaner.
Why? That's a good question.
The affluent haven you read, hear of or see on television is a misrepresentation. Everyone in the DC Metro area works for the federal government in some manner. There would be nothing here if not. The federal government has a ridiculously inflated pay scale and even the least educated can move up to those levels. The cost of living is ridiculous here and salaries at private firms echo that.
The high rate of black affluency is not mentioned in the same sentence as PG county is majority black which puts the first fact in a different light. If PG county were majority hispanic what would you know of it? There is the reason of the affluency.
PG county is not a haven of any sorts. The pie in the sky posts i have read here are bunk. Is Old Town Alexandria safe? No, and neither is Georgetown.
A lot of the crime in PG county is extremely violent black on black.
The school system ties into society. My neighbor's young daughter explained to me her peers tell her she is trying to be "white" when excelling in her studies. Whatever that means, I am out of touch.
Though they are "banned" in this county I have a pit bull for a companion dog. There is no other way I could live here because parents don't teach their children correctly here.
I am not racist; you should hear my black neighbor speak of what I just posted. He taught me of what sub standard is and he has no tolerance.
When I move away from here I will never look back.

[fishfister]

Originally Posted by Leonsadc

In regards to lower crime rates, better schools and convenience to pretty much anything you can think of. Not carrying my own chair but I live in a very very nice neighborhood (HOA). It somewhat borders Charles and PG county. Anyway, so far statistically, this area specifically Clinton is a reasonable place to live at compared to cities in PG. Green Line Metro is about 4 miles away (great access to anywhere) etc.... The best thing to do is drive out here and check it out. Folks here in Clinton are very sensitive, in their own good ways. I can still consider Clinton as one of the few which are called "hometowns" in America.

Goo Luck and God Bless!

p.s. By the way, I am asian. That information might or might not be important but I said that just for me to say that I see Clinton in a broader perspective.
For me in my honest opinion, race has never been an issue here in Clinton.

Clinton...
If the GREEN line is four miles away you are not close to Charles county by any stretch. Branch Ave is the closest you can get and that is 15 miles from Waldorf. Clinton is where "the Sniper" of 2002 would go as his ex wife lives there. Last, Clinton is one of those areas of Maryland being far overdeveloped making any of the egress roads from the beltway an impossible trek. A skyramp is currently being built for the 7A exit. I can't wait to see that.