Prince George's County? (Baltimore, Bowie, Greenbelt: section 8, real estate, affordable apartments)

[CHICAGOLAND92]

I lived there when I was around 11, and now I'm about 15, so I don't really remember much about the place. I know its the most affluent county with an African American majority, but how is it actually? Is it that desirable? I used to live in Forestville, MD.

[adh0789]

Its not desireable to me and I've lived in PG and DC all my life. The schools suck and the crime is high. Forestville isnt too bad bad it has its times.

[mwoda]

You can count on someone to tell you how awful any place is. AND you will find many more who make it home and will tell you how wonderful it is. My reply to your question would be another question... What are you looking for? What are your expectations? What are your concerns? It's not perfect for everyone, but it is perfect for some people.

I highly recommend that you find an experienced real estate agent in the area, tell them your wants, needs and concerns, check out the areas that best satisfy those, and then YOU make a decision about Prince George's County. Please don't rely upon a few people on a message board to decide the merits of any place.

[pkoons]

If by desirable you mean:

- Easy access to DC and Baltimore
- Good range of home prices and affordable apartments
- Hosts a major state university system, Redskins stadium, and many major employers

Then by all means check it out.

But, if you are looking for:

- Low crime
- Good schools
- Good shopping
- Lack of traffic

Then be sure to look elsewhere.

I grew up in Laurel and went to school in Greenbelt, Glenarden, and Landover, so I know most of the northern half of PG county. I don't like it there but it's not as bad as the folks from Montgomery and Howard Counties make it sound.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by CHICAGOLAND92

I lived there when I was around 11, and now I'm about 15, so I don't really remember much about the place. I know its the most affluent county with an African American majority, but how is it actually? Is it that desirable? I used to live in Forestville, MD.

It's got it all. I lived and worked in the Forestville, District Heights area for many years (mostly before you were born). I haven't lived/worked there in a while. I know it had major issues back in the 80s and early 90s - crime, gang, bad schools, and many of the large apartment complexes changing over to section 8 housing.

I'm not going to tell you that it has all changed in Forestville, but there have been some positive steps. For one, Forestville High school is now a semi-military type school. Uniforms and ROTC abound. I'm not totally up to date on it, but I did hear that grades have improved, and there's much less violence there now.

The shopping mall in Forestville did undergo a mini renovation, and seems a lot nicer now. Plus there's been new townhouses/apartments added to the area.

Of course crime is still a problem in many pockets of PG. I don't think that will ever go away. PG seems more like any big city (I think there's 800,000 people living there now) than a suburban county.

Hope you find your niche and enjoy your return to the county.

[CHICAGOLAND92]

Originally Posted by mwoda

You can count on someone to tell you how awful any place is. AND you will find many more who make it home and will tell you how wonderful it is. My reply to your question would be another question... What are you looking for? What are your expectations? What are your concerns? It's not perfect for everyone, but it is perfect for some people.
the merits of any place.

Well, I guess I should have rephrased my statement. As I stated in my thread topic, PGC is the most affluent AA majority county. I mean, are there really nice pockets in the county (McMansions, clean, etc)? .

I remember living there when the sniper was loose. I was in 4th grade at the time if I remember correctly. . Has crime gotten better or worse in the area?

[adh0789]

Originally Posted by CHICAGOLAND92

Well, I guess I should have rephrased my statement. As I stated in my thread topic, PGC is the most affluent AA majority county. I mean, are there really nice pockets in the county (McMansions, clean, etc)? .

I remember living there when the sniper was loose. I was in 4th grade at the time if I remember correctly. . Has crime gotten better or worse in the area?

Its gotten worse in the most part

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by CHICAGOLAND92

Well, I guess I should have rephrased my statement. As I stated in my thread topic, PGC is the most affluent AA majority county. I mean, are there really nice pockets in the county (McMansions, clean, etc)? .

I remember living there when the sniper was loose. I was in 4th grade at the time if I remember correctly. . Has crime gotten better or worse in the area?

There are some really nice sections of the county: Lake Arbor, most of Mitchellville, much of Bowie, Tantallon, and many others. For the most part the nicer areas are outside the beltway. There are exceptions, a couple of nice hoods near University Park, Cheverly, other inner ring burbs. Likewise there's some sketchy stuff outside the beltway as well.

[kosmo65]

I grew up in Prince George's County, and while there are some scary areas (Capitol Heights), there are also some fantastic areas. Most of the county is FINE these days, although the schools aren't as good as they could be.

There are definitely great places in Prince George's County - Woodmore http://www.woodmore.org/ is the wealthiest subdivision around, and boasts a fantastic private golf course.

[jallen]

PG County is indeed improving its image. Lived here since 1982 and have seen the change taking place. Upscale Housing and retail shopping is coming to the county. PG county today will not be the same PG county 10 years from now. Bordeing D/C it is benefiting from all the changes going on over there. The school system and crime are the major issues. Hopefully things will improve in these areas