Neighborhoods- family friendly, great schools, montgomery county? (Baltimore, Bethesda: foreclosure, townhomes)

[badashia]

I have searched the archives for this and im sure its there but i cant find it.
We are a family of 3 from San Francisco looking to buy a home in MD this summer.
We want a family neighborhood (read; kids play in their yards, strollers, walkable to park or library or rec center etc) in a great school district (seems like kensingon, parts of rockville and bethesda and garrett park all have these), preferable within a short drive to a train station.

We'd love homes with some history (1940's houses maybe victorian), porches, big shady trees

We cant spend a fortune but we are willing to stretch if the 'hood meets our criteria and this is a buyers market so i think we have some flex.

Are there young families in Garrett Park or just lots of old money? How about Kenisington near the little train station and antique row?
What parts of rockville might fit the bill?
we liked what we saw in Woodmoor but its a bit cramped in there- like nowhere to park our cars but on the street.

I know some of you know exactly what we are looking for.
Any suggestions?

We are flexible for sure- i mean, last week we were going to live in Old Town Alexandria, Va and this week its MD.
My husband's job takes him all around DC metro area- to Baltimore 1/wk,
to DC, to Herndon 2-3x/wk, to columbia so we have to embrace the commute,

And finally, being from SF, i need to be close-ish to where there is a metro or at least a town center with restaurants and other SAH Moms with strollers. A place like Leesburg VA would only keep me happy for a few weeks but then i'd feel stranded.

Thanks for your help. I hope we find what we are looking for in MD!

[vlorak]

i guess it depends where will you/your husband work? MD is quite big, and there are lots of places just like you described.
let us know where he will be working, or how far of a drive is he willing to do then someone i am sure will offer you great advice
good luck

[badashia]

He will have to go to an office in herndon va a couple times a week, up to baltimore, down to dc, out to leesburg.... all over.
So it is virtually impossible for us to avoid a crazy commute.
We figure Montgomery county is a good central place with great schools. We could narrow it to there or be open to a neighboring county.

Thanks!

[lscalder]

Have you checked out Chevy Chase or NW DC.

[badashia]

Chevy chase would fit the bill if we could find a house there under 800k - ;(
NW DC - cant find those great schools ive heard so much about in montg county.
im waiting for the miracle foreclosure in CC to get us in there.
thanks

[dkf747]

North Potomac.

[Kensington]

I think there are a lot of communities in Mo Co that fit the bill. I think that Kensington, Garrett Park, and Bethesda would fit your needs in the under $800,000 range. The Wyngate neighborhood of Bethesda (zipcode 20814 and 20817) is one place to look for ease of getting around the metro area. You'll have easy access to 495 and be close to NIH metro. There are a couple of nice parks in that neighborhood and you could walk to the Bethesda/Chevy Chase YMCA from parts of the neighborhood. It is located off of Old Georgetown Rd. just South of the beltway.

Garrett Park is definitely not what I would consider old money.

[PenguinSix]

Have you thought about North Arlington in VA? Some nice homes in the area bordering McLean, sidewalks and the like, with some good schools.

[AnotherSanDiegan]

I just tried to post a message, but I did something wrong - apologies if I end up posting twice!

We just moved to Bethesda from San Diego a few weeks ago. We have 3 small kids and so were looking for much of the same things that you are looking for. We moved into the Wyngate neighborhood of Bethesda, just about a block and a half north of NIH. We love it here. We got a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house for under $800k. The school district is fantastic.

There are lots of parks to walk to (Ayrlawn, Alta Vista - and the YMCA which has free childcare for 2 hours while you exercise). Since we've been here, we've gone to Glen Echo park for the carousel and puppet show, Cabin John park for the miniature train, that National Zoo, dowtown Bethesda for storytime and the Chevy Chase community center for open gym time. There's lots to do!

I've met lots of nice moms everywhere I go. There are tons of kids out and about (and not just stuck in their backyards like in SanDiego). There are online moms groups to join.

The area is very very green and shady (but also has a ton of mosquitos which we haven't gotten used to yet). This area is within walking distance to the Medical Center Metro (or you can take a ride-on bus that takes just 2 or 3 minutes). This area is also close to the 495 beltway and the 270 and we're a short drive to the Kensington MARC station.

Best of luck with your search!

[rajsand]

Could someone tell me if this wyngate community has townhomes in the range of 350-450 . If not will I be able to find a newer townhome in bethesda in this price range?
If not, how about Wheaton? Does it have good schools and homes in this range?
Anybody who knows something about wheaton / bethesda please do share. This will be helpful
Thanks