Kensington , Is it a good area to live in with young Kids? (Silver Spring: apartment, leasing)

[bunky3301]

I've posted several times in the Maryland forum about several towns around Montgomery Co. and I'm still trying to do as much homework that I can do before we come to Maryland in a couple of weeks from San Diego to physically look around for a nice safe neighborhood and house to lease.

My wife is active duty Navy and her next duty station is Bethesda Naval Hospital. I'd like some opinions on Kensington Md. Its not far from the Hospital and I've heard mixed things and would like to know what you guys/gals think of the town these days?

We have two small children under school age and won't have to worry about schools till the last year we are there. (staying only 3 years otherwise we'd think about buying).

[tagylyn]

Kensington is one of the better areas in the Silver Spring/Wheaton/Rockville/Bethesda vicinity. It is a bit more expensive than SS or Wheaton.
I don't know if it still is, but Kensington is an alcohol free town.
If your price permits, you should also look at a small vicinity between Rockville and Kensington called Garrett Park.

[debbiekr]

Bunky,

Looks like you are having a hard time finding info on areas you are interested in and unfortunately as a MD native I'm not familiar with those areas myself. You may want to try www.familywatchdog.us for crime and sex offender information since you have kids. Also, www.nationalalertregistry.com. You can also call the local police department and they can tell you what type of calls and how often they get them for the area. As far as houses, if you don't want to call a Realtor, try www.homesdatabase.com. I think their listings are pretty up to date. It will at least give you an idea of the communities. My husband is also military and we would travel to the VA hospital but never wandered off the beaten trail Alot of people find it is cheaper to rent if only in the area a short time, which is what we did for our 3 yrs. Good luck, sorry I couldn't be of more help!

[cmacf1]

Historic Kensington is gorgeous! We went there last week to attend a concert in a local park there. It seems to be quite civic minded with concerts in parks on summer weekends and a farmer's market and a nice antiques district. If we were to move to Montgomery county (close in to DC,) we'd be looking at Kensington for sure. Though I don't have any direct information, it looks like it would be pricy.

[Kensington]

I live in Kensington, there are tons of young families and I think it's a great place to live. It does have a small "downtown" area and has parades and a farmers market and other community events. I don't think anywhere in Montgomery Cty can be described as a "small town", but I do think Kensington retains a bit of a small town feel. It would be a very easy commute to Bethesda Medical for your wife and is convenient to the metro if you are commuting downtown. The Kensington zipcode is made up of the incorporated town as well as unincorporated areas. I really don't think there is a bad area, but the better school clusters are Bethesda Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson. Parkwood neighborhood is particularly convenient to Bethesda Navy Medical and there are a lot of young families. The neighborhood elementary is Kensington-Parkwood which feeds into Walter Johnson Highschool. In Parkwood you are looking at $550,000 and up for a small, old house. Town of Kensington and the areas that feed into Bethesda Chevy Chase High are more expensive, mainly due to the fact they tend to be bigger houses with a bit more yard.

[bunky3301]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just want to mention that I won't be buying but leasing since we will only be here for 3 years. We don't want to do the Apartment thing anymore, but would like to find a townhouse or small SFH to lease. If anyone has someone in mind in the Kensington area of to talk to I'd appreciate it and if you don't want to post there names feel free to PM me...thanks again !!!

[bunky3301]

Just wanted to post that we did find a nice house to rent in "Kensington" and it does seem to have a very nice small town appeal amidst the MASS suburbia that the area has become.

We are very happy with our find and look forward to moving in around the end of August. Thanks again all for you help. My wife really thanks everyone who suggested Kensington because now she only has a 4 mile commute to work....thanks again, Bunky

[kdy3]

I've got a potential job offer coming up in the Wheaton, MD area near Westfield mall. Willing to live outside of Wheaton in the surroundning areas as long as I can access public transit (will be without a car during my first couple of months).

Looking for studio, 1 bd, or 2. some or all utilities would be okay. Will need a month to month or short-term (3 month) rental. Range $700-1100;

I DON'T need a pool, gym, or business center, just a place to live that is safe, clean.

Any suggestions

[cpterp]

Kensington is a small town jewel in what is now mostly semi-urban Montgomery County. Crime is very low, and it is very convenient to Washington since it has it's own MARC station and is within a few miles of Wheaton and Forest Glen Metro stations as well as the Beltway (495). There is an extremely large selection of cultural, shopping, and eating activities thanks in large part to its proximity with the densely populated urban centers of Bethesda and Silver Spring. In Kensington itself there are numerous small shops and a very nice Safeway was just constructed a couple of years ago.

That said, be prepared to expect exceptionally high cost-of-living expenses (something prevalent throughout the entire DC Metro area, but even more so in high-end, close-in neighbourhoods such as Kensington or its neighbour Chevy Chase).

[84red]

OMG yes! I have family that lives in Kensington. That is one of the safest areas. It's very close to the beltways, Silver Spring/ Wheaton. They fixed that place up a lot. Antique Row off of Connecticut is great. It has always been a very family oriented place. There really is NO crime, NO problems-it's a great small town. Perfect place-CERTAINLY to raise kids!