District Heights info needed (Bowie, Clinton: houses, condo, schools)

[mstoyac]

My husband and I are about to purchase our first home. I have seen a few homes in district heights that look nice. Can anyone tell me about this area? What parts are ok and what parts should we avoid at all cost?

Thanks in advance for everyone’s assistance

[jsmill]

I would not recommend District Heights, even if the price is right. Central PG County inside the Beltway has a lot of crime, both petty and serious. On top of that, there were a number of gas leaks/explosions in the yards of houses built in DH in the 1960s due, I believe, to materials used in the construction of the gas lines. If you want to stay in PG, try Bowie, Mitchellville, Upper Marlboro. If money is the reason you're looking at DH, try Hyattsville City or Cheverly; both of nice, older homes and compared to DH are relatively safer.

[Ex-Ithacan]

My wife grew up in Dist Hts and I lived there for several years myself. We moved from there about 15 years ago. At the time we left it was not a great place to live. We heard gunshots quite frequently, and crime was a big problem. There have been a couple of incidents related to gas leaks as mentioned above. I'm not saying that the entire town is bad, but you just have to be careful. Generally I would stay away from any apartment complexes. The other problem is, it's hard to tell who lives next door to you before you move in. Might be a good idea to check out some places outside the beltway. Not as convenient, but the schools are usually better and there's less crime (I know car insurance rates are quite a bit higher inside the beltway). Good luck.

[Zippy7fo]

Man...I don't know you but If I was standing in front of you I would shake you and then plead with you not to do it. If you want property value to rise District Heights would be the worse spot. DC ingenious mayor has been in bed with developers building million dollar condo's all over the city raising the cost of living standard significantly forcing poor folks to leave and guess where their heading???? PG county and unfortunately folks are bringing the crime and chaos with em. I would check out Bowie, Largo, Accokeek, Clinton, Upper Marlboro, Walker Mill, Temple Hills area.

[jallen]

Everyone has their own financial situation and you get what you pay for. It is a sad fact however the quality of living is dictated by how much you can afford. People living in Mitchellville, Accoceek, Bowie, Upper Marlboro, Largo, Glendale, Maryland pay more to afford less crime in their community. Also schools in these regions are somewhat better.

If money is an issue I would look at parts of Greenbelt such as Berwyn Heights or parts of Hyattsville. I would stay away from District Heights at all cost.

[Alanboy395]

How about Temple Hills, Forest Heights, and Oxon hill? Are any of them at least halfway safe or does one or more fall in the same trap as DH?

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ about the same as DH.

[Mom21]

There are areas of Temple Hills that are not bad. Look for areas where there are lots of single family homes with no apartment complexes nearby. Some streets in Temple Hills: off of Temple Hills Road near the intersection of Brinkley Rd, lots of brick single family affordable homes that are in good communities. When you get addresses, go to the md.gov website, click on real property assessments, and plug in addresses to see if they are owned by the people who live in them. Those are the best areas to move in. I know quite a few people who live in these single family areas and the crime is quite low.

Beware though: Prince George's County schools suck big time just about everywhere. Most of these people I know send their children to private, parochial or Christian schools. There are many affordable ones in the area.

[PGC301]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

How about Temple Hills, Forest Heights, and Oxon hill? Are any of them at least halfway safe or does one or more fall in the same trap as DH?

Like the person above me said, there are decent areas to live in Temple Hills, as well as District Heights, Forest Heights, and Oxon Hill. However, there are some very rough areas in these cities as well, so I would definately recommend visiting the area first.

Temple Hills - I agree with what the above poster said about the areas around Temple Hills Rd/Brinkley Rd. Any part of Temple Hills that is closer to Camp Springs/Andrew's Air Force Base is going to be relatively safer than the areas closer to DC. I would avoid the neighborhoods around Iverson Mall (Hillcrest Heights/Marlow Heights).

District Heights - The areas inside the city limits are patrolled by the District Heights Police as well as the PG County police, and are somewhat safer than the unincorporated areas outside of the city that have a DH mailing address. Personally, I would avoid the apartment complexes on Walker Mill Road, Rochelle Ave, and Addison Road (all unincorporated). The areas inside the city are mostly single family homes, although like what someone already posted above, there has been at least one instance that I know of where a house has exploded from a gas leak.

Oxon Hill - As a general rule, the further away from DC you go, the safer the neighborhood will be. Almost any neighborhood in Oxon Hill outside of the Beltway will have less crime than those inside. I would strongly recommend not moving to the Glassmanor neighborhood (immediately outside of DC). January isn't even over yet and there has been 3 homicides in that neighborhood this year already (a 7-11 clerk shot during a robbery, a man sitting in his apartment getting shot through the sliding glass door, etc...) The further south you go (towards Fort Washington), the nicer the area will be.

Forest Heights - Like District Heights, the incorporated areas of the town consist of mostly single family homes, and is patrolled by the town's own police department. The town itself is relatively safe; the downside is that it is bordered by SE DC and the Glassmanor neighborhood in Oxon Hill.

All of the above areas are pretty hit-and-miss when it comes to deciding on a neighborhood. There are safe areas to be found, but unfortunately many of them are bordered by areas with high crime rates. Like many people have posted above, if you want to stay in PG County, I would look at Clinton, Upper Marlboro, Largo, Kettering, Lake Arbor, Mitchellville, Glenn Dale, Bowie, Laurel, Cheverly, and parts of Greenbelt and Hyattsville.