Bowie Neighborhoods (sex offender, crime, houses)

[airrykah]

Is Pointer Ridge at Collington a nice area in Bowie? Looking for a family neighborhood.

[bowian]

There may be an issue with crime in that neighborhood. But I used to know people who lived in the Pointer Ridge area and had no complaints. I'd check the crime stats.

[parrotheadmomma]

What's a family neighborhood? One where a lot of kids and families are out playing in their yards or just a lot of kids in general? I'm not really understanding the question. If that is what you mean then I would say no. There are not many kids and families playing together in yards or taking walks, not that I see anyway. There is Allen's Pond Park that kids go to that is near Pointer Ridge.

North Bowie probably has more of a family feel to it, there's more elementary schools. Also I think people from North Bowie look down their nose at the South Bowians, not all but some. South Bowie, where Pointer Ridge is, has gone downhill. Old Bowians want out and sell their house cheap, when price goes down so does the quality of people moving in. Some of the houses aren't kept as nice, the yards aren't cared for, the houses are in disrepair, etc. But their cars are waxed and their rims are shiny. Priorities are kind of out of place around here.

Also you can check the MD sex offender registry, there are 10 I believe in that zip code and it tells you their exact address. There are some in North Bowie too.

Now please don't take this as me saying everybody moving in is awful, cause I'm not saying this about each and every person that lives there or saying that everyone that lives there is riff raff, I'm just saying that some of the newer people in the neighborhood are not like the old Bowians and there values are different. I am happy to see the owner of Pointer Ridge Plaza renovating it. It looks great!

That really sounded mean but I'm not trying to be that way. My husband has lived here for most of his life and has seen it change from somewhere he was proud to say he grew up to crime and kids hanging out in front of the liquor store at the Pointer Ridge Plaza during school hours, anyday of the week. Disrespect and awful customer service from the people that work in the area.

But, there are some people that will totally disagree with me and think Pointer Ridge is great. I guess it comes down to how high your standards are.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by parrotheadmomma

What's a family neighborhood? One where a lot of kids and families are out playing in their yards or just a lot of kids in general? I'm not really understanding the question. If that is what you mean then I would say no. There are not many kids and families playing together in yards or taking walks, not that I see anyway. There is Allen's Pond Park that kids go to that is near Pointer Ridge.

North Bowie probably has more of a family feel to it, there's more elementary schools. Also I think people from North Bowie look down their nose at the South Bowians, not all but some. South Bowie, where Pointer Ridge is, has gone downhill. Old Bowians want out and sell their house cheap, when price goes down so does the quality of people moving in. Some of the houses aren't kept as nice, the yards aren't cared for, the houses are in disrepair, etc. But their cars are waxed and their rims are shiny. Priorities are kind of out of place around here.

Also you can check the MD sex offender registry, there are 10 I believe in that zip code and it tells you their exact address. There are some in North Bowie too.

Now please don't take this as me saying everybody moving in is awful, cause I'm not saying this about each and every person that lives there or saying that everyone that lives there is riff raff, I'm just saying that some of the newer people in the neighborhood are not like the old Bowians and there values are different. I am happy to see the owner of Pointer Ridge Plaza renovating it. It looks great!

That really sounded mean but I'm not trying to be that way. My husband has lived here for most of his life and has seen it change from somewhere he was proud to say he grew up to crime and kids hanging out in front of the liquor store at the Pointer Ridge Plaza during school hours, anyday of the week. Disrespect and awful customer service from the people that work in the area.

But, there are some people that will totally disagree with me and think Pointer Ridge is great. I guess it comes down to how high your standards are.

I lived in North Bowie in a new community for over 5 years before I moved, and found Bowie in general to be very sterile and lacking in community and neighborly feel. Bowie is a sleepy and quiet community.

Sure, the people are nice for the most part, but they generally keep to themselves, which really isn't bad if you want to be left alone.

There are few to none block parties. You don't see many kids playing in any playgrounds or in their neighborhood streets, and the lack of community spirit I'm sure translates to the local schools too.

In my years in Bowie, all kept hearing was how disruptive Bowie HS students were after school as they hung out at the public library and had sex in the stacks. A police officer had to be dedicated to the library after school hours.

In contrast, I'm in NoVA now, and see and feel the camaraderie and feeling of community. My son's elementary school just held a fundraiser for the PTA and an entire gym was packed to support the event. Everybody came out. The PTA actively buys computers and provides support resources for the kids to make up for what FFX Cty does not cover. This is especially crucial during these lean economic times.

There are tons of events held throughout the school year. I'm glad I made this move. People here are trying to improve the schools above and beyond how great they are already, whereas in Bowie, they were trying to find a private school to bail out on the public school mess.

[bowian]

Tankdude, what made you move? The schools, the atmosphere (or the crime) or all? Just curious.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by bowian

Tankdude, what made you move? The schools, the atmosphere (or the crime) or all? Just curious.

I would have to say all, but there are higher priorities than others.

For example, I was commuting to NoVA for work, as do a LOT of PG residents. One hour there, 2-3 hours coming home. There are many more, higher paying job opportunities in NoVA compared to PG. Why waste time in traffic? My commute is about 10 min now.

Cost of living...In PG, you don't get the bang for the buck with your property taxes. I was paying almost $8500/year for my house and now, my property taxes are a bit higher in NoVA, but my house is worth a lot more...almost double. Property values do not hold in PG, but they do in NoVA.

Schools. I obviously gave PG the benefit of the doubt by moving there, but as time went by and as more and more neighbors put their kids in private schools based on the horror stories I heard, while paying big property tax bills, it just didn't make sense. NoVA schools are just so much better. Test scores prove it.

Another reason is the lack of grocery options (eg. higher end such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and International Markets) and retail options in PG. In the Tysons/Fairfax area, everything is here, whether I want to buy or not. That keeps property values high because it's a desirable place to live, work, and shop.

Crime was an issue in North Bowie too....to a point where they started taxing the residents to creat a Bowie police force. I was already paying high taxes, and now I had to pay even more on top of the taxes that should have covered the PG police force?

Although I've never been a victim in PG, I've had hoodlums run from cops through my quiet community, and have had neighborhood kids bring their hoodlum friends and just hang out in the streets all night...or they brought their drama to the private swimming pool in trying to get in.

I'm not black, but I grew up in DC and am comfortable around blacks and did not move because of any racial issue.

You just get to a point where you have to look out for your kids, family, and get the best bang for you tax dollar.