Prince George's County (Laurel, Forestville, District Heights: low income, apartment complex, rentals)

[howsitgoingdude3]

I've observed this board a lot and there is a lot of PG backers and there are a lot of PG downers. A large portion of the downers totally have legitimate issues as they've lived in parts of the county and we unhappy, but it is disappointing to see a large portion of the post are probably race based only. PG has a number of problems, but I wonder if it was totally reversed and let's say instead of the blacks living in the majority of the wealthy areas let's say that all the wealthy areas were all white. I wonder if the way people attack the county as a whole would change in terms of out right anger toward a county a large portion never lived in? Think about it i'm sure if that was the case a large portion would be agreeing with Icescalder, that the problem in PG is the blacks that live inside the beltway and it is a great place to live outside the beltway haha. It is really funny how all of this stuff works when you throw race into the mix and think about switching it up. Now, having said that a lot of valid points are made about the crime, school system, and in general perhaps the "quality of life" in certain areas within the county. Overall the majority of the county is not doing so well, but like Icecalder has pointed out there are parts not many, but some parts of the county that are very nice and the "quality of life" is good. I mean it is not somewhere i'd want to live because of the overall repuatation, crime, poor school systems, and lack of amenities for people with money, but there are some very lovely neighborhoods, there that are not crime ridden hell holes.

[Cheasare]

howto... wrote: "A large portion of the downers totally have legitimate issues as they've lived in parts of the county and we unhappy, but it is disappointing to see a large portion of the post are probably race based only."

Though PGC has a majority black population, it's not the people's race but the way they handle themselves socially and economically that contributes to the negative perceptions. Being black or poor does not equate to being a criminal, displaying poor social skills, lacking motivation/initiative, or acting un-neighborly. Many of the people act as though they were not raised with a sense of pride in themselves or their communities. They are apathetic about improving areas of their own lives. Also, folks who have attained some measure of success/education/money etc. seem to turn their backs or look down upon the other members of the county. [Some of Iscalder's posts demonstrate this keenly] Having lived myself in other parts of the country which includes areas populated with black people with modest incomes and seeing those people carry themselves with a measure of dignity without regard to their material possessions, I can say for sure that the problems within PGC have a definite solution and it will only be realized when the people affluent and poor join together to improve the overall quality of life in their communities.

Cheasare

[RoadTripGurl]

Cheasare I have to say you have given the most educated comment as to why PG is the way it is. You are so right with everything, the way people handle themselve, the lack of motivation, etc... I think PG and the Dc area in general is adapting the northeastern way of handling themselves (didn;t somebody else say that?), road rage, rudeness, apathy... Soon we will have the level of un-couthness as NYC... It is sad, PG used to have that overall southernlike feel, but economics changed that.

[maat]

Cheasare and RoadTripGurl, no one will argue with you that there are significant social issues in the county and in the black community in general - crime, apathy, etc. And there is some elitism. But there are a lot of people in between and I include myself in that group. My message here has been that things are changing, not just that million dollar homes are being built - although we need those homes to attract people in those income brackets. I also grew up in an all black community of dignified people where there was little to no crime. My father is a native Washingtonian and I have family in DC. I would visit for the summers and saw the same thing. But when middle income black folks started to migrate out of DC to escape the social issues, look at what was left behind. This has happened in city after city around the country. And now to add insult to injury young white professionals are moving into "transitional" neighborhoods in droves, driving up the prices and forcing them out. Where are they going to go? Are some of us apathetic, yes. But that's what happens when no one hears you, sees you, or responds to your needs for a few hundred years. That's not an excuse, just how I see it. Even that attitude is improving. I was at Suitland Elementary school a couple of weeks ago to hear the developers present their vision for the new town center there. Over 200 people showed up. They had to find more chairs to set up. The community had thoughtful and intelligent questions for the developers. They know that many of the current residents won't be able to afford the new homes that are coming, so they asked for things like a community center for the kids, a community pool, low-cost loans to improve their properties, and so on. They've been asking for some of these things for a long time and no one listened. I know because I lived in Suitland many years ago.

People like to point to the schools as a reason to leave and believe me I understand that, there are issues. But a little known fact is that Prince George's outperforms both Montgomery and Howard when you look at the data for minority students. There was an article in The Post last year that stated black students in Fairfax county schools are trailing far behind the white students. 60% of the elementary school minority students didn't pass the state reading test in 2004. Why is that? It's not because 60% aren't capable of learning. Some people are wondering whether it's because they feel socially isolated. I'm not an expert in the field of education or sociology, but that seems like a reasonable possibility. In the DC area all the negative perceptions about black people in Prince George's don't just stay here. A lot of people don't make the distinction between the young black man they see on the evening news and every other black man they see - as you can tell by some of the posts on this board. The 2 richest men in America - Bill Gates and Warren Buffet - are pumping millions of dollars into minority school districts. They understand that in 50 years or so, minorities will be the majority in this country and if nothing is done to bring minority students up to par we're all going to be looking for jobs in Canada.

There are pockets of middle/upper income black people all across America. But what makes this county unique is that we also have political power. We have the money and the will to tackle some issues that may not get the necessary attention elsewhere, in my opinion. That's what I'm excited to be a part of. I'm not trying to convince anyone to live here or see things the way I do. I was doing a google search one day and happened upon this forum. When I saw all the negative posts I just wanted bring some balance by pointing out the progress we're making - I wasn't tyring to be divisive. Yesterday, we received the highest bond rating in the county's history - from Aa2 to Aa1. Sorry, couldn't resist...

[RoadTripGurl]

I never said good things weren't happening. I just said too many bad things are happening that overshadow the good things. Myself, I think since I've just been there so long (pretty much raised) I've just given up trying to deal with it all. It was frustrating dealing witht he schools as I had a special needs child and they could not accomodate him properly. I was a good performing kid, but the environment I grew up in was terrible. I guess we were "poor" as what the areas inside the beltway is referred to. I'm glad that so much economic development is happening, I'm glad thee is a new superintendednt to clean up the schools, and I am glad they are putting money into the county. The truth is, I've given up, I had to move. if I was single I would still be there. But unless I had money to live in Upper Marlboro etc., I wouldn't be there with a family. Just my opinion as usual...

[maat]

Believe me, I came to Upper Marlboro before the prices got out of control. I can't even afford my own house if I tried to buy it today. And I also hate the inside the beltway/outside the beltway thing and try to avoid using it. It's really a lot more complicated than that. I'm pretty sure that started in the media.

[InterestedObserver1]

I just stumbled onto this board this evening while searching for information on a few new construction communities in Howard County to preview. I don't know how I survived before Google.

I am a 37-year resident of P.G. County (mostly north county), educated first in Northeast DC public schools, then PG County public schools, and finally the Univ of Maryland at College Park -- GO TERPS!!

As a newly licensed realtor in Maryland, I will avoid like the plague the debate about race, class, and the subtleties of other remarks, and limit mine to a comment about choices. There are tradeoffs in life. Pros for PG: (#1) the commute from northern PG to the D.C. business district by Metro -- especially via the Orange/Blue lines -- is a dream. From where I live my entire commute is one hour door to door (at 7:45am as opposed to 5:45am); (#2) Housing prices are still reasonable in the county but are catching up to other jurisdictions. The quality of new construction has ramped up a bit since the days of the explosion of "affordable" townhomes because of market conditions and county government intervention. There are cons, all of which have been discussed here ad nauseum.

So the decision is yours: live a large chunk of your life on the road commuting at the crack of dawn, or make a choice to live closer in and try to improve quality of life in communities that need talented, committed people.

I live in a nice home, I'm not a millionaire, but I am quite content. I'm also not Albert Einstein, but I can walk and chew gum (which I most certainly do not) at the same time. To those of you who could never live here, that is your choice. But try to take care before making blanket statements about this county in entirety, when my reality as a nearly 40-year PG resident is quite different from remarks I've read here.

As with other counties there are areas in PG that need improvement. Rather than dismissal and running away, why not save a few more dollars for retirement and consider living here to improve quality of life for yourself and others?

[seodvl]

pg county is congested and i would choose upper marlboro in that county. my husband is from st mary's county, the public school system is of a lower standard but the housing was building up and if u like the country living and having to travel a good distance to grocery shop, go to the docs and to work, then go to st mary's. I like charles cty, its still somewhat country and closer to shops, docs and work, depending where u work. If traveling on west side of dc, dont know!

[RFMD]

Let me chime in here. First and foremost You can't compare PG County to Montgomery County and Northern Virginia which some on this forum are trying to do. The wealth established in those areas have been there for sometime They have had the economic resources to establish those communities over a period of time unlike PG County. PG County on the other hand was initially a working class predominantly white county that evolved as people who could not afford to live in the District or Nova settled in PG. This county was built on the principles of affordable housing for blue collar individuals who were primarily white at the time. The county subsequently has been in transition with white flight and blacks displacing whites over the previous 25 years. What is interesting in this is that the displacement did not decrease the the median income of families in this region but increased it. Montgomery county and the counties in Northern Virginia started at the 40 yard line where as PG is just getting out of the end zone. You are comparing apples and oranges.

I have lived in this county for 26 years and I 'am witnessing a radical shift in the development of this county. During the Glandening years there was absolutely nothing going on in this region. The county was mired in stagnation and lack of economic development. This changed in the mid 90's when Curry took office. There is quality development happening throughout the county versus the affordable housing era previously. There are a number of major upscale developments that are in the pipeline or is taking place at present to include the National Harbor, Konterra, Karrington, Greenbelt station, University Town Center and the Arts Center District along the route 1 corridor in Hyattsville, the redevelopment of the Route 1 corridor in College Park ,Suitland's revitalization, Woodmore Town Center New Carrollton town center and the development of AAFB corridor to name a few. I was driving in the AAFB area two weeks ago and witnessed contractors repairing and replacing miles of sidewalks and curbs along Allentown road. Anytime you have such infrastructure improvements you can bet major plans are under way for that region. That is what you are witnessing in DC. They have already started major renovations to the base entrance on Allentown road. In addition all the Metro stations in PG are finally slated to undergo development in those surrounding areas. Wall street is recognizing this county as the bond ratings has steadily increased over the last several years. These economic improvements throughout the county are going to occur with housing stock that will not be cheap. What is nice is that this county has a great deal of build-out remaining in the developing and rural tiers of the county which will shape it's course relative to the surrounding jurisdictions. It is however unfortunate that buying a house today has become an exclusive event rather than an inclusive one.

Is this county without problems? Of course not and crime which is a problem in this county relative to Montgomery and other surrounding jurisdictions along with the school system are obviously the negatives of this region. The crime is indeed concentrated along the inner aspect of the beltway as many has indicated. This county needs to focus upon improving/revitalizing these regions to make this a truly viable county. What we however need to realize is the fact that those areas inside the beltway are very valuable being so close to the hub of the economy in this region. I do believe a degree of gentrification will eventually occur in this region as land becomes scare and the build-out is realized.

The school system however is on the right track. The PG County school system will be totally transformed 5-10 years from now as the new superintendent John Deasy implements his plan to change over the system to a small "charter-like" school class sizes. This new superintendent has major aspirations for this school system and hopefully he will be around long enough to bring about stability and quality leadership towards the education of the children. Scores are already improving albeit there is a great deal of catching up to do relative to the surrounding jurisdictions. The school budget is being fully funded for the second consecutive year. Eighty percent of the budget for PG County is funding the school system and public safety so the priorities of the county leadership are in the right area.

A truly viable county must have a first rate school system and low crime. This will make it attractive for not only African Americans but for all races of people

[triniboy]

Very well said my friend. As for that Konrterra project you mentioned, I can`t wait till they begin. Do you have anymore info about the project?I have been on the site but as far as completion dates and begining dates. I live in Laurel 2 mins away from where the proposed prject will take place in those new houses at the Glens of Wellington. Property values will sky rocket.I`m so excited. as you can tell.