Gaithersburg vs Silver Spring (Germantown, Bethesda: apartment, rent, condos)

[cafm70]

I will be starting my home search with a realtor this weekend. I am looking at homes in both Gaithersburg and Silver Spring. I am having a hard time deciding which area to move to. Both areas have great things going for them. Silver Spring is really close to DC which is where I work. Gaithersburg is farther out, but I think it is a nicer area than Silver Spring. Which would you pick and what do you like/don't like about either one or both?

I have to decide soonest since I am under the gun to buy since the condo I rent just went on the market.

Thank you for your feedback.

[dkf747]

Gaithersburg, west of 270. Much nicer than most of Silver Spring.

[scrapper105]

Silver Spring. Do you really want to spend an extra 30 minutes in traffic each day ?

But, Silver Spring is NOT a real town or city. It is an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, so be careful about the neighborhoods. There are parts of MoCo that people refer to as "Silver Spring" that are 5 miles from "downtown" Silver Spring and the metro station.

[convex20899]

Gaithersburg is much nicer.

[DomRep]

Downtown Silver Spring, especially if you want an urban feel to it. There's Metro, lots of shops and restaurants. Downtown Silver Spring is really really nice.

I do agree about Silver Spring not being a town or whatever. We were looking at houses near Briggs Chaney Road, and the amount of farm land that I passed...well, I didn't know if I was in Silver Spring or somewhere else.

[Mrs. 14th & You]

It depends on what you're looking for.

New development in Silver Spring is designed to be more walkable. It has a new-ish open-air mall with two movie theaters. Coming soon is a medium-capacity concert venue. Hopping on Metro is easier in Silver Spring, which is nice if you will be working and/or socializing in DC. If you're moving to the area for the first time, it's really nice to be closer-in to DC to take advantage of the myriad things to do in the city.

Gaithersburg has more quiet subdivisions. I think of it as a traditional bedroom community with a mix of single family homes, townhomes, and some condos. You can access Metro from Shady Grove, but parking is tight and few homes are within walking distance of the station. There are also some express buses that will take you in to the closer-in suburbs. If you must drive, however, Gaithersburg is fully one hour outside of central DC by car during rush hour. That can be a huge quality of life issue. I also find Gaithersburg to be a little more bland when it comes to easy access to dining and entertainment.

One final note: Prices may be lower in Gaithersburg. Yet, I'm not sure that they won't continue to come down. Now might not be the best time to buy.

[Tuneful]

I hear horror stories every day about the commute on 270 from Gburg, and on some of the E-W hwys in Gburg as well, if you would be driving them, unless you can come to and leave work on a very early shift. I live in SS and my commute to Bethesda via Beltway is not bad. SS is wildly varied, though, and overall more urban. Major traffic there on the major roads to get around. I live 1.5 miles from the Beltway and a major artery and my area is heavy traffic 18 hrs/7 days except for my immediate street. I would try to research zip codes and to find a few realtors to talk to. Here's one thing--neighborhoods can change quite quickly in terms of crime, stability, etc. If I were in your shoes I would consider among options a condo in a high-quality building in good n'hood with excellent Metro access--would probably keep a lot of value and be convenient.

[tonyc]

From Shady Grove to down DC took me 1.5 hours this moring, leaving at 8 am. And that's going the back way through Potomac. The commute from SS to DC is way better!

[cpterp]

Silver Spring has an actual downtown with way more things to do, and is closer to everywhere. Gaithersburg, like Germantown, is just huge suburbia (wealthy suburbia on the West End). Unlike Germantown or Silver Spring, it actually has a significant historical district and a mall. My advice: if you want a house/townhouse and like the suburbs move to Gaithersburg; if you want an apartment/condo and prefer a more urban lifestyle move to Silver Spring (Downtown, not Aspen Hill).

[kdavani]

I agree with most posts. Downtown SS is more walkable and you won't find that in Gaithersburg. However, downtown is the ONLY place in SS I would live. Anywhere besides this area it goes downhill. If you buy in Gaithersburg (West of 270) the neighborhoods are wealthy and extremely safe. I live in Rio/Washingtonian shopping center and it is GREAT (like a small downtown SS). Kentlands is also amazing (if you have the money). In terms of resale value (which is extremely impt!!) the house prices in gaithersburg (west of 270) have more than doubled their price. Even after the recession, unless you just bought your house 1-2 yrs ago you are still making a lot of money. My parents made so much money on their old house and are now living in kentlands. They love kentlands because they take walks everywhere and there are also many lakes. Silverspring will never have as good of a re-sale value unless you are in the newer area near downtown. But even so, silverspring has so many bad areas around it (wheaton, college park) that i doubt the value will ever go up as much.

In terms of traffic, coming from gaithersburg is bad but i always wonder WHY is there so much more traffic?? Maybe because more people live in this part of town because it is better? hahaha jk please no one yell at me