Living in Fairfax, VA vs. Rockville/Derwood, MD (Burke, Vienna: section 8, renters)

[hellokimmy]

Hi, we are in the process of looking for either a TH or SFH in the DC area and are a bit torn between Fairfax, VA and Rockville/Derwood, MD.

Our price limit is $500k and we really want a place with a garage and ample parking for visitors. We think we have found some nice places in both areas but I would like to know what you guys think would be the pros and cons of living in either area. If we live in FX, it would be near Route 29 and Fairfax County Pkwy. If we live in Derwood, it would be near Crabbs Branch Way and Redland Rd. We work in SW DC and plan to take the metro so if we lived in FX then we would drive to the Vienna Metro and for Rockville/Derwood, we would drive to the Shady Grove Metro. Please let us know your experience with those areas and the Red and/or Orange lines.

I've heard good things about both area's schools which will be important when we have kids in the future. We like to participate in casual sport leagues so it would be nice to live near that sort of activity. How is 66 and 495 vs. 270 and 495? Crime rate? Community growth? Taxes? Etc. Any help/tips are appreciated!

[mississippimagnolia]

Fairfax! No comparison. We have lived in both areas. I could not stand Montgomery County. And that's the one and only place we've lived (and we've lived all over this country and overseas) that I literally could not live in.

BUT...we lived in Germantown, Maryland. We have friends who lived in Rockville and liked it ok. However, when they moved back up here, they bought in Fairfax.

A lot of people complain about the taxes in Maryland vs. Virginia. Someone else can probobly explain the tax differences better than I can.

I didn't like the schools in Montgomery County. I didn't like the insane numbers of section 8 renters. I felt like crime was much higher than I was used to. And I felt like the people were unfriendly.

We live in Burke (Fairfax), Virginia. The schools are excellent! Almost no crime. People are very, very friendly. It's just much more what we are used to. And there are no section 8 renters (that I know of) at all in our neighborhood. If there are, they take really good care of the homes and lawns unlike what we experienced in Maryland.

Again, I think there are likely parts of Montgomery County, Maryland that are wonderful. But our experience in Germantown has left me jaded. I wouldn't live anywhere in that area again.

[DC Oldtimer]

I consider myself a refugee from the People's Republic of Montgomery County. We lived for a decade just a couple miles from the area you are considering there.

The Montgomery v. Fairfax issue comes up here with some regularity and when it does, I sum up my sentiments like this. If you like high taxes, liberals, and social engineering, you'll love Montgomery County. When your kids finish 11th grade, they'll know how to put condoms on a cucumber better than you ever thought possible.

Seriously, the trouble with Maryland is that Montgomery County is a cash cow from which money is extracted and redistributed to Baltimore. Check out the Thursday May 27 edition of the DC Examiner for an article about new stealth taxes in Montgomery county via utility bills. Not that the county tax added to your state income tax isnt bad enough. At the time of our escape we were paying a 9% marginal rate. Here in VA, state income tax is 5.75%.

I am admittedly allergic to liberals, so perhaps I am less than objective. But I would acknowledge that the Montgomery County schools are in fact very good, just riddled with progressive craziness like the condoms on cucumbers in sex ed. I dont want to suggest that crime is a problem everywhere in Montgomery because that is not so. But I will admit that it was walking into the supermarket one day and seeing an armed guard that made me decide we were outta there. It is just not as safe as it used to be. You can say that for parts of Fairfax as well, but in general I believe Fairfax has somewhat less crime. And of course the schools are as good or better than those in Montgomery.

Bottom line: we've been happier here in Fairfax County and have had less govt picking our pockets.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by mississippimagnolia

Fairfax! No comparison. We have lived in both areas. I could not stand Montgomery County. And that's the one and only place we've lived (and we've lived all over this country and overseas) that I literally could not live in.

BUT...we lived in Germantown, Maryland. We have friends who lived in Rockville and liked it ok. However, when they moved back up here, they bought in Fairfax.

A lot of people complain about the taxes in Maryland vs. Virginia. Someone else can probobly explain the tax differences better than I can.

I didn't like the schools in Montgomery County. I didn't like the insane numbers of section 8 renters. I felt like crime was much higher than I was used to. And I felt like the people were unfriendly.

We live in Burke (Fairfax), Virginia. The schools are excellent! Almost no crime. People are very, very friendly. It's just much more what we are used to. And there are no section 8 renters (that I know of) at all in our neighborhood. If there are, they take really good care of the homes and lawns unlike what we experienced in Maryland.

Again, I think there are likely parts of Montgomery County, Maryland that are wonderful. But our experience in Germantown has left me jaded. I wouldn't live anywhere in that area again.

Derwood is nothing like Germantown. Most of what you ae saying describes Germantown, not Derwood. Just wanted to point that out. Fairfax is nice, so is Derwood. I think both are good places to live.