What is it like to live in Bethesda Maryland? (Frederick: house, neighborhood) - Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland - (MD) -Calvert County, Charles County, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County - City-Data Forum

Blackandgold51 · 03-22-2011, 05:58 AM

I was wondering about how Bethesda,MD is in general since I used to live near DC(in PG County) a cuople of years ago

yayayards · 03-22-2011, 05:12 PM

Well i'll give you my opinion, i think the place has to much of a rep for being rich, just because its closer to dc, well ss is much cjeaper than bethesda, etc. I think you'll find tons of rude people (drivers especially), who thnk they own the world, driving their escalades, lexuses etc. I mean, the area is safe compared to other areas. But i hate going down there. Just hate it. Dont ask me why, its just a pain.. Although you'll find great schools and urban enviroment, w/o getting mugged at night.

Good luck

Blackandgold51 · 03-23-2011, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yayayards

Well i'll give you my opinion, i think the place has to much of a rep for being rich, just because its closer to dc, well ss is much cjeaper than bethesda, etc. I think you'll find tons of rude people (drivers especially), who thnk they own the world, driving their escalades, lexuses etc. I mean, the area is safe compared to other areas. But i hate going down there. Just hate it. Dont ask me why, its just a pain.. Although you'll find great schools and urban enviroment, w/o getting mugged at night.

Good luck

Thanks! So it's short of like Beevrly Hills almost out there.

yayayards · 03-23-2011, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackandgold51

Thanks! So it's short of like Beevrly Hills almost out there.

Yep, but beverly at least has a reason to brag.. Bethesda, sorry to say isnt that amazing... Its funny, if you mention anything bad about bethesda theyll get all offended. My friends and i make a joke when theres a crazy driver on the road with a georgetown prep bumper sticker on there car and they flip you the bird, we call it the "bethesda attitude".

Natali :) · 03-25-2011, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yayayards

I think you'll find tons of rude people (drivers especially), who thnk they own the world, driving their escalades, lexuses etc.

OK, I live in Bethesda and I own nice car.... what can I say -->
its too expensive to be "rude" when you have expensive car ....
so we don't....

tonyc · 03-26-2011, 10:31 AM

If you can afford to live in Bethesda, go for it.....

btw, had dinner at Jaleo this past week in Bethesda.....food was terrible....

HurricaneDC · 03-27-2011, 12:16 PM

Raised in Bethesda... I definitely like it, but IMO it's not for anyone that doesn't have a family. It is certainly incredibly safe, and the schools are excellent. Lots of wealth, which has its pros and cons. I don't think the attitudes are quite as bad as people say on here. I don't find people any more aloof than in other parts of the region, it's just a big city thing if you ask me. Some parts of Bethesda (and Chevy Chase as well) have more neighborhood cohesion than others... but IMO that's the case in any big suburb, that "tall fences make great neighbors" attitude.

So yeah, if you wanna live somewhere incredibly safe with great schools, parks etc for raising kids (and if you can afford it), Bethesda's a good bet. I wouldn't recommend it to a young person though... just not that exciting.

Tuneful · 03-28-2011, 02:47 PM

Having lived in or around Beth. a long time, as a single person in my 40s and 50s, I do like it. But it is not very exciting. Best parts are that I have felt relatively safe there including at night. Yes, it's a wealthy area and there can be "me first, I'm a VIP," "run you over," arrogant attitudes associated with that. Not much to do -- some restaurants (but I haven't had any meals there that have blown me away), two multiplex theaters, and the Round House Theater or (in N. Bethesda) Strathmore. Traffic is terrible on all the main roads and with BRAC in the military coming to the Naval Hospital is going to get a lot worse.

adelphi_sky · 03-30-2011, 07:31 PM

One word - vanilla. And I just don't mean racially speaking. There's no vibrance. Not many nationalities represented. Lots of expensive shops. I never noticed the drivers. But not a very "fun" place to live. It's great though if you want to hide from lower to middle income america. My friend lived there for about three years. At times, I tried to envision myself living there. Other than safety and very cool homes, there's not much to it. And who wants to pay top dollar for everything? Give me some racial ethnicity with a mix of upscale and discount shopping and I'm happy.

superseiyan · 03-31-2011, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

One word - vanilla. And I just don't mean racially speaking. There's no vibrance. Not many nationalities represented. Lots of expensive shops. I never noticed the drivers. But not a very "fun" place to live. It's great though if you want to hide from lower to middle income america. My friend lived there for about three years. At times, I tried to envision myself living there. Other than safety and very cool homes, there's not much to it. And who wants to pay top dollar for everything? Give me some racial ethnicity with a mix of upscale and discount shopping and I'm happy.

Bethesda and Potomac are more diverse than one would think. In terms of nationality and ethnicity. The blandness comes from profile, rather than race--meaning even though there may be ethnic/national diversity, in terms of social 'type' it's a preppy, polo-n-khaki, country club, 16-yearoldinaBMW type of crowd. Lots of affluent people--there's Asians, Black people, and Hispanics. Lots of whites yes, but lots of them are Swedes, Norwegians, etc. However, most of them are diplomat/international community types, but I wouldn't say it's bland.

Anectodally (?) I'd say Whitman or Churchill high schools are more diverse than say Damascus or Poolesville or most Frederick schools.