East of Indian Head versus West of Indian Head... (Fort Washington: violent crime, buying a house)

[Fast GTO]

A lot of talk on these forums about why white people don't live in PG county or in certain area's. I have to admit all my friends tell me to avoid PG county. My brain tells me that is pretty ignorant but my emotions tell me to look for something safe and all the fear mongering about being east of indian head hwy has me concerned. I started this thread because I've found a number of homes east of Indian Head that are better than those to the West at a better price but I am inclined to avoid them due to biased opinions about the 'color' of the neighborhoods and possible crime.

That bothers me.

So. I found this property and wanted to query your opinions:

710 Pamper Lane Fort Washington Maryland US

Can my wife go on walks by herself and have no worries? That is all that really matters.

[RamblingMan]

Fast GTO,

I can't comment on the specific house and neighborhood you're talking about except to say that I don't think they're actually in Fort Washington.

As far as the issue of being East or West of Indian Head Highway, if you look at a crime map, you'll see that there are clearly fewer crimes and particularly fewer violent crimes west of Indian Head Highway. I really don't think this is about race, as the areas west of 210 are predominantly African American as well. Opinions about "color" do sound biased to me, but opinions about crime might not be.

My wife and I are not African-Americans and we feel very comfortable in our Fort Washington neighborhood (which is well west of 210). Our neighborhood is relatively diverse, but largely populated by successful African-American professionals. My wife happily walks and runs alone.

Again, I am unfamiliar with the specific house and neighborhood you mentioned in your original post, so have no opinion in that regard.

[Fast GTO]

All I can say is that a majority of the people I know that work in D.C. constantly point out that I should avoid PG county, specifically east of Indian Head. My issue is that I've found what appear to be nice houses but I'm not sure about the neighborhoods due to the advice I've gotten.

Trying to see if anyone has any input about 'good' neighborhoods east of Indian Head, and specifically with that one property I posted.

And yes, address wise it is Fort Washington.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by Fast GTO

A lot of talk on these forums about why white people don't live in PG county or in certain area's. I have to admit all my friends tell me to avoid PG county. My brain tells me that is pretty ignorant but my emotions tell me to look for something safe and all the fear mongering about being east of indian head hwy has me concerned. I started this thread because I've found a number of homes east of Indian Head that are better than those to the West at a better price but I am inclined to avoid them due to biased opinions about the 'color' of the neighborhoods and possible crime.

That bothers me.

So. I found this property and wanted to query your opinions:

710 Pamper Lane Fort Washington Maryland US

Can my wife go on walks by herself and have no worries? That is all that really matters.

That particular area isn't that bad. I've never really known much of a split between East and West of Indian Highway. Instead I've noticed certain pockets on each side that tend to have more crime than other areas. I would say the best way of really knowing is talking to the people who live around there. I remember you were saying that you are in Germany (I think). Well when you get over this way maybe you should make a trip to one of the grocery stores. One thing you will notice is this area is much more diverse than most would have you believe. Another thing you might get to do is to see how people of different ethnicities feel about this area. I think that's the only way you can really be comfortable. I would just encourage you to keep doing research and looking at crime reports. The areas that are bad usually have pattern of crime.

[RamblingMan]

Originally Posted by Fast GTO

All I can say is that a majority of the people I know that work in D.C. constantly point out that I should avoid PG county, specifically east of Indian Head. My issue is that I've found what appear to be nice houses but I'm not sure about the neighborhoods due to the advice I've gotten.

Trying to see if anyone has any input about 'good' neighborhoods east of Indian Head, and specifically with that one property I posted.

And yes, address wise it is Fort Washington.

The address may say Fort Washington, but that is because they share a post office. The area is actually Friendly, Maryland. If you're interested, City-Data has statistics for both Friendly and Fort Washington so you can compare them.

Wherever you wind up, I hope you find something that works for you!

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by RamblingMan

The address may say Fort Washington, but that is because they share a post office. The area is actually Friendly, Maryland. If you're interested, City-Data has statistics for both Friendly and Fort Washington so you can compare them.

Wherever you wind up, I hope you find something that works for you!

It is considered part of the greater Fort Washington area though and people that I know that live over in that area consider it Fort Washington as well. To the OP's question, I haven't heard any real problems about that neighborhood. You will normally find neighborhoods that are closer to a major through-way (easy in/easy out) is where you will find the most problems. Of course that would be an issue anywhere in the metropolitan area. That said, the noted address appears to be pretty nestled so I wouldn't be concerned.

[Zimar]

I once told a friend who has lived in NOVA all her life that my husband and I are thinking of buying a house in PG County and she just gave me the most perplexed, blank stare you can imagine. It was as if I had said "So I'm thinking of buying a house inside of a volcano. On Mars!" I think so many people absolutely rule out PG County based solely on reputation and not on anything they actually know about it. I know I did, and my husband actually works in PG County.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by Zimar

I once told a friend who has lived in NOVA all her life that my husband and I are thinking of buying a house in PG County and she just gave me the most perplexed, blank stare you can imagine. It was as if I had said "So I'm thinking of buying a house inside of a volcano. On Mars!" I think so many people absolutely rule out PG County based solely on reputation and not on anything they actually know about it. I know I did, and my husband actually works in PG County.

Yeah it's all about what you make of it. There are some nice places in PG, but when you come just know the good and bad. If anyone is coming here thinking they are going to get good schools across the board, lot of shopping and things like that then you won't be happy, but if you would prefer to get more home for your money and prefer to live in a less congestion part of the region then it's for you. A lot of people write it off because they don't understand. I will admit I'm not a big fan of living here, but I definitely can see people who are in a much different situation than I am who would enjoy it here.

[RamblingMan]

Originally Posted by Zimar

I once told a friend who has lived in NOVA all her life that my husband and I are thinking of buying a house in PG County and she just gave me the most perplexed, blank stare you can imagine. It was as if I had said "So I'm thinking of buying a house inside of a volcano. On Mars!" I think so many people absolutely rule out PG County based solely on reputation and not on anything they actually know about it. I know I did, and my husband actually works in PG County.

Zimar,

I get the blank stare, too, but I usually get an even stronger reaction when the same people actually come and visit for the first time --usually something to the effect of "I never knew there were neighborhoods like this in PG County! Why haven't I heard of this?" I had that reaction when I saw my neighborhood the first time as well. I've lived in NoVa and DC off and on for over 26 years and never knew about the great options on the Maryland side until I found my own house about 18 months ago. I now think of parts of PG as among the area's best kept secrets. And all the negative feelings about PG benefitted me by keeping prices low. That said, I can live with public schools that aren't the best and I don't care about having shopping malls nearby.

UrbanScholar,

I guess in some ways the borders between unincorporated towns don't matter much. I've never heard anyone use the term "Greater Fort Washington" before, and I wonder if the perceived boundaries are growing. I notice that National Harbor calls itself Fort Washington when I'm pretty sure that it is actually Oxon Hill. I don't know if there's any perceived price difference between a similar Fort Washington vs Friendly address one way or the other, but if there is, I'd want to be clear on the status before buying.

Fast GTO,

One difference I'll note between East and West of 210 in the Fort Washington context is easy access to Fort Washington's many parks and green spaces, including two national parks. In Fort Washington west of 210, most neighborhoods would give you walking or biking access to the parks without being on a major road. East of 210 there are fewer parks and you would probably have to drive (or at least cross major traffic) to get to those parks.

[slowlane3]

More about the community here Fort Washington, Maryland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia