Is Takoma Park a friendly place to live? (to rent, condo)

[richrf]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are both 60 but we really have the physical health of someone in the early 50s or even 40s. We currently live in Chicago along the lake but but I was born and grew up in Brooklyn and we would like to move back to family on the East Coast. She is Asian and grew up in Canada so Toronto is an option.

We are quite active and walk daily along the lake for 3 - 4 miles. We love to do things like play tennis, dancing, walking along the lake here in Chicago, going to a coffee house and reading, listening to music, etc. I really enjoy table tennis and noticed there are a few great clubs in the D.C. area. We have also grown quite dependent on a fresh supply of organic foods which is readily available in the Whole Foods stores that dot the Chicago Lincoln Park area.

We are both progressive, independent thinkers and enjoy being among friendly, multicultural friends. We would initially rent but are looking to buy either a condo or townhouse and have a budget of about $1800 to rent (hopefully a 2 bedroom) and possible $450,000 to buy. We could go higher but that is our sweet spot especially with the economy as it is.

Most of all we are looking to be among friendly people who share our values. We would love to meet people while enjoying walkable areas with lots of local shops, even in the evening, with coffee shops open late and lots of friendly nice people to meet and talk to?

Is Takoma Park a place for us to consider? Any other ideas would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by richrf

Is Takoma Park a place for us to consider?

I honestly think you would like Toronto better, or remaining in Chicago. Takoma Park has many of the attributes you want, but I would not call folks in the DC area friendly. People are very career oriented and don't reach out to neighbors. The walkable downtown area of TP is also so much smaller-- a few blocks. But it does have a couple of bookstores, a vintage clothing store, music store, a farmers market in summer. It is LGBT-friendly and ethnically diverse. I think you could find housing in your price range. If you walk for a few miles in the evenings in some directions, you may run into a thug with a gun.

However, you should really visit to see if Takoma Park is enough for you.

[rsh56]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

I honestly think you would like Toronto better, or remaining in Chicago. Takoma Park has many of the attributes you want, but I would not call folks in the DC area friendly. People are very career oriented and don't reach out to neighbors. The walkable area of TP is also so much smaller-- a few blocks. But it does have a couple of bookstore, vintage clothing stores, music store, a farmers market in summer. It is LGBT-friendly and ethnically diverse. I think you could find housing in your price range. However, you should really visit to see if it is enough for you.

I find the people within my line of interests and hobbies not really career-minded despite having high-paying careers. As you are closer to DC, that may be the case. Though YMMV.

OP I would do a search on community groups in TP if want to interact with these kind of people, especially in activities that are in line with what you like.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by rsh56

OP I would do a search on community groups in TP if want to interact with these kind of people, especially in activities that are in line with what you like.

RSH56 has stated it better than I did. You may have to seek out community groups to find similar people. When I lived in the DC area, I never saw much social interaction among people of different ethnic groups. Folks stick with their own. However, TP has the reputation of being the most liberal or progressive suburb of Maryland. However, it's not fair to expect it to have what Toronto and Chicago offer.

[richrf]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions. I understand what everyone is saying. There isn't much interaction here in Chicago since there isn't many places for people to get together and interact. Mostly either at work (we are both retired) or at bars (passed that a long time ago). Even Meetup groups are more oriented towards young singles, though there are some exceptions.

I imagine, my wife and I can get all of the nightlife that we need by going to D.C., but we are looking for a new town on the East Coast that shares our progressive values and where we can meet new, friendly, and out-going people.

I'll check out the various community groups in TP and see if there is any obvious place for us to join in order to make new friends and acquaintances. Thanks again for all of the very helpful insights!