White resident moving into Black community in PG County? (how much, home)

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by sharon in bowie

Reading this has made realize that I need to write a book on the REAL Prince George's County. Prince George's defies the stereotype that any county whose overall make-up is majority African American is poor and crime-ridden. Don't believe everything you read. First of all, there are sections of Prince Georges County that are majority to overwhelmingly white. College Park, Greenbelt, Bowie and almost all of the prestigious rural tier of large farm and home estates that cover the easternmost part of Prince George's south of Route 50 and East of 301. Certain neighborhoods have great schools---e.g. Greenbelt---but the problem is homeowner turnover is low. Best neighborhoods in Prince George's County---in terms of income, safety and quality of life---Queen Anne Estates, Clagett Landing, historic homes on Marlboro Pike and in actual historic old towne Upper Marlboro, William F. Beane (street and estate community that surrounds it), anywhere off of Old Croom Road, National Harbor (brand new Potomac river view community), riverview communities of Fort Washington (hidden secret: Battersea by the Bay). Bowie---Derbyshire, Old Town Bowie (plenty of antique stores), Glen Dale (check out its Victorian home village of off of Prospect Rd), Greenbelt Lake (live on the water affordably---good luck: no one ever moves!), Northwoods in Bowie and Grady's Walk in Bowie. All of these areas have more white families than black (not that having black would make them bad!), but would answer the diversity question.

With regard to schools, most of the Baltimore-Washington area has terrible public schools. The vast majority of upper middle class parents send their children to private schools, of which Prince George's has plenty, ranging from parochial to Montessori to prestigious prep. The only serious public high schools are Northwestern and Eleanor Roosevelt. A few charter schools have started, but not nearly enough in all of Maryland. The good news is Baltimore and Annapolis are only short rides away and they all have world class prep schools. Hope this helps change worries about living without any white diversity in Prince George's County.

I would include University Park to your list.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by sharon in bowie

with regard to schools, most of the baltimore-washington area has terrible public schools. the vast majority of upper middle class parents send their children to private schools, of which prince george's has plenty, ranging from parochial to montessori to prestigious prep. The only serious public high schools are northwestern and eleanor roosevelt. A few charter schools have started, but not nearly enough in all of maryland. The good news is baltimore and annapolis are only short rides away and they all have world class prep schools. Hope this helps change worries about living without any white diversity in prince george's county.

huh?

[Ricky93]

I'm not White or Asian, but to answer your question, No. As a white person, I'm sure you will not have to worry about discrimination from your neighbors. Blacks in PG County are generally tolerant people. It's only white people who feel threatened and sell their homes within the next 3 months when a family of Non-Whites move into the neighborhood.

[joeclyde]

I started to notice about 2 years ago. That PG county is getting whiter and slightly browner.

[Fast GTO]

Originally Posted by joeclyde

I started to notice about 2 years ago. That PG county is getting whiter and slightly browner.

Home prices are bringing in more diversity, not a bad thing.

[btsilver]

Originally Posted by joeclyde

I started to notice about 2 years ago. That PG county is getting whiter and slightly browner.

And the schools have been getting....?

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by btsilver

And the schools have been getting....?

Taken over.

[KCP_1980]

I have not read all the responses, but will respond to OP.

We are white. Hubby and I grew up in Southern Maryland, spent a few years renting in Montgomery County (apartments, townhouse). Then when we decided to buy in 2003, we realized we could not afford a SFH in MoCo. We didn't want a townhouse, so we started shopping around. Because of proximity to metro, low cost of housing (we bought a fixer-upper foreclosure), and other factors, we landed on a SFH in Hyattsville, MD (PG County). Now many people offhandedly refer to Hyattsville as a "white enclave" in PG, but I disagree with that. Yes, there are white people in Hyattsville but there also is a good mix of cultures, races, etc. Interestingly, I would note that, if anything, Hyattsville is an "hispanic" enclave as there are many ESOL families in the neighborhood.

We are in the process of building/buying a new construction home in Brandywine, MD, which is the southern tip of PG. So after 10 years in PG, we are staying in PG. We could afford to live just about anywhere at this point. We really don't see what the big fuss is about PG county. Now, we're lucky in that we have our kids in a dedicated "TAG" school and we feel that they are getting a quality education (although it's not perfect and I'm actively involved in trying to change things). For demographics purposes, hubby and I have professional careers in the nonprofit sector, we are decidedly not republican (although not always willing to claim the democratic party as our own, either - sigh), we earn a good income although we are not wealthy, and we have two children in elementary school.

ETA: OK, I read all the other posts. I will add that the development we are buying into in Brandywine is most definitely majority black. There are photos on the HOA website of various community events that they have done in the past year or two, and there are almost no white people in the photos. I really don't care. If they can afford to buy in this neighborhood (our house is going to be $500K and the house base prices are $380K and up), then I am going to assume that they have a certain socio-economic background that puts us on equal footing for things like family values, how we relate to each other, professional careers, etc. And if not, then fine. Either way, we did not choose the community because of its demographic makeup. We chose this neighborhood because it's a decent commute from our jobs, we liked the house plan and builder, we are 10 minutes to my sister in Waldorf, and felt that it was a good value for the price.

[EducatedBro82]

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

huh?

I agree...HUH???

Howard County, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County have great schools

[AeroGuyDC]

Not my first choice of places to live, but if PG is the question and if there were no kids in the equation, i'd live here:

Prince Georges County Real Estate | Beechtree | Home

All bets are off if schools are a requirement. I wouldn't send my kids to PG schools if my life depended on it.