Moving to the area- don't know where to look! (Columbia: to rent, houses)

[pandkc]

My family (husband and three young children) will be relocating so that I can take a new job. The job is located in DC. We know that we don't want to live in the city itself but other than that we have no clue where to look. Ideally we want to rent first so that we can get a better sense of the area without committing to home ownership. We are a bi-racial family and diversity is very important to us. We are probably not able to afford more than $2500/ month in rent. I would want to be near the metro so I can use it to get to and from work. Any tips???

[Flamingo13]

Maryland or Virginia

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by pandkc

We are a bi-racial family and diversity is very important to us. We are probably not able to afford more than $2500/ month in rent. I would want to be near the metro so I can use it to get to and from work. Any tips???

Check out Takoma Park, Maryland. It's close in and diverse. Stick to the Montgomery County side of Takoma Park, as the Prince George side of Takoma Park does not have great schools.

[Zxcvbn]

I don't know much about Virginia, but I would suggest a biracial family look at Montgomery County, Md. The poster above is right that Takoma Park might be a good option. You may also want to consider parts of Silver Spring and Rockville, but check the schools. Gaithersburg, Germantown, Etc., all have racial diversity, but you want to look at the schools first. Consider Howard County as well. Some fine schools are up in the Columbia region, and the train is pretty easy to catch into DC. I think a biracial family could do very well and be happy there. As far as PG county, I don't know anything other than the schools aren't awesome, and the county itself is going through some changes. I would say to stay away from Calvert county, but that's only based on what I see I drive through. Feels a bit unwelcoming to me. Like there is an imaginary line between PG and Calvert. But your options in MoCo and HoCo are great. You can find great areas in either.

[Zimar]

I would consider Hyattsville and Silver Spring for starters. I don't know what these people recommending Howard County are thinking because that is pretty far out, and certainly not close to the metro.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Zimar

I would consider Hyattsville and Silver Spring for starters. I don't know what these people recommending Howard County are thinking because that is pretty far out, and certainly not close to the metro.

Agreed. I like the 20902 and 20910 zip codes, where you can rent a single family house in your price range. Most areas are on a bus line to the Metro stops. It's somewhat diverse, and schools are at least average.

Columbia in Howard County is a great place for a biracial family, but it isn't close to Metro. There are express buses into DC from Columbia, if you want to consider it.

[molukai]

You want something close to DC, good feel, good house, are bi-racial...

Fort Washington is a good place for you. You'd probably have to put your kids in private school, but it would be a great tradeoff for the much cheaper cost of housing.

[J_Lurk]

You are limiting yourself by wanting to be close to the metro. Look at express buses and MARC too. Home | Maryland Transit Administration Howard County is a longer commute to DC, but there are a lot of people here who do it because they like the quality of life and the schools. It really depends on whether your husband is able to stay-at-home or work close enough to be the one who does drop off/pick up at school. I know a lot of couples with one partner who works in DC, but none with both!

[Zimar]

Originally Posted by molukai

You want something close to DC, good feel, good house, are bi-racial...

Fort Washington is a good place for you. You'd probably have to put your kids in private school, but it would be a great tradeoff for the much cheaper cost of housing.

Except Fort Washington is 10 miles from the nearest metro station (and also molukai secretly hates everything ).

[molukai]

DC proper is only 15 miles from my new construction house in fort washington that overlooks a million dollar scenic view (which i openly love). Who needs a metro when you can be in DC by car in less time, even during rush hour?

If I really care about metro, there is a metro bus circular that takes me directly to dc by express the next block over.

If there is any redeeming quality to the DC region (from the view of a young family such as mine) it is Fort Washington. Distance to DC, national parks of historical legacy, beauty of area, mild-mannered citizenry, distance to the marina, country club nearby, national harbor a few miles away, relative cheapness of houses (the same type of house from the same builder just across state lines in a crummy spot in alexandria va costs 3x the price i paid for my house). Schools are the only problem, but unless you have many kids it is a better value to be here and send your children to private school.