Where to live in Md (apartment complexes, rental, coop)

[sdepauw8]

Hi, I may be moving to DC, working on Oglethorpe St NW. I was thinking that living in southern Md would be the easiest commute. I drove through the south part of Tacoma Park, which looked pretty run down. How does Tacoma Park compare to Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Silver Spring/anywhere else for ease of commute, cost of living, taxes, closeness to grocery stores/Home Depot/etc. Does living inside the beltway versus outside the beltway make a huge difference? I'm a 30y single female doctor, would love to rent a small single house with a sizable yard for my pets. What's the easiest way to look for housing--craigslist vs broker vs rental agency? I'm working for a non-profit so my salary is kind of pathetic.

[CHIP72]

Based on my own, recent search for housing in the DC area (though I focused on apartments rather than houses), I think you'll be hard-pressed to find what you are looking for inside the Beltway on a relatively small salary.

It might be beneficial if you could provide a housing cost/month range that's doable for you so people can give you more useful assistance.

[sdepauw8]

I was thinking $1500/month or less.

[Wonderfully Made]

Originally Posted by sdepauw8

Hi, I may be moving to DC, working on Oglethorpe St NW. I was thinking that living in southern Md would be the easiest commute. I drove through the south part of Tacoma Park, which looked pretty run down. How does Tacoma Park compare to Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Silver Spring/anywhere else for ease of commute, cost of living, taxes, closeness to grocery stores/Home Depot/etc. Does living inside the beltway versus outside the beltway make a huge difference? I'm a 30y single female doctor, would love to rent a small single house with a sizable yard for my pets. What's the easiest way to look for housing--craigslist vs broker vs rental agency? I'm working for a non-profit so my salary is kind of pathetic.

Bethesda/ Chevy Chase are really nice areas, albeit on the pricier side. Not too familiar with Takoma Park, but my advice is to go with your first instinct

You could try Craigslist as a guage for the going rate on housing in certain areas. I'd try something a little more reputable, though, once you have a handle on what you want. Hope this helps!

[nelumbo]

Takoma Park, MD, should be distinguished from Takoma, DC, an area which lies adjacent to TP but inside the district. Takoma Park has a variety of areas ranging from not-so-nice apartment complexes to the semi-posh historic district. Silver Spring is a much larger area and has many different neighborhoods, so it is hard to compare. I am less familiar with Bethesda/Chevy Chase, but it is generally known as being upscale and expensive. TP has (or had a few years ago) a relatively high rate of car theft, I think this was particularly a problem around the Takoma metro station (which is just across the DC border in the Takoma neighborhood).

There are areas of TP that have smallish ranch style SFHs that might suit your needs, depending on how you define 'sizeable yard'. I would avoid the immediate intersection of Flower and Piney Branch, Piney Branch between New Hampshire and Sligo Creek, and Sligo Ave between Sligo Creek and Maple as the least nice sections of TP.

Grocery options include a Giant at Flower and Piney Branch, a skeevy Safeway on Fenton; Whole Foods at Wayne and Fenton, and the Takoma Park Coop at Carroll and Ethan Allen. Downtown TP has a farmers market and a few little 'boutique' style stores. Downtown Silver Spring has more options with many restaurants, the Whole Foods, small hardware store theaters. There isn't a lot of retail in TP, but you can easily travel to Silver Spring, Langley Park, etc. College Park is a bit farther but has an Ikea and Home Depot. The Ride-On bus system is pretty good in TP, and you have two metro stations to choose from (Takoma and Silver Spring).