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Husband will be working near the National Arboretum, and the metro is not an option for his daily commute (since he would need to metro and metrobus it seems tedious).
Can someone advise on what areas to consider living? We would like as minimal commute as possible, without sacrificing public schools, safety and something in the 450K - 600K price range (townhomes are fine).
I think Maryland is our best option, but we're open. We were looking at Silver Spring.
Is the commute from SS to the NE District better than commuting from Arlington, VA to the NE District?
Silver Spring would probably be your best bet. It's definitely much cheaper and much closer to the Arboretum than Arlington. Nearby Takoma Park is also lovely though these days most of the houses would bust through the 450K-600K range. Silver Spring's downtown has been economically regenerating for years (thus the marketing term "Silver Sprung") and it's pretty safe and near the metro and other transportation links (Beltway, Route 1, Route 50, BW Parkway). In terms of public schools Silver Spring also has an advantage because Montgomery County schools are much better rated than Prince George's County schools. For example, Silver Spring's Montgomery Blair High School has one of the best magnet programs in the area and is a strong school overall.
However, that said there are decently rated P.G. County high schools like Bowie and Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt's high school also has a magnet program) in the northern P.G. County area. Greenbelt (which began as a planned community) is probably your best option in P.G. County as the houses are nice, the neighborhood's pretty safe and stable, it's relatively cheap, it's near a metro stop, and it's even a little bit closer to the Arboretum.
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