Affluent Minortiy Neighborhoods in DC area?? (Washington: lawyers, house, private schools)

[clueless27]

My fiance and I are considering a move to the DC area from Colorado; better career opportunities for her and we are looking forward to the cultural advantages.

We'd like to find an area where we won't be the only people of color on our street (like we are now). I'd like to find out where the black/ hispanic doctors, lawyers, bankers have settled. I am mixed black/ white (look rather hispanic) and her family is from Colombia, if that matters much.

Home prices are not much of a consideration, comfortable with $1.5M-2M. We are more concerned with finding some diversity, we would like to be relatively close to the district.

Any advice?

[JimGriffith]

There is not a large hispanic population in DC proper for a variety of reasons.

16th Street Heights and Crestwood have long been diverse areas of wealthy and upper middle class professionals of all races. Beautiful homes, convenient location.

At your budget you could get a spectacular property just a stone's throw from the White House.

[rlchurch]

You'd probably be very comfortable in Crestwood.

I've lived here for 20 years. IMO it represents the very best of living in DC:

• Close to downtown
• Wonderful housing stock
• Relaxed, integrated neighborhood
• bordered on three sides by Rock Creek Park

http://www.crestwood-dc.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crestwood,_Washington,_D.C.

[chip1980]

ft washington, upper maraboro, mitchellsville for the blacks

takoma park/etc for the hispanics

[TrippingJay]

Crestwood would be a good choice as others have pointed out. I believe DC mayor Adrian Fenty resides in Crestwood as well.

However; most of the DC metro area is very diverse; even in the wealthy areas ( i.e, Georgetown, American University Park, McLean, Bethesda, Chevy Chase) you definately would not stick out.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by clueless27

My fiance and I are considering a move to the DC area from Colorado; better career opportunities for her and we are looking forward to the cultural advantages.

We'd like to find an area where we won't be the only people of color on our street (like we are now). I'd like to find out where the black/ hispanic doctors, lawyers, bankers have settled. I am mixed black/ white (look rather hispanic) and her family is from Colombia, if that matters much.

Home prices are not much of a consideration, comfortable with $1.5M-2M. We are more concerned with finding some diversity, we would like to be relatively close to the district.

Any advice?

DelRay in Alexandria for Virginia. Mitchellville, Accokeek, Bowie, and Fort Washington in Maryland.

[mikeyo321]

Good position to be in. D.C. is a very cosmopolitan region and the IT, biotech and government and defense economy attracts people from all over the country and world. People are used to dealing with folks from all backgrounds and by and large they don't bat an eye at diversity nearly as much as some other areas of the country. As a result wealthy neighborhoods may not be nearly as separated and segregated here as where you live now. Much of the population in the African-American/Hispanic upper professional class is well dispersed throughout the region so you would most likely feel comfortable in McLean, Potomac, North Arlington, and Bethesda as well as some of the areas mentioned already.

However, that said the areas mentioned above, especially Crestwood and some of the wealthiest communities in PG County (Mitchellville, Fort Washington, Bowie...) DO have particular concentrations of African-American wealth, education, power and influence. These areas are often a point of pride for local African-Americans as examples of wealth in predominately minority areas. Other neighborhoods in D.C. near Crestwood make up the traditional black "Gold Coast" area bordering the northeast corner of Rock Creek Park in D.C. including Brightwood, Shepard Park, 16th Street Heights and Colonial Village.

Here's a good wiki entry on the neighborhoods in D.C. by ward. That should give you an initial sense of the communities.

List of neighborhoods of the District of Columbia by ward - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[clueless27]

Thanks for the good info, it has helped me gain some bearing. We are flying out to start shopping areas early September, I never fully trust realtors- nice to get some outside data.

Thanks again!

[jetcat]

If you want the top-ranked schools, you would do well to settle in western Montgomery County (Potomac, Bethesda, N.Bethesda, parts of Rockville, Kensington) or Fairfax (Fairfax, McLean, Arlington, Great Falls). There are so many people from the science (N.I.H., for example), university, diplomatic communities there that you will find a diverse population, even in the wealthier communities.

Here's a blog about suburban snobbery that talks about (makes fun of!) DC suburbs a little:
[url=http://snoburbia.typepad.com/the_snoburbs/2008/07/fear-and-loathi.html]snoburbia, the blog: fear and loathing in potomac[/url]

[rlchurch]

Originally Posted by clueless27

Thanks for the good info, it has helped me gain some bearing. We are flying out to start shopping areas early September, I never fully trust realtors- nice to get some outside data.

Thanks again!

I wouldn't work with just one realtor right off. In my experience realtors have very localized knowledge and this is a big area. I'd suggest seeing some of the neighborhoods on your own before you select a realtor. Increasingly neighborhoods have web sites put up by the civic associations. They may help in some research before you arrive. BTW be careful about the suburbs if you are here on a weekend. Commutes from some of the suburbs into downtown can be brutal and you could miss that on a weekend house hunting trip.

The public schools in Montgomery County, MD and the Northern Virginia suburbs are very good and that's a real advantage of living in the burbs with kids, but the private schools in the District are first rate. There are options.