Demographics in Northern and Eastern Montgomery County going downhill fast! (Silver Spring: middle-class, balloon payment)

[The Outcast]

Has anyone noticed how many poor people are moving into Northern and Western Montgomery County? I am talking about the number of kids from disadvantaged backgrounds getting reduced lunches in towns like Wheaton, Silver Springs, Gaithersburg and Germantown. And the social problems that have increased due to the number of people who live in poverty.

It use to be so nice throughout Montgomery County. What happened? Too much development of townhouses and apartments? Changing demographics? I am always shocked at the people I see at Wheaton Center and Lake Forest Mall.

Does anyone else think that Montomery County outside of Bethesda and Potomac is going down hill fast?

[dkf747]

Nope! I've noticed changes, but not sure if you can call it 'downhill'.

[Bigbluelandrover]

Hmmn. You're not the PC type huh?

I have only been in Maryland for 3 years. We bought a house this year and not that far from where I live is a busy, apartment area full of immigrants and lower-income people. The local Gazette has this area in the paper weekely for crimes. Then just up the road are homes that go for $600k +. I love the area I live in, but those rentals---ugh!. Nothing good comes of mixing low income and moderate/high income housing. Never has and never will.

I could say so much more but I really don't want to deal with the potential backlash.

[westsideboy]

Money can't buy you happiness, but it can get you a big house in a subdevelopment where every house exceeds a certain price point. Keeping the price point high allows people to live, shop, socialize, and have their kids educated with people of the same income level and social class.

When progressive government steps in and mandates that low income housing be included in these neighborhoods, the rich can simply move out...and they are. Call it "social justice" or whatever you will, but functionally the Montgomery County government is killing the goose that lays the golden egg with these kind of policies.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by Bigbluelandrover

Hmmn. You're not the PC type huh?

I have only been in Maryland for 3 years. We bought a house this year and not that far from where I live is a busy, apartment area full of immigrants and lower-income people. The local Gazette has this area in the paper weekely for crimes. Then just up the road are homes that go for $600k +. I love the area I live in, but those rentals---ugh!. Nothing good comes of mixing low income and moderate/high income housing. Never has and never will.

I could say so much more but I really don't want to deal with the potential backlash.

Nope, not interested in being PC.

By the way, hope you're not referring to my apartment community, because it has everything you mention, except the crime.

[pjg66]

As a former resident of Montgomery County I must agree with the premise of this thread.

For 35 years I lived in the East Rockville / Wheaton area. I resided in a modest middle-class, well-kept condo project, where the cost of units was "reasonable" (at least by DC area standards). I enjoyed my life there.

But the last five or six years things began to change. There was a huge influx of economically disadvantaged folks into my zipcode (20853). This was the time of the huge bubble in the real estate market, and anyone who could put an "x" on the dotted line could get a no-down-payment, interest-only mortgage (with a huge balloon payment due down the road).

Well a lot of units in my project started getting purchased by marginally qualifed people with such mortgages. In some cases two families would purchase a single one or two bedroom apartment and stuff both families into it. The project began to deteriorate. Trash and litter everywhere. An alarming increase in the condo fee delinquency rate. Blatant violations of the rules and regulations of the project (which all residents were contractually obliged to follow). When confronted with these transgressions, some just scoffed, declaring "I own my home here - I can do whatever I want."

Other bad signs. When WSSC was working on a sewer line behind our project, a gang vandalized all their equipment, painting their symbol on the damaged goods. There were a few shootings in the little shopping center a mile down the road.

It was scary and I judged that this was just the beginning of worst things yet to come. I was eligible for retirement, so I just threw in the towel, sold my unit and moved away from the DC area (to a place with less traffic, lower housing costs, and lower taxes). Absolutely no regrets.

I read in another thread that MontCo is now a sanctuary for illegals. No matter how well-intentioned or humane this policy may be, it will prove disastrous for the county. With other area jurisdictions cracking down, these folks will flee to Montgomery, putting more of a strain on social services, healthcare, and school systems.

So sad, but I think Montgomery County's glory days are over.

[MinksandRusty]

Just moved from the midwest and was shocked to see the mixture of MPDU/rental units in a commuminty. Any suggestions on a nice community close to metro?

[Bigbluelandrover]

DKF747
Actually I was referring to the "outcast" as the non-pc type.

If your apartment is on lockwood dr then yeah..wwwdotcrimereportsdotcom.
All apartments are not bad, I just moved out of one but it was patrolled.

[Moth]

The observations are correct. I do not think it means the end of MoCo. More likely, MoCo will (already does) come to resemble other Eastern counties in big metro areas such as Westchester County in New York or Fairfield County in Connecticut. Both are wealthy, but have always had sketchy areas.

Of course if there is a persistent upswing in crime, even liberal MoCo residents will demand action and the police force will become ever-more proactive (i.e. viscous).

[Sal Schiavo]

i concur, i was visiting the area for the holidays last week, and noticed there weren't to many good people left in the area like "us". remember how america used to be?