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PG has some good structural things going for it. It is in a great location. I'd much rather commute to DC from PG than say Prince Williams County and much of Fairfax for example. Relatively affordable housing is also a plus.
Truth be told the problems in the county are not structural but cultural. The same reason why PG is bringing up the rear in this area is the same reason Detroit is what it is today.
Also back to the property tax problem. The county does not have good commercial density and prescence. The Metro stations in the county should be surrounded by office parks and top rate
apartments. Is zoning an impediment to that happening?
I also want to mention I don't necessarily give the parents all the blame for our schools even though they deserve most. I'm sure many of you remember a few years ago, when we had Deasy as the Superintendent, the school system was doing way better. I remember PG had reached the middle of the pack as far as performance on testing. This is the clearest sign that perhaps, perhaps, that these kids are capable of performing under the right circumstances. What changed? NEW ADMINSTRATION. Do you know what happened, black people starting thinking, heck now I don't have a white man to answer to, I got the brother to watch my back now. People start slacking and now the schools have hit rock bottom.
My wife is a teacher and used to teach for the county. She was fresh out of college, grew up in the Hampton Roads area, and had never lived in a place quite as developed as the DC region. Do you know what they did? They put here in a school in Capitol Heights with tons of kids who walk from Deanwood in NE to get to school and had to deal with pretty much a school with an urban setting. This was the worse possible situation for a teacher with no experience to be set up in. This is one of the reasons why many colleges have set up a curriculum for urban education. How do you expect to do your job when you got kids who have ate since they left school the day before, who are constantly being moved in and out there home, or who parents don't even speak English? These are things that a more experienced teachers or at least a teacher who has had proper training with kids in an urban setting is more equipped for. They put several more brand new teachers in the same setting as my wife. My wife was able to do her job well, but she was stressed unhappy about her job and that was the morale of most of her co-workers. Is that what you would want for your child? Unhappy teachers teaching them.
I said all this to say that this school system is being mismanaged. The buildings look awful. My elementary school and Middle school are two of the top 3 worst school buildings in this county and haven't been renovated since I left there 15-20 years ago. Why are these buildings not being renovated? Parents have fought for years to get it done, they promised that they would do it, but it keeps getting delayed to the point that the state may get involved. Who fault is that? These are the issues we deal with. Do other school district have these issues? Sure, but if you want to know what we truly value in this county, look at our school buildings and compare them to surrounding counties. Our government is in better shape then most but we still have some of the sorriest facilities for our kids and it's because of apathetic parents, but it's also because horrible mismanagement from our County School Board.
School system: always been in the bottom three in MD, that goes back to when the County was majority white so race isn't a factor like some want to claim.
Development around Metro stations: remember that PG falls under MDNCPPC for zoning and that is a bureaucracy that puts all others to shame. The other reason is PG's reputation for official corruption, crime, poor schools, etc.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you are being a little bit defensive of PG County. I do agree that PG has a lot to offer, but it is far far from where it should be. I don't expect it to be like Montgomery County, but I also don't expect to have the worse schools in the state and the worst crime in our region. Let's put the school situation in perspective, we are a predominantly suburban county and our test score are worse than BALTIMORE CITY!!! Baltimore is a living cesspool. They have all types of issues up there and it is one of the least desirable places to live. You think kids don't value education down here, there are kids up there wondering if they are even going to survive the next day! To me I absolutely refuse to accept the level of mediocrity that this county has. It angers me, how ghetto people are here, how little people research on who represents them, how people will leave trash out on the streets when there are trash can everywhere, how parents don't care about their child's education. This is unacceptable!!! I don't care if we have a National Harbor, a Konterra, a Ritz Carlton, or whatever, this county needs to step it's game up. I know we as citizens can only do so much, but I think just saying it's not that bad is setting us up to not have much change. You know why people say negative things about PG, because most of it is true!!!! Who would want to go to awful schools!!! Who would want to move their family to a place that's on pace to have 100 homicides and it's not even as dense as a city!!! What in the world????? Who is going to move here???????????
This is a truly depressing post...here in Dallas one of the things we always wish for was a black middle class town, not a black ghetto, but a middle class area with black professionals and other high earners...we really dont have that down here. I always wondered what that would look like...then I discover PG, the most affluent black county in the nation! and THIS is the state of affairs? disappointing...really disappointing. Is there any hope for us black folk to finally get something right?
I'm not sure why cops investigating something scares you. At least they are there. And crime happens everywhere, not just in PG. People think they move to a safe neighborhood and find out there's a home invader stalking innocent women. We had 10 cop cars in front of my house a few years back. It happens. Especially near an urban city like D.C. You think there are no criminal search in Montgomery, Howard, or Fairfax counties? I understand it makes you feel uneasy and you have every right to feel that way. I always say safety is what you make it. Crime happens everywhere. Better to be aware of it and vigilant than to feel a false sense of safety and leave your guard down.
To each his own I guess. I hope everything is okay where you are.
Maybe scared was the wrong term. It's upsetting and disheartening and unsettling. For there to have to be THAT many police, that means that there is something serious happening. Yes, I know crime happens everywhere, however, there ARE places where it doesn't occur in such a manner that there need to be this many officers investigating. And don't misunderstand, I'm from HERE. Educated from Pre-K to 10th grade in Washington, DC. From 7th to 10th grade, I took the Metro across town to get to school, so I'm always on guard. But reality and perception changes when you're responsible for another human's life. That's my point. If I didn't have my daughter, I probably wouldn't be the least bit concerned about it.
This is a truly depressing post...here in Dallas one of the things we always wish for was a black middle class town, not a black ghetto, but a middle class area with black professionals and other high earners...we really dont have that down here. I always wondered what that would look like...then I discover PG, the most affluent black county in the nation! and THIS is the state of affairs? disappointing...really disappointing. Is there any hope for us black folk to finally get something right?
Why be depressed? Put it into perspective. DC is a rough city. PG, for all it should be, is still a suburb of a rough city. It is a CLOSE suburb to the rough city. When I say close, I mean you can cross the street and be in MD. DC has been going through a process of gentrification, and that process has pushed a lot of low and very low income families into the county. Add to the influx in population, the misdealings of PG County Executive, and this is the result. The county needs reform. It has the bones of what it needs and there are several communities planned to help, but change takes time.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you are being a little bit defensive of PG County. I do agree that PG has a lot to offer, but it is far far from where it should be. I don't expect it to be like Montgomery County, but I also don't expect to have the worse schools in the state and the worst crime in our region. Let's put the school situation in perspective, we are a predominantly suburban county and our test score are worse than BALTIMORE CITY!!! Baltimore is a living cesspool. They have all types of issues up there and it is one of the least desirable places to live. You think kids don't value education down here, there are kids up there wondering if they are even going to survive the next day! To me I absolutely refuse to accept the level of mediocrity that this county has. It angers me, how ghetto people are here, how little people research on who represents them, how people will leave trash out on the streets when there are trash can everywhere, how parents don't care about their child's education. This is unacceptable!!! I don't care if we have a National Harbor, a Konterra, a Ritz Carlton, or whatever, this county needs to step it's game up. I know we as citizens can only do so much, but I think just saying it's not that bad is setting us up to not have much change. You know why people say negative things about PG, because most of it is true!!!! Who would want to go to awful schools!!! Who would want to move their family to a place that's on pace to have 100 homicides and it's not even as dense as a city!!! What in the world????? Who is going to move here???????????
Wow. Okay. I guess some people are just spoiled by the standard of living in the DC area. Everything is subjective. For the people who think PG is just God awful, I implore you, visit some of the mid-western cities and suburbs like Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, or in the south like Louisville, Savannah, or any number of the poor cities in the south. Even in the west in states like Arizona. Trust me, my wife and I used to watch the First 48, a crime series on A&E. You think PG is bad? lol
And hell yes I'm defending my home. No one should feel ashamed of where they live. I'm certainly not. If I live in Georgetown, should I be ashamed because crime occurs in SE - a part of D.C.? Or even Capitol Hill for that matter. Should I be ashamed to live in Bethesda because crime happens in Wheaton - a part of Montgomery County? So why would I feel ashamed of living in Adelphi because crime happens in District Heights or even Langley Park?
And let's be real, ALL counties and cities have crooked politicians. Some just haven't been caught yet. lol People hear about PG's problems and think crooked politicians is somehow a novelty. Think people were scrambling to get out of Chicago because of Blagojevich?
And the schools aren't awful. I think you offend every teacher student and parent when you say that. You should read the article in the other thread about the study done concerning rich kids performing badly. If ONE kid per classroom goes to college, you can't really blame the schools. Blame falls on the parents, community, and school. We are all responsible.
Go to Detroit, Cleveland, Anderson, IN (personal experience), Philly, Trenton, NJ, or even D.C. You'll see what awful an awful school is. Lastly, I'd like to know where this statistic is that says PG schools are worst than Baltimore. The last statistic I saw concerning test scores, PG did pretty well. Better than D.C. always.
It seems to me like you would be better off living in more rural areas. There are ghettos even in Boston, Mass. You're asking an urban area to provide you with a rural country-like environment. Ain't gonna happen. You might get that in Delaware or St. Charles County. Even Fredrick, MD or Hagerstown may be a good choice. Heavily populated urban areas have always been plagued by crime and low performing schools.
People always complain about PG but I think they need to take things into perspective. There are a lot of worse places to be. I'm not saying PG is the best place to live, but it's not the worst. I just think people go to the extreme and make it seem like if you live here, your kids won't go to college, and you'll be robbed, raped, or murdered. That's simply not the case.
PG has some good structural things going for it. It is in a great location. I'd much rather commute to DC from PG than say Prince Williams County and much of Fairfax for example. Relatively affordable housing is also a plus.
Truth be told the problems in the county are not structural but cultural. The same reason why PG is bringing up the rear in this area is the same reason Detroit is what it is today.
Also back to the property tax problem. The county does not have good commercial density and prescence. The Metro stations in the county should be surrounded by office parks and top rate
apartments. Is zoning an impediment to that happening?
Zoning isn't the issue. All of the metro stations are in Transit Oriented District zones which allow for mixed use high density development around the stations. Blame the recession. There were about 4 or 5 developments at metro stations that were on the books that lost funding due to the economy. Blame one, Greenbelt, on the mishaps of Jack Johnson.
Here's the good news, College Park is moving along with their East Campus project which will be mixed use located near the College Park Metro. There have been requests for development sent out for New Carrollton's metro. In Hyattsville, there is a HUGE development that will break ground this year at Belcrest Plaza. If you saw the detailed site plans, you'd think it was in Rosslyn or Rockville.
Greenbelt will go back on the market. And there are other initiatives to develop around Suitland and Branch avenue. That's why I say things will get better before they get any worse. If you're down, the only way is up!
Let's not even talk about how the Purple Line will transform Northern PG.
Maybe scared was the wrong term. It's upsetting and disheartening and unsettling. For there to have to be THAT many police, that means that there is something serious happening. Yes, I know crime happens everywhere, however, there ARE places where it doesn't occur in such a manner that there need to be this many officers investigating. And don't misunderstand, I'm from HERE. Educated from Pre-K to 10th grade in Washington, DC. From 7th to 10th grade, I took the Metro across town to get to school, so I'm always on guard. But reality and perception changes when you're responsible for another human's life. That's my point. If I didn't have my daughter, I probably wouldn't be the least bit concerned about it.
it's naive to think there are places where crime doesn't occur. Wherever there are people, there is crime. Some just aren't reported. Some are outside of the news reporting areas so we don't get the news here. Sometimes, if the crime is not sensational enough, it won't get reported. The only difference is the RATE and categories of crime.
Why be depressed? Put it into perspective. DC is a rough city. PG, for all it should be, is still a suburb of a rough city. It is a CLOSE suburb to the rough city. When I say close, I mean you can cross the street and be in MD. DC has been going through a process of gentrification, and that process has pushed a lot of low and very low income families into the county. Add to the influx in population, the misdealings of PG County Executive, and this is the result. The county needs reform. It has the bones of what it needs and there are several communities planned to help, but change takes time.
If PG was "just a suburb" then I guess it wouldnt rankle as much...but this is supposed to be the most affluent black suburb in the nation...one would hope that a suburb with that title would be doing a WHOLE lot better than having the worst schools in the state, rising crime etc.
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