Would Silver Spring and Wheaton be considered a ghetto? (Baltimore: townhouses, unemployment)

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by Ricky93

If you ask somebody from Bethesda or Potomac, they will probably tell you yes. Aside from that, Silver Spring is a slightly upper-middle class diverse area. It's difficult to define because there are some slightly shady areas and then there are some middle-class to very wealthy neighborhoods.

I dsagree. I have friends and family that live in Potomac and Bethesda. They don't consider Silver Spring or Wheaton a ghetto. They would have to be pretty ignorant to think that Silver Spring and Wheaton are ghetto based solely on differences in income and real estate values. College Park has lower income households than in Silver Spring. You think people in Silver Spring would consider College Park a ghetto? I don't think so.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by motoreater

The bad part of MD is the demographics can change within a mile and back again.

Some people consider this a selling point. I think economic and ethnic diversity in a neighborhood makes it a vibrant one. Look at Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan. I always ask myself if money was not an issue, where in the DC area would I rather live? I never liked the sterile stuffiness of a Chevy Chase neighborhood where everyone looks the same. I've been in Potomac. Boring. I'm not saying there should be slums in these places to make them more vibrant. But like a discussion in another thread, I think those areas would be improved if there were more affordable housing available. Economically segregated neighborhoods make places boring in my opinion.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

I recall someone in the past someone said Wheaton was too ghetto. If they meant, in a colloquial sense, too many poor black people, that's not at all true. Wheaton has clusters of low-income apartment dwellers, but they are mainly Hispanic. There's nothing scary about those folks-- they just trying to make a living.

I think I know what you are getting at, but to make sure, can you please elaborate on the statements in bold? Because it comes across as saying that if the low-income apartment dwellers were black, the place would be scary and they wouldn't just be trying to make a living.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by adelphi_sky

I think I know what you are getting at, but to make sure, can you please elaborate on the statements in bold? Because it comes across as saying that if the low-income apartment dwellers were black, the place would be scary and they wouldn't just be trying to make a living.

I may have sounded racist, but I, as a white person, have lived in predominantly black areas where honest people are just trying to make a living. I know the difference between a working class area and a "ghetto".

A "ghetto" area to me is one with dudes hanging around on the street corner, and lots of criminal activity going on.

[adelphi_sky]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

A "ghetto" area to me is one with dudes hanging around on the street corner, and lots of criminal activity going on.

I think you just described Wall Street!

[BMORE]

Originally Posted by scinfaxi

Hello everyone

This is my second post but my first question about places. I am asking this because of curiosity. Anyways I would like to know if Silver Spring or Wheaton is considered ghetto. I actually live a few miles north of silver spring but I actually don't know the city very well so I'm just wondering. Thanks everyone

No they aren't ghetto but instead diverse areas, but they are considered to be the poor side of Montgomery County since most of the wealth is concentrated towards Bethesda/Potomac, Rockville, Chevy Chase, etc. With that said, them being the poor area of the county doesn't mean they are poor; compared to most areas of the nation its still considered quite wealthy but because its in the wealthiest state in America (highest avg. income), and in one of the wealthiest counties in America, this is considered the lower income area. Personally I'd rather hang around Silver Spring compared to Bethesda, Bethesda feels like a area for the big wigs while SS seems like a area for people my age (20). Hope this has helped in a way.

[DoveDiva]

This is hilarious.


I live on what's considered the "poor" side of MoCo...and a house just sold in my neighborhood for about $600K. That's over a half a million. Far from poor.

Silver Spring and Wheaton are far from 'hood/low income/insert other word here. There's a Whole Foods in Silver Spring, and a Costco in Wheaton. Those aren't found in low-income areas.

[michgc]

No, they are not ghetto at all. They are not as wealthy as other parts of the DC area, and there is a fair share of apartment dwellers and people who are low-income, but I would never call either place a ghetto. I'd say parts of the towns are lower-middle class. Parts are regular middle-class and parts are upper middle-class.

[rsh56]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Silver Spring is a large, and I mean a LARGE area. I can be driving for an hour and still be in SS. I have friends living in different parts of SS. You have the downtown area then you have numerous neighborhoods with some strip malls and mostly old tract housing with a few exceptions. The same can be said about Wheaton as well. Both of these places have income blue collar areas and as demographics change, most of the blue-collared workers there are hispanic as those who could afford rural areas or nicer housing moved out. Wheaton is once again changing with new development along the station.

[PhenomenalAJ]

A lot of parts are, yes. I'm from Wheaton and most of it is indeed a ghetto, especially if Glenmont is included. Silver Spring is huge and has lots of nice areas but also has the worst areas of MoCo, the poor black areas near Takoma Park and DC.