How is Silver Spring? (Columbia, Bethesda: how much, neighborhoods, movie theaters)

[RLCMA]

I currently live in DC and may be taking a job in Kensington. With that said I've seen the rents in Silver Spring are about half what I pay currently in DC and I've heard great things about the town. Is it a vibrant place with lots of singles and things to do?

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by RLCMA

With that said I've seen the rents in Silver Spring are about half what I pay currently in DC and I've heard great things about the town. Is it a vibrant place with lots of singles and things to do?

Downtown Silver Spring, near the metro is good for singles. However, you would be driving out to the job in Kensington, as the is no good Metro access.

Suburban parts of Silver Spring, like Kemp Mill, Springbrook, etc, are family-oriented.

[RLCMA]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Downtown Silver Spring, near the metro is good for singles. However, you would be driving out to the job in Kensington, as the is no good Metro access.

Suburban parts of Silver Spring, like Kemp Mill, Springbrook, etc, are family-oriented.

Thanks. I've heard downtown is nice and my commute would be only 3.5 miles which isn't bad at all. I'm also contemplating Chevy Chase, DC should I choose to remain in DC.

[bufflove]

Downtown Silver Spring is vibrant, but it's also not going to be mistaken for H St. or U St. I think of it as along the lines of Columbia Heights, but safer, larger, and a higher % of unique retail offerings (though downtown Silver Spring does have some generic areas, too, like its main drag of Ellsworth Drive which is dominated by your standard Chipotle, H&M, Starbucks, etc. fare).

[Chriz Brown]

Silver Spring has very weak and almost non-existent nightlife. So if nightlife is your thing.. I don't recommend Silver Spring.

Other than that, its a good value for the price. Overall, just know that most of Montgomery county caters to families over singles. You'll see lots of families, little kids and annoying teenagers in most areas of Montgomery county. This is why most singles move to DC or NOVA.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by Chriz Brown

Silver Spring has very weak and almost non-existent nightlife. So if nightlife is your thing.. I don't recommend Silver Spring.

Other than that, its a good value for the price.

That's not true. It's certainly better than its immediate competition of Bethesda, Rockville, etc. and most DC neighborhoods, but again, it's not going to be anywhere near H St, U St, AdMo.
You've got Quarry House, Denizen's Brewery, Society, Olivia's View, Sidebar, and Urban Winery which are all top tier options for beer/whiskey/wine/cocktail bars, lounges, biergardens, and rooftops and then more generic places like McGinty's, Mix, Fire Station 1 that are basic pubs and sports bars. You also have entertainment options that exceed most neighborhoods w/multiple performance venues, theaters, etc. If OP is still in their bar-hopping years, I recommend staying in DC (or being prepared to travel into DC on Sat night), but other than that downtown Silver Spring brings plenty to the table.

[DistrictSonic]

Originally Posted by bufflove

That's not true. It's certainly better than its immediate competition of Bethesda, Rockville, etc. and most DC neighborhoods, but again, it's not going to be anywhere near H St, U St, AdMo.
You've got Quarry House, Denizen's Brewery, Society, Olivia's View, Sidebar, and Urban Winery which are all top tier options for beer/whiskey/wine/cocktail bars, lounges, biergardens, and rooftops and then more generic places like McGinty's, Mix, Fire Station 1 that are basic pubs and sports bars. You also have entertainment options that exceed most neighborhoods w/multiple performance venues, theaters, etc. If OP is still in their bar-hopping years, I recommend staying in DC (or being prepared to travel into DC on Sat night), but other than that downtown Silver Spring brings plenty to the table.

I was about to write this. Night life in DT Silver Spring is in no way "dead" and it seems like new places open up somewhat frequently (The Mix, Denizens, and Urban Butcher are recent).

Sidebar and Jackies is closing though, which is a loss for the area.

With that being said Silver Spring is overall picking up. What it can use at this point is a solid Jazz club or two, and a few more smaller rock venues to compliment the Fillmore. It already has the solid mix of good bars, resturants, a theater, movie theaters, and a large venue. Truth be told the very fact we are saying the only place better in the area are DC's three best nightlife areas, is saying a great deal of how much Silver Spring kind of grew up in this regard. Considering that more is set to come into the area, it is likely to continue.

[sluggermatt15]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Downtown Silver Spring, near the metro is good for singles. However, you would be driving out to the job in Kensington, as the is no good Metro access.

Suburban parts of Silver Spring, like Kemp Mill, Springbrook, etc, are family-oriented.

I agree with this post. I lived in downtown Silver Spring for nearly 3 years. It's cheaper than DC, close to a lot of stores, shopping, public transportation, the interstate, etc. I felt relatively safe living there. There are still bars, restaurants, and places to go in the area. My recommendation is to live west of Wayne Ave. This is the newer, built up part of town. If you travel east, the neighborhood is not as nice, and I would not want to be caught there after dark.

[DistrictSonic]

With regards to Kemp Mill, and Springbrook. If it's not in the census designated place, it's not in Silver Spring, and that includes these two places. No matter what arbitrary decision the postal authority made that falls outside of the CDP boundaries. These are to far outside of the beltway, and I do not consider them part of Silver Spring. They are eastern Montgomery County. Same goes for Wheaton, Glenmont, and any other area with a Silver Spring address that is outside the beltway. The postal authority was lazy about addresses, I am not going to reinforce that.

The OP is clearly asking about the census designated place, downtown Silver Spring. Not the far flung parts that should not even be called Silver Spring.

[papichulo2]

Originally Posted by Chriz Brown

Silver Spring has very weak and almost non-existent nightlife. So if nightlife is your thing.. I don't recommend Silver Spring.

Other than that, its a good value for the price. Overall, just know that most of Montgomery county caters to families over singles. You'll see lots of families, little kids and annoying teenagers in most areas of Montgomery county. This is why most singles move to DC or NOVA.

why u still on about silver spring? where do u really live? u don’t even live here so go back to ur hole and hide. cuz u got nothing to contribute here. and if u going to talk about moco so much you should be accurate about one thing its just your opinions. you know that tho peace.