Looking for ideal neighborhood recommendations (public schools, college, income)

[mbahopeful]

We are looking at a new job in DC next year. I have 3 children, 7,5 and 2 and schools are very important all the way up through high school. Ideally, I want excellent public schools.

Secondary to that, but also very important is the neighborhood. We live in a very small college town right now and it's like Mayberry here. I'm on a dead-end street and my kids can ride their bikes all over the street and one street north and south of me without worry. I know my neighbors, we have neighborhood bbq's and stuff like that. I can walk to some shopping, restaurants, the local high school and the local library as well. There are sidewalks and bike lanes everywhere here. I don't want to be far out in suburbia but not in a super-urban location. Something very neighborhood-y where people know each other and there is a "community" feel. Lots of stay-at-home moms would be a plus as I am a SAHM (will likely be working part-time as my youngest starts school in a few years). My children are involved in soccer, dance, religious school, scouts, etc. Family friendly is a must.

We are considering Bethesda and other nearby areas on the MD side because we have family in Bethesda. In DC my husband would be working near the Farragut North metro station towards Dupont Circle. But I don't know much about the metro as a whole so I am open to both the MD or VA sides for the right fit.

We also want an area with a sizeable Jewish population and synagogues nearby. We are willing to pay to be as close-in as possible, if it is an ideal location.

What areas should I start researching? We've never lived in DC before, only visited.

Thanks for your expertise!

[stateofnature]

If you want "excellent public schools through high school" you should look in the Maryland suburbs or Northern Virginia, not DC proper. DC public high schools are generally some of the worst in the nation, although I've heard some of the charter schools are pretty decent.

If you're looking for recommendations for the DC suburbs, this isn't the best forum for that. This is the forum for DC proper. The suburbs have their own separate forums where you will get really good answers to your question:

//www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/
//www.city-data.com/forum/washi...urbs-maryland/

[DistrictSonic]

DC Public Schools quality depends on the area, in much of NW, especially west of rock creek park they are fine, in fact much better than the charters in the city, but SE DC public schools drags things down considerably (in fact if you lopped off east of the Anacostia, DC looks like a great city, the area drags DC down from a statistical perspective). The quality of DC public schools in any give area highly correlates with poverty of that area. The charter schools are not always better, and the public schools are not always worse. A kid going to a public school in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of DC is likely going to a much better school than a charter school east of the Anacostia. Income of the surrounding area correlates highly with the quality of education, because the household income of a student correlates highly with their educational outcomes.

With that being said replicating everything she is listing in DC area would be hard. She has to realize this area has considerably higher density, even in the suburbs, and also more two income households. So the playing in the streets thing may not happen in Bethesda because of traffic, a local park may be a better idea. The areas where the kids can play in the streets will be far removed, but also not walkable, especially to a synagogue. Knowing the Jewish faith...this is critical. Everything she is writing tells me that Montgomery County is probably her best bet though. This is not to say the jewish community is not existent in Virginia, but it is just not as strong as DC and Maryland.

I should note, SAHM are less common out here, they are still out here, but DC has a far higher percentage of working mothers. Two income households are far more common out here, and that will be a cultural adjustment from where you are now. This is not to say you will not find a decent sized community though in your area. Just don't expect it to be an overwhelming trend with the area. Working mothers are more common, so it is best to go into this area with that understanding. Don't judge the working mothers, it is a really bad habit of many SAHM. Here in DC working mothers are pretty much the norm, this city does not attract many women who wish to give up their (often high paying) career to raise kids.

From everything she is saying though, I would say Bethesda was a very good idea and she got good advice. Especially since it seems neighborhood quality vs. budget issue was not brought up and high quality schools were put out there. Again, some things will be different, Bethesda is NOT a college town, and there will need to be some adjustments. With that being said, it sounds like Montgomery County would be a good fit based on the information you provided.