Moving to DC/Gaithersburg - advice?

[indy_azcat]

duping my Lounge post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Wife and I are leaving the grand state of michigan to work in the Gaithersburg, MD area (NIST)

Who knows, maybe we'll see the admins on the road :) or at least more DU people!

I'm looking for advice on places to live - good or ones to avoid. We really know close to zilch about it, but we'll probably be apartment/house renting for at least a year, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Less urban the better. I hear Germantown and Damascus are nice and so far I've got Silver Springs added to the list.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Silver Spring is definitely urban

I like it here, but if you don't like urban, it's not for you. Germantown, Seneca, and Poolesville are nice and rural/suburban, but not TOO far from DC. Oh yeah, and be prepared - everything costs more here.

[indy_azcat]

2. check!

Thanks, I'll add seneca and poolseville to the list.

:thumbsup:

[LiberalEsto]

3. Welcome to Gaithersburg!

I live right outside Gaithersburg in Derwood. Where you live depends on many factors -- do you have kids, what ages, and what's in your price range. Houses here are ridiculously expensive. Teachers, police and firefighters have to find houses outside the county in places like Frederick to get something they can afford.

Germantown has grown rapidly over the past 15 years. Commuting from there to Gaithersburg on Route 270 is a huge hassle -- the rush hour traffic is very heavy.

Damascus is nice in some ways, but there's a racism problem there, especially in the schools. I wouldn't send my kids there, if they were young enough to go to public schools. Also, the commute from Damascus to Gaithersburg is a mess - Route 124 and Route 27 are both bumper to bumper during rush hours.

Silver Spring is very urban except for the Colesville area.

Check out Poolesville in the western part of Montgomery County - it's nice and fairly rural. I have friends there who raise sheep.

You can send me a PM if you want to discuss the area further.

[indy_azcat]

6. many thanks!

2 votes for Poolesville! Baaaa.

No kids, but maybe in 3-5 years - so a lot can change before they hit school age. We're still young - we check the bar scene before the education :7

We're hoping to keep the rent below 1500/mo (with 1000 matching what we spend now in Ann Arbor). My wife would really like to rent a small house, but doing this long distance means that's a pretty small probabilty - so apts it is.

So now I've got Damascus being racist, republican, and drunk teens.... okee-dokie. Off the list ya go! Hope no one's offended :hide:

Right now I'm doing some inital feelers, but I hope you don;t mind if I keep the PM offer in case I get something specific :o

Thanks LiberalEsto!

[LiberalEsto]

10. Another suggestion:

consider using a real estate agent to find an apartment in an area that would suit you. I can highly recommend ours, Scott Lokey; email [e-mail]; website www.MarylandHomeStore.com.

Poolesville doesn't have apartments, as far as I know. There's a lot of new housing in the Lakelands development in Gaithersburg, not far from NIST. Washingtonian Woods, too.

I hate to tell you, but Montgomery County doesn't have a bar scene to speak of. My daughter hangs out with friends in the Adams-Morgan area of DC, which she says has great bars. However, parts of it can be somewhat rough.

[indy_azcat]

12. A whole county w/o a bar scene...?

:cry: this is 'murika damn it.

I guess I've always lived in the paradigm of DIY when it comes to finding a place to live... ah the joys of growing up.

Good tip - I'll see how Mrs. Cat feels about using an agent.

[many a good man]

4. Bring your wallet

I live a stone's throw from NIST so welcome to the neighborhood!
:hi:
Lots of places to rent close by while you house hunt. Homes are outrageously pricey nowadays and you may be better off buying sooner rather than later. How far are you willing to commute? GBurg is halfway between DC and Frederick. Fredneck county has already become pretty expensive, too. Several people live in Frederick or WV and take the MARC train to work at NIST.

Gburg and Germantown are not what anyone would call bucolic any more -- every last square inch has pretty much been developed by now. Still lots of trees and parks, though. Its not too bad...15 minute drive to the wild Potomac or the agricultural preserve in the western part of the county.

[indy_azcat]

7. know anything about Hunt Club apts near NIST?

It's the sister complex of where I live now.

on another note - I was if nothing else REALLY impressed with the local public transportation. A lot of places could learn a lesson from MD. That's probably the way we'll go - short lease close by until we can get a better lay of the land.

I'd prefer to keep the commute under an hour - we currently waste 30-45 min to drive 7 mi.

And super cheers for the proper use of "bucoloic" in a sentence. Man, you don't hear that everyday! :toast:

[many a good man]

27. You probably wouldn't like Hunt Club's location

I drove past it on my way to Trader Joe's the other day. They're stuck in the middle of a mostly commercial area. Walking distance to Costco and Food Lion (oh boy!:sarcasm:) and the public library. Down that side is Monkey Village, one of the first planned communities so it has lots of mature trees but really small townhouses. On the other side of 270 things are nicer but pricier. Good luck!
:toast:

[indy_azcat]

28. DU is a good spy network :)

Thanks for the info! The google sat pix are fuzzy over there. Looks like the mall is nearby though. Monkey Village, eh? Well, I don't golf anyhoo...

:thumbsup: THX!

[DaveinMD]

5. Stay out of Damascus

that is the most conservative area in Montgomery County and there have been some KKK sightings there. Germantown is a nice bedroom community. The commute to DC is awful, but you'll be OK to commute to Gaithersburg.

I live in Burtonsville, which on the east end of the County and we love it.

You don't want to live in Silver Spring if you are working in Gaithersburg. That wouldn't be a nice commute. You may look into Rockville.

[indy_azcat]

8. Rockville's on the Metro, right?

Thanks for the tips - you just can't get a feel for commutes off of mapquest :)

[DaveinMD]

9. Rockville

is on the Metro. If you are in South Rockville, its the White Flint Metro. All the way up towards the Town Center is the Rockville Metro. Its not very rural, though. Highly congested. Germantown is not Metro accessible, but is more up your alley.

[LiberalEsto]

11. There's also the Shady Grove Metro

We live about 2.5 miles from it in Derwood. Derwood is an unincorporated part of the county between Rockville, Olney and Gaithersburg.

[indy_azcat]

13. Revised list

So from the 2 posts (here & http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3392983&mesg_id=3392983)

I've gotten some GREAT feedback - Thank you all :yourock:

Good:
Poolesville (sheep!)
Seneca
Olney
Derwood, non-Inc.
Rockville (maybe)
Burtonsville

Maybe:
Gaithersburg - Birthplace of Matcom - look for the sign
Germantown
fRedneck

Bad:
Damascus

I'll check in later to see what else this has dredged up

Thanks! DUers rock!

[DaveinMD]

14. Frederick

the County is very conservative if you care about such things. I love the city. It could be a hell of a commute. A lot of commuters from Frederick into DC along the I-270 corridor.

[nicholieeee]

23. i used to think

that frederick was bad when it came to conservatives, but then my family moved 1 mile north of the mason-dixon line (washington county, to be exact) but anyway, it'd be a long commute, but you wouldn't be too far from either baltimore or dc, so you'd get the best of both worlds. and speaking as someone who graduated from their system, tj and it's feeder schools are excellent. honestly, i'm really glad i grew up there...nice mix of opinions.

[LiberalEsto]

15. About Rockville, etc.

Rockville is a fantastic place to live and raise kids. They have a world-class recreation department, great community facilities (including indoor and outdoor pools) , good schools, friendly neighborhoods. I covered Rockville for four years as a reporter for a local paper. The downsides are that it's expensive and Rockville Pike is a traffic nightmare.

Gaithersburg also has great recreation and community facilities (pools, etc.) It's a bit less developed than Rockville. The high school isn't bad from what friends tell me. It's a bit more affordable than Rockville.

Olney is very snobby, according to a friend who lives there. Olney mothers are very type A: "My kid is Gifted and Talented OR ELSE, and shall play Elite Soccer and make the swim team OR ELSE SOMEONE IS GONNA PAY."

Matcom grew up here in Derwood, by the way. We're thinking about creating a small shrine.

Check real estate ads in the WashPost: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

[indy_azcat]

16. lol

will the shrine incorporate a hippo or a smiley derrière?

Wow, after perusing the WP classifieds, I see what y'all are talking about wrt sticker shock. Eeek! Good leads from there and the Gazette though. I'll put on my rubbers and check out the Times too :crazy:

Cheers!:toast:

[LiberalEsto]

17. Look us up if you're house-hunting

I'll PM you my home email

[seemunkee]

21. Snobby?

I resent that and MY KIDS ARE the best at everything. I think you get that attitude almost anywhere in Montgomery County. It's easy enough to avoid. I would not recommend anyone look at Gaithersburg HS if given the option. Better than Kennedy and Wheaton but that's about the best I can say.

[kwassa]

18. born in Michigan and living in Gaithersburg, wife worked at NIST

Why are you going to NIST? It is one screwed-up place, losing more funding year by year. My wife had the sense to leave it a few years ago, and it has gotten worse since then.

It is run by very parochial scientists who have no political sense, and insist on slicing their own financial wrists. This is aided by the Bush Administration, which hates science, and cuts funding for science. You should here the screaming coming from NIH, and all the thundering feet leaving the federal government.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Aside from that, this is a great area to live.

[indy_azcat]

19. there's 2 sides of NIST

NIST is kind of a 2 headed beast. One half is strictly into standards, the other functions as a kind of almost university type institution - at least in terms of research, although there are co-programs w/ U.Md. While the bulk of the funding is internal via DoC, much of the research is also funded by other federal granting agencies (DoJ, DoD, NIH, etc.) as well as corporate agreements. So in terms of funding, it's really in the same boat as ANY large research university - research groups have to go through the same grant gaining cycles as a U research professor does.

Further more, just like in a college, the scientific groups are broken down into individual divisions - each with it's own personality, goals, politics and hierarchy. Yeah, I met some real asshats there, but I also met people who I'd gladly work under, over, or next to. This would be true whether I went academia, industry, or gov't. The only truly safe way out is to start my own company with my own capital - and that ain't goinna happen any time soon.

Yup, Bush hates science. Worst funding ever for chemists these past few years. The job market sucks and we're all feeling it - but this is true across the board. I am aware of the climate at NIH - and NIST is far better off. While biomedical research can be dicey - NIST has all the food and fire standards and whatnot that are pretty safe. Who do you think is doing the bulk of the structural research on the WTC remains? They also do a good deal of post-attack analysis on military vehicles from the middle east to aid in impoving armor. And they make sure your frozen spinach nutrition label is actually accurate. So it's a pretty wide playing field.

The short answer is: I'll be working in a group that's doing cutting edge research in my specific field, they have enough funding to last at least one more preseidential term, and being the first real job outta college - you gets what ya can.m If you're really into the research - then you reallly go for it.

And, at least in the core group, they seem overwhelmingly liberal.

[kwassa]

20. just be aware that the overall management at NIST is really poor

and don't think of it as a lifetime career position. This is how many research people have thought of the place. NIST used to be a much more stable and protected environment, but has had some very bad leadership over the past decade. Entire programs have been essentially gutted.

It sounds fine for what you are trying to do right now.

[carpetbagger]

22. Live close in to NIST.

The DC area is so big that you won't get out to the country no matter how far you go, but once you're out as far as Germantown and Gaithersburg, you're in a patchwork of built-up areas, parkland and greenbelts, and zoned low-density areas. The QUince Orchard area gives you access to a large state park and the C+O canal, as well as low-density zoned areas, within 5 minutes. (I know everything's changed names, but I'm talking about the area centered around QO High School/intersection of 28 and 124). Germantown once was the edge of civilization (Seneca Valley High School was still known as a redneck school when I went there in the 1980's), but the development there makes it no longer less urban than the edges of Gaithersburg.

Moving out to Frederick would make little sense. It's all strip malls and track houses, and the closer-in areas offer the same access to parks and open spaces.

Derwood, Burtonsville, and Olney would give you unnecessary traffic, while Rockville is an inner suburb. Poolesville and Damascus still have some open spaces, but you'd avoid the rednecks (the exurban evangelicals are getting pretty ripe out there) and the commute, and you'd still be about the same distance from nature if you were somewhere down near the end of 124.

[indy_azcat]

24. good advice

yeah, I'm definitely thinking 'the closer the better' - at least for the short time.

Kinda funny - my wife just got back yesterday from a conference in San Antonio. I didn't realize people actually raced armadillos. Beautiful town though - man, I miss the southwest.

[AuntiBush]

25. It's majorly "Right-Wing-DC-Cultured!" But, some lib's.

Beautiful town w/awesome mountain views and not far from all major highways... still, it's ultra-convervative up there.

[CBHagman]

26. Welcome to the DC area!

Glad to have you on board.

I'm still reeling from the jump in real estate prices (some of us are priced out of the market), but I love living here. As far as night life, you have to scout out what's available.

Might I recommend that when you get here, you pay a visit to downtown Silver Spring? You'll find a restored art deco theater, the AFI Silver Theatre, which shows repertory and first-run films. Yes, it's run by the American Film Institute, and it's SO much easier to get to than the Kennedy Center, where they still run some films.

Also check out the Avalon, an independent cinema south of Chevy Chase Circle in the District. It's on Connecticut Avenue.

www.theavalon.org

As far as public transportation goes, you've got to strategize and consider what is non-negotiable and what is negotiable. If you have a car and can afford to live within DRIVING distance of a Metro station, that might work for you. The Metro covers a lot of the District, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County.

Oh, and I forget whether anybody has mentioned the suburb of Takoma Park, MD (AKA the People's Republic of Takoma Park :-)). It's just above the District line.

Happy moving!

[indy_azcat]

29. Hey, that stuff wasn't listed in my AAA guidebook

they're such slackers ;)

Thanks CBH! I think Takoma P might be a wee bit too central for us, though - we're trying to avoid the loop. I agree that the park & ride strategy might be best for us. Ahh, I miss dorm days. Stupid commuting lifestyle x(


:toast: THX

[CBHagman]

30. I forgot a couple of things.

Montgomery County is having the usual Starbucks/gentrification problems, and all the obvious shopping/entertainment/dining options may seem to be nationally known places. Don't be fooled. There are still small local businesses to frequent; you'll just have to seek them out. Have some Peruvian style chicken, Sunday dim sum at Oriental East in Silver Spring, Ethiopian food in Adams Morgan, whatever. There are Asian supermarkets and Latin American eateries. Visit some independent bookstores, second-hand shops, outdoor markets. Eat Middle Eastern food at Mama Ayesha's in the District.

There's even a Tastee Diner in Bethesda and one in Silver Spring, though I should warn you that the one in Bethesda has rather open Republican sympathies (i.e., signs that read "We love our guv" :mad:).

[Sasha Undercover]

31. In fact

Wheaton is a semi-urban ethnic enclave with Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Salvadoran, Mexican, Peruvian, good! Chinese, and many other restaurants. At excellent prices. It also has excellent supermarkets with ethnic cooking ingredients.

[Sasha Undercover]

32. Maybe I'm late but

for a year rent whatever you can afford and learn your way around. It all seems the same at first, but after a bit you'll love and hate pieces of it.