Michelle

I was offered a job at a great new law firm in Washington DC. In am moving from a small town in Nebraska, so living in Washington DC itself would be a little scary.

I am looking for advice from people who know the Washington DC area. I want to know where to live. I understand there is a big rivalary between the Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington on which area is nicer.

I am a single college educated (JD) white women of 34. I have no friends, family, or animals in the area and I start the new job in June. The office is near Metrocenter so METRO will work from either Virginia or Maryland. But where to live?

Which place has nicer people?
Which state has more parks, open space?
Which state has better places to eat
Which state has better cultural opportunities?
Which state has better schools (I may have kids someday)?
Thanks.

Craig

Unless you live in Chevy Chase, Potomac or Bethesda, which are great, the rest of the Maryland suburbs are a bit scary.
Eastern Montgomery County would be empty if the INS did its job. Then there is Prince Georges County, don't get me started on that place. It is the pits. Seems like Montomery Alabama.

Andy

To the person with the racist comments about western Montgomery County MD, how about south eastern Fairfax County and Bailey Crossroads, VA. The people sure do not look like Michelle is use to in Nebraska!

Sam

Back to the question, I used to live in Arlington, VA (near the Clarendon metro) and loved it. Tons to do and very close to the city. I don't know anything about the school systems though. I also like the Roslyn metro area. Good luck.

a

Because you are planning to move to metro DC, let's face it Virginia and Maryland are going to be fairly similar. However, the farther from DC you travel the greater the differences will become. Southern Maryland and Virginia are rather similar. They are more rural, have a more southern feel, less diverse, and, on average, worse schools. Because northeast Maryland is part of the NE corridor, it remains fairly crowded, has a diverse community, and, on average, better schools.

carolyn

Michelle,

I've lived in both Maryland and Virginia, and they're isn't a huge difference between the states, just the individual neighborhoods, both have ethnic neighborhoods, upscale white ones, poor dirty ones, yuppie cookie-cutter developments, etc.

People don't change when you cross the state line, you'll meet nice people on both sides, and in the district. Both are congested, i think it is easier to find open space quicker in Maryland

The entire DC area has great places to eat. Bethesda has a huge concentration of restaurants.

As far as I know, the best public schools in the DC metro area are in Fairfax County (VA) and Montgomery County (MD).

I'd look into the courthouse area of Arlington or Bethesda if you want to be close in and have the convenience. Most of Montgomery County is nice, there are some poor pockets which are pretty obvious, so unless you're renting a place site unseen, I wouldn't be too concerned.

See if you can find a good realtor to tell you the ins and outs!

S

Consider proximity to the Metro as a major plus. My suggestion is to find an apartment in an area that is acceptable for the time being. Plan to spend the next year scoping out the best place for YOU. Many people who live closer to the downtown area put their children in private schools. The quality of public schools in your area may be moot if you make that choice.

Stephanie P.

Hi Michelle:

I have lived in D.C. in the past and I agree w/the other post. Bethesda is a classy place to live in MD, other parts aren't so good. I have lived in Alexandria, VA and enjoyed it very much. Old Town Alexandria is a fun place to walk around in. There are alot of historic 18th century buildings. In the Landmark area of Alex there is a big mall and many different restaurants. The Yellow and Blue subway lines are located in VA suburbs. I also think Annadale is a nice area too, along with Fairfax, basically most VA suburbs are nicer. Arlington isn't that great though.

zzz

Michelle: Your questions (nicer people? better food?) are really juvenile -- are you sure you are ready to move away from home? Why did you accept a job without knowing anything about the area to which you will move? If you have a question about TRAVEL, not relocation, you'll get plenty of thoughtful answers from this forum but you should check with a real estate or relocation board with these questions.

cath

Nice reply zzz! Why bother saying anything if you have nothing useful to add. Or at least cut out the unnecessary meaness. Thank goodness we have an ADULT like you policing these boards to stop "juveniles" like myself and Michelle from saying the wrong things.

Katie

I agree with Alexandria, VA. You can catch the Blue line to Metro Center at King Street or Braddock Road and it's just a few stops away. Alexandria is charming, great shops, nightlife, lots of character. Some areas are pricey, but it's a nice place to live. I would also suggest the Bethesda/Rockville area in Maryland. You can live along the red line and make one transfer to get to Metro Center. Lots of people your age, good restaurants, malls, etc.. It doesn't have the character (in my opinion) that Alexandria has, but is still a nice area. I think you'll find good places to live in either state. Good suggestion to rent first then decide where to buy. You might even want to live in DC. There are some great neighborhoods there, too.

PLM

You've gotten some very good advice here, but promise me NEVER EVER to ask about which people are "nicer." That is just a provocative thing to ask and shows a real inclination to be a little bigoted about new places and new people yourself. People are nice. Or not.

By your lights, I suppose Nebraskans in small towns are "nicer" than people in the suburbs of an Eastern city -- I'm guessing that's what you expect. In that case, that's exactly what you are going to find.

I lived in Alexandria for 15 years and loved it. Some of my best friends live in Maryland and DC. Both. They are nice.

Get your mind a little bit further open or you are going to, indeed, have a very scary experience.

inga

The Washingtonian Magazine had an issue (about a year ago) addressing this very question (inlcuding statistics and advice). Check out their website at www.washingtonian.com.

Alex

People are nicer in Virginia than Maryland 55 times out of 100. Why, the southern influence. MOre southerners (who are generally brought up to be nicer to strangers) are more like to move to northern Virginia than Maryland.

Maryland is full of harsher people from Philly, Boston, and New York who are more aburpt by nature.

So Michelle had a valid question.

(Yes there are a few brash northeasterners in northern Virginia, just not as many!)

Bleah

Alex, just what is so _"nice"_ about saying some people are nicer than others, or that some people are not nice. That is, to me, the epitome of the Southern hypocrisy that gives the lie to their reputation for graciousness. They just love to simper and say that northerners are just not nice for x,y,z, reasons. That makes them, to me, NOT nicer -- "if you can't say something nice...."

Moreover, how "nice" is it to post something here designed to pit people against each other.

Finally, there's just no reasonable way to investigate, document, or prove such an incredibly broadbrush comment. What if I said, because the people who settle in Virginia know they are in a former Confederate state, they tend to be more racist?

Les

Dateline NBC had a report about American's nicest (friendlist) cities and the south came on top. They use professional PHD's in a variety of specialities.

The people in the south are brought up to be open and friendly to people, the people in the northeast were brought up to be guarded.

cl9

maybe "Friendly" is more what Michelle is really looking for.

Being from a small (KS) town. I understand what she means. People in more populated areas (north and south) tend to be a little less fiendly. It can be a little overwhelming to go to a new place and have "chic" people being aloof to their new country bumpkin neighbor.

Yanq

At the risk of allowing this stereotype-generalization free-for-all go on, let me say, first, that there's no such thing as a PhD in niceness.

But perceptions of the value of being friendly on first encounter versus the value of being more reserved are probably fair.

To me, a northerner, strangers who meet me with a big fat grin, a howdy-doo, and a tendency to go immediately for my nickname (which they guess at) can seem phony and insincere, manipulative (what do they want?), or dangerously looney. And to be honest, some of that also comes off as childish and immature. I suspect that's also how Americans seem to many Europeans.

On the other hand, I was brought up to value greatly the importance of a true, reliable, sincere friend on whom I could count never to say one thing to me and another to someone else; someone I knew was my loyal friend no matter what; someone I could count on to share intimate secrets and sorrows as well as joys and victories.

With strangers, I expect to be polite, not hostile or "brusque," and with business transactions "brusque" is just a matter of behaving professionally, instead as if we were at a country club social.

As to the Virginia/Maryland dichotomy? Silly, silly question. People who work in WashDC and have to learn diplomacy and poise and smooth social manners live both places.

Michelle: worry more about how YOU will adapt to what the area (EITHER Maryland Or Virginia OR the District) is going to expect from you as a lawyer and resident than whether people are going to make you feel all warm, cozy, and small-townish. Washington is, BELIEVE ME, a small enough town once you learn the gossip.

Stephanie P.

I'd have to disagree w/everyone. D.C. in general is a very friendly city. I use to have a long commute, Baltimore to D.C., and the Maryland people would talk to me everyday. They got on at BWI and points like Odenton, MD. In D.C., most people are from somewhere else and they are usually working for congressmen and they come from small towns. That is what I like about D.C., the variety of people and it is a beautiful interesting city you have to really try hard to be bored in.

Msmanners

To Yanq:

I hope you do not actually work in business. Being brusque-defined as abrupt and curt in manner and speech, often to the point of rudeness-is not the way to conduct business. It is a great way to send a customer to the competition. One can be friendly without becoming overly familiar, and your dislike of a smile concerns me. To Michelle-If you want nice people, choose another profession. I am an attorney, and the people I encounter at work are not always nice. In fact, some are brusque at times. Good luck with your new job and at finding a great neighborhood in which to live.