Possible Relocation to Silver Spring, MD

[alexandmaddie]

Can anyone tell me a little more about this area? Is it considered a suburb of DC? I looked at house prices in Silver Spring and was shocked. They are so expensive! Are there any other areas nearby that are convenient to Silver Springs, safe and a little more affordable? We have three kids, so good schools are a consideration.

Thanks for any information!

 

[mom2boys]

I work in the Wheaton area of Silver Spring. Yes, it is considered part of the DC metro area. Silver Spring is on the Red Line of the metro. "Silver Spring" covers a wide geographic area - it has several zip codes. Silver Spring is diverse. I see you are coming from Michigan. DC homes prices are higher than most parts of the country. Silver Spring is actually not considered "high rent" for the area. Where will you be working? DC traffic is horrific. It can take me 20 minutes to go 1/2 mile along Georgia Ave in the morning -so think carefully about your commute.
Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

 

[Hillbeans]

The first thing that came to mind was the huge Mormon church right on the highway that looks like a castle.

I agree with PP that traffic in this area of the country is horrible, but the weather is pretty nice.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

"In-laws" live there. Avoid them and you'll be fine.

 

[locolala]

Depending on where you'll be working, a house in VA is also not out of the question. Silver Spring is pretty close to the border and Fairfax county has some AMAZING schools!

 

[golfgal]

I work in the Wheaton area of Silver Spring. Yes, it is considered part of the DC metro area. Silver Spring is on the Red Line of the metro. "Silver Spring" covers a wide geographic area - it has several zip codes. Silver Spring is diverse. I see you are coming from Michigan. DC homes prices are higher than most parts of the country. Silver Spring is actually not considered "high rent" for the area. Where will you be working? DC traffic is horrific. It can take me 20 minutes to go 1/2 mile along Georgia Ave in the morning -so think carefully about your commute.
Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

She lives in Minnesota.


alexandmaddie-keep in mind that many of the better schools in the DC area are private schools. You are going to have a hard time finding public schools that compare to what you have now, unfortunately. Factor that into any salary increases for the job transfer.

 

[Christine]

My mom works in Silver Spring, lives in Virginia. Yes, it is pretty expensive anywhere in Montgomery County. You will most likely have to get in farther out suburb and commute into Silver Spring. I don't know what your budget is so that makes a difference.

 

[punkin]

She lives in Minnesota.


alexandmaddie-keep in mind that many of the better schools in the DC area are private schools. You are going to have a hard time finding public schools that compare to what you have now, unfortunately. Factor that into any salary increases for the job transfer.

There are many good private schools in the DC area, but there are many good public schools too. Silver Spring itself is HUGE and is not known for the best schools in the County. The best schools are around Bethesda/Potomac/Rockville areas (some of the best public schools in the US). If OP has sticker shock seeing the housing prices in Silver Spring, the prices in the good school districts are going to give her heart failure.

My recommendation is Gaithersburg or Olney: Good schools and slightly lower housing prices. It matters where the job is so you can avoid traffic.

 

[Christine]

You could also look around the Frederick area and take the MARC train in to work. Not sure what the schools are like but it is very pretty there!

 

[PlutoPony]

With a little more info, we can probably give you some idea of where to look. Like where will you or your spouse be working (more specific than just a city name), what hours are you working/commuting, what kind of commute time can you live with, how much do you want to spend, and what are your must haves (like good schools).

Housing prices here have dropped somewhat over the past several years but have stabilized now and are starting to creep up again, especially in closer to DC. Any chance you have a good moving package and could do a short term rental while looking to buy?

 

[alexandmaddie]

Thank you for all of your replies!

DH has a 7 mile commute right now (it takes him 10-15 minutes) and I have a 13 mile commute (it takes me 20-30 minutes). I think we might really end up going backwards if he takes the job. We have a 4 bedroom house built in 1998 and are in a good school district here in Minnesota. It looks like we'd have to spend well over $500k in Maryland to accomplish that. He would get a decent cost of living increase but not that much!

Ughh! I wish the job was in North Carolina, houses are so affordable there!

Thanks again!

Krista

 

[youcansmellit]

"In-laws" live there. Avoid them and you'll be fine.

 

[Christine]

Thank you for all of your replies!

DH has a 7 mile commute right now (it takes him 10-15 minutes) and I have a 13 mile commute (it takes me 20-30 minutes). I think we might really end up going backwards if he takes the job. We have a 4 bedroom house built in 1998 and are in a good school district here in Minnesota. It looks like we'd have to spend well over $500k in Maryland to accomplish that. He would get a decent cost of living increase but not that much!

Ughh! I wish the job was in North Carolina, houses are so affordable there!

Thanks again!

Krista

Yeah, most people who move here don't make out financially unless they get some whopping increase. Taking a job here is done for a few reasons:

1. You just really want to live here.
2. Where you live now stinks.
3. A move here will offer future career opportunities you can't get anywhere else (this mainly applies to federal government workers).

It's tough financially here.

 

[punkin]

Thank you for all of your replies!

DH has a 7 mile commute right now (it takes him 10-15 minutes) and I have a 13 mile commute (it takes me 20-30 minutes). I think we might really end up going backwards if he takes the job. We have a 4 bedroom house built in 1998 and are in a good school district here in Minnesota. It looks like we'd have to spend well over $500k in Maryland to accomplish that. He would get a decent cost of living increase but not that much!

Ughh! I wish the job was in North Carolina, houses are so affordable there!

Thanks again!

Krista

Will he be working in DC or somewhere in Silver Spring, and, if so, where? Like everyone has said, Silver Spring is very big. There are areas that might fit most of your requirements if he does not have to commute very close to DC itself. That's where most of the traffic is.

 

[Hoodie]

Viriginia has some of the best public schools in the country. It would be a heck of a commute though, depending where in Silver Spring work is. Howard County has better schools than Montgomery County and the housing prices are slightly less, but really a single family house will be a minimum $450k and more likely in the $500k range. And Howard county has the highest tax rate in the state.

This is a decent cost of living calculator.

http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/

Overall, your DH's salary would have to increase about 20% to get the same standard of living.

Don't get me wrong, I love this area, but it's ridiculously expensive here and the traffic is ridiculous. I moved from Boston and even Boston traffic is much better!

 

[SingingMUA]

I live in Silver Spring...

Like PPs have said, Silver Spring is a very large and diverse area. I live in the upper part of Silver Spring, about 2 miles outside of Olney, MD. I also happen to work in Silver Spring... in the "downtown Silver Spring" area, which is about 7 miles from my house. However, because the traffic situation on Georgia Ave is "unpredictable" at best, and horrific at worst, it can take me anywhere from 20-25 mins to almost an hour to travel those 7 miles during the work week. (Conversely, on a weekend or at night when there's no traffic, I can make the same trip in about 10-15 mins)

All in all, I love the DC area... I'm a DC girl, born and raised, and have lived in the city or the DC suburbs for my whole life (I'm 32). BUT... traffic sucks, and the metro (subway) is great when it's good, and REALLY bad when it's bad.

There are some great private schools in the area, and as others have said, NoVA (northern VA) has some great public schools. Montgomery County has some decent public schools, but from what I understand it can vary widely from decent to great. (I don't have kids yet, so I don't think I'm the best qualified to really address that part)

If you plan on working in the city, then I would suggest taking a look at areas that offer relatively easy access to the metro (i.e. - it's within a decent drive). If you will be working in MoCo (and depending on where in MoCo), then I would suggest looking at places like Gaithersburg or Germantown or Kensington and maybe North Bethesda.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions!

 

[clutter]

She lives in Minnesota.


alexandmaddie-keep in mind that many of the better schools in the DC area are private schools. You are going to have a hard time finding public schools that compare to what you have now, unfortunately. Factor that into any salary increases for the job transfer.

???

Fairfax County VA and Montgomery County MD are both excellent and highly regarded school systems.

 

[Christine]

???

Fairfax County VA and Montgomery County MD are both excellent and highly regarded school systems.

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-and-worst-public-school-systems-in-us/

See above link. Considering that Maryland and Virginia (#1 and #4 respectively) are on this list, not sure where one of the posters thinks that only the private schools are good...

 

[castleview]

Yeah, most people who move here don't make out financially unless they get some whopping increase. Taking a job here is done for a few reasons:

1. You just really want to live here.
2. Where you live now stinks.
3. A move here will offer future career opportunities you can't get anywhere else (this mainly applies to federal government workers).

It's tough financially here.

This makes me smile in a surreal sort of way. A few years ago DH had a teaching opportunity outside of DC. I really wanted to live there, but where we live now doesn't stink. I just couldn't justify the move.

 

[punkin]

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-and-worst-public-school-systems-in-us/

See above link. Considering that Maryland and Virginia (#1 and #4 respectively) are on this list, not sure where one of the posters thinks that only the private schools are good...

Interesting link. The schools in the rest of Maryland must be fantastic to counter the Baltimore school system pulling them down. I think golfgal was thinking of the DC schools, which really are a major disaster. In fact they were considered the worst on your list too.

Yes, Montgomery County schools are considered some of the best in the Country (Howard county is good, but seriously, better than Montgomery? ). Of course, that being said, some are better than others. There is no comparison between BCC and Kennedy (2 Montgomery County HS) for example.