Moving to Washington DC (Suitland)

[angelmatt]

Hello! I will be moving to Suitland near Washington DC next month. I would like to know if anyone knows of neighborhoods to avoid, we are going to buy a house there or very close to there. We were also looking at houses in Upper Marlboro and Capitol Heights. Are these good towns? I don't know much about the DC area at all.

Also, I would love to get involved in any playgroups. My ds is 3, almost 4 and dd is 9 months.

Thanks!:wave

[dh2lotusdeb]

.... errrr. Is there any particular reason you're tied to those areas? Honestly, of the three, I would go for the outskirts of Upper Marlboro, and avoid the others like a plague. Suitland and Capital Heights can get a little ... ugly.

If you insist on PG County (why?!?), I'd really suggest you look at the Bowie and Laurel areas instead -- probably being equal or better than some areas in Upper Marlboro. Maybe as far south as Beltsville, but, ummm ... there are better choices.

[angelmatt]

(sigh) I was hoping those towns wouldn't be so bad...
I'm not necessarily tied to those places, but dh is in the military and will be working in Suitland.
Thanks for the info.

[LuvJAH]

Id agree suitland is not the nicest place to live. I lived in Forestville which is very close. There are some new townhomes that have recently come up right off Penn. Ave. but its still not the greatest place.

Bowie and Laurel might be a bit too far for you (depending if dh minds the commute or not, traffic would be treacherous). My parents live in Clinton and its very nice and not too far away.
I agree that Upper Marlboro is better than Suitland.

Buying a house is a big step especially in an area your not familiar with. I would recommend renting at first that way you can check out the area and decide what suits you.

The different towns in PG County can be very different. Its worth checking them out before you make the commitment to buy.

Good luck!!

[dh2lotusdeb]

Originally posted by angelmatt
(sigh) I was hoping those towns wouldn't be so bad...
I'm not necessarily tied to those places, but dh is in the military and will be working in Suitland.
Thanks for the info.

Andrew's AFB?

Scrub what I said about Laurel, then. That would be, by my guesstimate, about an hour each way. Bowie might be shorter.

From my recollection, it sounds like Upper Marlboro might be your better bet. However, the point about renting first is absolutely valid. Especially if you're a military family, and might end up who knows where and who knows when ... and if you have no idea of the areas.

[luvmy3boys]

IMO, live on base if you have that option...if not, I suggest living in maybe Waldorf, MD (about 15 minute drive to Andrews) or Northern Virginia.

My parents live in Clinton and its very nice and not too far away.

Just wanted to add that there are some bad areas to Clinton as well as nicer ones!

Regardless, I would check out where ever in person (and try to avoid Prince George's County).

[angelmatt]

We have been l looking for houses in Waldorf and Upper Marlboro...
I wish living on base were an option, but it's not. I can't post online what my husband does exactly, but we'll probably be there for quite some time.
Thanks so much for all the great advice!

[lotusdebi]

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[Clarity]

depending on what you do for school, a little further north Greenbelt, esp, Hyattsville, Brentwood, College Park, Riverdale all be ok and an easy drive to Suitland. I've lived in all of those places. The public schools have a poor reputation, but they vary and there is a magnet program. So I would check out the local school before buying. I totally agree about avoiding suitland. I used to drive deliveries to Suitland and I would not live there.Those two older flower shop owners ladies were shot to death over $40 recently...i mean crime is everywhere, but it's worse than average there.

Be careful with apartment buidlings...some are great and some atrocious...you have to actually go look. Ask local postal carriers and police officers what they think. That's helped me in the past. If you postal carrier's afraid o=to deliver to you, that's a bad sign. They are also renovating base housing at ft meade which you might be eligible for.