Having just moved to Baltimore from NYC, I can definitely say that Maryland is a rockin' state and Baltimore is a rad town. I love it here-- The perks of city life, without the hassle: Huge apartment with grassy yard for the dog/grill; no black sticky pollution sludge all over my stuff; nice neighbors whose names I know; Drinks that costs less than $9.

Hooray Baltimore.

Maryland sucks it does not belong in the DC Metro area. PG yuck

Virginia,

some hours away from DC, in Charlottesville, with more things to do than most town 5 times bigger, mountains 30 minutes away, Richmond one hour away...

beautiful

That rap was hi-larious! But at this point, isn't it cliche to paint all Arlington residents with the same brush?
I love DC for the culture and nightlife, but I REALLY love my yard and little house in the Va suburbs, and I appreciate the environmental initiatives of the Arlington county government. I can be in the city in 15 minutes on the bus.

Living in DC (if you can afford it) is the best simply because you can still own a house yet be central to the city (and closer to public transportation).

DC, with all it's traffic, is a fairly easy city to get out of, just don't try it at 4pm on a Summer Friday.

"Maryland sucks it does not belong in the DC Metro area."

Really?
Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Silver Spring are really that much worse than Herndon and Reston?

No thanks on D.C. I like visiting, but it's too noisy and cramped for me. And having lived in MD my whole life, I hate it there. Bethesda/Rockville/Silver Spring is a cluster-$#@! and the rest of MD is littered with crime. VA has it's bad parts (read Alexandria between Seminary RD and Edsall RD) but I LOVE Fair Oaks, Sterling, Dulles, Reston, etc.

So my votes went for Virginia and suburbs. :)

Laura
http://www.grafxnerd.net

I live in Capitol Hill in D.C. and live a relaxed and quiet lifestyle. There are nice parts of D.C. metro VA and MD, but much of it has the charm of a strip mall.

i like the whole metro area for all the cool things it has but i prefer to live in dc.

dc!

DC!!! Beautiful quiet neighborhood, short walk to metro and all the educational, fun and exciting events I could ever want! I know my neighbors and we have an annual block party..How's that for city life!?!

DC! At least I have stories I can tell about riding the 70 bus; might even inspire a whole book when I ride the 90.

i'd love to know how many "pro-dc" voters have school-age kids attending public school in dc? i ask this without an ounce of snark. my husband and i are thinking of moving to tenleytown/woodley park area and i'd love to hear other people's experiences with public schools.

with that said, home is where you want to be. the dc v. md v. va debate is comparing apples to oranges to bananas.

Where I live in the MD suburbs, I have close access to both Baltimore and DC .... but my area has almost no crime and is much less expensive than northern VA. There are actually farms and beautiful scenery, but there's also stuff to do and conveniences. I miss city living (I just moved here from Miami), but the benefits of my new hometown are WELL worth it.

Victoria in DC,
ha! i ride the 90's all the time.
yeah. novel worthy. especially in the middle of the day.

Ji,
yeah. no kids here. and my hood has crappy schools, so the wife and i would seriously consider a charter school.
i wouldn't think that would be a problem in tenleytown though.

I loved living in DC (owned a large rowhouse in Columbia Heights before moving to a much smaller rowhouse in the Del Ray 'hood of Alexandria).

Although I miss the accessibility to work, the architecture of the old rowhouses in DC, the ethnic diversity, and paying a really cheap cab fare home after a night of serious bar hopping, what I do love about living in a close-in suburb just outside of DC are:

1. I get to bike 30 minutes to my office in DC along the Potomac, which is faster than taking the metro;
2. Virginia has a much lower income tax (about 10 percent in DC versus about 5 percent in VA) and city and state services are better and more responsive than those found in DC; and
3. Better ethnic restaurants and ethnic supermarkets.

When it comes to retail, though, it doesn't seem like there is that much difference between DC and the close-in suburbs. While Dc, Md, and Va have independent-owned shops, Dupont, Georgetown, and the Penn Quarter are all dominated by the same chain retail stores found in NOVA and MD.

I lived in DC for 15 years before moving to NYC, mostly in the Capitol Hill area. I lived in what were politely called "transitional" neighborhoods bordering the more expensive streets. It was nice to be able to walk/run/bike everywhere, the museums were free, there were farmer's markets, and I had a small yard with a garden, connected to a 2-BR townhouse on a tree-lined street that cost me $850/month in 1999.

I love my little corner of the metro area straddling the district line, but actually in Takoma Park, Maryland. I find the post-hippie mentality charming (a farmers-only farmer's market & apartments that really are rent controlled!) the schools are good, the neighbors fabulous, and the scenery lovely: Sligo Creek Park and the oodles of Arts and Crafts homes with sizable yards and mature trees. My commute out to NASA is an easy 20-25 minutes, and I don't have to touch the beltway. My husband rides the metro to Census and gets to read instead of fume at the traffic. We love it here.
That said, we're thinking that next summer, we might look for a place on Capitol Hill or U-Street to spend a couple of years... having just turned 30, we want to do the 'crazy urbanites' thing once more before settling down and buying a house... in Takoma Park.

j i, I'm a DCPS parent.

You may wish to ask about schools on the DC Urban Moms list or boards.

Why live in a community designed around cars when you could enjoy one designed for people? Living in the suburbs would kill my soul. DC!!

DC has been annihilated by sprawl and white flight over the past half century. Kudos to the people staying put.

We bought a house in the Swedish Country side after relocating from the center of Denver. We had dreams of renovations and yard work. We must have been high. We lasted just over a year before we high tailed it to the nearest city. Now when I drive through the suburbs or see some TV show where they are renovating some giant house I practically break out in hives!

But that being said Sweden is a great place to live in the city because most families own a summer cottage that one can escape to on random weekends.

We lived in Pasadena, MD for a year after several years in England. We had the big yard with huge trees, three bedrooms yadda yadda. Those trees have MILLIONS of leaves and the grass grows as fast as you mow it. I had enough. Now I live in Canton (Baltimore) and I love it. Canton is very pedestrian friendly. As it is now, I really only use my car for a perilous trip down 295 every day. The place will be perfect when the Red Line goes in.

Silver Spring rocks! I'm a 15 minute metro ride into downtown and a 10 minute drive to Bethesda and Rockville. My neigbhors, Takoma Park and Wheaton are a wonderful mix of ethnicities and cultures. I'd never live in VA!

As a native District resident, I'm biased to city living. Living in the suburbs would be a soul-crushing, gas-wasting existence. I love DC, flaws and all.

Sorry, the joke is you live in MD, you can't afford to live in VA.

Virginia has better public schools
Virginia has a great selection of colleges (UVA, William & Mary, James Madison)
Virginia has lower tax overall
Virginia has better shopping (hence why I see MD and DC tags all over Northern Virginia on the weekends)
Virginia has lower crime rate than DC & MD

I live in Arlington, I am 10 minutes away from DC. So I dont have to deal with the crowds, the noise, the crime. I have the best of both worlds

MD has its nice parts. Baltimore & Annapolis are nice place to visit.

"Sorry, the joke is you live in MD, you can't afford to live in VA."

Never heard this joke, but I guess it makes sense since DC/NoVA are all politics and dollar signs and no soul! If you want character, Baltimore has it. In just this city alone.... Colleges? We have Johns Hopkins, one of the best universities in the world. Shopping? Head to the Avenue in Hampden. Crime? I'm Baltimore born-and-bred and have never been a victim of it. It's really not issue unless you're up to no good yourself or stupidly leave things in your car within anyone's sight. Traffic's not as bad, and we have eclectic, cheap bars and restaurants. Woohoo Baltimore!

This is our last week living in Dupont Circle. We have a small child and one on the way and are moving to Va this weekend. Living in the city is just wonderful--especially with a small child. Its amazing to be able to look out the window and see so much going on. So many different flowers in neighbors yards and lots of people watching from the front stoop. and we LOVE stead park!

I am going to miss it but do look forward to some grass to run through, not having to fight for a parking space or lug a stroller up two flights of stairs.

it will be a total life adjustment.

That video should really be called Clarendon:The Rap
since like 95% of what he pokes fun at is pretty much concentrated in the Clarendon, Courthouse neighborhoods. Which is fine to me, I prefer if the yuppies and college kids never discover the REAL neighborhoods of Arlington.

Having lived in Baltimore for 3 years and just bought a rowhouse in Hampden (hon!) I have to say I really love it here. I may not be here forever, but I feel like Baltimore has a really nice community atmosphere and gets an unfortunately bad rep. I'm glad to see a few other people agree with me. I love visiting D.C. and Philly when I can, but I always feel good coming home. Yay Charm City!

Can I vote for a European city during the week and Swedish cottage on a lake during summer weekends? American cities have it all wrong.

Baltimore!! I live in Mount Vernon. The neighborhood. A lot of people think Virginia and George Washington when I tell them where I live though. :\

DC is pretty cool, and I really love Alexandria (well, ok, just Old Town). Maryland does have more sketchier areas, particularly in PG county but there are a lot of great places in Montgomery or even Howard County. Although Columbia is starting to irk me.

thats funny-ppl who live in montgomery county all say that people only live in VA b/c they cant afford to live in MD. I guess the snob factor is that you dont need access to good public schools/public ameneties b/c you do private everything. Having lived in Charlottesville and b'more-they both have dc and surrounds beat. I I only lived in C'ville for two years but it really is the best place to live in all three areas.

JulieM, who are you kidding?

There is a reason property values are higher in Potomac than Great Falls, Bethesda than McLean, or even downtown Silver Spring vs that tiny strip of Arlington people actually like (as opposed to the Levittownesque hellhole that Arlington turns into as you head south from Ballstone) - more people want to live there, and that drives the price up.

Follow the land prices, you see what people want. DC is more desirable than Arlington/Alexandria, thus it is more expensive. (Taxes aren't the explanation; we're talking transaction price of real estate, not carrying cost)

Virginia is filled with defence contractors and (the remains of dying) tech companies. Maryland has biotech, and most of the doctors in the area, as well as most lawyers who don't live in DC proper. They are very different communities.

hee hee, the "healthy rivalry" is alive & well.
Maryland is great- I love Baltimore AND DC. So much to do around here.

Well I live a townhouse in the "levittownesque hellhole" that is Arlington south of Ballston and I love it. Beautiful historical landmark townhouse complex, walking distance to fun bars and restaurants and Arlington landmarks the Cinema Drafthouse and Bob & Ediths. I have class in Chinatown and can be at the Verizon Center in 10 minutes flat. My commute is actually shorter than many of my district dwelling friends who have to deal with 30-60 minute metro commutes depending on transfers and delays.

There are alot of nice neighborhoods both in DC and the suburbs that are close to everything DC has to offer. Alot of people have preferences based on tax payments (both INCOME and property based), work commutes, schools, the desire (or not) for private outdoor space or easy access to nightlife. I wouldn't go around name calling any neighborhood that is not the one you live in.

Interesting, I've lived in Tenleytown in DC, Arlington in VA, currently reside in Bethesda, but soon to be buying a house in Silver Spring.

Overall, I thing all three areas are nice with some not so nice things about each of them. DC is my personal favorite but MD comes in close as it feels a lot more like DC proper and is far better planned than Virginia.

No offense to Virginians, but the things I despise about VA is that is more white than I prefer and lacking in character. Plus, I find people and fashion much more bland in VA, can you say Ann Taylor and Banana Republic?

Baltimore. It's the coolest.

I grew up in Tenleytown (NW DC) and feel very lucky. Went to public school until 8th grade, then Edmund Burke. Love to visit. Gets cooler every time.