What are the child-centric areas around Washington DC?

September 2, 2008 7:38 AM

Can you point out some child-friendly/child-centric neighborhoods or areas in the DC suburbs? We would like to raise a free-range boy, and want a place where kids can, to a large extent, run free.

I already live in DC and grew up in the area, so I am familiar with the area and am looking for more specific recommendations than this question asked for. I know which areas have good schools and such, but what I don't know is where people with our child rearing philosophy gather.

What we really want is a neighborhood where kids tend to run free, from house to house with their friends; where they can ride bikes around in the summer on their own, perhaps to a park or playground; where when they get older they can get a bus or metro into the city or mall for their own enjoyment; and where all this is considered normal and not insanely irresponsible. What we don't want is places where kids have only play dates or scheduled activity, or that have homeowners associations who frown on kids or toys in the yard or driveway.

We would prefer Arlington or Montgomery county because the public schools are fine and they both work well for our commutes to work. Assume housing prices are no object - we are on a long time horizon. Kind of specific, I know, but if you live near or have seen even a few blocks area that seems pretty kid-oriented, we would like to check it out.

posted by procrastination to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Best answer: I'd recommend the Woodmoor neighborhood of Four Corners / Silver Spring. We used to live there and I'd feel perfectly safe letting our kids run around / play.
posted by grateful at 8:11 AM on September 2, 2008

I don't have a specific answer for you, but I would look for older, established neighborhoods. Sidewalks in good repair, streetlights, some sort of center for the community around a park, etc will be good clues that you are in the right area. Also maybe try some creative googling to dig up blog posts from people in the DC area blogging about how great their neighborhoods are for kids? It's sort of a needle in a haystack approach but you might find something.
posted by COD at 8:12 AM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: Woodside / North Woodside / Woodside Forest (essentially the Woodlin Elementary School area). Lots of coming-and-going, open doors, sidewalks, walk-to-the-metro ... also plenty of play-date-only parents (unavoidable) but really a great suburban-neighborhood feel combined with urban amenities. Here is a Washington Post feature on the neighborhood from 2001 (adjust cited house prices accordingly). The Post ran a series of neighborhood stories called "where we live" that you might want to look into to see descriptions of other interesting neighborhoods. We are very happy where we are now but I will always miss my little house in North Woodside =(
posted by headnsouth at 8:32 AM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: It's a little far out of DC, but I've noticed kids of all ages in Reston play outside without supervision, bike and skateboard down to the local playground/basketball court, and generally seem to have the run of the place. This may vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and I suspect it's more prevalent in areas with slightly higher density population, like streets with townhouses.
posted by itstheclamsname at 9:02 AM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: Falls Church City, to some extent. There are some parents who try and drive their kids down the block but there are plenty of others who let them wander around. You'll probably have better luck if you choose one of the neighborhoods with older, smaller houses in the western half of the city. Students are encouraged to walk with their parents to the elementary school (the middle school is another story but that's probably going to improve now that the militant principal is gone) and the city is small enough that your kid will probably be just a few blocks from his or her classmates.
My dad lives in the Woodmont neighborhood of Arlington and on his block there are a handful of kids mostly younger than 5 who are allowed to ride bikes around the cul-de-sac with minimal supervision.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:06 AM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: My husband and I are kidless thus far, but we live in Burke, VA and there are kids everywhere. Lots of older neighborhoods (I'd stay away from Burke Centre, since I'm pretty sure they've got an HOA) with well-tended sidewalks, schools and libraries within walking distance of housing, and bus/VRE access. (The metro's not far, but it's unfortunately not walkable.) We're in Fairfax County, so the schools are excellent, too.
posted by timetoevolve at 10:01 AM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: My lovely nephew (and his dad and mom) live in Rockville, in the Woodley neighborhood, and we see kids doing their kid thing all over the sidewalks and parks and in the Rockville Town Center. Lots of happy kids riding their bikes to the tennis courts or the Swim Center or the library or the ice cream shop...
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:29 AM on September 2, 2008

I grew up in Reston, VA and it was wonderful. We could go anywhere and do anything; this was thirty years ago but I'm told it's very much the same nowadays.

I also went to the Reston Children's Center, which was hands down the best part of my childhood. Most of the same people are running it today and I can't recommend it strongly enough.
posted by smoakes at 3:16 PM on September 2, 2008

Best answer: I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland in a development called Hadley Farms. It is pretty close to the D.C. area & is out of the city. There is enough woods around locally and the neighborhood is quiet and safe. Also, it is close (15 - 20 minutes) to major shopping areas and malls. Good luck.
posted by sharkhunt at 4:31 PM on September 2, 2008

Looks like no one mentioned Takoma Park - I would definitely recommend it. Very kid-centric with lots of activities at the elementary school and community center, and library - all in easy walking distance from most houses. You could live a few blocks from these with the Metro a few blocks on the other side, and have the "downtown" area with a few shops and restaurants also walkable. There are also several small parks with playgrounds scattered around for kids. I used to see kids playing in yards all the time, and as much as I hated the speed bumps, they did keep the roads relatively quiet.
posted by Mr Bunnsy at 4:01 AM on September 3, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks for the recommendations. We will check them out.
posted by procrastination at 8:19 AM on September 3, 2008

This is probably coming far too late for you, but I have to give you the heads up about historic Greenbelt. It's not as affluent as some of the other communities mentioned, but it has so much going for it:
- a tight-knit community where everyone knows each other
- drastically lower crime rates than the surrounding areas
- the community is circled around a lake with a nice walking path, a community center FULL of arts programs all through the year, a library, a grocery store, a theater, some restaurants.
- everything is walking distance.
- totally safe to let kids play alone outside, ride bikes, etc.
- a quick bike ride or drive to the metro station, thus access to DC's museums, etc.

These are all reasons that we are considering keeping our next move within Greenbelt, and I thought I would share.
posted by GardenGal at 9:02 AM on March 13, 2009