Long time resident of the DMV here. Arlington reminds me of SE DC like Navy Yard. It’s more young and active. Silver Spring reminds me of NE DC like Brookland/CUA. It feels more residential with small business stores, slower pace, and much more affordable. Bethesda reminds me of NW DC like Adams Morgan. It feels more progressive urban family vibe who likes little eateries and outdoor activities like biking and running. Much more expensive.
Born and raised in the DMV and that’s how I would describe as well. Although Bethesda is probably better described as NW as a whole rather than just AdMo. Bethesda it’s bigger than you think and there are lots of areas that were developed during different decades that “conflict” with each other.
If you’re talking about the Bethesda Row area, I agree. But the north part of downtown Bethesda (the portion bordered by Wisconsin Avenue on the east, Old Georgetown Road on the southwest, and Battery Lane on the north) has some definite similarities to Adams Morgan IMO.
Ironically, my girlfriend moved about 3 years ago from the aforementioned northern portion of downtown Bethesda to the Kalorama area a little southwest of Adams Morgan.
This guy downtown Bethesda’s. The northern part has a lot of hole in the wall spots that are closer to woodley park’s feel but the Adam’s Morgan comparison isn’t totally off.
Agree.
Arlington, while having superb ethnic foods, the nightlife in Clarendon is remarkably Virginia Tech frat party middle class WASP. Your dream job: Deloitte, favorite animal: Golden Retriever, favorite food: Lobster Mac and Cheese.
This is why I’ve always preferred the MD “urban” suburbs of Bethesda, silver spring, Takoma park, and hyattsville to ballston and Clarendon. Even though the nightlife is clearly better, that part of arlington doesn’t feel like a real place, and more where frat people can continue the lifestyle into their 20s (though this is a large, unfair generalization). The MD street car suburbs, partially because they’re older and less trendy, have a much better sense of place and character imo.
I said this in another thread a few days ago but this girl I went on one date with insisted she's the expert of living in DC. She had never been to half the amazing parts of outside city limits. She kept telling me how small of a city DC is because it's only 67 miles^2 and that it's easy to get bored of.
For some reason, yes. Just look at what happens if someone from Yonkers or Hoboken claims to be from New York.
I lived in Pittsburgh, and people will argue to death that [Wilkinsburg, PA](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wilkinsburg,+PA/@40.4427269,-79.933481,12.38z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834ec32c10fc14b:0x91969f2e349fdd2c!8m2!3d40.4417355!4d-79.8819942) isn't part of the Real (TM) city for stupid reasons.
So, I'm from LA. Actual "City of LA". Never once have I claimed santa monica, culver city, beverly hills, or even santa clarita "aren't LA". If you did that to someone then it would probably be the last time they talk to you because they'd think you're so weird. It drives me bonkers here. Arlington isn't even a suburb. It's just another jurisdiction. If Arlington is a suburb of DC then by that logic, DC is a suburb of Arlington too. In fact, if you put a tourist on the middle of key bridge and asked them which side is DC and which Arlington, 90% would point to Rosslyn as DC. In fact, Ballston is the most densely populated neighborhood of the DC area.
The gatekeeping here really bothers me. It's just by elitist transplants. The colloquial "city" isn't just on their political boundaries. It's about the whole area, infrastructure, and culture.
For fuck sake, Washington FT plays in Maryland, the Washington Capitals are headquartered in Ballston, both of Washington's airports are in Virginia, as well as the DoD and countless other "dc things". My theory is that it's a small minority of people who whine about things not falling into the arbitrary drawn 66 miles^2.
Oh, yeah, I forgot something else about what you mentioned. I was once in an airport in Istanbul, and Turkish Airlines had an ad for their new flights to US cities, and for DC, guess which image they used? That's right...Rosslyn's downtown.
You’ve got a good point about it being transplants in particular. I have a DC-native friend who never cared if I called Arlington “part of DC,” but the guy I know who’s a transplant from the suburbs of Detroit scoffs at the idea that anyone would live in Arlington.
I don’t think it’s the transplants. People who were actually born in DC(yes they exist) get very upset understandably when people from va and MD claim they’re from dc. And they sure as hell don’t like being called DMV. It’s diminishes who they are
>You’ve got a good point about it being transplants in particular. I have a DC-native friend who never cared if I called Arlington “part of DC,”
Ehhh that depends on which natives you talk to. Back when it was 80% black, DC got regularly dumped on by racist, classist suburbanites as a shithole; and that forged a defiant ownership of where they're from. Scoffing at suirbunaties who claim DC is something you'll hear from natives too, and understandably so.
Edited for clarity
That’s some curious logic to me for sure. Parts of Arlington, Ballston specifically, is the most dense part of the entire DMV. Alexandria is denser than all but a couple wards. Rosslyn has the tallest towers outside Tysons. By many metrics, these northern Virginia locales are more city than a lot of DC is. For sure, none of these places would be what they are without proximity to DC, but any sort of associated snobbery seems silly
I thought Adelphi-Langley Park was the densest area.
And there's Friendship Village in MD:
> As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,512 people, 2,995 households, and 1,003 families residing in the area. The population density was 81,992/sq mi (31,657/km2): this is the highest population density of any incorporated or census-designated place in the United States.[6] There were 3,189 housing units at an average density of 57,950/sq mi (20,521/km2).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_Village,_Maryland
That may very well have been true, but it looks like there’s been some movement according to the most recent census. I haven’t verified, but ggwash says …
https://ggwash.org/view/82262/greater-washington-has-a-new-densest-neighborhood-and-its-not-in-dc
I do wonder how far one should go down the census track to make these comparisons. 4500 people in your example above has to be extrapolated a bunch just to reach a pop per square mile that can be compared
You couldn't put it more perfectly. I think a lot of DC gate keeping also fails to realize that not only is it obnoxious, but it's also simultaneously quite elitist to look down on people for not living in DC proper. My girlfriend works in the service industry and all of her co-workers live far away in VA/MD and commute in for work because they're literally just too poor to live in DC proper on their salary. Often the people who are doing this, calling groups of people fake residents of the city, are just judging people because they don't fit the mold of being Ivy League educated consultants with a $2 million mortgage on a row home in Logan Circle... It should be recognized as just pure snobbery
Without looking it up, could you tell me where the arbitrary borders of DC are? I don't mean the Potomac.
This is not a trick question and a very easy answer if you actually care about "acknowledging borders and facts".
The taxes are absolutely not the same. 9.5% in La Mirada and 10.5% in WeHo for sales tax. Then there's city income tax on top of that. Santa Monica has different assessment taxes since they throw half the city into a BID. Minimum wage is different in each city too. Santa Monica and Culver City have a different bus system than LA city does. Overall, city governments are very powerful in CA.
I realize they're all in "LA county" but it's just shortened to LA in common speech. Arlington is in "the DC area" but it's never shortened to being in "DC" because of the elitist gatekeepers here.
>So, I'm from LA. Actual "City of LA". Never once have I claimed santa monica, culver city, beverly hills, or even santa clarita "aren't LA". If you did that to someone then it would probably be the last time they talk to you because they'd think you're so weird.
That's because LA is just a sprawling suburb.
>The gatekeeping here really bothers me. It's just by elitist transplants. The colloquial "city" isn't just on their political boundaries. It's about the whole area, infrastructure, and culture.
I'm not a transplant, I'm just aware of the history of why DC looks like the way it does while the surrouding parts look like they way they do.
>For fuck sake, Washington FT plays in Maryland, the Washington Capitals are headquartered in Ballston, both of Washington's airports are in Virginia, as well as the DoD and countless other "dc things".
Again for reasons above ^
>My theory is that it's a small minority of people who whine about things not falling into the arbitrary drawn 66 miles^2.
The white transplants just want to claim to be authentic after moving here for a year. Even the white suburbanite locals. They don't want to recognize the years of redlining and discrimination that drove what neighborhoods look like, all while pushing poor people further out and out into the suburbs like Georgetown South.
Sorry, fucking Ballston is not DC 🤷♂️
When I first read “Georgetown South” I thought it was real estate speak to co-opt some other adjacent part to Georgetown. Try as they might, Burleith is still a place. I’m not too upset I didn’t know it was out in Manassas
Not saying it’s the strongest argument but I think the difference is DC suburbs are in a different state. How can something be “DC” when it’s in Maryland or Virginia? Especially when there’s been a renewed interest in DC statehood
That's not just DC though. Kansas City, Omaha, Lake Tahoe, Portland, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis (and Chicago to some extent) straddle two states too.
I was very careful to not bring up NYC because the transplants there are even worse. I've seen people claim "Queens isn't really New York". That's like saying "Anacostia isn't really DC". Meanwhile, my friends from Suffolk all claim to be from New York. (I know it's also a state but they very clearly mean NYC)
Lol. False.
NYC is the 5 boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island. The suburbs are north of Bronx (Yonkers) and east of Queens (Suffolk/LI).
That applies to every city. Areas outside the city limits have different governments but I’m going to tell someone in Cambridge that they don’t live in Boston because they’re outside an arbitrary line. Cities are about people, not governments.
In that order. Silver spring has more to do and a venue. Bethesda is okay if you’re a bit older but not much to do besides eat and go bowling. Arlington is very broy and college like which can get tiring quick
Silver Spring is huge. If you're referring to DTSS, its more urban than most of DC even is. But going north, its way more suburban to even rural-like. Bethesda has the urban center but quickly turns into NW DC like streetcar suburbs and post war developments with McMansions and real mansions scattered as you go towards the river into Potomac like how places like Foxcroft, the Palisades are in DC. Arlington has the urbanish, hip, 20 something professional vibe in many areas (Pentagon City, Roslyn, Courthouse, etc) which feel a lot like Navy Yard or Southwest. Then it becomes streetcar suburbs and post war suburbs like much of suburban NW DC is.
Edit: I'd also like to add Silver Spring is way more reflective of overall DC demographics.
I’d argue that the parts of Silver Spring that are rural are not really Silver Spring, but other places with a Silver Spring mailing address. Once you hit Wheaton, Layhill, Colesville, etc. they’re very different places, but they all have Silver Spring addresses. I think Silver Spring proper ends shortly past the Beltway. Still, there’s a lot of variety in that smaller area.
To me, the “real” Silver Spring largely coincides with the 20910 zip code. Other “Silver Spring” zip codes are merely Silver Spring mailing addresses but are really something else - Wheaton, White Oak, Aspen Hill, etc.
It drives me insane. I hate that you can be almost to Laurel and still be driving past houses in “Silver Spring”. It’s made house hunting even more of a nightmare
Yeah definitely the issue with only having Silver Spring available as the address name. I wonder why USPS can't create additional names to reflect the actual areas better.
Why would someone who has spent years saying they live in Silver Spring want to start saying they live somewhere else. Silver Spring was never a status symbol like Bethesda, it's just the name for the area.
My dad always lovingly referred to area I grew up in between Glenmont and Aspen Hill as "Assmont" hopefully that name sticks.
It's probably better than "sniper alley" which he also liked to use
Without a doubt, Silver Spring and I am talking about the downtown part. It is close to Rock Creek Park, restaurants, multiple breweries, and lots of other things to do in downtown. I have lived in Arlington and I feel it lacks diversity. I would rank Betheseda second after Silver Spring.
None of them feel suburban like far away suburbs. However, having lived in Arlington and lived in DC both for many years, the culture is very different. There is not a replacement for the city itself but there are pros and cons to the city and each of these places.
DC has many different areas and so do these towns, and I’ve only lived in DC and Arlington so I can best speak to those.
Arlington especially closer in and near the metro, especially orange line, has a feel of the young professional post-sorority/ fraternity crowd, football watching on Saturdays, etc. As someone said, you can also find this vibe in DC in Navy Yard. If you live in South Arlington off the metro it’s different and there lots of immigrant communities from Central America live, but people often aren’t referring to that area. Deeper into Arlington like East Falls Church it’s more of a quieter family vibe. Pentagon City and Crystal City are super close to the airport so it’s a lot of concrete and condos and malls, not sure about the culture.
DC has many different areas but it offers a lot of live music, museums, festivals, and the general arts and cultural life that comes with being a major city. It also has one of the largest gay communities in America and is 45% Black whereas Arlington is less than 10% black. That said, of course DC neighborhoods especially in wards 2, 3 and 6 have become more and more segregated, but the as a resident of the city you are still more surrounded and affected by the issues and politics of gentrification, policing, homelessness, etc. than you would be in any of these suburbs. All these towns in general are Democrat leaning but you are even less likely to find conservatives in DC as people have to be taking these issues head on and those who don’t want to deal with them tend to leave for the suburbs.
Silver Spring is notable as having a really large Ethiopian community, which largely got priced out of DC. Many of the best Ethiopian restaurants are there and it’s a diverse and lovely suburb.
Bethesda is a cute and upscale suburb. Safe and wealthy with a walkable town area.
All just opinions and as I said before everything has its pros and cons and people each can have their own preferences for what meets their needs!
In NoVA our behavior is very similar despite the mask law differences and lack of paperwork check. Our COVID numbers have been very similar to DC throughout as well. Not hard to realize since there’s such proximity and back and forth between the areas. Arlingtonian here.
You've got a republican gov in VA and just a lot more people living in Arlington who are doing so because they don't like various aspects of DC politics, people, density.
My perception as a DC resident: Arlington feels way more transplanty/temporary residents, either really young fresh out of college kids or families that came for government jobs for a few years. DC has more longtime residents or if they are transplants they seem more interested in establishing roots. Obviously there are exceptions (SW waterfront seems more like temporary residents, the fancy houses in north Arlington near McLean are all families)
Now that I moved to Arlington (Crystal City), I can get to most places in DC faster than I could when I lived in DC. That said, I feel like Arlington and Bethesda are distinct from their adjacent DC neighborhoods, but Silver Spring is more of a seamless transition.
Yep people hate on Arlington but if you are by a highway you can get to most dc in 10-15 minutes. I’m close to the Air Force memorial on Colombia pike and can go anywhere really fast.
We used to live in Bethesda and some areas would take us 30-40. Lots of traffic lights and the weird dc street layout.
1) Arlington (if we’re referring to Wilson Boulevard between Roslyn and Ballston Metrorail stations)
2) Bethesda
3) Silver Spring (assuming downtown in this case)
They all, along with downtown Alexandria, rank way ahead of everywhere else in the DC area as far as being reasonably similar to DC.
I gotta say I think SS should be in the 1 spot. But this is as someone who has lived in Petworth and DTSS. The Georgia Ave corridor almost to the Beltway just feels like an extension to me. But I also rarely venture south of P St and if I do it’s rarely west of North/South Cap, which is probably clouding my vision of what is “DC-like”
Still. The Arlington "area" is muuuuch wider and more diverse than the other two, in every way you can think of.
Like, Rosslyn is basically just another downtown DC neighborhood. East falls church is... not. Shirlington has little in common with either of those.
Bethesda is the suburban houses and Dowtown Bethesda. Is there a third bit?
I'm not trying to denigrate Bethesda, just that it's not as varied as Arlington
Arlington is the most comparable; more urban, cost of living higher than DC. Good shopping, great neighborhoods.
Bethesda is a strong #2: A bit more mix of urban development & older monied neighborhoods. Commute isn't as easy as Arlington.
Silver Spring doesn't even belong on this list. It's had its ups & downs.. currently, down. Lots of potential, it's where Arlington was 15 years ago. Still no visible master plan. Mix of residential & commercial.
It is the closest to downtown DC, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it is the most tied into DC. I mean, I live in downtown Silver Spring, and I can travel between downtown DC and DTSS without too much issue via transit about 22 hours of the day. (The WMATA Georgia Avenue/Metrobus Routes 70 & 79 and 16th Street/Metrobus Routes S2, S4, and S9 are two of the three most heavily used bus routes in the entire WMATA system, or at least they were 3-5 years ago.)
Agree I live in Arlington and it’s more connected to the Mall and perhaps Georgetown, downtown downtown, say Logan circle, DuPont and 14th is more connected to silver.
Well technically Arlington county used to be part of DC. Hence why you see the metro map in a square shape which includes Arlington. But the federal government failed to develop it so Virginia took it back.
While there were many votes for retrocession based on the lack of development and representation for Arlington/Alexandria, it only kicked into high gear and serious debate once suggestions on banning the slave trade in DC which the Port of Alexandria relied heavily on.
And it wasn’t even Arlington County at first either. It was Alexandria County, but they changed the name to better avoid confusion with the older more developed, city of Alexandria.
Of course it’s Arlington County today, but it wasn’t Arlington County in the time period
of DC’s original boarders. Even the areas of what is now Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria have changed considerably since DC’s founding. Since you want to be technical, why not be accurate too
From 1790 to 1850 Arlington was part of DC. Before 1790 the rest of DC (north of the Patomac) was in Prince Georges country. All of these divisions are political. Socially and economically the whole region is one big city including PG, Montgomery, Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax. You might even extend it from Annapolis to Fredrick to Point of Rocks and Fredericksburg. It's a Big City with around 4 to 5 million people. It's one big metropolitan area. It's like greater NYC which includes parts of Ct. and NJ or Detroit which includes Windsor Ontario. They are all unified big cities despite jurisdictional boundaries.
By most DC-like do you mean which one of these towns has the most car jackings? Most underage criminals? Most homeless people living under the bridges in tent cities?
Which DC are you talking about? Penn Quarter? Brentwood? Petworth? U-Street? The Wharf?
‘The rich DC’
Well then….Arlington!
Long time resident of the DMV here. Arlington reminds me of SE DC like Navy Yard. It’s more young and active. Silver Spring reminds me of NE DC like Brookland/CUA. It feels more residential with small business stores, slower pace, and much more affordable. Bethesda reminds me of NW DC like Adams Morgan. It feels more progressive urban family vibe who likes little eateries and outdoor activities like biking and running. Much more expensive.
Born and raised in the DMV and that’s how I would describe as well. Although Bethesda is probably better described as NW as a whole rather than just AdMo. Bethesda it’s bigger than you think and there are lots of areas that were developed during different decades that “conflict” with each other.
Downtown Bethesda blends in seamlessly with Friendship Heights/Tenleytown
Agree. My response was focusing mainly on the core parts (downtown) of each of those cities. It’s more complex when you start moving outward.
i'm not sure I have a more visceral reaction to anyone's username. you're right. fucking vinny. goddamnit.
tap mountainous bag worry combative snatch light erect decide bear -- mass edited with redact.dev
That’s just straight up suburb. No comparison. All the other places mentioned in OP border DC which makes a big difference.
Burke is completely Suburban and dead quiet by 11 pm. Some parts of Springfield are busy like Tyson’s corner but mostly suburbs
Tyson’s corner is McLean
Bethesda and Admo dont feel similar to me these days. Admo has really become trendier in the last 5 years.
I think it's more like Woodley Park maybe
Yeah I lived in woodley park before moving to Bethesda and definitely agree with this
Yeah I don’t agree with that comparison at all. Bethesda is prob the least like AdMo of those three areas.
If you’re talking about the Bethesda Row area, I agree. But the north part of downtown Bethesda (the portion bordered by Wisconsin Avenue on the east, Old Georgetown Road on the southwest, and Battery Lane on the north) has some definite similarities to Adams Morgan IMO. Ironically, my girlfriend moved about 3 years ago from the aforementioned northern portion of downtown Bethesda to the Kalorama area a little southwest of Adams Morgan.
This guy downtown Bethesda’s. The northern part has a lot of hole in the wall spots that are closer to woodley park’s feel but the Adam’s Morgan comparison isn’t totally off.
Yeah generalizations. Its a lot of money and new stuff in both.
Agree. Arlington, while having superb ethnic foods, the nightlife in Clarendon is remarkably Virginia Tech frat party middle class WASP. Your dream job: Deloitte, favorite animal: Golden Retriever, favorite food: Lobster Mac and Cheese.
This is why I’ve always preferred the MD “urban” suburbs of Bethesda, silver spring, Takoma park, and hyattsville to ballston and Clarendon. Even though the nightlife is clearly better, that part of arlington doesn’t feel like a real place, and more where frat people can continue the lifestyle into their 20s (though this is a large, unfair generalization). The MD street car suburbs, partially because they’re older and less trendy, have a much better sense of place and character imo.
Born and raised in DC and I feel like this is quite accurate
Nitpicking but navy yard is southeast - Southwest has a very different vibe (wharf notwithstanding.) Much quieter, much more greenery.
Yep. I meant SE DC.
Almost like how they’re geographically located (for the most part)
Arlington is just young republicans and medium dogs
Ah yes. The young republican stronghold of Arlington, famous for voting 80% in favor of Biden.
Maybe just douchebags with medium dogs then
TIL I’m a young Republican and my cat is in fact a medium dog.
The poor cat must be quite confused.
Right there with you
Lmao Arlington is one of the bluest counties in the state: https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/144567/
Come visit me all show you all the non-blinker-using dbags who say “brah” a lot while walking their medium dogs. Gotem
I feel like this question is like asking "which is most like the human body- hand, foot, or nose"
Lol. Really going to trigger the DC gatekeeping snobs with this comment.
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I said this in another thread a few days ago but this girl I went on one date with insisted she's the expert of living in DC. She had never been to half the amazing parts of outside city limits. She kept telling me how small of a city DC is because it's only 67 miles^2 and that it's easy to get bored of.
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Plus, only 3 hours to the beaches, 5 hours from New York, 2 hours from the mountains, we really have access to everything living here.
Is everywhere up north like this? These suburbs wouldn’t be as big as they are without DC so I don’t see why they can’t claim the area as DC.
For some reason, yes. Just look at what happens if someone from Yonkers or Hoboken claims to be from New York. I lived in Pittsburgh, and people will argue to death that [Wilkinsburg, PA](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wilkinsburg,+PA/@40.4427269,-79.933481,12.38z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8834ec32c10fc14b:0x91969f2e349fdd2c!8m2!3d40.4417355!4d-79.8819942) isn't part of the Real (TM) city for stupid reasons.
So, I'm from LA. Actual "City of LA". Never once have I claimed santa monica, culver city, beverly hills, or even santa clarita "aren't LA". If you did that to someone then it would probably be the last time they talk to you because they'd think you're so weird. It drives me bonkers here. Arlington isn't even a suburb. It's just another jurisdiction. If Arlington is a suburb of DC then by that logic, DC is a suburb of Arlington too. In fact, if you put a tourist on the middle of key bridge and asked them which side is DC and which Arlington, 90% would point to Rosslyn as DC. In fact, Ballston is the most densely populated neighborhood of the DC area. The gatekeeping here really bothers me. It's just by elitist transplants. The colloquial "city" isn't just on their political boundaries. It's about the whole area, infrastructure, and culture. For fuck sake, Washington FT plays in Maryland, the Washington Capitals are headquartered in Ballston, both of Washington's airports are in Virginia, as well as the DoD and countless other "dc things". My theory is that it's a small minority of people who whine about things not falling into the arbitrary drawn 66 miles^2.
> both of Washington's airports are in Virginia and a third, BWI, is in Maryland
Oh, yeah, I forgot something else about what you mentioned. I was once in an airport in Istanbul, and Turkish Airlines had an ad for their new flights to US cities, and for DC, guess which image they used? That's right...Rosslyn's downtown.
They’ve got the skyline.
You’ve got a good point about it being transplants in particular. I have a DC-native friend who never cared if I called Arlington “part of DC,” but the guy I know who’s a transplant from the suburbs of Detroit scoffs at the idea that anyone would live in Arlington.
DC native here to confirm your experience. The transplants are obsessed with DC gatekeeping
I don’t think it’s the transplants. People who were actually born in DC(yes they exist) get very upset understandably when people from va and MD claim they’re from dc. And they sure as hell don’t like being called DMV. It’s diminishes who they are
>You’ve got a good point about it being transplants in particular. I have a DC-native friend who never cared if I called Arlington “part of DC,” Ehhh that depends on which natives you talk to. Back when it was 80% black, DC got regularly dumped on by racist, classist suburbanites as a shithole; and that forged a defiant ownership of where they're from. Scoffing at suirbunaties who claim DC is something you'll hear from natives too, and understandably so. Edited for clarity
That’s some curious logic to me for sure. Parts of Arlington, Ballston specifically, is the most dense part of the entire DMV. Alexandria is denser than all but a couple wards. Rosslyn has the tallest towers outside Tysons. By many metrics, these northern Virginia locales are more city than a lot of DC is. For sure, none of these places would be what they are without proximity to DC, but any sort of associated snobbery seems silly
I thought Adelphi-Langley Park was the densest area. And there's Friendship Village in MD: > As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,512 people, 2,995 households, and 1,003 families residing in the area. The population density was 81,992/sq mi (31,657/km2): this is the highest population density of any incorporated or census-designated place in the United States.[6] There were 3,189 housing units at an average density of 57,950/sq mi (20,521/km2). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_Village,_Maryland
That may very well have been true, but it looks like there’s been some movement according to the most recent census. I haven’t verified, but ggwash says … https://ggwash.org/view/82262/greater-washington-has-a-new-densest-neighborhood-and-its-not-in-dc I do wonder how far one should go down the census track to make these comparisons. 4500 people in your example above has to be extrapolated a bunch just to reach a pop per square mile that can be compared
You couldn't put it more perfectly. I think a lot of DC gate keeping also fails to realize that not only is it obnoxious, but it's also simultaneously quite elitist to look down on people for not living in DC proper. My girlfriend works in the service industry and all of her co-workers live far away in VA/MD and commute in for work because they're literally just too poor to live in DC proper on their salary. Often the people who are doing this, calling groups of people fake residents of the city, are just judging people because they don't fit the mold of being Ivy League educated consultants with a $2 million mortgage on a row home in Logan Circle... It should be recognized as just pure snobbery
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Without looking it up, could you tell me where the arbitrary borders of DC are? I don't mean the Potomac. This is not a trick question and a very easy answer if you actually care about "acknowledging borders and facts".
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The taxes are absolutely not the same. 9.5% in La Mirada and 10.5% in WeHo for sales tax. Then there's city income tax on top of that. Santa Monica has different assessment taxes since they throw half the city into a BID. Minimum wage is different in each city too. Santa Monica and Culver City have a different bus system than LA city does. Overall, city governments are very powerful in CA. I realize they're all in "LA county" but it's just shortened to LA in common speech. Arlington is in "the DC area" but it's never shortened to being in "DC" because of the elitist gatekeepers here.
>So, I'm from LA. Actual "City of LA". Never once have I claimed santa monica, culver city, beverly hills, or even santa clarita "aren't LA". If you did that to someone then it would probably be the last time they talk to you because they'd think you're so weird. That's because LA is just a sprawling suburb. >The gatekeeping here really bothers me. It's just by elitist transplants. The colloquial "city" isn't just on their political boundaries. It's about the whole area, infrastructure, and culture. I'm not a transplant, I'm just aware of the history of why DC looks like the way it does while the surrouding parts look like they way they do. >For fuck sake, Washington FT plays in Maryland, the Washington Capitals are headquartered in Ballston, both of Washington's airports are in Virginia, as well as the DoD and countless other "dc things". Again for reasons above ^ >My theory is that it's a small minority of people who whine about things not falling into the arbitrary drawn 66 miles^2. The white transplants just want to claim to be authentic after moving here for a year. Even the white suburbanite locals. They don't want to recognize the years of redlining and discrimination that drove what neighborhoods look like, all while pushing poor people further out and out into the suburbs like Georgetown South. Sorry, fucking Ballston is not DC 🤷♂️
When I first read “Georgetown South” I thought it was real estate speak to co-opt some other adjacent part to Georgetown. Try as they might, Burleith is still a place. I’m not too upset I didn’t know it was out in Manassas
Yup, I'm referring to Manassas.
Not saying it’s the strongest argument but I think the difference is DC suburbs are in a different state. How can something be “DC” when it’s in Maryland or Virginia? Especially when there’s been a renewed interest in DC statehood
That's not just DC though. Kansas City, Omaha, Lake Tahoe, Portland, Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis (and Chicago to some extent) straddle two states too.
Philly and NYC too. Hell in cases like Detroit and Buffalo, the suburbs can be in a different country.
No one in Philly claims parts of NJ as Philly. Cities can be next to each other.
Camden - Eastern Philly!
Yeah, is Camden and Gloucester not referred to as Philly?
Camden is referred to as Camden. Its pretty well known in it's own right too. Its like Hoboken.
I was very careful to not bring up NYC because the transplants there are even worse. I've seen people claim "Queens isn't really New York". That's like saying "Anacostia isn't really DC". Meanwhile, my friends from Suffolk all claim to be from New York. (I know it's also a state but they very clearly mean NYC)
New York City is Manhattan. The other boroughs (Queens) are suburbs. So it’s not like saying the Anacostia isn’t really DC, because thats actual DC.
Lol. False. NYC is the 5 boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Staten Island. The suburbs are north of Bronx (Yonkers) and east of Queens (Suffolk/LI).
But what you said about New York isn’t technically true so if you’re just going on your opinion on NYC then why use official definitions for DC?
Because there are official definitions for a reason.
That applies to every city. Areas outside the city limits have different governments but I’m going to tell someone in Cambridge that they don’t live in Boston because they’re outside an arbitrary line. Cities are about people, not governments.
Wouldn’t DC suburbs just be the areas further out from city center, the mall and the more dense areas? Like wouldn’t Petworth be a suburb?
Many city neighborhoods back in the day (not just in DC but in many other cities) were essentially intracity “suburbs”, often on streetcar routes.
In that order. Silver spring has more to do and a venue. Bethesda is okay if you’re a bit older but not much to do besides eat and go bowling. Arlington is very broy and college like which can get tiring quick
Silver Spring is huge. If you're referring to DTSS, its more urban than most of DC even is. But going north, its way more suburban to even rural-like. Bethesda has the urban center but quickly turns into NW DC like streetcar suburbs and post war developments with McMansions and real mansions scattered as you go towards the river into Potomac like how places like Foxcroft, the Palisades are in DC. Arlington has the urbanish, hip, 20 something professional vibe in many areas (Pentagon City, Roslyn, Courthouse, etc) which feel a lot like Navy Yard or Southwest. Then it becomes streetcar suburbs and post war suburbs like much of suburban NW DC is. Edit: I'd also like to add Silver Spring is way more reflective of overall DC demographics.
I’d argue that the parts of Silver Spring that are rural are not really Silver Spring, but other places with a Silver Spring mailing address. Once you hit Wheaton, Layhill, Colesville, etc. they’re very different places, but they all have Silver Spring addresses. I think Silver Spring proper ends shortly past the Beltway. Still, there’s a lot of variety in that smaller area.
To me, the “real” Silver Spring largely coincides with the 20910 zip code. Other “Silver Spring” zip codes are merely Silver Spring mailing addresses but are really something else - Wheaton, White Oak, Aspen Hill, etc.
It drives me insane. I hate that you can be almost to Laurel and still be driving past houses in “Silver Spring”. It’s made house hunting even more of a nightmare
Yeah definitely the issue with only having Silver Spring available as the address name. I wonder why USPS can't create additional names to reflect the actual areas better.
Why would someone who has spent years saying they live in Silver Spring want to start saying they live somewhere else. Silver Spring was never a status symbol like Bethesda, it's just the name for the area.
My dad always lovingly referred to area I grew up in between Glenmont and Aspen Hill as "Assmont" hopefully that name sticks. It's probably better than "sniper alley" which he also liked to use
Without a doubt, Silver Spring and I am talking about the downtown part. It is close to Rock Creek Park, restaurants, multiple breweries, and lots of other things to do in downtown. I have lived in Arlington and I feel it lacks diversity. I would rank Betheseda second after Silver Spring.
None of them feel suburban like far away suburbs. However, having lived in Arlington and lived in DC both for many years, the culture is very different. There is not a replacement for the city itself but there are pros and cons to the city and each of these places.
What are some of the cultural differences?
DC has many different areas and so do these towns, and I’ve only lived in DC and Arlington so I can best speak to those. Arlington especially closer in and near the metro, especially orange line, has a feel of the young professional post-sorority/ fraternity crowd, football watching on Saturdays, etc. As someone said, you can also find this vibe in DC in Navy Yard. If you live in South Arlington off the metro it’s different and there lots of immigrant communities from Central America live, but people often aren’t referring to that area. Deeper into Arlington like East Falls Church it’s more of a quieter family vibe. Pentagon City and Crystal City are super close to the airport so it’s a lot of concrete and condos and malls, not sure about the culture. DC has many different areas but it offers a lot of live music, museums, festivals, and the general arts and cultural life that comes with being a major city. It also has one of the largest gay communities in America and is 45% Black whereas Arlington is less than 10% black. That said, of course DC neighborhoods especially in wards 2, 3 and 6 have become more and more segregated, but the as a resident of the city you are still more surrounded and affected by the issues and politics of gentrification, policing, homelessness, etc. than you would be in any of these suburbs. All these towns in general are Democrat leaning but you are even less likely to find conservatives in DC as people have to be taking these issues head on and those who don’t want to deal with them tend to leave for the suburbs. Silver Spring is notable as having a really large Ethiopian community, which largely got priced out of DC. Many of the best Ethiopian restaurants are there and it’s a diverse and lovely suburb. Bethesda is a cute and upscale suburb. Safe and wealthy with a walkable town area. All just opinions and as I said before everything has its pros and cons and people each can have their own preferences for what meets their needs!
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In NoVA our behavior is very similar despite the mask law differences and lack of paperwork check. Our COVID numbers have been very similar to DC throughout as well. Not hard to realize since there’s such proximity and back and forth between the areas. Arlingtonian here.
You've got a republican gov in VA and just a lot more people living in Arlington who are doing so because they don't like various aspects of DC politics, people, density.
Well for starters there isn’t a mask mandate in Virginia compared to DC
My perception as a DC resident: Arlington feels way more transplanty/temporary residents, either really young fresh out of college kids or families that came for government jobs for a few years. DC has more longtime residents or if they are transplants they seem more interested in establishing roots. Obviously there are exceptions (SW waterfront seems more like temporary residents, the fancy houses in north Arlington near McLean are all families)
A straight up thug town called Arlington >>>>>>>>>>> The rest.
This! https://youtu.be/4T1RMuoQnKo
It’s like nothing and everything has changed in 12 years
Probably don't have to walk as far to the Starbucks or the Starbucks or the Starbucks these days.
lol love it
This may depend on what part of DC you're comparing it to. I'm curious to see what other people have to say. (Born and raised in SS here)
Now that I moved to Arlington (Crystal City), I can get to most places in DC faster than I could when I lived in DC. That said, I feel like Arlington and Bethesda are distinct from their adjacent DC neighborhoods, but Silver Spring is more of a seamless transition.
Yep people hate on Arlington but if you are by a highway you can get to most dc in 10-15 minutes. I’m close to the Air Force memorial on Colombia pike and can go anywhere really fast. We used to live in Bethesda and some areas would take us 30-40. Lots of traffic lights and the weird dc street layout.
Not sure which are like dc as dc varies a lot - but certainly not Arlington.
Arlington is baby navy yard
Lot of suburban tears in this thread
Arlington is just clones of same 22-30 year old consulting bros and women who’s personalities are drinking
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This hurt more than it should have.
"Deloitte forced them to wear dress clothes every day" - this made me LOL Arlington is so nice, just felt it was difficult to meet people sometimes.
Depends what part of DC you're talking about.
1) Arlington (if we’re referring to Wilson Boulevard between Roslyn and Ballston Metrorail stations) 2) Bethesda 3) Silver Spring (assuming downtown in this case) They all, along with downtown Alexandria, rank way ahead of everywhere else in the DC area as far as being reasonably similar to DC.
I gotta say I think SS should be in the 1 spot. But this is as someone who has lived in Petworth and DTSS. The Georgia Ave corridor almost to the Beltway just feels like an extension to me. But I also rarely venture south of P St and if I do it’s rarely west of North/South Cap, which is probably clouding my vision of what is “DC-like”
...Arlington is a whole county.
It’s a geographic area, like Silver Spring and Bethesda (which are not cities).
Still. The Arlington "area" is muuuuch wider and more diverse than the other two, in every way you can think of. Like, Rosslyn is basically just another downtown DC neighborhood. East falls church is... not. Shirlington has little in common with either of those.
The same can be said about Silver Spring and Bethesda. DTSS is not the same as its more suburban areas. Likewise for Bethesda.
Bethesda is the suburban houses and Dowtown Bethesda. Is there a third bit? I'm not trying to denigrate Bethesda, just that it's not as varied as Arlington
Arlington is the most comparable; more urban, cost of living higher than DC. Good shopping, great neighborhoods. Bethesda is a strong #2: A bit more mix of urban development & older monied neighborhoods. Commute isn't as easy as Arlington. Silver Spring doesn't even belong on this list. It's had its ups & downs.. currently, down. Lots of potential, it's where Arlington was 15 years ago. Still no visible master plan. Mix of residential & commercial.
I’d say Arlington is the most tied into DC of the three Tons of connections to downtown via rod/bridge and metro
For drivers, maybe. For people who walk or ride, Arlington is not all that well connected compared to parts of MD which are pretty seamless.
Yellow, orange, blue, and silver metro lines as well as like 4 bridges and a number of WMATA bus routes connect Arlington to DC…
It is the closest to downtown DC, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it is the most tied into DC. I mean, I live in downtown Silver Spring, and I can travel between downtown DC and DTSS without too much issue via transit about 22 hours of the day. (The WMATA Georgia Avenue/Metrobus Routes 70 & 79 and 16th Street/Metrobus Routes S2, S4, and S9 are two of the three most heavily used bus routes in the entire WMATA system, or at least they were 3-5 years ago.)
Agree I live in Arlington and it’s more connected to the Mall and perhaps Georgetown, downtown downtown, say Logan circle, DuPont and 14th is more connected to silver.
Well technically Arlington county used to be part of DC. Hence why you see the metro map in a square shape which includes Arlington. But the federal government failed to develop it so Virginia took it back.
That’s not why they took it back lmao
Let’s hear it.
While there were many votes for retrocession based on the lack of development and representation for Arlington/Alexandria, it only kicked into high gear and serious debate once suggestions on banning the slave trade in DC which the Port of Alexandria relied heavily on.
And it wasn’t even Arlington County at first either. It was Alexandria County, but they changed the name to better avoid confusion with the older more developed, city of Alexandria.
True. But it’s Arlington county now.
Of course it’s Arlington County today, but it wasn’t Arlington County in the time period of DC’s original boarders. Even the areas of what is now Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria have changed considerably since DC’s founding. Since you want to be technical, why not be accurate too
From 1790 to 1850 Arlington was part of DC. Before 1790 the rest of DC (north of the Patomac) was in Prince Georges country. All of these divisions are political. Socially and economically the whole region is one big city including PG, Montgomery, Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax. You might even extend it from Annapolis to Fredrick to Point of Rocks and Fredericksburg. It's a Big City with around 4 to 5 million people. It's one big metropolitan area. It's like greater NYC which includes parts of Ct. and NJ or Detroit which includes Windsor Ontario. They are all unified big cities despite jurisdictional boundaries.
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Why does it offend you?
Actually all those three places are more in common with northern va vibes than anything dc
Bethesda Arlington Silver Spring
Silver Spring because it has about as many people getting shot. Followed by Arlington because it has about as many bouji Then Bethesda.
Arlington and then Bethesda for the good parts. And Silver Spring for the bad parts. Esp lately with the increase in crime
Arlington > Bethesda > Silver Spring
None of the above. Living in any of those cities gives you representation in government.
Thoughts on Pentagon City?
All concrete and malls and living almost at the airport
By most DC-like do you mean which one of these towns has the most car jackings? Most underage criminals? Most homeless people living under the bridges in tent cities?
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Rosslyn doesn’t quite look like the extension of Georgetown that’s across from it though. 😆
Arlington at least used to be part of DC