Before Betty Spar and her family moved to the Washington area from New York state, the first thing they did was check with her husband’s fellow members of the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education to find the best neighborhood for public schools.
After researching Washington, Maryland and Virginia, the Spars picked Bradley Hills in Bethesda because it is served by Thomas W. Pyle Middle School and Walt Whitman High School, both ranked among the nation’s top schools.
“We were committed to a public school education, and that drove our decision on where to live,” said Spar, who now lives in Alexandria. “There are at least four private schools in the area but we felt Whitman offered the most diverse school population and a well-funded arts program.”
Bradley Hills’ diversity is anchored by a large number of diplomatic families whose embassies place them in the neighborhood because of its beauty and the effortless commute to Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue, said Long and Foster Realtor Corey Phelps.
Located along Bradley Boulevard as it winds south from the Beltway and west of Old Georgetown Road, Bradley Hills also offers diverse architectural styles. Homes range from large estates with expansive lawns lining Bradley to Cape Cods, colonials and postmodern houses.
“It is not a cookie-cutter neighborhood,” Phelps said.
The homes are tucked into private wooded settings on winding streets but are a short drive to Suburban Hospital or downtown Bethesda. Originally platted in two stages in 1913 and 1951, Bradley Hills still has some vestiges of its rural past. But most homes were built after the mid-1960s, when developers were drawn by the new Beltway and residents flocked to the area for its schools.
“Walt Whitman High School has a nationwide reputation for quality and did a fine job with both of my sons,” said Nelson Rosenbaum, the president of Bradley Hills Civic Association.
Residents have long been willing to pay a steep price for the combination of prime location and premium schools. Listing prices for houses in the Whitman district start at around $750,000 — and in Bradley Hills that initial price tag jumps up to almost $1 million.
“It’s Whitman. The public schools are very important. These people want the schools,” said Evers and Company Realtor Linda Chaletzky. “Nothing is inexpensive there.”
