By Beth Cope | The Washington Post
It’s not quite a potato-potahto situation when discussing Takoma Park, Md., and Takoma, D.C.
Takoma Park, you see, is a city in Maryland bordered roughly by Piney Branch Road to the west, Flower Avenue and Carroll Avenue to the north, University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue to the east and Eastern Avenue to the south. Takoma Park once spilled from Maryland into the District, but now the District side is a separate neighborhood known as just “Takoma.” It’s loosely bounded by Eastern Avenue to the north, Second and Third streets to the east, Tuckerman Street to the south and Georgia Avenue to the west. Physical locations aside, the neighborhoods differ in practical aspects: Life in Montgomery County, for example, comes with higher taxes and higher-rated schools. Still, in many ways, the two feel like one community, sharing a Metro station and a charming town center filled with indie shops, as well as a hippie history that lingers today.