COMMENT BY
K.D. from Shady Side, MD
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Shady Side, MD
COMMENT
Not My Cup of Tea
I lived in W-S for 2 years while my husband was in grad school at Wake Forest. Our first apartment was on the bad side of town where there were strip clubs and bars on every other corner and cops guarding the grocery store exits. We moved to a nicer area over near Bethabara Park, so I got to see both sides of W-S.
First off, W-S is hyper Christian. If you are not a Christian, it is hard to fit in. Second, the roads are horribly designed, Silas Creek Parkway had an on ramp at an on ramp in one spot for a private residence.
When I lived there (2005-2007), the big tobacco culture was still strong. It was not unusual for a company to let people smoke at their desks or to see people smoking in the middle of a McDonalds. That may have changed in the years since, but given the area and how much $ the industry spends there, I assume the culture is still strong.