As the parents of two young children, my wife and I frequently find ourselves talking about schools and education — especially when we’re around other parents. In fact, we discuss this topic so much that, whenever the topic is broached, I can usually predict how the conversation is going to progress and what its outcome will be — usually.

Every once in a while, though, we hear a parent make a comment so off-the-wall that it makes me wonder whether I ought to be more concerned about what my kids will be taught outside of school.

For example, during a recent conversation about education with some friends of ours, my wife said she knew of a few parents who were selling their homes in Prince George’s Country, moving to Bethesda, and downsizing (i.e., purchasing or renting an apartment or condo) so their kids could go to school there. In response, one of the friends said, “Well, the people are better there.”

WHAT?!?!

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve been told that College Park is a less-than-stellar place to live and raise a family. Not only have people told me I was “crazy” for buying a house here, but countless people have asked my wife and I when we are planning to move, as if it was a foregone conclusion.

Yes, Prince George’s County — College Park included — is plagued by problems (we need not discuss them here) that our friends in Montgomery County don’t have to deal with, or at least not to the same degree. And yes, there is no question that Montgomery County’s per capita income is higher than that of Prince George’s. Yet neither of these two realities proves that people in Bethesda are better than they are here.

Obviously, whether you're talking about schools, people, to say that one thing is “better” than another — even if you incorporate previously agreed-upon criteria into the decision — is to make a value judgment, and as you well know, values differ greatly from person to person. Based on the above statement, it is not clear what particular qualities our friend associates with Bethesda’s “better-ness,” and I won’t try to guess (although I think I know). What I will do, however, is tell you why I think she’s wrong.

To me, so-called “better” people are selfless, community-oriented, generous (willing to share their time and resources), and compassionate, and based on my experiences in College Park during the past 12 years, I can say that this city is brimming with folks of this sort. They sit on our City Council, regularly attend the meetings of our citizens associations, volunteer with city committees, give their time and effort to events like College Park Day, work to create community resources like dog parks, and look out for their neighbors — and we are lucky to have them, since not every place does.

Now, let me be clear: I'm not saying that, because it has a lot of wonderful people, College Park is somehow free of self-centered, cold-hearted, money-grubbing jerks. (Bethesda isn’t either.) What I am saying is that, based on what I've seen in our community, neither Bethesda nor anywhere else in Montgomery County has people better than the folks we have right here.

Smith is a resident of North College Park and treasurer of the North College Park Citizens Association. He has worked in Bethesda for the past 10 years.