Silver Spring, Maryland, the suburban home of comedian Dave Chappelle, has been named the best place in America to raise a family in a new study by Fortune Well.
The Washington, DC suburb, where the median home value is over $500,000, topped the list, followed by Upper Marion, Pennsylvania and Chantilly, Virginia.
The ranking analyzed over 2,000 cities nationwide and considered nearly 200 data categories to determine the most family-friendly places in each state.
Chappelle, who has recently courted controversy with some of his provocative comedy bits, joked about his childhood in Silver Spring, claiming he grew up “in poverty among white people” and longed to live in poverty in public housing.
“My parents were just well off enough for me to grow up in poverty among white people. When Nas and the others talked about the projects, I always got jealous. It sounded funny,” said the comedian, whose net worth is reportedly up to $70 million.
Silver Spring, Maryland, the suburban hometown of comedian Dave Chappelle, has been named the best place in America to raise a family in a new study by Fortune Well magazine.
Chappelle, who recently caused controversy with some of his provocative “comedy” routines, has joked about his childhood in Silver Spring, claiming he grew up “poor among white people” and longed to live in real poverty in public housing. (Photo taken August 22, 2023 in New York)
Chappelle reportedly grew up in a Cape Cod-style home in the North Woodside neighborhood of Silver Spring that his parents purchased in 1973. It sold on May 13, 1988, for $178,000 and is worth an estimated $741,423 today.
“Everyone in the public housing was poor, and that’s fair. But if you were poor in Silver Spring, n***a, you felt like it was only happening to you,” noted the comedian, whose popularity has steadily declined in recent years.
According to Debbie Cook, a local real estate agent with Long & Foster Real Estate, Chappelle grew up in a Cape Cod-style home in Silver Spring’s North Woodside neighborhood that his parents purchased in 1973.
According to Redfin’s Silver Spring data, it sold for $178,000 on May 13, 1988, and its current value is estimated at $741,423.
“Nas doesn’t know the pain of the first sleepover at a white friend’s house. You just come home on Sunday and look at your parents as if they’re saying, ‘You all need to try harder.'”
Although Chappelle jokes about feeling “poor” in his childhood neighborhood, his childhood in Silver Spring was anything but ordinary.
The future comedian attended Woodlin Elementary School and grew up with activist parents who often invited famous people to their home.
These guests included the folk singer and social activist Pete Seeger and the American jazz singer Johnny Hartman. At the age of two, he also met Muhammad Ali.
Fortune’s study focused on several key factors, including small-town appeal, senior amenities and cities that emphasize health and wellness (Pictured: a home in the Northwood-Four Corners neighborhood, just minutes from downtown Silver Spring).
The rating also took into account factors such as quality of life, financial health and education. Many of the top-rated locations are fast-growing suburbs and “edge cities” that offer alternatives to expensive city centers.
Fortune’s study focused on several key factors, including small-town appeal and senior amenities. The ranking also considered aspects such as quality of life, financial health and education.
Many of the top locations are fast-growing suburbs and “edge cities” that offer alternatives to expensive city centers.
Pazit Aviv, 51, of Silver Spring, who has lived in the city with her two children for 10 years, said she believes the city’s close-knit community helped it secure the top spot.
“I know every single person within a three-block radius,” she told Fortune Well. “We eat together and organize food trains when a family has a baby or when someone is sick.”
Another recent list from Stacker names Kildeer, a small town about 40 minutes outside of Chicago, as the best place to raise a family in 2024, followed by another small town, Devon, Pennsylvania, with just 1,890 residents, and Kensington, a tiny suburb of New York City.
The future comedian had well-known personalities visit his house, including folk singer and social activist Pete Seeger and American jazz singer Johnny Hartman. He also met Muhammad Ali at the age of two (pictured).
Chappelle attended Woodlin Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland
Chappelle was born in Washington, DC, but spent his summers with his father in Yellow Springs, Ohio – home to 3,700 residents.
In the early 2000s, Chappelle returned to the Buckeye State and in 2005 purchased a 3,100-square-foot, three-bedroom home on 40 acres for $309,000.
Last May, Chappelle was compared to Donald Trump by at least one Ohio resident for his ability to divide people, amid an ongoing dispute over the millionaire comedian’s real estate buyout.
Several residents of the city told Bloomberg they were unhappy with their prominent neighbor, saying Chappelle was “a force that is turning us into a place we all want to avoid.”
