Curtis Bay - Hanover PA and vice-versa (Baltimore, Columbia: apartment, for rent)

[ms3055]

Hello there,

I'm working in Curtis Bay and i'm currently living in Edgewood.
Despite the fair distance to work which is 25 minutes at 6 AM (i start working at 6:30 AM) we do not like the place where we are.

My wife's working down in Columbia and her commute is pretty nasty on I-95, due especially that she works regular office hours so she hits the bad traffic on both ways.

Looking around to rent elsewhere (and eventually buying a home in the future) we didn't really find anything appealing, plus the prices for a rent and extremely high.

My wife's from Connecticut, i'm italian and we definitively prefer a New England style town with some charm, some character, something that Baltimore cannot offer to us.

So, for the fact that my mother in law lives in Hanover PA, a cute little town with pros and cons, planning to have a baby so we could have someone trusted to watch the baby while we're at work.. We were thinking about giving it a shot, renting for one year (the prices up there can be very cheap) and see how it would be commuting up and down everyday mon thru fri.

We went on Google Maps to plan the trip, i'd get something like 1h 22min from Hanover to Curtis Bay on Rt. 30, passing through Hampstead, getting on I-795, traveling the south west side of the beltway to Curtis Bay.

My wife would have it even easier, pretty much it would be a straight shot down to Columbia.

We would like to know if someone is already experiencing a distance, a commute of that kind, maybe from Hanover and/or surrounding to wherever in Baltimore. How's route 30 in the very early morning, decent or a big mess?

I'm mostly concerned about the I-795/Beltway area, that's a critic point for sure.

I'm open for any kind of suggestions, thank you!

[sobo16]

I would not recommend doing this commute. It would probably be closer to a 2 hour commute (one-way) when you factor in traffic. You would have very little home and family time to enjoy, and you would both arrive home after work tired and stressed out.

Have you considered Annapolis or Ellicott City? These areas are probably the closest you can find to a small, traditional town in Maryland.

[sobo16]

Originally Posted by ms3055

My wife's from Connecticut, i'm italian and we definitively prefer a New England style town with some charm, some character, something that Baltimore cannot offer to us.

Have you explored much of Baltimore? There are many neighborhoods that would offer you character and walkability. The sticky at the top of this forum that desribes various neighborhoods might be worth checking out.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

That's way, way further than I would ever commute.

[ms3055]

Originally Posted by sobo16

Have you explored much of Baltimore? There are many neighborhoods that would offer you character and walkability. The sticky at the top of this forum that desribes various neighborhoods might be worth checking out.

Yes, we both did and i don't mean to say that ALL of Baltimore is bad, but the nicest areas are way too expensive for our pockets.

My wife has been living in MD since she was 16. First she lived on Dock St. in Annapolis, then she moved to Eastport, then out to Glen Burnie, Sparrows Point, Essex and now we live in Edgewood.

We do like Harford Co. just Edgewood isn't great at all, everything embraces Rt. 40 which is not really walkable.. Edgewater "shopping center" (or better "shopping cemetery") looks just like a nest of crackheads we most likely avoid. Bel Air might be an option, although we checked out prices and.. My Gosh...

My wife loves Ellicot City, we often go to the Patapsco State Park and walk the center.. We cannot find anything decent for less that 1250/mo.. That would kill us and probably we would end up evicted within a month.

We could try to look up Annapolis again (not necessarily the city center) and see what we could find. To be honest after a first look to Annapolis we gave up, we're still not able to afford those prices.

As far as Hanover PA.. I'm scared to think about the gas, the TIME (that will never come back) and the little day remaining if we'd have to live there.. That was just an idea, alas i got a job too far away from that place (alas for the distance, thank God for i found a job!).

I do work with people living close to the MD State line but it's not their choice, the company moved from Belcamp to Curtis Bay so they all have to commute 1 hour one way everyday, with their homes, families and other stuff settled there since a long time ago. A pay cut to them, but i agree that is better to have a pay even if it gets cut instead of having nothing.

We'll keep looking, in the meantime we'll browse the various topics on this forum seeking for info and advices.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

[jeffredo]

Take it from someone who's did a 90 mile round trip commute daily for years (before finally getting closer to his job). Any money you save on rent or living expenses will quickly be eaten up by automobile expenses. Not to mention all the time lost sitting in a car. If you work in Curtis Bay and your wife in Columbia you really should be concentrating on South Baltimore, Anne Arundel County or Howard County. It may not be your ideal, but you're already making it harder on yourself than you need to living in Edgewood.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Why not Ridgeley's Delight in Baltimore City? Close to 95 south for your wife, very quick trip to curtis bay via 295 > Waterview Ave > Rt. 2. Cute, safe, walkable, and if you look hard enough you can find a rowhouse for rent there for under $1000. Walk to ballgames or the pub

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Also Violetville in SW Baltimore

[ms3055]

Originally Posted by jeffredo

Take it from someone who's did a 90 mile round trip commute daily for years (before finally getting closer to his job). Any money you save on rent or living expenses will quickly be eaten up by automobile expenses. Not to mention all the time lost sitting in a car. If you work in Curtis Bay and your wife in Columbia you really should be concentrating on South Baltimore, Anne Arundel County or Howard County. It may not be your ideal, but you're already making it harder on yourself than you need to living in Edgewood.

Yes, i do believe you. I've thought about that for long, long enough to get chills up and down my back.. I feel blessed for i start to work very early in the morning and getting off in the early afternoon, that gives me a lot of time to do other stuff outside my job and a decent amount of daylight, especially in wintertime.

Yesterday the roads to Harford Co. were ALL backed up, no matter which way i wanted to take.. I-95, Rt. 40, Rt. 7.. It took 90 minutes to get home, when normally it takes me 40 mins at the most on a friday, 25 mins the rest of the week.

We will look up better on South Baltimore, AA County would be our favourite where to look, we're just scared by the prices.

Where we live we're paying $840 for a one bed apartment (all the amenities, washer and dryer included in unit) but we moved in almost 3 years ago, the prices were higher and the quality of the place was much better. Now the prices are lower, we still pay the first price while the same apartment is worth $650 and a 2 beds apartment is given for $770/mo. We've never had our rent increased though which i suppose is a good thing in the other hand (few neighbors told us they normally increase the rent after the 2nd renewal).

We definitely would like to pay (or, let's say it better: WE CAN AFFORD) in between 750 - 900/mo. and we are looking for a 2 bedroom (don't care about dishwasher, built-in microwave but laudry room is a must in unit)

Since we got married the space is getting lower and lower, we really do need a bigger place, especially considering an event like a baby on it's way, if that will ever happen in the future.

We'll keep consideration of the other places mentioned by other users, thank you all for the helpful informations!

[jeffredo]

With prices and interest rates what they are now maybe you guys can swing a purchase sooner than you think. I can't imagine it getting much better than it is.