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Good Morning, Figured I would post and ask a couple of questions about the area. My job is making a move to the East Coast a necessity and we have been looking at many areas with a high priority on quality of life, education systems, home prices, etc. Basically we are looking for our 30 year home and a city to settle down in and sink roots. My wife will be an RN in a year, I telecommute (my home sales office will be in Herndon) and we have a 9 and 5 year old.
I know we can't say much about what goes on at Ft. Detrick, but I grew up around Ft. Ord and am wondering what the base's main purpose is. It sounds like primarily it is a medical research facility or NBC testing facility? Infantry? Seems there is a disproportionate number of civilian employees so while I don't want to get anyone in trouble...a generalized description would be nice. (I did check the base website and they were pretty non-specific)
House prices seem in line with what we are looking for, moving from Chandler, AZ but we are SICK of the heat, scorpions and general mediocrity of the SouthWest. My wife grew up in Flagstaff and I am from Monterey, CA so we have been considering areas weather as well. We know the humidity will be a factor bu at least it is not 115 in the Summer . We are definitely looking for what it sounds like Frederick offers, smaller, friendly, tight knit community with good education opportunities for our kids. Moving anywhere on the East Coast is going to result in a better education system compared to AZ but we are in the "best school district in the state.
We are definitely going to visit first of course and the move is probably about a year out. All the posts on this site have been very informative...thank you for your insight.
Are you going to be working in your Herndon office everyday? If so, Frederick, MD to Herndon, VA daily is quite a commute! And there would really be no mass transit options and little controlled-access highway along the route. It may not be worth your sanity!
Fort Detrick is the home of the National Cancer Research Institute. I know a few individuals who have worked or been stationed there and they do not have a third eye growing out of the middle of their foreheads. However, there are always conspiracy theories that the fort is a cancer cluster or something underhanded is taking place behind the fences. As biological weapons were developed there until the Nixon administration these fears aren't completely unfounded but its just like Area 51 and UFOs in the Southwest. You just assume the government knows what they are doing or at least has the sense to contain anything toxic as Camp David (and the entire NATION'S CAPITAL for that matter) aren't particularly fare away from the fort.
Frederick is a nice, trendy small city with low mountain vistas. Not an overwhelming amount of amenities but not a complete victim of suburban sprawl so you would need to choose which best fits your lifestyle. With the exception of a couple of feeder systems in the immediate downtown area essentially all of the schools in the county are good. The area to the north and east of Ft. Detrick is becoming kind of a hub of mid/upscale retail and residential activity (you will find that having a Wegman's Supermarket is a BIG deal in Washington DC metro; it means your community has officially arrived if you can believe that). The schools in Walkersville are pretty OK. The Middletown, Urbana, and Linganore clusters have excellent schools and neighborhoods but tend to be fairly expensive and lack a lot of shopping/retail/entertainment amenities (and fairly lacking in diversity if that is important to you). Like I said, central Frederick is very hip and trendy and diverse with bars, non-franchise eateries, and boutique shopping.
Brunswick would be the closest Frederick County community to Herndon, VA but also lacking in amenities. But kind of a quirky and interesting railroad town though. If you are working out of Herndon you may want to consider Loudoun County, VA. You would be closer to work and it has good schools for the most part from my understanding. From my perception, eastern Loudoun closer toward Dulles International Airport is cookie-cutter (and increasingly crowded) suburbia and then western Loudoun is a very nice horse country landscape that lacks in a lot of amenities as well (though some retail and an outlet mall exist in Leesburg and the Dulles Town Center mall is fairly "centralized" in the county and the newest large mall in the metro area) so once again you have to prioritize. In Loudoun County neither will come cheap.
Are you going to be working in your Herndon office everyday? If so, Frederick, MD to Herndon, VA daily is quite a commute! And there would really be no mass transit options and little controlled-access highway along the route. It may not be worth your sanity!
No I wouldn't be commuting, I telecommute as the Sales People I support are in NE and NY. I just can't bring myself to move that far north and figured MD/VA was close enough with viable transportation to the North East for the once or twice a month I go up on sales calls (much closer than AZ anyway). Once in a while I may have to go into the Sales office in Herndon but for the most part I will be working out of my home. My wife on the other hand will need to find a position as an RN and it sounds like there is a ton of opportunity if she decided to go into Research vs. working in a hospital (she has an interest in Microbiology and has been debating career paths).
My wife on the other hand will need to find a position as an RN and it sounds like there is a ton of opportunity if she decided to go into Research vs. working in a hospital (she has an interest in Microbiology and has been debating career paths).
I had a couple of neighbors who were civilian RNs (both with Ph.D.'s) and they worked at Fort Detrick, doing Alzheimer's research through NIH, I believe.
Frederick County is a nice area. As mentioned above, we have some great stores, restaurants, schools, and recreational areas. It's very family-friendly with lots to do with kids. When you visit, I suggest driving all around the county to see what areas really appeal to you the most. I've lived in Middletown, Frederick City, and Jefferson, and I've liked all three for different reasons. Feel free to ask other questions as you think of them. Good luck!
Oh I am sure more questions will come up and we are planning a trip out at some point. The biggest thing is finding a position for my wife. Seems that most positions on simplyhired are part time or travelling nurses, her first degree was in Education but went back for nursing. Once she is finished she will be working on her Masters but with no years working as a nurse, the positions seem to be slim. She does have 4 years working with Special Needs children and adults but as an educator, not a healthcare provider.
Anyway...we will keep looking and planning. Thanks for the feedback.
Good Morning, Figured I would post and ask a couple of questions about the area. My job is making a move to the East Coast a necessity and we have been looking at many areas with a high priority on quality of life, education systems, home prices, etc. Basically we are looking for our 30 year home and a city to settle down in and sink roots. My wife will be an RN in a year, I telecommute (my home sales office will be in Herndon) and we have a 9 and 5 year old.
I know we can't say much about what goes on at Ft. Detrick, but I grew up around Ft. Ord and am wondering what the base's main purpose is. It sounds like primarily it is a medical research facility or NBC testing facility? Infantry? Seems there is a disproportionate number of civilian employees so while I don't want to get anyone in trouble...a generalized description would be nice. (I did check the base website and they were pretty non-specific) It is what you think it is, a medical and biological research facility, but they hire alot of contractors to support these operations, thus the civilians.
House prices seem in line with what we are looking for, moving from Chandler, AZ but we are SICK of the heat, scorpions and general mediocrity of the SouthWest. My wife grew up in Flagstaff and I am from Monterey, CA so we have been considering areas weather as well. We know the humidity will be a factor bu at least it is not 115 in the Summer . We are definitely looking for what it sounds like Frederick offers, smaller, friendly, tight knit community with good education opportunities for our kids. Moving anywhere on the East Coast is going to result in a better education system compared to AZ but we are in the "best school district in the state. House prices are somewhat inflated due to proximity to DC. Most people commute to DC and surrounding suburbs (80 miles round trip). Not an issue for you, but maybe for your wife. The local (in-county) pay scale may seem out of balance with house prices. There are good schools and not-so-good schools, just like most other places.
We are definitely going to visit first of course and the move is probably about a year out. All the posts on this site have been very informative...thank you for your insight. The city has a nice older downtown, surrounded by tract housing and big box stores. The surrounding county is full of dairy farms and old run down small towns. It's a good place to raise a family if you can afford to live and work in the same area.
The small towns around Frederick are not "run down" they are just old. There is a difference. These towns are still populated, have operational businesses, local schools.
It is a breath of fresh air to find little places like Keymar, Woodsboro, Libertytown that still are populated by locals and not surrounded by surburban sprawl.
Kurt, I think both of you would be pleased with Frederick, in terms of being a nice place to live, and also family-friendly. My wife and I look @ those "best places to live" lists from time to time, and are astounded that Frederick is not on them. There are several places around here that have shown up on those lists, and in every case, Frederick beats the pants off of them! I say this w/out any reservations. The downtown area is well-kept and neo-trendy, but at the same time modest and understated. There are a very wide variety of family activities available, and the schools are generally good, with just a few exceptions. Frederick County is also unique in that there are public charter school options avail. Frederick is the perfect small/mid-sized city in terms of proximity to a larger metro area, but far enough away as not to be eclipsed by it. For those seeking a quieter, small-town experience, there are plenty of nearby options in Frederick County. As far as places for an RN to work, there is also Frederick Memorial Hospital. It's a top notch hospital, and I believe they are expanding too. Good luck to you and your family with the move east.
The small towns around Frederick are not "run down" they are just old. There is a difference. These towns are still populated, have operational businesses, local schools.
It is a breath of fresh air to find little places like Keymar, Woodsboro, Libertytown that still are populated by locals and not surrounded by surburban sprawl.
They are not as rundown as Hagerstown and Cumberland, so I can see why you think that. But, they are indeed run down. I happen to like the towns you mentioned, but that doesn't cloud my judgement as it does yours.
They are not as rundown as Hagerstown and Cumberland, so I can see why you think that. But, they are indeed run down. I happen to like the towns you mentioned, but that doesn't cloud my judgement as it does yours.
So what makes a place "run-down," not having acres of 21st century suburban housing? Not being within 5 miles of a Target? No Landrovers parked on the street? No Starbucks, maybe?
Those little towns are the traditional settlement pattern in that part of the state. They are rural villages that function as centralized meeting places for the people that live on farms, they are the location of churches, civic clubs, stores, schools and markets.
These little towns still fufill all of these functions as they have for over 100 years. Nothing "rundown" about that at all, just tradition carried from past to present.
And yes, if you want to see "rundown" I will give you a personal tour of Cumberland and the small mining towns in the George's Creek Valley where every small store has closed, the churches and schools are shuttered, the communities have 1/2 or less the population they did 75 years ago.
I grew up in Allegany County, lived in Frederick for 5 years, lived in Westminster for 4 years and one year in Towson. I have seen the gamut of habitation patterns in Maryland, this is the basis of knowlege for my analysis. What's yours?
Last edited by westsideboy; 02-27-2012 at 03:07 PM..
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. We are definitely looking for what it sounds like Frederick offers, smaller, friendly, tight knit community with good education opportunities for our kids. Moving anywhere on the East Coast is going to result in a better education system compared to AZ but we are in the "best school district in the state. 
