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I am seriously considering a move to Frederick, MD from Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas. It has my dream job opening so I hope I get the job.
I do not know anything about Maryland other than being close to the rest of the Northeast. That is appealing to me.
How are the residents? Are they friendly? I am used to friendliness of Texans plus I happen to be from the Midwest (Missouri/Illinois).
Is it really expensive in Maryland with state income taxes, cost of home/property taxes, and the cost of living overall?
How is the access to scenic beauty, nature, and hiking trails in Frederick County? We happen to be a gay married couple; my husband and I enjoy swimming at lakes and oceans and going to dog parks with our two Pugs. We do not have children so school districts do not matter.
Those are questions I have in mind at this time. Thank you.
Frederick is very close to the Catoctin Mtns., so you will have easy access to hiking trails. You would be about 3.5-4 hours from the ocean, give or take.
I am not sure anywhere in Maryland would be "Texas or Midwest" friendly. Frederick is divided between your typical DC suburban/exurban communities like Urbana and Frederick City, and rural farm places like Thurmont.
Prices and cost of living are relative. It's best if you send a budget, about how much you can send (or want to spend) on housing. I would expect some sticker shock compared to Dallas.
How are the residents? Are they friendly? I am used to friendliness of Texans plus I happen to be from the Midwest (Missouri/Illinois).
I would say it depends...it's definitely not "South/Midwest" friendly but not "Northeast" rude/cold either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1
Is it really expensive in Maryland with state income taxes, cost of home/property taxes, and the cost of living overall?
Cost of home is probably the main concern - Frederick (the city AND surround county) is getting somewhat pricy as the DC suburban growth continue to move that way. But if you're use to Collin County price shock, Frederick County wouldn't be THAT much more expensive.
Property tax is half of Texas...I know, I pay the same amount of tax as my parents in Houston area even though my house is appraised at almost twice the price.
State (and county) income tax does hurt. If you have a job right now in DFW I would say definitely look for a 20-30% jump.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1
How is the access to scenic beauty, nature, and hiking trails in Frederick County? We happen to be a gay married couple; my husband and I enjoy swimming at lakes and oceans and going to dog parks with our two Pugs. We do not have children so school districts do not matter.
Frederick is at the foothill of Appalachian Mtn and is close to some nice hiking trails/scenic beauty (i.e. Catoctin Mtn, C&O Canal Trail). Not many lakes (especially compare to DFW ) though. Deep Creek Lake would be the big one but that's 2 hrs west. There's a small lake at Cunningham Falls SP but it's...well, small.
For oceans - you're as far away from the coast as you're in DFW .
BTW, since you mentioned you're gay couple, I would stick more to Frederick (the city) and nearby area or Urbana to start. The more rural part of Frederick County can be as socially backward as rural Texas (although I would say it's highly unlikely to face hate crime).
Frederick is very close to the Catoctin Mtns., so you will have easy access to hiking trails. You would be about 3.5-4 hours from the ocean, give or take.
I am not sure anywhere in Maryland would be "Texas or Midwest" friendly. Frederick is divided between your typical DC suburban/exurban communities like Urbana and Frederick City, and rural farm places like Thurmont.
Prices and cost of living are relative. It's best if you send a budget, about how much you can send (or want to spend) on housing. I would expect some sticker shock compared to Dallas.
Frederick's location in Maryland is not too bad like you described. Speaking of friendliness, I mean like breaking into social circles and making friends, especially if you are not from Maryland. Some places take awhile while some places feel like impossible like Knoxville, TN for an example. People there were clannish based on my experience.
The job I applied for has the salary range from $69,000 up to $102,000 based on experience. I have a total of 11 years of experience in my field. I currently make little under $60,000 here in Texas. For Maryland, I want to make sure that I am offered fairly for Maryland's cost of living where I won't need one or two more jobs.
I would say it depends...it's definitely not "South/Midwest" friendly but not "Northeast" rude/cold either.
Cost of home is probably the main concern - Frederick (the city AND surround county) is getting somewhat pricy as the DC suburban growth continue to move that way. But if you're use to Collin County price shock, Frederick County wouldn't be THAT much more expensive.
Property tax is half of Texas...I know, I pay the same amount of tax as my parents in Houston area even though my house is appraised at almost twice the price.
State (and county) income tax does hurt. If you have a job right now in DFW I would say definitely look for a 20-30% jump.
Frederick is at the foothill of Appalachian Mtn and is close to some nice hiking trails/scenic beauty (i.e. Catoctin Mtn, C&O Canal Trail). Not many lakes (especially compare to DFW ) though. Deep Creek Lake would be the big one but that's 2 hrs west. There's a small lake at Cunningham Falls SP but it's...well, small.
For oceans - you're as far away from the coast as you're in DFW .
BTW, since you mentioned you're gay couple, I would stick more to Frederick (the city) and nearby area or Urbana to start. The more rural part of Frederick County can be as socially backward as rural Texas (although I would say it's highly unlikely to face hate crime).
Thank you for the details. It is very helpful. Frederick's location in Maryland is not bad. I will be sure to look into Frederick and immediate areas including Urbana since we are a gay couple.
I currently earn little under $60,000 here in Texas. 20-30% jump would be around $86,000 more or less. Is that decent and comfortable living in Frederick just for one person? Just wondering.
The job I applied for has a salary range of $69,000 to $102,000 based on experience. I have a total of 11 years in my field.
Thank you for the details. It is very helpful. Frederick's location in Maryland is not bad. I will be sure to look into Frederick and immediate areas including Urbana since we are a gay couple.
I currently earn little under $60,000 here in Texas. 20-30% jump would be around $86,000 more or less. Is that decent and comfortable living in Frederick just for one person? Just wondering.
The job I applied for has a salary range of $69,000 to $102,000 based on experience. I have a total of 11 years in my field.
For overall house prices around Frederick...Newer Townhouses are around $400k-$450k and newer SFHs around $550k-$600k or so. Rent for 1br around $1600 or so, 2br for $2200-$2400. It does vary though...
Housing would probably be the big factor. Other COL are comparable. $85k-$90k-ish is definitely doable for a single person.
Frederick's location in Maryland is not too bad like you described. Speaking of friendliness, I mean like breaking into social circles and making friends, especially if you are not from Maryland. Some places take awhile while some places feel like impossible like Knoxville, TN for an example. People there were clannish based on my experience.
The job I applied for has the salary range from $69,000 up to $102,000 based on experience. I have a total of 11 years of experience in my field. I currently make little under $60,000 here in Texas. For Maryland, I want to make sure that I am offered fairly for Maryland's cost of living where I won't need one or two more jobs.
Many people currently living in Maryland came from somewhere else for a job opportunity, so making friends and finding group activities that welcome new people might be easier than in an area where most people have roots that go back generations. There are pockets in the more rural parts of the state that might be considered clannish, but areas within Frederick City as well as areas within commuting distance of DC will be more diverse. Frederick County is probably more conservative than Montgomery County or Howard County, but it has a large commuting population, so there is balance.
Many people currently living in Maryland came from somewhere else for a job opportunity, so making friends and finding group activities that welcome new people might be easier than in an area where most people have roots that go back generations. There are pockets in the more rural parts of the state that might be considered clannish, but areas within Frederick City as well as areas within commuting distance of DC will be more diverse. Frederick County is probably more conservative than Montgomery County or Howard County, but it has a large commuting population, so there is balance.
This. Frederick County is mostly transplants these days. If you stick to Frederick City or the new build construction along I-270 (more or less all "Urbana"), you will encounter a diversity of people from all over.
The rural pockets of the county are easy to find.......it's probably still harder to break into social circles in those places (its been 15+ years since I lived in Frederick) but even old guard places like Thurmont have newer developments around them.
The political divide is urban-suburban/rural. Frederick County was still red about 10 years ago, then turned purple, and is a shade of light blue now trending darker blue, all driven by the population growth in Frederick City and greater Urbana. The conservative pockets will have less and less political power as the population continues to grow.
Thank you for the details. It is very helpful. Frederick's location in Maryland is not bad. I will be sure to look into Frederick and immediate areas including Urbana since we are a gay couple.
I currently earn little under $60,000 here in Texas. 20-30% jump would be around $86,000 more or less. Is that decent and comfortable living in Frederick just for one person? Just wondering.
The job I applied for has a salary range of $69,000 to $102,000 based on experience. I have a total of 11 years in my field.
Although Frederick is more conservative than much of the semi-urban central part of the state. It was one of 4 counties who was over 50% in favor of Gay marriage when it was on the ballot a few years back. The County clerk of the court (a Republican) was one of the first to clarify the process to do gay marriages and had a reputation among gay communities in states south of here of being a place that it was straight forward to get married without prejudice. I know because a family member was one of the very first to get marries and had several conversations with Sandy Dalton (Clerk of the Court) to work out the wording of the standard vows used (changing 'man and wife', etc). They actually lived in Montgomery County and had problems with the 'Liberal' Clerk of the Courts office down there. They wanted to get married on New Years day that year so that IF a court put some kind of injunction in place when courts opened on Jan 2 they would have 'standing' to fight it. Sandy performed the ceremony herself at a family members house on New years day afternoon.
On other subjects - A lot will depend on where your job is located. Commuting into the DC Metro area can be a real pain. There is some availability of Mass Transit but that works best if you are on a fixed schedule into certain higher density employment areas. I'm curious what career field you are in
Lots of 'outdoor activities' in the area The Appalachian trail runs on the western edge of the county, The C&O Canal along the Potomac River. Lots of Civil War History in the area
You will love Frederick, every visitor I have taken from out of town does. It is a beautiful town with lots of old buildings, the surrounding area with the mountains and farmland is just gorgeous. Yet it's only an hour to 2 different airports and to 2 major cities. Just last week we were dining outside on Market Street and saw a gay couple holding hands. It was refreshing, in the old days it was called Fredneck for a reason but that has totally changed. I would not have any concerns about being gay in Frederick.
As mentioned there are a lot of outdoor activities. One thing that was mentioned is the C&O Canal that followed the upper Potomac River. It's 20 minutes to the river from Frederick and the path is now a park for hiking/biking and swimming in the river. I'm headed that way this week, one of my favorite summer activities is strapping a fishing rod to my bike and spending the day playing on the river.
We need to know where the job is located. If it's in or around Frederick you will be fine, if you need to commute south, as most do, be aware Interstate 270 is a pain in the ass during rush hour.
There is a dog park right in downtown and another much bigger one in Ballenger Creek Park on the south side of town. This is a very dog friendly community, most people I have met are really nice. I have to drive 25 minutes from Mt Airy to Ballenger because I know there will always be dogs at that park at 11 AM on a Tuesday. There is also a public pool and free concerts at Baker Park right in downtown.
Last edited by DaveinMtAiry; 06-18-2023 at 07:39 AM..
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) though. Deep Creek Lake would be the big one but that's 2 hrs west. There's a small lake at Cunningham Falls SP but it's...well, small.
