Best place to live in Maryland (entry level)?? (Rockville: income, counties)

[Five00NCSTNW]

Originally Posted by mzcnic

How long is the commute from baltimore to rockeville??

It will eventually kill you...

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by mzcnic

How long is the commute from baltimore to rockeville??

It will be better once the ICC (rt. 200) completely opens

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by mzcnic

My budget for rent would be around $1000/month.

maybe you're notion of "affordable" as a goal and mine is different

$1000 is more than enough to do nicely enough even in MOCO...
especially if you SHARE with somebody.

I would have a car...
but I am willing to commute on train/bus

there's no real savings to be had from using the bus if you also have a car.
that "affordable" thing again... it's an either/or.

[mzcnic]

Originally Posted by MrRational

maybe you're notion of "affordable" as a goal and mine is different

$1000 is more than enough to do nicely enough even in MOCO...
especially if you SHARE with somebody.



there's no real savings to be had from using the bus if you also have a car.
that "affordable" thing again... it's an either/or.

LOL! Well I have the impression that the cost of living is high, and where I'm from $1000/month for rent is ALOT, so that would be close to my limit. I figured that maybe the bus would be cheaper than paying for gas... Thanks for clearing that up for me!

[heather3]

Originally Posted by mzcnic

How long is the commute from baltimore to rockeville??

More than 20 minutes...it'd be about 45 miles which means over an hour drive in rush hour.

You could live in Frederick, MD and take the MARC train into Montgomery County and DC. It'd be more than 20 min on the train, but you wouldn't be driving.

Go to The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post and look for rentals. That may give you an idea on the amount people charge in specific areas. If you come across anything that looks good to you, ask this forum and we can tell you if the area is a good one to be in, just okay or to stay away from it!

[DillThePill]

DC rush hour traffic is horrendous. A 20 minute commute is nothing. Will your work be typical office hours? If so, you are going to be hard pressed to find your own place for $1000 in a neighborhood you want to live within a 20 minute rush hour commute of Bethesda, Silver Spring, or Rockville. If you are willing to share that opens up a lot of possibilities.

Housing generally gets cheaper and traffic lightens up a bit in the Baltimore area. Baltimore also has a better social scene for my tastes. If you are finding work in the areas you mention I'd also think you'd find it in Columbia. Columbia is closer to Baltimore but could be considered a suburb of either city. You might have more luck hitting your goals in the 95 corridor between the cities.

[hoodoo]

You may also want to look for jobs in the Northern VA area, just a thought. Lots of accessibility to mass transit, many places walking distance to nightlife, restaurants, bars, etc. Try Alexandria, Rosslyn, Crystal City. You can easily hop on metro to DC for jobs as well. Many people in Arlington have larger homes that they rent rooms out of, many times with private entrance, bath, etc.

[GermanShepherdMom]

Originally Posted by DillThePill

DC rush hour traffic is horrendous. A 20 minute commute is nothing. Will your work be typical office hours? If so, you are going to be hard pressed to find your own place for $1000 in a neighborhood you want to live within a 20 minute rush hour commute of Bethesda, Silver Spring, or Rockville. If you are willing to share that opens up a lot of possibilities.

Housing generally gets cheaper and traffic lightens up a bit in the Baltimore area. Baltimore also has a better social scene for my tastes. If you are finding work in the areas you mention I'd also think you'd find it in Columbia. Columbia is closer to Baltimore but could be considered a suburb of either city. You might have more luck hitting your goals in the 95 corridor between the cities.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[GermanShepherdMom]

Originally Posted by mzcnic

How long is the commute from baltimore to rockeville??

My husband works in Bethesda which is just outside Rockville. He leaves at 5 am and it takes him just over an hour to get to work from our home in Brooklyn Park, MD (just outside Baltimore). Depending on the time frame, the same trip could take you 3 hours because of traffic.

[mzcnic]

So there aren't any "affordable" (around $1000) places in Rockville?