May take a job as a teacher in Maryland and not sure where to live. (Baltimore: crime rates, co-op) - (MD) - City-Data Forum

cmg1775 · 09-01-2007, 02:40 PM

I am moving from Ohio and applying for teaching positions in Charles county and Prince George county. Is Charles county super rural? If I get a job there, where would a young, single person live who wants to have a social life? I was looking into Alexandria, Va but didn't know if that would be too long of a commute everyday.
If I take the job in Prince George, where should I live? I have read other forums discussing the crime in that county. From what I gather, staying away from the beltway is the key. I just want to take my dog for a walk without getting mugged.
Help!

kevin21403 · 09-01-2007, 04:03 PM

Stay in Charles County. It is subrurban and very nice. Live in Waldorf or White Plains, even La Plata. I think Prince Georges County is too congested and urban for a newcomer to adjust to. Charles County has plenty of cool restaurants and nice housing to keep you happy.

Billiam · 09-01-2007, 04:59 PM

^ I agree, and it isn't that rural either

lscalder · 09-02-2007, 11:14 AM

Upper marlboro is rural with plenty of farms.
Fort Washington is very rural.
All counties have crimes so it depends on where you live. When folks talk about pg county they tend to generalize the county as a whole as its not fair. Pg county communites are way nicer then Charles County. i moved to Pg o****y Upper marlboro because when My husband and I visited a friend in Bowie I was like Oh my god. It was so pretty. I had to move from Montgomery to Pg county. In uppper marlboro visit Beech tree Community.
if you like entertainment you can entertain families and friends in the community without going outside. The Community have 250 acre golf course, Fishing lake,walk trail,recreation center,tennis court,olypmic swimming pool and they are building its own school. You will love it.
Whats the name of the schools you might teach in Pg county. My neigbor is the principal of one of Pg county High school and his wife a 5th grade teacher.

TeamBenya · 09-03-2007, 09:32 PM

It really comes down to personal preference. Charles County as a general trend is a less expensive location to live, and the taxes are a little lower as well. PG gets a bit of a bad wrap because of the higher crime rates inside the beltway. I wouldn't recommend alexandria because your commute is going to be rough due to haing to cross the woodrow wilson bridge on a daily basis. If you do decide on Charles County, the school system offers housing for teachers from out of the area for about $900/mo, but there are housing developments in the county that you can actually buy and pay the same amount or less in mortgage; specifically in the Potomac Heights co-op in Indian Head, MD. Concerning nightlife in Charles County, the greene turtle if fairly popular, as is casey jones, both of which are in La Plata, MD. If you want to know more about PG or Charles cities, feel free to ask, I'm fairly familiar with both counties.

Jonathan Benya
Century 21 New Millennium
301-653-8116

dullnboring · 09-03-2007, 11:41 PM

Prince George's County is urban-suburban. Charles County is suburban-rural. The parts of Prince George's County inside the Beltway are generally the most urban in character and where the majority of the crime is concentrated, whereas those areas outside of the Beltway are more suburban and safe. In Charles County, the further you go from DC, the more rural it becomes, but the portions closest to PG County are pretty much standard suburbia. There are some exceptions to these characterizations but it's a general guide to go by. Neither area is exactly a hotspot for young singles. Both communities are generally very geared towards families. Then again, it depends what sort of nightlife you're looking for and how far you're comfortable traveling to reach it. You can certainly find little restaurants, bars and pool halls scattered about in various strip malls in Bowie, Largo, Laurel, Waldorf, New Carrollton, etc. but if you're looking for a high-density area filled with clubs and bars open late into the evening, you'll have to journey into someplace like DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Silver Spring, Bethesda or Annapolis. These are all within reasonable distances from PG and Charles counties, but it varies of course based on where within each county you are and where you're headed, Of course, if you're looking to go out every night, a nightly commute to one of these hotspots would be more of a pain than it would be were you just going out Saturday nights. It's a matter of whether or not you want to be IN the center of the nightlife, or whether you just want it to be within 15 or 20 or 30 minutes.

It's hard to recommend a specific area to live in without knowing where you'll be working. Commute factors heavily into directing someone where to live in this area. I definitely wouldn't recommend however living in Alexandria. The traffic on the Wilson Bridge is always horrific. If you got a job right off the bridge (within a mile or two), it might not be awful, but as a whole, it's not likely to be worth it. If you were looking at Alexandria though, you should check out Fort Washington since it's right over the bridge meaning that it would eliminate the bridge commute, but also put you within a quick shot of Alexandria's nightlife. Of course, you have to exercise basic street smarts as you would in any urban area, but in general, Fort Washington is a very nice, quiet, safe, suburban area.

cmg1775 · 09-08-2007, 04:17 PM

Thank you for all the info! It was very helpful. I am taking a job in either Waldorf, Nanjemoy or Upper Marlboro. I find out more Monday and will keep you posted.
Thanks again!

KodakMoment · 09-11-2007, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmg1775

I am moving from Ohio and applying for teaching positions in Charles county and Prince George county. Is Charles county super rural? If I get a job there, where would a young, single person live who wants to have a social life? I was looking into Alexandria, Va but didn't know if that would be too long of a commute everyday.
If I take the job in Prince George, where should I live? I have read other forums discussing the crime in that county. From what I gather, staying away from the beltway is the key. I just want to take my dog for a walk without getting mugged.
Help!

Well, I have a friend who teached in Silver spring? Maryland and he commuted from Baltimore and a friend of his came from PA!!!

Santa Fe Journal · 09-11-2007, 05:28 PM

Check out College Park (just beware of frat houses nearby), University Park, Berwyn Heights, and Riverdale, all pleasant communities and not as expensive as anything equivalent in Montgomery County. Charles County is in a whole 'nother category and has less of an urban sensibility. Just depends if you think that is a good or a bad thing.

lscalder · 09-11-2007, 06:47 PM

The only thing I donot like about Charles County is the traffic on 301. Charles County I think have one of th eworst traffic in Maryland because majority of the roads only have 2 lanes. I do like Upper Marlboro and Waldorf.