Young Couple Moving to Maryland... But Where??? (Baltimore, Frederick: renting, credit)

[GottaHerdOn]

Here is the gist of it...

We are a young gay couple that has been together going on 7 years. We are both 26, very active in the community, and we love outdoor recreation. I have a BA in Secondary Social Studies Education from Marshall University and I'm currently licensed to teach in Maryland. He has a BA in Psychology from Marshall University and currently works with a company that is contracted through the state to work with kids within the system. He does home visits, supervised visits, parenting courses with parents, etc.

We are living in my hometown of Elkins, WV right now... Which is actually not far at all from Oakland or Deep Creek for those of you not familiar with it. He's from Parkersburg, WV and we have also lived in Warsaw, Poland and moved here from Scottsdale, Arizona in June. But we are ready to settle down and we both like where Maryland is heading and also I have several relatives in the Mechanicsville / Waldorf area.

Here is what we are looking for.

Somewhere that I can get a job teaching, so an area that is hiring new teachers. I looked into it, and I don't think we could survive on what a sub makes there. Many districts only pay 90 bucks a day, and I'm making 130 here and its still tough. This place also needs to have openings with the DHHR or something similar so he could find a job as well.

Size isn't a huge issue, and we really enjoyed living in Phoenix but like the charm that the suburbs can offer. So maybe somewhere in the burbs outside of a larger or medium sized city. A decent mall, gyms, clubs, sports bars, cocktail bars would be nice too.

Within an hour or so drive of nature. We like to hike, camp, swim, relax, and drive around the country checking out the scenery.

We'd like a place with or near a university as we both plan on continuing our education in the future.

We're interested in buying once we get settled after a while. We both have great credit and a little cash saved for a home. We realize that homes are much more expensive than they are here or in Phoenix, but I guess you get what you pay for. Something in the 200-250k range is what we're looking at... flexible however up and down.

Any ideas guys?

[westsideboy]

Welcome to the Maryland board, Herd! I remember you from the WV board. I don't know which counties are hiring teachers, but as far as communities go, I would suggest Frederick. It is close to Montgomery County and Washington D.C. for urban entertainment, and right up against some small mountains (by Elkins standards) for the outdoor stuff.

The county has a mix of urban, suburban, and rural living. You can drive 15 minutes and be in the gentrified, historic, downtown, at a chain store in a suburb or in the mountains hiking. Your price point should be sufficient for a decent townhouse but admittedly I haven't checked the listings in a few years.

[GottaHerdOn]

Thanks Westsideboy...

We have actually kicked that idea around of Frederick. I just don't know if I could get on teaching in that county.

We have also been considering places like Rockville and Annapolis as well but we were wondering if there were other towns we may not know about that we should be considering.

Have you heard of any of the counties in MD REALLLLLLLYYYY needing teachers?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

I just don't know if I could get on teaching in that county.
We have also been considering places like Rockville and Annapolis as well but...

I didn't respond yesterday because I thought you were asking your questions out of sequence:
Like with every other long(er) distance move... the job(s) really do need to come first.
Or at least the offer of a job.

If/when you have an offer to do what you prefer to be doing (from one county or another)...
then you can ask whether the REST of what you want to have in your life can be managed from there.
Some places will make that objectively easier than others.

Otherwise you have to be far more generalist in your job searching (and have a fair sized pile
of cash on hand to live off of) until you find what you really want where you want to live...
as you're going to be moving there anyway.

hth

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by MrRational

I didn't respond yesterday because I thought you were asking your questions out of sequence:
Like with every other long(er) distance move... the job(s) really do need to come first.
Or at least the offer of a job.

If/when you have an offer to do what you prefer to be doing (from one county or another)...
then you can ask whether the REST of what you want to have in your life can be managed from there.
Some places will make that objectively easier than others.

Otherwise you have to be far more generalist in your job searching (and have a fair sized pile
of cash on hand to live off of) until you find what you really want where you want to live...
as you're going to be moving there anyway.

hth

Ahhh, I see you failed to pick up on the part where I was asking what area might be in need of teachers.

Never said we were going to a specific place, just considering a couple...

We know how to move, and survive when we get there. We packed up and moved to Arizona a few years ago, but thanks

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

Ahhh, I see you failed to pick up on the part where I was asking what area might be in need of teachers.

Nope. I saw what you wrote, assessed it as hopeful circuitous drivel... and blew right on past it.
Good luck finding what you want. Somewhere.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

Thanks Westsideboy...

We have actually kicked that idea around of Frederick. I just don't know if I could get on teaching in that county.

We have also been considering places like Rockville and Annapolis as well but we were wondering if there were other towns we may not know about that we should be considering.

Have you heard of any of the counties in MD REALLLLLLLYYYY needing teachers?

I wish I had specific knowledge. In general the less highly rated school districts have high teacher turnover. For instance, you could work in Baltimore City and live near Annapolis. I would ask this same question in the Baltimore and D.C. forums. The people there should know more about what school systems are hiring. Good luck!

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Nope. I saw what you wrote, assessed it as hopeful circuitous drivel... and blew right on past it.
Good luck finding what you want. Somewhere.

Well even though you provided nothing more than unwarranted condensation and no actual information, thanks!!!

I hope you're not a good representation of the rest of Maryland.

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

Well even though you provided nothing more than unwarranted condensation and no actual information, thanks!!!

I hope you're not a good representation of the rest of Maryland.

I see on a lot of boards (not just this one) that people are overly-optimistic about completely changing their life by moving to a fresh new place. Some regulars on the board get conditioned to seeing these threads all of the time with peoples unrealistic hopes and dreams.

In regards to MD, most people aren't prepared for the outrageous cost of living and taxes. People are attracted to the cultural diversity of MD (which is pretty well represented) but don't always get the whole picture. People will often say I want a "nice" place near the city with good schools, etc... and not post a budget. MD is a VERY expensive place to live.

What you want to accomplish is attainable but a lot of things will have to fall in place at the same time. Unfortuantely teaching isn't an in demand field in most parts of MD (or most of the country) for that matter. Most of the schools that need teachers are in underprivilaged neighborhoods and dangerous parts of town. It sounds like based on your partners resume that he will have an even tougher time finding a good paying job than you will. Also 250k is on the low side for the population centers of MD, which is where I am guessing you will want to live since they are more culturally diverse.

I wouldn't move anywhere without having a job locked up and making sure I could afford the area. I wish you and your partner the best of luck. Just be patient and everything should work out

[cleancup]

Martinsburg, wv and also allegany county md are very gay friendly teacher/dhhr options for you.
Deep creek is an option but you'd probably love cumberland, md then.
Or even boonesboro, md.
Another option is york, pa. It's good too for teaching and one of you could teach at any of the colleges/universities around there.
If ya come to the allegany area..email me I love making new friends!

cleancup@gmail.com

-Missy