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1) Are there fewer mosquitoes in the far western part of the state as compared to eastern MD?
2) What sorts of bug / insect issues are common in western MD? Are fleas prevalent? Ticks? (I have dogs so am concerned for them..) I've read about stink bugs.. are they dangerous to people or just super annoying? Any notable wildlife concerns other than bugs?
3) Is it less humid in the summertime than the eastern part of the state?
4) Does it snow more and and have colder winters than the eastern part of MD?
5) Please describe the seasons - which months they normally include, what the weather is like most years, etc. (I know I can look at data, but I like to read about personal experiences too.)
Here is a general idea of what we're looking for (please suggest western MD towns we might like):
1) Safe, safe, safe. I'm not saying I would do it, but a place you can leave doors unlocked.
2) Milder / shorter winters than Buffalo NY (our main reason for wanting to move).
3) Not completely flat, but not terribly mountainous either.
4) We prefer a rural-suburban feel, meaning not out in the middle of nowhere but not close in to a city. We need to be within 20 mins. of a decent grocery store, don't want to live in a "neighborhood", would like a 1 or 2 acre property. We'd be happy to find something for under $200,000. Possible in western MD?
1) Are there fewer mosquitoes in the far western part of the state as compared to eastern MD?
2) What sorts of bug / insect issues are common in western MD? Are fleas prevalent? Ticks? (I have dogs so am concerned for them..) I've read about stink bugs.. are they dangerous to people or just super annoying? Any notable wildlife concerns other than bugs?
3) Is it less humid in the summertime than the eastern part of the state?
4) Does it snow more and and have colder winters than the eastern part of MD?
5) Please describe the seasons - which months they normally include, what the weather is like most years, etc. (I know I can look at data, but I like to read about personal experiences too.)
Here is a general idea of what we're looking for (please suggest western MD towns we might like):
1) Safe, safe, safe. I'm not saying I would do it, but a place you can leave doors unlocked.
2) Milder / shorter winters than Buffalo NY (our main reason for wanting to move).
3) Not completely flat, but not terribly mountainous either.
4) We prefer a rural-suburban feel, meaning not out in the middle of nowhere but not close in to a city. We need to be within 20 mins. of a decent grocery store, don't want to live in a "neighborhood", would like a 1 or 2 acre property. We'd be happy to find something for under $200,000. Possible in western MD?
Thanks much for your help.
First off, by Western MD I'm assuming you mean Garrett and Alleghany counties only. Sometimes Washington and Frederick Counties get lumped into that definition too. By Eastern I'm assuming you mean the eastern shore: Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset counties.
1. Yes
2. Stink bugs are everywhere, quite annoying, not harmful (except to fruit)
3. God yes
4. Absolutely
5. Western MD: Cooler summers, earlier fall, later spring, cold winters, not more snowy than Buffalo.
Eastern Shore: hot, humid, just languid summers, glorious extended fall and spring, winters around 40 degrees, little to no snow, wiiiiindy in the winter.
1. I'll let someone else make that suggestion
2. I think anywhere in MD is going to have milder winters.
3. Well, Western MD is mountainous, and Eastern Shore is completely flat. The counties in between are all hilly to some degree.
4. You could probably something in Western MD near Cumberland but I don't know if it's really going to have the "suburban" feel you seek. For that you might have to look in Washington and Frederick Counties, and then you might be looking for too much land for that price.
The most important thing: Job. Do you need one? The further away you get from the metro areas, the fewer there are.
You aren't going to find many "suburban" communities in Western Maryland. We have a city, Cumberland, small towns, and mountainous forest. You can easily find a 1 or 2 acre lot and house for your price within 20 minutes of Cumberland. It will be rural though, not suburban. Cumberland has some "street car" suburbs like LaVale and Cresaptown, but they aren't what most people these days would call "suburbs." like say Germantown, Urbana, etc.
If you live outside of Cumberland, expect lots of bugs. Our county is 75% mountainous forest, insects, and other wildlife abound. Mosquitos and fleas are everywhere so far as I know. You won't avoid them by moving out here.
The weather is less humid........but not as much as you would think until you are west of the Allegheny Front (roughly Frostburg.) Cumberland proper still has our 90 degree and muggy days. The big difference is that it almost always cools to the mid-60s at night. West of Cumberland, the elevation climbs and you get a different climate. Cooler, still moist, lots of snow, but probably less than Buffalo.
All of Western Maryland is mountainous by East Coast standards. There are valleys, but they are narrow. You can move a few counties east and find more rolling countryside, but that is a completely different region.
1) Are there fewer mosquitoes in the far western part of the state as compared to eastern MD?
2) What sorts of bug / insect issues are common in western MD? Are fleas prevalent? Ticks? (I have dogs so am concerned for them..) I've read about stink bugs.. are they dangerous to people or just super annoying? Any notable wildlife concerns other than bugs?
3) Is it less humid in the summertime than the eastern part of the state?
4) Does it snow more and and have colder winters than the eastern part of MD?
5) Please describe the seasons - which months they normally include, what the weather is like most years, etc. (I know I can look at data, but I like to read about personal experiences too.)
1. Everywhere in MD apart from the Eastern Shore doesn't have too many mosquitoes.
2. However, stink bugs are prevalent in Western MD, and they can definitely get annoying at times.
3 + 4. West of Hagerstown, yes, definitely. Hagerstown to the Catoctin Mountains, it's debatable. Frederick on south and east, if you even consider them part of Western MD, aren't really different climate-wise when compared to the rest of Central MD.
I should clarify what I mean by rural-suburban.. I said suburban because I don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere, the only soul for miles around, hours to a hospital, with no decent grocery store nearby. Maybe outskirts of a small town is more what I'm seeking? I don't want to live in a neighborhood, with houses close together. As long as I don't have to drive forever to get my weekly groceries and there is some semblance of "civilization" nearby, I'll be happy. I wonder if I should be focusing on the central part of the state?
The climate in western MD looks lovely to me. Would be nice to have all 4 seasons, with a shorter winter than Buffalo. Wish I could find that climate without the added bugs that seem to come along with it.. So is winter usually contained to Dec., Jan., and Feb.? That would be awesome...
I have nothing against mountains, they're beautiful. I just get nervous driving them in bad weather. (I do have 4WD of course living in Buffalo, but driving real mountains would take a lot of getting used to.)
My husband can do his job from home, but I'm not sure how much luck I'll have in my profession when we move.. I train dogs (family companion obedience, behavior cases, herding, protection, and flyball) and I also have a pet care business doing pet sitting, dog walking, basic grooming, and transportation. I've worked in veterinary practices too so maybe going back to that would be an option.
Is there a considerable difference in home prices or property taxes between central and western MD?
That Deep Creek Lake looks nice.. Would be a fun close-by vacation spot if we moved to western MD.
I should clarify what I mean by rural-suburban.. I said suburban because I don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere, the only soul for miles around, hours to a hospital, with no decent grocery store nearby. Maybe outskirts of a small town is more what I'm seeking? I don't want to live in a neighborhood, with houses close together. As long as I don't have to drive forever to get my weekly groceries and there is some semblance of "civilization" nearby, I'll be happy. I wonder if I should be focusing on the central part of the state?
The climate in western MD looks lovely to me. Would be nice to have all 4 seasons, with a shorter winter than Buffalo. Wish I could find that climate without the added bugs that seem to come along with it.. So is winter usually contained to Dec., Jan., and Feb.? That would be awesome...
I have nothing against mountains, they're beautiful. I just get nervous driving them in bad weather. (I do have 4WD of course living in Buffalo, but driving real mountains would take a lot of getting used to.)
My husband can do his job from home, but I'm not sure how much luck I'll have in my profession when we move.. I train dogs (family companion obedience, behavior cases, herding, protection, and flyball) and I also have a pet care business doing pet sitting, dog walking, basic grooming, and transportation. I've worked in veterinary practices too so maybe going back to that would be an option.
Is there a considerable difference in home prices or property taxes between central and western MD?
That Deep Creek Lake looks nice.. Would be a fun close-by vacation spot if we moved to western MD.
The real Western Maryland of Allegany and Garrett Counties has the living requirements you want. We have towns, then forest. You can be on the edge of this nothing, have no neighbors, but still be a 10 minutes drive from town.
Housing prices are radically different. You can check by county on city-data, the difference is absurd.
But.......if mountains are a deal breaker, you may want to look at Washington or Frederick County. The summers aren't THAT bad, you still get 4 seasons, and there are larger valleys, and some mountainous areas.
I would think that driving around Cumberland would seem awfully jumbled up to a Buffalonian. Streets are short, intersect at crazy angles in both horizontal and vertical, etc. I-68 is constant big up and down especially going west. And if by "decent grocery store" you mean Wegmans, you won't find that in Cumberland - the two bigger Martin's locations are about like a smaller Tops.
Just wondering, if you want "4 seasons" but "shorter winters" do you want to get away from feet of snow, cold, or both? Cumberland would get away a little more from both. Altoona, PA is in a wider valley in the lee of the Allegheny Front as well, and might be more comfortable since the development is in valley areas with mountains/hills easier to avoid if desired. Thinking Roanoke, VA could be a possibility, or Carlisle PA, if you want to get more spendy then Hagerstown, Frederick, Martinsburg WV, Winchester or Charlottesville VA. Columbus OH is probably more expensive than Buffalo but perhaps less so than even Hagerstown or Frederick.
If the cold is OK but not the feet of snow, moving to the windward end of a Great Lake might do the trick. Like Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Jackson MI; Toledo or maybe some smaller cities in northern OH a little further south; Mansfield OH seems like an inexpensive locale a bit out of the real snow belt. Actually, Corning, Elmira, and Binghamton NY are sheltered by hills to north and west and have much less snow than Buffalo too.
I would think that driving around Cumberland would seem awfully jumbled up to a Buffalonian. Streets are short, intersect at crazy angles in both horizontal and vertical, etc. I-68 is constant big up and down especially going west. And if by "decent grocery store" you mean Wegmans, you won't find that in Cumberland - the two bigger Martin's locations are about like a smaller Tops.
Just wondering, if you want "4 seasons" but "shorter winters" do you want to get away from feet of snow, cold, or both? Cumberland would get away a little more from both. Altoona, PA is in a wider valley in the lee of the Allegheny Front as well, and might be more comfortable since the development is in valley areas with mountains/hills easier to avoid if desired. Thinking Roanoke, VA could be a possibility, or Carlisle PA, if you want to get more spendy then Hagerstown, Frederick, Martinsburg WV, Winchester or Charlottesville VA. Columbus OH is probably more expensive than Buffalo but perhaps less so than even Hagerstown or Frederick.
If the cold is OK but not the feet of snow, moving to the windward end of a Great Lake might do the trick. Like Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Jackson MI; Toledo or maybe some smaller cities in northern OH a little further south; Mansfield OH seems like an inexpensive locale a bit out of the real snow belt. Actually, Corning, Elmira, and Binghamton NY are sheltered by hills to north and west and have much less snow than Buffalo too.
Much, much different. Frederick on south and east have much higher home prices and overall taxes.
Somewhere you'd probably enjoy is Hagerstown's suburbs. The city itself isn't too big and crowded, but it has pretty decent amenities.
Keep in mind that with lower home prices, and maybe taxes, the State fees like the Flush Tax will still be imposed. Also, jobs become scarce west of Hagerstown with a stream of people commuting to the Metro DC area for jobs.
Western MD also does tend to be in the snow belt which includes Ohio and Western PA, not like Buffalo with Lake Effect but the western part of MD has had some very interesting winter weather this year so far.
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