Possibly relocating to northwestern MD (Washington, Allegany, Frederick, or Garrett county) (Baltimore: apartments, crime)

[Jules721]

Hi, my husband and I are thinking about selling our home in southern md and moving to northwestern md due to his job being about 2 hours away from where we live now. We have thought about this for awhile, but I want to find out more information about the northern areas/counties. We want a bigger home so that we can have more space and eventually have another child (we have a 14 month old right now), and we would like a little bit of land, maybe an acre or so if possible. We also want something affordable that is decent looking, in a good area, with things to do nearby (we are in our mid 20's right now). I would love to be near the mountains, but we don't want to go too too far because of my husband's job. My husband works in Baltimore and DC a lot, and sometimes in northern MD. I have been researching and Hagerstown has some really nice houses for pretty cheap, but is that a good area to raise a family in? What areas should we avoid? Which counties/towns are better to raise a family in, with good schools? Any information would help. Thanks.

[ClemsonTiger45]

commuting out to Hagerstown would be brutal, 270 is a parking lot from DC metro to Hagerstown. I would go no further than Frederick. there is a big mountain on the interstate that you go over after you pass Frederick on the way to H'town and they have some pretty horrific wrecks there in the winter time.

[Jules721]

Thanks for your input and advice. I noticed Frederick is closer to the DC/Baltimore area, but you can get more house for your money if you go further (as usual). I know we plan on going up and visiting those areas to see how it is.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Jules721

Hi, my husband and I are thinking about selling our home in southern md and moving to northwestern md due to his job being about 2 hours away from where we live now.

It sounds like the places you are looking at will just make your husband's commute longer?

[Jules721]

It could, yes. He works all over though, north of baltimore and around the cities a lot. That's why we really need to go check out everything and see how far we are willing to go, but I just want to know which areas are safe, and are good places to raise our family.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

I'd argue that the best place to raise a family is the place where your husband can actually see his family and not be on the road 4+ hours per day.

But if land and a bigger house are of the utmost importance you'll need to go pretty far out to get it. Maybe Carroll County or York County PA?

[Jules721]

Carroll county would be good, because his commute would be within 30 minutes or less of anywhere he worked. That would actually be great. We have friends in York, PA and we like it there as well. My husband works with our friend who lives there and he has no commute to work basically. We could always ask them how they like it there, etc.

[htownterp]

I think Northern Frederick County (Thurmont) or Washington County checks all of your boxes, especially with wanting to be near the mountains. I live in Hagerstown....can be hiking on the like the Appalachian Trail, C & O Canal, in 15 minutes. Skiing at Whitetail or Liberty in 30 minutes. Riding my bike on the Western MD rail trail in 25 minutes. We have good retail and dining options here. Healthcare is excellent. Schools are pretty good, aside from a few of the 'city schools'. Cost of living here is definitely cheaper than Frederick....not only housing and taxes, but things like daycare as well. Thurmont area would offer a cheaper alternative than Frederick and would be a little bit closer to Baltimore than Hagerstown. Commuting on I-70 would be a breeze. I-270 can be a pain in the butt, and the only way to avoid that would be non rush hour commuting times.

If you come across any addresses or neighborhoods I'll be glad to give you more specific feedback.

In general the south central PA and northern MD areas are beautiful and have pretty easy access to bigger towns like Frederick, York, Westminster, Hagerstown, Hanover, etc.

[Jules721]

Originally Posted by htownterp

I think Northern Frederick County (Thurmont) or Washington County checks all of your boxes, especially with wanting to be near the mountains. I live in Hagerstown....can be hiking on the like the Appalachian Trail, C & O Canal, in 15 minutes. Skiing at Whitetail or Liberty in 30 minutes. Riding my bike on the Western MD rail trail in 25 minutes. We have good retail and dining options here. Healthcare is excellent. Schools are pretty good, aside from a few of the 'city schools'. Cost of living here is definitely cheaper than Frederick....not only housing and taxes, but things like daycare as well. Thurmont area would offer a cheaper alternative than Frederick and would be a little bit closer to Baltimore than Hagerstown. Commuting on I-70 would be a breeze. I-270 can be a pain in the butt, and the only way to avoid that would be non rush hour commuting times.

If you come across any addresses or neighborhoods I'll be glad to give you more specific feedback.

In general the south central PA and northern MD areas are beautiful and have pretty easy access to bigger towns like Frederick, York, Westminster, Hagerstown, Hanover, etc.

Thank you for this info. It really helps a lot!

[SuTaihei]

I've lived in Hagerstown all my life. If you like shopping or walking around downtown, don't move here. That area is one of the worst in the city and has been a topic of heated debate for the last few years, but for some reason, nothing is getting done. If you want an acre of land, look outside city-limits. Basically everything considered the City of Hagerstown is either semi-detached houses (what I live in) or apartments. Some nice areas are south of I-70 near Downsville Pike, Pennsylvania Ave, Virginia Ave in Halfway, Potomac Ave, and Leitersburg Pike/Marsh Pike. Penn Ave actually has some of the nicest homes in the county and very close to town. There are two malls: Valley Mall, and Premium Outlets; Hagerstown has one of the highest retail space per person in the country.

Schools are good. Those areas I listed are in the school zones of North Hagerstown High School and South Hagerstown High School, which have the highest student bodies,~1200. Both have high "urban populations."

There has recently been a MAJOR INCREASE in crime recently. The police are treating it as gang activity. Many of the convenience stores have security in place at night, including the one I work at. Walking down the street, though, you'll be fine. Just practice common sense, like not having your phone out and securing your wallet. Nighttime walking is definitely risky though.

One more thing. There are bike lanes in place in many areas, but kids don't like to use them, or if they do use them, they go the wrong way. I've even had kids ride their bikes in the middle of the street into oncoming traffic and give me the bird when I yell at them. The locals are pretty unfriendly unfortunately.

Anywho, that's enough ranting. Good luck in your search!