How's Hagerstown? (Baltimore, Frederick, Williamsport: real estate, rental market, houses)

[mihink]

My wife and I are planning to move to Hagerstown in the next 4-6 months. My job has me placed in Chambersburg, PA, but I am willing to commute to live in a bigger (?better) city. I am a minority of Asian descent, how are people in Hagerstown accepting to outsiders? Is the commute reasonable on I-81 as well as the 'Dual Highway'? Are the taxes (income, real estate, county, state) really that different between PA and MD? Lots of questions...this forum is great, hope someone out there can help me out. Thanks.

[chipmunk226]

Originally Posted by mihink

My wife and I are planning to move to Hagerstown in the next 4-6 months. My job has me placed in Chambersburg, PA, but I am willing to commute to live in a bigger (?better) city. I am a minority of Asian descent, how are people in Hagerstown accepting to outsiders? Is the commute reasonable on I-81 as well as the 'Dual Highway'? Are the taxes (income, real estate, county, state) really that different between PA and MD? Lots of questions...this forum is great, hope someone out there can help me out. Thanks.

Where are you moving from? Because Hagerstown is far from a 'big' city

I moved here from Philadelphia about 5 years ago, and love it for it's small city feel and the fact that there is more green and land out here.

Some have complained of being victims racism living here, but I haven't. I am of mixed racial background and never have had a problem.

Don't know much about taxes, sorry, but you will get more house and land for your money if you live in PA [Greencastle, Waynesboro, Chambersburg]. If you live in Greencastle you would still be able to take advantage of the shopping Hagerstown has to offer.


HTH!

[cutgarden]

Mihink, if it was me, I'd visit Chambersburg several times, eat at local restaurants, etc., to get a feel for the citizens there. I guess I'm just naive, but I don't think you'd have any problems making friends in Pa., and God knows the cost of living is better. Plus, no commute!

[bananajs]

Nice Historic Civil War town. A little too redneck for me but still nice and affordable. Lot's of mixed couples.

[chipmunk226]

Originally Posted by bananajs

Nice Historic Civil War town. A little too redneck for me but still nice and affordable. Lot's of mixed couples.

people say that its redneck... but I don't see it. I am from a big city and don't see how it's redneck, please elaborate...

[PaganMustangGT]

Originally Posted by mihink

My wife and I are planning to move to Hagerstown in the next 4-6 months. My job has me placed in Chambersburg, PA, but I am willing to commute to live in a bigger (?better) city. I am a minority of Asian descent, how are people in Hagerstown accepting to outsiders? Is the commute reasonable on I-81 as well as the 'Dual Highway'? Are the taxes (income, real estate, county, state) really that different between PA and MD? Lots of questions...this forum is great, hope someone out there can help me out. Thanks.

If you are looking to move to a better city Hagerstown isn't it. I have lived here for 30 years and never liked it. Yes the country side is nice and there are plenty of places to go shopping but it's expenssive to live here. Most of the people here have attitude problems. The only nice thing I can say about this town is that it is Diverse and accepting of everyone.

Pa is a cheaper place to live. You can buy more house for less money in Pa. Hagerstown is so expensive because you have people from DC and Baltimore moving up here and farmers are selling their farms to make way for huge expensive houses.

[PaganMustangGT]

Originally Posted by bananajs

Nice Historic Civil War town. A little too redneck for me but still nice and affordable. Lot's of mixed couples.

Alot of rednecks yes but alot of punk kids with their ricers too.

[opequon]

Originally Posted by chipmunk226

people say that its redneck... but I don't see it. I am from a big city and don't see how it's redneck, please elaborate...

Depending upon the definition of redneck, of course; the deer hunt this week may be redneck to some, but it's just normal to many folks. Pls recommend that people visit their local deer checking station if they are concerned about lifestyle. Hagerstown and Chambersburg are both great areas and offer much better day to day life than the DC or Baltimore suburbs because the cost of living is more reasonable. There are lots of nice homes in towns like Williamsport, and the rental market always has lots available

[mustangn]

Not sure if you are still reading comments. I moved to Hagerstown 2 years ago, from Frederick MD. I'm originally from Dallas, TX and lived in New York City 3 years prior to moving to MD. My husband is from Frederick MD, which is closer to DC and Baltimore. Hagerstown is pleasant enough. It is growing and starting to expand in terms of restaurants, etc. However, if I had to pick and you don't mind a commute, I'd say look at Frederick. It's a great city with a lot more in terms of livable amenities. It is also between two major metro areas, which is appealing. Hagerstown has a long way to go to catch up to Frederick. However, like many others, we moved for the more affordable housing. I love my development and our house, but I'm still adapting to living here. We don't have children yet, so I assume if you do, you probably will meet many more people than we have. I'd recommend visiting many cities around the area to get a feel for what you like before making a decision. In terms of PA, I can't comment on those areas. To me, that is simply to far from a major metro area to consider. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help.