Young Professional Moving to Beltsville...where to live? (Baltimore, Columbia: apartment, neighborhood)

[emilyrzs89]

I recently got the word that I will be relocating to Beltsville, Md for my job. From my understanding, Beltsville is a small town with not a lot to offer young professionals. I am a 24 year old single girl who enjoys social scenese and out door activities. Walkability and ease of transportation is important to me. I'd like to stay under/around $1500 for a 1bd apartment and keep my commute to Beltsville under 40 minutes.

I've heard Silver Springs is a good place to live. Are there any specific apartment buildings in the area I should look at? Or are there other surrounding cities to consider?

Thank you!

[bowian]

Laurel may be better overall; not sure about the social scene there, however. I wouldn't want to commute from Silver Spring to Beltsville, unless I could take an alternative route, such as Rt 198 to Rt 197. I hate Beltway driving myself.

Hyattsville likely has more for younger people, socially, since it's close to College Park. It may be your best bet. But choose carefully, because some parts are better than others.

[NJ2MDdude]

You can probably drive from Federal Hill in Baltimore to Beltsville in about 40 minutes. It's about a 30 mile drive. Federal Hill is in south Baltimore near both I-95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. And many young 20-something professionals live there. If your job is near Route 1 and Muirkirk Road, public transportation is available. The Marc Camden line train starts in Baltimore at Camden Station, which is within walking distance of Federal Hill, and stops at Route 1 and Muirkirk Road.

[dkf747]

Silver Spring (no "s") isn't all that far from Beltsville, and you can get there without using the Beltway, but I see no reason to worry about the Beltway for such a short trip on it. I think Silver Spring sounds like the place you want except that it might cost you more than you're willing to spend.

[emilyrzs89]

Thanks for the replies! They've been very helpful in my search. My job will be on Old Baltimore, about a 1.5miles from the Muirkirk stop.

[NJ2MDdude]

Alternatively, you could move to DC and commute by car to Beltsville. You'd be driving against the flow of the traffic, both in the morning and in the evening. The neighborhood I recommend is Shaw. It has young professionals and nightlife, just like Federal Hill. And Route 1, called Rhode island Ave in DC, runs through it. It also is about a 30 minute drive but the mileage would be cut in half.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by emilyrzs89

Thanks for the replies! They've been very helpful in my search. My job will be on Old Baltimore, about a 1.5miles from the Muirkirk stop.

That puts you closer to Laurel than most of Beltsville. Silver Spring can still work, but something in Columbia or Laurel might be good too.

[bufflove]

$1500 will be plenty for a 1br in a Class B (older, but renovated) building right in downtown Silver Spring (zip 20910).

[AeroGuyDC]

Originally Posted by emilyrzs89

Thanks for the replies! They've been very helpful in my search. My job will be on Old Baltimore, about a 1.5miles from the Muirkirk stop.

If you didn't require a social scene and walkability, Laurel is probably one of your best options to get to your job with relative ease and also find a place within your budget. How often do you like to "go out on the town?" Nightly? Weekend? Once a month? Other than Silver Spring, there's just not that much in the way of a 'social scene' near Beltsville. That's not to say you can't find a good bar or two to frequent, but you're not going to find an entertainment district of any kind really in the vicinity of your job.

Laurel is north of Beltsville on Route 1. College Park is south of Beltsville on Route 1, which is another option and does have a bit of a social scene and some "walkability" associated with the amenities near the University of Maryland. Maybe take a look at College Park as well.