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What areas are safe, affordable with good schools?
After searching Realtor.com I see there appears to be decent townhomes from the 200's and lower. What neighborhoods would be decent to live in with a family-not crime ridden in this price range?
What areas are safe, affordable with good schools?
After searching Realtor.com I see there appears to be decent townhomes from the 200's and lower. What neighborhoods would be decent to live in with a family-not crime ridden in this price range?
There are too many good areas in both counties to list. However, if you see any townhouse listed under $200K, you should be very skeptical. Look at the school ratings given on Realtor.com. Then pull up the crime reports on a website like spotcrime.
I would be very, very surprised to find a house in that price range in either county that has decent schools and lower crime. Give us some examples so people can comment.
I'll give you one example that might be decent, as I haven't looked up the police report. However it has very good schools. It is the 9700 block of Amgergate Court in Gaithersburg, listed at $215K. Howver, there are many others in that price range which I would not recommend at all, for example, anything in the Greencastle Elementary School district. There are just too many neighborhoods to generalize.
Last edited by goldenage1; 01-22-2015 at 08:06 PM..
You could probably afford in the Hammond (Savage, Laurel (Howard County), Columbia) or Long Reach (Columbia, Elkridge) High School districts in Howard County, both of which are rated above average on greatschools. Which area do you work in? There may be other counties in the area with good schools and homes within your price range I can suggest. Maryland is really expensive to begin with, and the two counties you're looking at are some of the most expensive in the state, especially in their top school clusters. Also, this video is very helpful when looking at schools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhRHnXZGG3M
I watched it recently, and as a teacher, I can assure you everything in that video is true. No one school is best for every child.
We are looking at areas before jobs. A friend all the way from elementary who is now an attorney in Lanham, MD told me that wherever we get jobs at, our home needs to be as close to it as possible due to the high traffic volume in the area. So, we are going about it by finding places that we could afford on our income now and then doing a job search based on that location.
I have found jobs in DC and Maryland that would surely work for each of us, however, places like Reston VA, Loudoun County are out of the question I believe. I see that possibly Stafford and Fredericksburg could work but what about the commute or any jobs there. I thought about looking outside of DC for jobs as well, such as in Columbia or Rockville or even Quantico.
As far as children, you are right about that. My kids are in a Charter School in NC right now and it gives me a head ache to think about switching because they are doing well in school they are at. This is why we have not moved as of yet. I have one each in high school, middle school and elementary. They do have different needs. One has ADHD-needing extra time to focus on tests and the other 2 are in AIG-Academically and Intellectually Gifted courses.
I have always been interested in moving to either the NoVa area or just above it to these areas in Howard and Montgomery Counties. I have heard good things online about Columbia and some not so good on different forums. We have drove through on a Sunday last year and didn't have a lot of time to do anything there. We had just visited the Fairfax area for a week. We rode through where the amphitheater and the mall. It was all pretty quiet that day.
I will try to pick some of the listings and see what the opinion of the areas may be. I do know that my husband's cousin is a doctor and his wife an anesthesiologist, and they just moved back to Richmond from Rockville because they thought they could get so much more for their money. Those stories aren't encouraging as far as us moving to the area at some point because they make great money and still moved out....
Well, hmmmm. In that case, I would suggest looking in other nearby counties, too. Anne Arundel County has some nice affordable areas with decent schools. With your budget, you could definitely afford in the Chesapeake High School district in Pasadena, and it is above average. The area is also near the water and small beaches, so that's fun. Even Northeast High School (also in Pasadena) is within your budget and a nice place to live in terms of schools, and it's also near the water. Is your middle schooler interested in joining any magnet programs in high school? If so, then I wouldn't suggest moving to Howard County, because the last time I checked, they don't have any, and kids have to go to school within their attendance boundary. Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County would be better for you if you want magnet programs. As far as special needs, all the mainstream public schools provide pretty much the same things to their disabled students. In most schools, they will give a student with special needs an IEP/504 plan, which is really helpful. Some disabled students (depending on the severity of their disability) may need to be in the Functional Life Skills program, but as your child only has ADHD, they might only need an IEP/504 plan. You can also request for them to be in co taught classes.
As far as affordability, it all depends on where you live and the person. Maybe your cousin wanted a larger house and didn't want to spend as much, there's nothing to be scared of, you'll be fine . There are many affordable areas
Well, hmmmm. In that case, I would suggest looking in other nearby counties, too. Anne Arundel County has some nice affordable areas with decent schools. With your budget, you could definitely afford in the Chesapeake High School district in Pasadena, and it is above average. The area is also near the water and small beaches, so that's fun. Even Northeast High School (also in Pasadena) is within your budget and a nice place to live in terms of schools, and it's also near the water. Is your middle schooler interested in joining any magnet programs in high school? If so, then I wouldn't suggest moving to Howard County, because the last time I checked, they don't have any, and kids have to go to school within their attendance boundary. Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County would be better for you if you want magnet programs. As far as special needs, all the mainstream public schools provide pretty much the same things to their disabled students. In most schools, they will give a student with special needs an IEP/504 plan, which is really helpful. Some disabled students (depending on the severity of their disability) may need to be in the Functional Life Skills program, but as your child only has ADHD, they might only need an IEP/504 plan. You can also request for them to be in co taught classes.
As far as affordability, it all depends on where you live and the person. Maybe your cousin wanted a larger house and didn't want to spend as much, there's nothing to be scared of, you'll be fine . There are many affordable areas
I really appreciate the encouragement. I am about to look into Anne Arundel County. The funny thing about that is, I found out last summer via Ancestry.com that one of my 9th great grandmother's family settled in Anne Arundel county upon arriving to the colonies. They were supposedly sent by King James to help settle parts of the new colonies, however she lived in Anne Arundel County first. Her name was Anne Lovelace and her brother was Sir Richard Lovelace who was the first governor of Long Island. I have been curious about this area for some time anyway .
All of this information is super helpful!!! My high school son does have an IEP/504 plan. I have never heard of co taught classes. Functional Life Skills would probably help him depending on what they offer. My middle school and elementary school kids have always been a little advanced, so if that is what the magnet programs are for then I surely want them to be involved with those programs. Here, they just get pulled out for "specials" with an AIG group in place of some of the other classes.
What area would you say that most living in Anne Arundel County work in?
We are looking at areas before jobs. A friend all the way from elementary who is now an attorney in Lanham, MD told me that wherever we get jobs at, our home needs to be as close to it as possible due to the high traffic volume in the area. So, we are going about it by finding places that we could afford on our income now and then doing a job search based on that location.
I have found jobs in DC and Maryland that would surely work for each of us, however, places like Reston VA, Loudoun County are out of the question I believe. I see that possibly Stafford and Fredericksburg could work but what about the commute or any jobs there. I thought about looking outside of DC for jobs as well, such as in Columbia or Rockville or even Quantico.
As far as children, you are right about that. My kids are in a Charter School in NC right now and it gives me a head ache to think about switching because they are doing well in school they are at. This is why we have not moved as of yet. I have one each in high school, middle school and elementary. They do have different needs. One has ADHD-needing extra time to focus on tests and the other 2 are in AIG-Academically and Intellectually Gifted courses.
I have always been interested in moving to either the NoVa area or just above it to these areas in Howard and Montgomery Counties. I have heard good things online about Columbia and some not so good on different forums. We have drove through on a Sunday last year and didn't have a lot of time to do anything there. We had just visited the Fairfax area for a week. We rode through where the amphitheater and the mall. It was all pretty quiet that day.
I will try to pick some of the listings and see what the opinion of the areas may be. I do know that my husband's cousin is a doctor and his wife an anesthesiologist, and they just moved back to Richmond from Rockville because they thought they could get so much more for their money. Those stories aren't encouraging as far as us moving to the area at some point because they make great money and still moved out....
Umm, an anesthesiologist IS a doctor. If his wife is not also a doctor, perhaps she is an anesthetist, which is a nurse.
You have a really interesting ancestry! It would be funny if you did end up in Anne Arundel County, too. Also, your son may not need to be in Functional Life Skills. The Functional Life Skills program is basically where kids with severe disabilities such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc. take their main classes for most of the day. They stay in the same classes for most of the day. However, they have elective classes with the general education students. In most cases, students in the Functional Life Skills program do not graduate high school till they're 21 to help them better prepare for college or whatever they want to do after high school. Though, some FSL students graduate on time. At the high school I work at (also in Anne Arundel County), we have a FSL class of about 20 students, and I think that's how large the classes are at most schools in the county. I do know that every high school in the county has students enrolled in the program though. The high school your son transfers to you will ask for any IEP/504 plan documents when you enroll him (they will probably included in the withdrawal package his current school will make for him), and they will work with him from there. Co-taught classes are a very helpful option. Basically, you have the regular instructor, and you have a teacher's aid/assistant who also works with the students to make sure they have the individualized attention they need. It is a part of the general education curriculum. That could be very helpful for your son. All the county schools have it, and I'm sure most of the state's schools do, too.
You have a really interesting ancestry! It would be funny if you did end up in Anne Arundel County, too. Also, your son may not need to be in Functional Life Skills. The Functional Life Skills program is basically where kids with severe disabilities such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, etc. take their main classes for most of the day. They stay in the same classes for most of the day. However, they have elective classes with the general education students. In most cases, students in the Functional Life Skills program do not graduate high school till they're 21 to help them better prepare for college or whatever they want to do after high school. Though, some FSL students graduate on time. At the high school I work at (also in Anne Arundel County), we have a FSL class of about 20 students, and I think that's how large the classes are at most schools in the county. I do know that every high school in the county has students enrolled in the program though. The high school your son transfers to you will ask for any IEP/504 plan documents when you enroll him (they will probably included in the withdrawal package his current school will make for him), and they will work with him from there. Co-taught classes are a very helpful option. Basically, you have the regular instructor, and you have a teacher's aid/assistant who also works with the students to make sure they have the individualized attention they need. It is a part of the general education curriculum. That could be very helpful for your son. All the county schools have it, and I'm sure most of the state's schools do, too.
This is something that would be nice for him. He is making A's and B's now but extra support would still be great. Is there an email system in any of the schools there on a regular basis to let parents know if the students miss an assignment or have a test coming up? We get email reminders on everything coming up as of now that all of the students get copied on as well. I know everything will not be the same in all school systems, just trying to get the best idea of how things work up there.
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. There are many affordable areas
