Relocating/ Family Friendly Maryland (Frederick, Waldorf: home, prices, shop)

[acml]

We are a dyed-in-the-wool New England family relocating to Maryland, which seems like a foreign place to us. Can anyone recommend reasonably priced areas outside of the DC area where we can find room for a family of 5 plus a huge dog? Both of us will be working in DC, and we are a professional family with three children, so we are looking for cultural opportunities nearby and the safest environment possible. New England is full of small towns with well-developed communities just outside of Boston, so we'd like to find as similar an environment as possible. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[dhelfoioracle]

I would suggest Montgomery County and check into Prince George's County. There both have some very nice areas. I would recommend Montgomery County first.

[vanyali]

What do you mean by "reasonably priced"? And what kind of commute are you OK with? You could look at Frederick, MD if you don't mind a very long commute -- it's cute, though I don't know how "affordable" it is nowadays.

[TeamBenya]

I would highly recommend La Plata, MD. The town is very cute, they town council is particular about how things can be built (stores are brick, facades have to be reviewed and approved by the town council) and the overall atmosphere is very inviting I feel.

The other benefit is that home prices in Southern Maryland tend to be more affordable than you will find in PG or Montgomery County. If you're looking for affordability, a reasonable commuting range, and a cute community, I would suggest you take a look at La Plata, or possibly Hughesville. White Plains is also an option, although for shopping you need to go to either La Plata or Waldorf.

[dhelfoioracle]

I have to agree with Teambenya. La Plata is a good area to look also.