Calvert County vs. Carroll County (Dundalk, Frederick: house, employment, schools)

[tgs_bg]

I would like to hear everyone's opinion on the two and how they compare and contrast in regards to:

• Raising a family
• Schools
• Activities/Things to do IN county (not the proximity to out of county activities).
• Affordability/Taxes/Convenience
• Any personal experiences you guys have

To narrow it down, in Carroll I'm focusing on locations to include Eldersburg and everything south of it (etc: Sykesville, Woodbine, Mount Airy), and in Calvert I'm focusing on locations to include Prince Frederick and everything north of it (etc: Huntingtown, Sunderland, Owings, Dundalk).

If money nor employment wasn't an issue, which county would you choose?

[North Beach Person]

I obviously live in Calvert.

School systems are likely roughly equal, I think both are considered top 5 in the state, I know Calvert is usually third behind Montgomery and Howard.

Carroll's tax rate is higher at 1.018/100 compared to Calvert's 0.892/100.

What activities are you interested in doing? Calvert is surrounded by water on 3 sides so there are numerous opportunities there.

Both Counties have suffered/benefitted from suburbanization. Much of Calvert employment is geared to DC and secondarily NAS PAX. Over 60% of Calvert workers commute outside the County for their jobs.

The base culture of Carroll would be agricultural as is Calvert's, but overlay waterman subculture there.

Both are still fairly rural so you do have to engage in some planning for shopping and entertainment. If you're used to just popping out for 5 minutes for a loaf of bread Calvert really isn't the place for that.

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I obviously live in Calvert.

School systems are likely roughly equal, I think both are considered top 5 in the state, I know Calvert is usually third behind Montgomery and Howard.

Carroll's tax rate is higher at 1.018/100 compared to Calvert's 0.892/100.

What activities are you interested in doing? Calvert is surrounded by water on 3 sides so there are numerous opportunities there.

Both Counties have suffered/benefitted from suburbanization. Much of Calvert employment is geared to DC and secondarily NAS PAX. Over 60% of Calvert workers commute outside the County for their jobs.

The base culture of Carroll would be agricultural as is Calvert's, but overlay waterman subculture there.

Both are still fairly rural so you do have to engage in some planning for shopping and entertainment. If you're used to just popping out for 5 minutes for a loaf of bread Calvert really isn't the place for that.

Not referring to any specific activities, just having the ability to get out of the house and do something for the day. Was wondering what the residents in each county do to occupy their free time (if there was something specific that each county is known for). I know both are on the rural side (which is a plus for me), so I know that activities and shopping/entertainment are limited and might require travel. I'm ok with that.

I have the opportunity to move to either county with a max budget of $450k so I am just weighing the pro's and con's.

[North Beach Person]

Many of the activities in Calvert are aimed at tourism (museums, charter fishing, beaches, etc.). I go goose hunting in my spare time in the fall and winter.