Cecil County? (Baltimore, Aberdeen, Elkton: real estate, houses, condos)

[engineman529]

My wife and I are considering a move to NorthEast Maryland and we were wondering how Cecil county is. I have seen alot of homes for sale that are in ourn price range in Elkton. Is that area nice. Also does anyone have an idea of how long the commute would be to Wilmington DE, as that is where her office would be. Thanks for the help.

[dwade266]

Depends on where you will be in Wilmington - most people refer to most of northern Delaware as "Wilmington"...if you are near I-95 in North East, it is about 45 minutes to an hour to downtown Wilmington. There is significant construction approaching Wilmington from the south, which contributes to the time on the road.

If you will be working in central Wilmington, you will have to pay for parking, which runs around $100 per month. Add to this city wage tax.

I live in North East and gave up on the I-95 hassle and used the "Park-n-Ride" option - I drove to a commuter lot near University of Delaware and took a bus to downtown Wilmington. Less stress, less gas, lots more relaxing.

Real estate in Cecil County is a wide range of choices. I grew up in Chester County, PA where there were pretty much mostly middle and upper-middle class homes in 1/4-1/2 acre lots. Cecil County has a broad range of choices, from trailers and prefabs to McMansions; lots of hobby farms and a fair amount of real farms. Not many condos; still significantly rural. A nice livable home (not big or fancy) starts at about $200K. Real estate has gone up significantly in the last couple of years, and will continue to climb (IMHO) due to the upcoming military migration from Fort Monmouth to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

[Nichol]

I'd say away from downtown Elkton only because it drives me nuts and some places are ghetto fabulous. Check out Patriots Glen. You'd have a straight shot down Old Baltimore Pike to I-95. You have to be careful with 95 because if you get on at the North East/Rising Sun exit going north, you'll get hit with the stupid Delaware toll.

Just something to consider. It's $3 a pop.

[amanda_434]

I grew up in Cecil County. From Elkton to Wilmington is about 30 minutes. Northeast/Rising Sun is about 45 to Wilmington. I prefer Rising Sun and NorthEast over Elkton because I like the small town feel of them. Elkton is close to Newark which has the shopping and restaurants.

^ I get off the interstate and drive around Newark just to avoid that stupid toll. Its there for no reason. No bridge, no tunnel, no nothing, so I refuse to pay it.

[amanda_434]

Have you considered Chester Co. PA? My brother lives in West Grove and it is such a cute little town. Great schools, too. You just have to get used the smell of mushrooms and cow poo.

[Rennfam]

I have lived in Elkton for almost 9 years - my address is town proper not outskirts - and it offers the best of both worlds. Small town feel with easy access to big city benefits. Town of Elkton and Cecil County are very attentive to citizens' needs without big gov't bureaucracy .

I too would avoid 95 to Wilmington at all costs. You can take SEPTA train from Newark ( about 10 min drive) and have no hassel. Driving in DE is difficult, much congestion and road rage.

[marcoulter]

I moved from Los Angeles to Elkton in 1998 and it was a pleasant shocker. There's nothing like clean air, less congestion, not to mention houses being decently spaced between each other. I enjoy having the extra space that I never could have in LA. Northeast is a quaint town with decent restaurants and interesting antique shops. Have you found a home yet?

[gottogetfishing]

I've had a condo on the water in North east since 2001 and it's really a nice place and these waterfront condos are amazingly affordable. They will rise in price as BRAC moves miliatry to the area. So, if you're buying and have an interest in something like a condo, you may want to consider them. Elkton has about 30,000 population while North East has about 3500 so this tells you a lot. North East has a very sweet down town and is a destination location for boaters. I use Newark for almost all of my shopping since its tax free, and frequent Wilmington too. Pretty easy to readh, but the claims about RT95 are all true and if you commute and worry about the costs, that toll is a killer.

[gdog1985]

Originally Posted by marcoulter

I moved from Los Angeles to Elkton in 1998 and it was a pleasant shocker. There's nothing like clean air, less congestion, not to mention houses being decently spaced between each other. I enjoy having the extra space that I never could have in LA. Northeast is a quaint town with decent restaurants and interesting antique shops. Have you found a home yet?

Amen to that! I HATE seeing house upon house built on top of each other. Cecil County is lovely if you're wanting some room to move around and can afford it.