Moving To Maryland From Va (Baltimore, Columbia: apartment complexes, to rent, crime)

[anu123]

We are planning to move to MD, as I want to go to school in University of Maryland, college park. My husband works in DC and we have 2 young kids, so safety and schools are top priority. We want to live close to College Park, and we are considering both Montgomery and Howard counties. We are considering Havover, Laurel, Rockville, Columbia, Elkridge and Ellicott city for now. We are also looking to buy a home between 500-525K. Any suggestions from you guys is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Anu.

[Mike from back east]

Anu. Commuting is as bad in MD as in VA, I know, I lived in Fairfax for 30 years.

Try for Howard County and find a town near a MARC line. The train has a stop in College Park, a very civilized way to travel. HowCO has great schools, as does Montgomery Co. HowCo may be more affordable...Columbia, parts of Elkridge, Ellicott City. Not sure how good Baltimore County schools are, if you check them out and find they are okay, look at Arbutus, Halethorpe or Relay, MD (zip code 21227) as they are near MARC stops and even more affordable. I lived in and went to school in Relay in the 1960 era, still a sleepy little wooded area and walking distance to MARC's St Denis station......not sure where you are in VA but if you're in NoVa, it's worth the drive to check out a few places up there and my suggestion is to work with a realtor, I'm not one, but they don't cost you a thing and they help you a lot....

Use the Search this Forum tool with keywords of Howard schools MARC and the names of various towns to find the wealth of info already here, as people don't like to keep keying responses to the same old set of questions about schools and commuting.

s/Mike

[anu123]

Thanks a bunch Mike. Will definitely need a train station as hubby plans to use public transportation. I will look up the keywords you suggested.

Anu.

[Gabrielle]

I used to live in Ellicott City and would definitely recommend it. The schools are great, it's close to everything without the crime frequently associated with access. I also used to work in DC and would take the MARC train from the Dorsey Station (on Rt. 100) as it was about 5 minutes from my house. Would definitely recommend Ellicott City. Columbia has some nice parts, but it's also higher crime in some areas.

[mufaro]

I am emigrating from abroad to work as a nurse at the University of Maryland medical centre. We have 2 kids aged 4 and 2. We would like ur help in relocating to an area with good schools either in Columbia or Elkridge. What is the distance between them and to the hospital. Would kindly appreciate your replies. We are also looking to rent first then buy later any good areas to rent for a 2/3 bed apartment or house for less than $1400 a month in either areas.

[Zippy7fo]

You can't go wrong with any part of Columbia. Its all nice just depends on your fancy. Go to Columbia Rd and you'll see some beautiful Apartment complexes lined across from golf course, park, and next to all the major arteries that will get you on the freeway very quickly....