Good places to live in MD (Baltimore, Columbia: real estate, apartments, how much)

[aaronk13]

Evening all,
Moving to Maryland around December and looking for good places to live. Will be working out of Ft Meade or close to the base. Have no idea where to start looking so any help will be greatly appreciated. Will be myself and my wife. Possibly daughter who is in 20's and looking at going to Medical school. couple of dogs and cats. Dont mind a drive to work. not sure what else to add will elaborate as needed.

Thanks!!

[G1..]

Need a little bit more info? Off hand I would say...


Bowie
Crofton
Odenton
Annapolis
Columbia
Davidsonville

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by G1..

Need a little bit more info? Off hand I would say...


Bowie
Crofton
Odenton
Annapolis
Columbia
Davidsonville

Now you have some possible locations you need to decide how much you can pay for housing, what type of housing (apartment, SFH, TH), and, if you have kids, how important schools are.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by aaronk13

Moving to Maryland around December and looking for good places to live.
Have no idea where to start looking ...

Whatever happened to employers and HR types providing information?
Judging by the threads on C-D it seems that everyone is regularly being thrown into the deep end.

...not sure what else to add will elaborate as needed.

Try defining what "good" means to you and some idea of budget.
Meade is surrounded by some of the more expensive real estate in the country.

[Turnerbro]

Originally Posted by G1..

Need a little bit more info? Off hand I would say...


Bowie
Crofton
Odenton
Annapolis
Columbia
Davidsonville

I'd also add Laurel, Hanover, Ellicott City and Catonsville to this.

[papichulo2]

I dont even know anymore tbh

[PylesFord]

To the original poster stating "don't mind a drive to work". You need to visit the areas of interest during AM/PM rush hours. Roads such as Md. Route 3, Route 32, Baltimore Washington Parkway, I97 and the Baltimore Beltway to name a few may effect your selection decision.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Because you will be going to Ft Meade and not one of the DC burbs that will involve traffic you have a ton of options. Those mentioned are fine, you would even move up here to beautiful Mt Airy. It's an easy 40 minute drive to Ft Meade and you can buy more house with property here.

[aaronk13]

Thanks everyone for your options. I currently live in NC and drive an hour to work so when I say I don't mind a drive that is what I mean. Living an hour away is not an issue for me if it is a nice neighborhood etc.
@DaveinMtAiry - That is sort of my thoughts on the distance. more building for the $. Is coming from that direction to roughly FT Meade big traffic in the direction I would be traveling or where i'm coming from?

@MrRational - It really does seem the deep end option is what they are going for now. You want the job then you find a way *L - I would say my budget would be no more than 2k per month. Obviously cheaper but I don't want to sacrifice cost for a ****ty neighborhood or area. As said above to @DaveinMtAiry - the 40 mins from there is not bad at all, is anything beyond there ridiculous/unrealistic travel times?

@North Beach Person- Would prefer a house. It is my self and wife. Our daughter is in her 20's and may come up with us depending on the college she wants to do her masters at - so realistically schooling is not part of the equation. Wife works from home so high speed internet is a must, but really isn't an issue anymore right. We do have 3 small dogs so thinking of the neighbors here in the thought of TH and apartments.

Again thank you to everyone who has dropped a line here for me and given us some great places to start looking.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by aaronk13

Thanks everyone for your options. I currently live in NC and drive an hour to work so when I say I don't mind a drive that is what I mean. Living an hour away is not an issue for me if it is a nice neighborhood etc.
@DaveinMtAiry - That is sort of my thoughts on the distance. more building for the $. Is coming from that direction to roughly FT Meade big traffic in the direction I would be traveling or where i'm coming from?

@MrRational - It really does seem the deep end option is what they are going for now. You want the job then you find a way *L - I would say my budget would be no more than 2k per month. Obviously cheaper but I don't want to sacrifice cost for a ****ty neighborhood or area. As said above to @DaveinMtAiry - the 40 mins from there is not bad at all, is anything beyond there ridiculous/unrealistic travel times?

@North Beach Person- Would prefer a house. It is my self and wife. Our daughter is in her 20's and may come up with us depending on the college she wants to do her masters at - so realistically schooling is not part of the equation. Wife works from home so high speed internet is a must, but really isn't an issue anymore right. We do have 3 small dogs so thinking of the neighbors here in the thought of TH and apartments.

Again thank you to everyone who has dropped a line here for me and given us some great places to start looking.

OK. Davidsonville might be it. Large houses on a couple acres, some builders call them farmettes, , as well as older more historical houses, fairly rural but close to Annapolis.

As Dave said, Carroll County might also be it.


Unfortunately your $2K/month is going to be low for many of the suggestions you've gotten, including mine. I would tell you that where I am, Calvert County, might do it but the commute to Meade would be like traveling in Mordor. Roughly an hour +/-. One of my neighbors does it now but is in the process of readjusting his work (I don't ask much about that because he has some very serious security clearances and I don't have a need to know).