Relocating from upstate NY to Maryland with husband and children (Columbia: renting, how much)

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by MDK1316

The only drawback to that is I will have to move my 5 year old to a new school...

No plan is 100%.

The alternative is to buy somewhere and after X months in place learn that it just isn't right
and of course the very practical matters of the new job and all those considerations.

I'll reiterate that don't believe ANYONE should buy anywhere without the sort of real first hand knowledge
that can only come from direct and repeated personal experience of the areas. Rent first. Take the time.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by MDK1316

Thank you North’s beach person - this is all very good information ! That’s interesting and good to know regarding how the taxes work as sometimes that can get a bit confusing coming from out of state.
We originally explored western Howard county and the Frederick area, and while Frederick was nice and seemed to be more reasonable regarding cost, we felt it was very far from things such as (airport, ocean etc).
We will continue our research and continue to ask for advice/ guidance from those that know the state!

Anyways, thank you again for the feedback all is helpful

You've mentioned the airport quite a bit. How often, really, will you need to go there?

Same with the distance to the ocean. Even if you go once a month an additional half hour or hour drive won't mean much in the grand scheme. It's going to be a 3 hour+/- one way trip in any event.

[bus man]

It does seem to me that since Howard County offers much of what you're looking for (other than proximity to the water), you should start your search there. Only you can decide if it's too built-up for your tastes, but you'll be surprised at how much greenery and open space there is here.

Lots of helpful information on the Howard County Public Schools web site:

https://www.hcpss.org/schools/#direct

To look up information on specific schools, scroll down on the linked page, then click on "View School Details" on any particular school, then click on "School Profile." While Howard County is generally regarded as among the best school districts in the state, some schools are better than others. I'll get flamed for this, but one indicator of school quality is the percentage of kids on free or reduced lunch. The lower the number, the better. This information is included on each School Profile.

If you decide to do Anne Arundel County instead, look for someplace near either Route 100 or Route 32. These are both expressways and thus the fastest and easiest way to get to Columbia. The main traffic flow on these roads tends to be heading towards Anne Arundel in the morning and away in the afternoon, so at least your husband would be traveling against the main current.

[bus man]

Originally Posted by MDK1316

I am new to this website and not sure how to directly reply to each person do I am doing my best! “North Beach Person” - yes that is a good point I understand what you’re saying about fighting the traffic. When I went for a visit my husband and I stayed near Fulton area I believe where maple lawn is - it seems like a nice area. Although I am not sure what exactly is affordable in a good school in Howard county considering our budget. It seems most of Maryland is pretty congested so that’s why we thought maybe somewhere near Crownsville would be less?
I know out near freeerick area is less congested but we aren’t very fond of how far it feels .
Anyways sorry for the ramble ! And thanks for the feedback!

Maple Lawn is very nice, but sooooooo expensive!! If your budget is $600k, you might as well forget it. But there are plenty of other nice places in Howard County that are quite a bit more reasonable in price.

Crownsville seems pretty nice (from what little I know about it), but you might be stretching the 35-minute commute for your husband. On the plus side, it's closer to Annapolis. I actually like Frederick quite a bit, but your husband might not like the 45-plus minute commute he'd be facing every day.

Honestly, if you can swing $600k, you should be able to find a decent house in a good neighborhood even in Howard County. And if you live in Columbia (or Ellicott City or other adjacent areas), you'll appreciate your husband's shorter commute and more time spent at home with you and your kids.

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by bus man

If you decide to do Anne Arundel County instead, look for someplace near either Route 100 or Route 32. These are both expressways and thus the fastest and easiest way to get to Columbia. The main traffic flow on these roads tends to be heading towards Anne Arundel in the morning and away in the afternoon, so at least your husband would be traveling against the main current.

Having done that commute for the last three years and for a longer time 15 years ago, I would tend to disagree. The traffic on 100 is heavy west bound in the morning and heavy east bound in the afternoon noon rush hour. It is easy enough to see that on Google maps with traffic turned on. The OP can see that from anywhere in the country.

[bus man]

Originally Posted by Cruzincat

Having done that commute for the last three years and for a longer time 15 years ago, I would tend to disagree. The traffic on 100 is heavy west bound in the morning and heavy east bound in the afternoon noon rush hour. It is easy enough to see that on Google maps with traffic turned on. The OP can see that from anywhere in the country.

Agreed, neither of these highways are exactly free flowing. But from the (admittedly few) times that I've used them during rush hours, it did seem like the eastbound side was busier than the westbound side in the morning, and reverse in the afternoon. I didn't mean to imply that the OP's husband could just zip along without a care in the world. But I do believe that those two routes would be his best bet, if they choose to live in Anne Arundel County and he works in Columbia.

[MidValleyDad]

If schools are your main concern look in Howard County. It is consistently one of the highest rated systems in the state.

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by bus man

Agreed, neither of these highways are exactly free flowing. But from the (admittedly few) times that I've used them during rush hours, it did seem like the eastbound side was busier than the westbound side in the morning, and reverse in the afternoon. I didn't mean to imply that the OP's husband could just zip along without a care in the world. But I do believe that those two routes would be his best bet, if they choose to live in Anne Arundel County and he works in Columbia.

It might be that you hadn’t been on Rt 100 at the intersection of I97 thru I 295 during rush hours. That is where the delays are usually found. The intersection at I 95 is pretty much nothing in comparison.

[LesLucid]

Originally Posted by MDK1316

Thank you North’s beach person - this is all very good information ! That’s interesting and good to know regarding how the taxes work as sometimes that can get a bit confusing coming from out of state.
We originally explored western Howard county and the Frederick area, and while Frederick was nice and seemed to be more reasonable regarding cost, we felt it was very far from things such as (airport, ocean etc).
We will continue our research and continue to ask for advice/ guidance from those that know the state!

Anyways, thank you again for the feedback all is helpful

Two comments to consider, if you like everything else you see about Frederick. We live in a lake front community (200 acre private lake). It has two beaches and my wife would take her grandkids there a lot. She remarked a number of times how wonderful it was and how fortunate we were to have something like that right in the neighborhood. The other thing is that I flew a fair amount and never thought about the trip to BWI as inconvenient, especially compared to the amount of time needed to just be at the airport prior to departure. I prefer to have large airports at a distance. BWI, BTW, is a much nicer airport than either National or Dulles, IMO.

[LowonLuck]

I would look in Baltimore County. What you describe as low crime and less congestion is in the more rural areas. But then you are driving. I have a 20 minute drive to the nearest grocery store, but zero crime. And my house is super quiet. You can’t really have it both ways in Maryland.