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It’s a long ride, but the trains are fast and fairly comfortable. The commute from the northeast part of Maryland is tolerable on the train. Do not under any circumstances try it by car. Just don’t.
Havre de Grace is probably the nicest town on your list. It’s small and compact with a mostly older housing stock, but it’s on the water. Bel Air is a pleasant suburban area; probably your best choice overall, all things considered. Perryville is OK but there’s not much there. Aberdeen has a few decent areas, a few rather bad areas, and mostly just meh. Stay away from Edgewood.
Great info , the marc train hrs are not flexible so this is a no go zone for me
Last edited by BostonianRebel1; 01-24-2024 at 12:43 PM..
Thanks to you guys , I think I have now a good mapping
There seems to be 2 areas of interest:
first area:This area you will get a smaller house (a bit pricy and availability for a good size without overpaying is rare ) but a nice commute to Union station
Odenton, Hanover --->Odenton MARC
Skyesville, Elderburg ---> Halethrope MARC (house are cheaper, a bit more land)
Mt Airy---> not sure
crofton & Gambrills not bad as well ---> Odenton MARC
Crownsville ---> Odenton MARC (hit or miss puckets)
Elkridge ---> Odenton MARC (taxes high , good schools to resell down the road)
2nd ara : Frederick & Burnswick
Bigger house
easy MARC ride but a bit longer
down to earth folks
please any input ? thoughts is very much appreciated
Last edited by BostonianRebel1; 01-24-2024 at 12:48 PM..
Thanks to you guys , I think I have now a good mapping
There seems to be 2 areas interest:
first area:This area you will get a smaller house (a bit pricy and availability for a good size without overpaying is scares ) but a nice commute to Union station
Odenton, Hanover --->Odenton MARC
Skyesville, Elderburg ---> Halethrope MARC (house are cheaper, a bit more land)
Mt Airy---> not sure
crofton & Gambrills not bad as well ---> Odenton MARC
Crownsville ---> Odenton MARC (hit or miss puckets)
Elkridge ---> Odenton MARC (taxes high , good schools to resell down the road)
2nd ara : Frederick & Burnswick
Bigger house
easy MARC ride but a bit longer
down to earth folks
please any input ? thoughts is very much appreciated
Well, if you enjoy outdoor recreation, Frederick County is a good choice. The Catoctin Mtns are there, the Appalachian trail runs through them, so there are lots of mountain trails and paths to hike or bike. The farmland is very scenic as well, rolling hills and small compact crossroad towns with the mountains as their backdrop. Unless you end up on the water somewhere, all of those other places you mention will not match the scenery of Frederick County.
I haven't lived in Frederick in over 15 years now, so I can't comment much on the demographics other than the county has turned from red to purple to light blue because of suburban influx from Montgomery County, MD. Historically, and in my time, there was a still a fairly stark difference between Frederick City, the exurbs of DC that were springing up, and the old guard farm areas. I am not sure if that is still there or not.
Thanks to you guys , I think I have now a good mapping
There seems to be 2 areas of interest:
first area:This area you will get a smaller house (a bit pricy and availability for a good size without overpaying is rare ) but a nice commute to Union station
Odenton, Hanover --->Odenton MARC
Skyesville, Elderburg ---> Halethrope MARC (house are cheaper, a bit more land)
Mt Airy---> not sure
crofton & Gambrills not bad as well ---> Odenton MARC
Crownsville ---> Odenton MARC (hit or miss puckets)
Elkridge ---> Odenton MARC (taxes high , good schools to resell down the road)
2nd ara : Frederick & Burnswick
Bigger house
easy MARC ride but a bit longer
down to earth folks
please any input ? thoughts is very much appreciated
So in terms of the areas listed above - I lived in Ellicott City for over 15 years (close to Eldersburg/Sykesville). And actually commuted to areas around Baltimore. Halethrope/Odenton isn't too bad as there are multiple routes. The major arteries (70, 29, 295, 32, etc.) can get jammed. But that just gets you to the station - it's another hour(?) down to Union Station.
As for living in those areas - It's nice. But fairly quiet. If you're single and looking for night life.. you're gonna have to go into Baltimore or DC/Bethesda.
Mt. Airy - about 20 minutes further west (thus, further away). Similar type of feel (rural/suburbia). Unless there is a property there that you must have - I'm not sure why you would consider this over Sykesville/Eldersburg.
Frederick - moved here about 3+ years ago. Just bought a place. Love it here. However, I absolutely hate my commute down to Rockville (and it's only once every two weeks). So much so that I actually leave my house absurdly early just to avoid the cluster F that is I-270 traffic. And be back home by lunch/early afternoon to avoid the same traffic back.
Night life - sorta. It's a day destination on the weekends as there are a lot of breweries/distilleries and restaurants here. But - it's still relatively a small town feel. This is changing as Frederick Co has been the fastest growing in MD since 2020. Not gonna be as "cosmo" as Rockville and into DC. Which can be a good thing, depending on what you're looking for. If you're the nature/outdoorsy type - great place as it's close to a lot of hiking/trails and parks (south mountain, Harpers Ferry, Cowans Gap, Catoctin Mtn., etc.). Oh - and it's about 45-60min from two ski resorts (small - but can satisfy the urge).
My personal suggestion - that 3400/month budget will get you a place in just about anywhere around DC (the closer in, the smaller it'll be, of course). Be as close to a metro/DC as you can and rent first. This will give you the opportunity to get a feel of the area and figure out what actually works for you. No crystal ball here... but it does seem like the RE market is starting to cool... so waiting may also help on that front.
And not to shoo you away - but NoVa is also an option if you work in DC.
Great info , the marc train hrs are not flexible so this is a no go zone for me
Unless your work shifts are during daytime hours on weekdays, the MARC Camden Line will not work for you. Ditto the Penn Line north of Baltimore, and the Brunswick Line (including Frederick), and the commuter buses.
However, the Penn Line between Baltimore and Washington operates seven days a week, primarily during traditional commuter hours but there is service during the day and into the evening as well as on weekends. So if you want to ride MARC, and you don't work banker's hours, you need to look at the Penn Line.
I would recommend not choosing Baltimore City to live. Yes, there are some "urban pioneers" (or whatever they're called nowadays) that live within a block or two of Penn Station. Yes, Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon (both of which are several blocks from Penn Station, so it's doable for a walk) are nice areas, at least on the surface. However, these places are surrounded by not-so-nice areas. Unless you consider "sketchy" and "edgy" to be desirable attributes, I would steer clear. As for West Baltimore, don't even think about it. Personally, I wouldn't even leave my car at the parking lot there, much less live in the area.
As mentioned before, Halethorpe does present some opportunities for you. There aren't any residential communities close to the BWI station (plus, you have to pay to park there), but if you lived in Catonsville (more about that in a moment), it's a pretty easy shot down MD 166 and I-195 to the station. Odenton definitely has potential, as there are several pretty nice areas in proximity to the station. I'm not really familiar with the stations below there, so I can't help you there.
Regarding Catonsville, it has long been a good choice as a place to live. It's a nice area that's relatively affordable and it offers convenient access to Baltimore, the airport, and the MARC train. It has long been the best choice in southwestern Baltimore County. However, it seems that proximity to Baltimore City is a double-edged sword. I've been hearing that Catonsville has been getting some of the spillover crime from the city. I don't know this for certain, but it's something to be aware of. As another poster noted, the better sections tend to be south of MD 144 and west of I-695.
Unless your work shifts are during daytime hours on weekdays, the MARC Camden Line will not work for you. Ditto the Penn Line north of Baltimore, and the Brunswick Line (including Frederick), and the commuter buses.
However, the Penn Line between Baltimore and Washington operates seven days a week, primarily during traditional commuter hours but there is service during the day and into the evening as well as on weekends. So if you want to ride MARC, and you don't work banker's hours, you need to look at the Penn Line.
I would recommend not choosing Baltimore City to live. Yes, there are some "urban pioneers" (or whatever they're called nowadays) that live within a block or two of Penn Station. Yes, Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon (both of which are several blocks from Penn Station, so it's doable for a walk) are nice areas, at least on the surface. However, these places are surrounded by not-so-nice areas. Unless you consider "sketchy" and "edgy" to be desirable attributes, I would steer clear. As for West Baltimore, don't even think about it. Personally, I wouldn't even leave my car at the parking lot there, much less live in the area.
As mentioned before, Halethorpe does present some opportunities for you. There aren't any residential communities close to the BWI station (plus, you have to pay to park there), but if you lived in Catonsville (more about that in a moment), it's a pretty easy shot down MD 166 and I-195 to the station. Odenton definitely has potential, as there are several pretty nice areas in proximity to the station. I'm not really familiar with the stations below there, so I can't help you there.
Regarding Catonsville, it has long been a good choice as a place to live. It's a nice area that's relatively affordable and it offers convenient access to Baltimore, the airport, and the MARC train. It has long been the best choice in southwestern Baltimore County. However, it seems that proximity to Baltimore City is a double-edged sword. I've been hearing that Catonsville has been getting some of the spillover crime from the city. I don't know this for certain, but it's something to be aware of. As another poster noted, the better sections tend to be south of MD 144 and west of I-695.
Thank you so much for the insight. Definitely not leaving Boston for Baltimore lol. I am BoSox fan, I have been to a few games down there . You could not pay me to live in Baltimore nor Columbia
(Columbia is so fake)
Thanks to you guys , I think I have now a good mapping
There seems to be 2 areas of interest:
first area:This area you will get a smaller house (a bit pricy and availability for a good size without overpaying is rare ) but a nice commute to Union station
Odenton, Hanover --->Odenton MARC
Skyesville, Elderburg ---> Halethrope MARC (house are cheaper, a bit more land)
Mt Airy---> not sure
crofton & Gambrills not bad as well ---> Odenton MARC
Crownsville ---> Odenton MARC (hit or miss puckets)
Elkridge ---> Odenton MARC (taxes high , good schools to resell down the road)
2nd ara : Frederick & Burnswick
Bigger house
easy MARC ride but a bit longer
down to earth folks
please any input ? thoughts is very much appreciated
For Odenton - Piney Orchard and the area on Waugh Chapel Rd (which is "Gambrills") are your typical suburbia - pretty nice overall and safe.
For Crofton - also nice...just be aware that Route 3 traffic can get pretty bad in rush hour. May also be closer to Bowie Station MARC than Odenton MARC. Alternatively you can drive west on 50 to catch Metro at New Carrollton.
For Hanover / Elkridge if the time is ok there's always Dorsey MARC (on Camden Line). Not sure why you think that area is any less bland than Columbia anyway (Plus you'll be in Columbia for 99% of your shopping lol).
For Odenton - Piney Orchard and the area on Waugh Chapel Rd (which is "Gambrills") are your typical suburbia - pretty nice overall and safe.
For Crofton - also nice...just be aware that Route 3 traffic can get pretty bad in rush hour. May also be closer to Bowie Station MARC than Odenton MARC. Alternatively you can drive west on 50 to catch Metro at New Carrollton.
For Hanover / Elkridge if the time is ok there's always Dorsey MARC (on Camden Line). Not sure why you think that area is any less bland than Columbia anyway (Plus you'll be in Columbia for 99% of your shopping lol).
thank you for the breakdown
only one correction , when it comes to shopping, my research has showed there is everything you need around Maryland live
I would not consider Mt Airy to be a rural burb, we are a town on it's own. From your list no on Brunswick. It has a lot of new development and the growth that came with it. But at it's core it's a dumpy little town full of rednecks.
When we moved to Carroll County I really thought I liked Westminster. I was up there yesterday and took the dog for a walk on Main Street. But outside of Main Street it too has a lot of dumpy low rent areas and is a long way from DC.
Of course I think Mt Airy is great, that's because everyone who lives here thinks it's great too because it is. A 40 minute drive to Gaithersburg, my commute for 16 years, gets you to a MARC station that will be closer to DC than say Brunswick. So a longer car ride but a shorter train ride.
I can't say enough good things about Frederick which is a gorgeous town against the mountains that is big enough to have most everything you need other than an airport. It has access to so much great outdoor fun including the Upper Potomac River where you can hike or bike the towpath for days and swim in the river anywhere. Free concerts in Baker Park right in town, a fantastic downtown full of bars and restaurants. For a single it would be a far better choice than family oriented Mt Airy. From there it's a beautiful 25 minute drive to Brunswick or Point of Rocks. The great thing about Frederick is you can leave the mall, go south 2 miles and you are looking at beautiful farmland backed by small mountains.
One last thing: Let's Go Red Sox!!!!!
Last edited by DaveinMtAiry; 01-25-2024 at 09:44 AM..
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