Moving to Elkridge (Baltimore, Columbia, Ellicott City: low income, for sale, real estate)

[CMags]

My husband's job is transferring us from Los Angeles to their main headquarters in Baltimore. We just found out that his territory will also require him to commute (during non-peak times) to DC and NoVa. We visited Maryland a couple of months ago and liked Howard County. Our realtor showed us homes in Columbia, Ellicott City and Elkridge in the $500-550K range. We didn't find any homes in Columbia or Ellicott City that we liked, but found a potential home in Elkridge located east of the 108. I also just found two other homes on realtor.com that seem nice, but those are located closer to Route 1.

What is the morning commute like from Elkridge to Baltimore and DC? (Once I find a job, I'll want to take a train.)

Is Elkridge a "good" area in terms of low crime, schools, mixed demographic, overall reputation? I've already researched crime stats on the Howard County site, but found that it's better to learn from those who live in the area.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[teleblazer]

Morning and evening commutes to Baltimore and DC are not very fun in this area. With that said I think you'll like the area and since you're coming from Los Angeles I think the pain will be considerably less than to say someone coming from a more rural area.

My family and I considered moving to Elkridge before we eventually ended up in Mount Airy, MD. It was a nice little area that was close enough to big cities we could go there when we wanted to and still be able to get away from the hustle and bustle when we needed to.

You'll find Elkridge has access to major routes both north and south to get to just about every major city in the surrounding areas. Howard County, Calvert County and Carroll county are all frequently the top three for places to live and send children to school in the public system.

I work in Columbia and have many friends who live in the Howard County region, they are all pleased. I think you'll be happy moving out this way.

Originally Posted by CMags

My husband's job is transferring us from Los Angeles to their main headquarters in Baltimore. We just found out that his territory will also require him to commute (during non-peak times) to DC and NoVa. We visited Maryland a couple of months ago and liked Howard County. Our realtor showed us homes in Columbia, Ellicott City and Elkridge in the $500-550K range. We didn't find any homes in Columbia or Ellicott City that we liked, but found a potential home in Elkridge located east of the 108. I also just found two other homes on realtor.com that seem nice, but those are located closer to Route 1.

What is the morning commute like from Elkridge to Baltimore and DC? (Once I find a job, I'll want to take a train.)

Is Elkridge a "good" area in terms of low crime, schools, mixed demographic, overall reputation? I've already researched crime stats on the Howard County site, but found that it's better to learn from those who live in the area.

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Froni]

As far as the commuting goes, my husband leaves every morning by 5 a.m. to miss the traffic, and he tries to leave from work before the peak time. It is a smart thing to do. When he has had to drive during peak hours he has been stuck for 3 hours at times driving from DC area to Howard County/Columbia, so the commute can be miserable if you have to drive at bad hours...with that said Howard County truly is a great place to live. We know several people that live in Elkridge and they are happy with the area. As far as crime goes I would recommend going to the Howard County Police Department website and finding the page where you can enter in a specific home address and read the recent crime logs for that particular area. If you are looking for a realtor I would also recommend going to www.yournewhomeinmaryland.com we used them when we bought our place. also you will find if you do a property search on their website you will be able to get an exact address (if I remember correctly), so that you can enter it into the crime stats on the website below. http://maps.howardcountymd.gov/PublicGIS/CrimeStatistics.asp (broken link)

you can also find access to sex offenders in the area and where they live on the HCPD website.

Overall this area is great there are many, many activities and events and places to keep you busy and entertained on the weekend as I'm sure you can imagine, being close to the nation's capital. Howard county offers great amenities as well, good health clubs and a variety of shopping choices.

good luck, hope that helped.

One thing that might take some getting used to is the difference in the cultures of the people from west to east coast.

Overall though I think the area is great.

[jsmill]

If you don't mind a short drive, Elkridge is close to the Dorsey Station (off Route 100) on the Camden Line to commute to DC (Union Station, near US Capitol). To learn more, go to the Maryland.us.gov website, and look for the MTA (Maryland Transportation Administration). As for real estate, Elkridge is a place where you can get a little more for your money but be careful and try to stay off of Rt 1 and immediate environs.

[vhg25]

I Would Not Move Here The Howard County Gov IS Moving All Low Income Housing To Area, All The Houses For Sale In THE Area ,Are People That have lived Here For Years. We Are Trying Get out. The Neighborhood Is Changing. Their Is More Crime And Graffiti Every Were. I Hate To Move, I Have Been Here For 10 Years. the Schools Are Getting Over Crowed. The count keeps building and Have Built 4 Apartment Complexes in the past 2 years within 1 Mile of my house and about 2000 Or More units are expected to be built.

[cowboy84]

my wife and I are trying to by a home in Howard County. We saw one house in Elkridge. But, I see one side of the town is rundown, and the other side of town is nice. But both nice and rundown houses are near by a pawn shop, and a auto strip shop! Is that safe to live in??? Is my car going to be strip or my house going to be missing a tv or bikes? Please help!! Thank you!

[jenthomas44]

My husband and I have lived in Elkridge for 5 years. While on Route 1 some of the town is not the best, those directly affected by crime are generally offenders themselves in some way. Because Elkridge is so conveniently located near major routes to DC and Baltimore, there are a lot of motels along Route 1 (also called Baltimore Washington Blvd). Law abiding residents are very safe. Neighborhoods and scenery are beautiful! The area is full of history and parts of places within and nearby could just as easily be imagined to exist somewhere in a European village. The cost of housing is fairer than other places in Howard County too; which is arguably among the best areas to live in the entire country.