Ellicott City/Columbia (Waldorf, Elkridge: 2009, apartments, to rent)

[nj08]

I will be moving to Maryland in July of 2009. I need HELP!! I am from NJ so Maryland is all new to me. I am a single mom with a 7yr old son. So schools is very important to me. My income hopefully will be around $40-45,000... I am in my late 20's so I am looking for somewhere that is very diversed and not too boring. Can someone please help me.. I need to know more about these 2 cities and which would be best.. ???

[jessy0780]

I assume you're looking to rent. Both areas are generally good. With Columbia, you get into the different neighborhoods, and some are not so desirable, but there are planty of apartments.
For Ellicott City, there are less apartments and I believe most of off rte 40, and the closer you get to 695, the more downhill it gets.
If you let me know more specifically what you're looking for, I can direct you to certain areas. Also, check into Elkridge, which is a good area too.

[nj08]

Hi Jessy0780,

I am definately looking into an apartment with all the crazy economy these days. Plus I want to get to know the area before buying anything. I only know the area of Columbia by the mall and from what I saw it is really nice. Hopefully I can relocate my job which the office will be in Arlington VA.. But I want to live in MD.. And I've heard nothing but nice things about Ellicott City and Columbia.This may sound silly..But is Ellicott City really historic? People keep telling me I would like Columbia better than EC. I am 27 and like the family neighborhoods but also shopping and supermarkets near by. Columbia seems to be so expensive

[jessy0780]

The area by the mall is mostly nice, but can get extremely crowded. The entire county is pretty expensive, it's a very desirable area, with very good schools.
There is a historic area in Ellicott City, but it's a relatively small area. A lot of EC is very suburban neighborhoods, with nice homes and excellent schools- but again, very expensive. Most of the apartments in EC are going to be off Rte 40, which is not a bad place, but I have no idea what the rent is there. There is plenty of nearby supermarkets, and really, everything in EC and Columbia is close- mostly within 10-15 minutes of each other.
I do want to tell you that a commute to Arlington is going to be pretty miserable, if you drive it during rush hour.
My brothers live in a 2 bedroom apartment in Columbia, not far from the hospital. It's a very nice building with a coded entrance, and their apartment has 2 bathrooms, and the bedrooms are the same size (two masters). I believe they pay around $1500 a month. Before they moved there, they lived in an apartment closer to the mall that had 3 bedrooms, no coded entrance and was around $1300 a month. That was called the Island Club Apartments.

[grindin]

Columbia/EC is REALLY far from Arlington.

[itlchick]

I agree with everyone above. You can't go wrong with either Ellicott City or Columbia. But they are FAR from Arlington VA. Google maps says it's 1 hr and 40 min during traffic which sounds right to me.

[nj08]

So I'm guessing from everyone's response that I will not be able to relocate my job since Arlington is FAR. My friend who lives in Arlington was telling me that the housing prices are going down. Is this true? We were thinking about maybe getting a townhouse if it is going to be the same price as a 2 bedroom apartment. Do you think we can get a nice townhouse not too old for about $250 or less in EC? I definately know we can't get that price in Columbia. Someone was telling me they bought a SFH in Waldof for $180. Is this possible?
Jessy- Your brother lives in a 2 bedroom apartment for $1500 in Columbia? That doesn't sound bad. Was it nice and in a nice area? And could you possible tell me the name of the complex so I can do some research. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[cool rob]

Originally Posted by nj08

So I'm guessing from everyone's response that I will not be able to relocate my job since Arlington is FAR. My friend who lives in Arlington was telling me that the housing prices are going down. Is this true? We were thinking about maybe getting a townhouse if it is going to be the same price as a 2 bedroom apartment. Do you think we can get a nice townhouse not too old for about $250 or less in EC? I definately know we can't get that price in Columbia. Someone was telling me they bought a SFH in Waldof for $180. Is this possible?
Jessy- Your brother lives in a 2 bedroom apartment for $1500 in Columbia? That doesn't sound bad. Was it nice and in a nice area? And could you possible tell me the name of the complex so I can do some research. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

All of these areas that you are naming, EC, Columbia, Waldorf are very far away from Arlington, and all have serious awful commute. To be honest, with the way the housing market is looking, you would probably be better off buying in Prince William, or maybe Fairfax County, all not too far away from Arlington. You may luck up on a single family in Woodbridge for around 250. Good Luck!