Family Possibly Relocating To DC Area

[jessy0780]

I'd go with Ellicott City- you can easily take the train into DC, and it's very close to EC, especially the 21043 zip. Schools are great, shopping is good, and Patapsco Valley state park has many areas throughout Howard County- great opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming and exploring.

[SwiftCreek]

Originally Posted by jessy0780

I'd go with Ellicott City- you can easily take the train into DC, and it's very close to EC, especially the 21043 zip. Schools are great, shopping is good, and Patapsco Valley state park has many areas throughout Howard County- great opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming and exploring.

Jessy0780, thanks for the update. One of the people I would be working for lives in Fulton and he suggested Elliott City as well as Columbia and Fulton. We'll add it to our list.

[silverspringer]

Columbia makes some sense because while it's a long commute to DC, it's pretty reasonable to Baltimore and there are some bus options to DC (I believe). I don't know Howard County that well but think it might be a good choice. Annapolis and the surrounding areas are attractive and have a lot of recreational amenties, but I will tell you: the commute to DC is BAD imo and the commute to Baltimore is also bad. In summer you have all the traffic to the Eastern Shore to contend with.

Leesburg is quaint and cute and surrounded by insane sprawl. I do think NOVA is worth a look for you. Don't rule it out just because of your friend's comment.

[trying2moveup]

Columbia (howard county) would be great for you as it meets the needs of you and your wife; Clarksville, which is right outside columbia to the west is nice (not sure about eh 600K budget for that area though, it is kind of pricey). There is a new planned community right below Columbia called Maple Lawn and you may be able to get something there for that price (a very large brownstone type TH at the very least). Mont County - Rockville, bethesda, north potomac, Silver Spring (woodside), ashton, olney. both Howard and Montgomery county schools have good reputations.

I lived in the city of Frederick for 8 years and loved it. It is great for families, and with your price point you could by right in the city need Hood College and walk to the main street. Lots of history. Good schools. The county of Frederick is lovely and the geography is great. Lots of military history (gettysburg right up the road 1/2 hour, antetim battlefield, etc). the only thing that sucks is what others have mentioned, it's about 50 miles to the Capital beltway (circles metro DC area). and about 50 miles from Frederick east to Columbia area/baltimore. But personally I'd do that over No Va any day.

also, someone mentioned declining property values they are right make sure you have a good realtor working for you. I can recommend ours if you are interested - PM me. she lives in Frederick but is licensed in MD, FL, and PA. She is wonderful.

[Marilyn Emery]

If you will be going downtown and your wife to Baltimore you might want to look at Kensington or Silver Spring. You can use mass transit to get downtown and it is a reverse commute to Baltimore. I live in Kensington and my husband use to work in Baltimore. His commute was about 40 minutes. There are areas near Rock Creek or Sligo Parks that would give you easy access to biking and hiking. There are many places for organized activities like gymnastics. In your price range you can get a nice home in an area with good schools. If you want more information feel free to send me an e-mail.