What's the scoop on Cecil County? (Elkton, Bel Air: house, theatres, private school)

[kjbond]

Hi All -
We've been doing our research for our upcoming move and it seems that we can get much more house for our price range ($200,000-$250,000) in Cecil County as opposed to Harford County. The question I have is - are there any areas to stay away from? We have 2 small children, so schools, parks, safety, libraries, etc, are all top priorities for us. I see that Rising Sun has decent schools (from the great schools website). Can anyone tell me what other areas have good schools and are good for young families? Also, I understand it's more rural - and that's fine with us. But how rural are we talking? How close to grocery stores, walmart, target, etc? Are there indoor malls to walk around on a rainy day?
Also - if you do recommend a certain town or area - do you know what the commute is like to APG?
Oh - one more thing - what's the deal with taxes? There are extra taxes to pay? On a $200,000 house, what would the taxes be?
Thanks!!
~Janet

[dwade266]

Yes, you can get more for your money in Cecil County, but as you noted, Cecil County is COUNTRY. There are 2 Walmarts, one in Elkton (near DE state line) and one in North Easy. No Target (nearest one is in Abington, in Harford Co). The commissioners seems to puch development along Route 40, so that is pretty much where everything is (grocery stores). No mall, no movie theatres (nearest theatre is Glasgow, DE and nearest malls in Newark, DE and Bel Air, MD). All of the county libraries are new and are very nice. I grew up in Chester County, PA, next to Cecil County, in a similar rural area. I don't know much about the schools, both my kids went to private school in Delaware (when we moved here 15 years ago, there was a rash of drug activity, including deaths, which scared the S**T out of me - I think it has abated over the years. But also both my husband and I worked in PA so logistically it was tough to have them in school in Cecil County). My neighbors' kids go to Rising Sun H.S. - they love it and are doing great.
For property info...this is a great website. You can get all info on a property...select "Cecil County" and then pick "statewide land records"
Maryland Land Records and Deeds Directory

[dwade266]

for property search info
Real Property Search

[kjbond]

Thank you so much for your response! Are there any specific towns you would recommend us looking into? Is Elkton ok? What about Perryville?
Thanks again~!

[dwade266]

I am partial to Rising Sun/North East area - it is the area I know best and it is most convenient to where I need to be (either DE or PA). We are not far from I-95 so that's nice. It seems to be more rural - to me, Elkton is almost suburbia.

Perryville & North East are where you might want to consider if you are going to be working at APG. You want to be near I-95, and keep in mind that the Susquehanna River separates Cecil & Harford counties and there are only 3 bridges.

Perryville has a train station on the MARC line that runs to DC. There isn't much to Perryville.

North East is a cute little town and is a big magnet for summer boaters. I would say both North East and Perryville schools are equivalent; I would place Elkton slightly lower and Rising Sun slightly higher.

Good luck!

[kjbond]

Thank you so much for your reply! Your information has been very helpful. We are headed down Jan 10-11 to check out areas. Thanks again!