Moving to MD- Rockville or Ellicott City? (Baltimore, Columbia: new home, established neighborhood)

[moving2MD]

Our family will be moving from NY to Maryland this summer and have narrowed down the search to Rockville or Ellicott City. We have some family in Virginia as well as the Baltimore area, which is one of the reasons we are making the move. Schools are important (we have two young daughters, neither in school yet), but it seems both areas have very good public schools overall.

Can anyone compare/contrast these two areas for me? I will be working from home and my wife will be leaving the workforce to raise our family, so we aren't too concerned about commuting for now. It's still obviously a consideration for the future and re-sale value, but not so much right now. We are looking for a nice, family friendly area that is a little quieter than our current life. We like there to be a diverse array of activities- street fairs, farmers markets, parks, a charming town but also not too far from malls/shopping centers.

Some people have said that the two areas are fairly similar, just Rockville is bigger and busier than Ellicott City, while others have said the areas aren't all that similar. Has anyone spent a good amount of time in both areas and care to give their opinion? Is the quality of life/culture similar or different? Thanks!

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by moving2MD

Our family will be moving from NY to Maryland this summer and have narrowed down the search to Rockville or Ellicott City. We have some family in Virginia as well as the Baltimore area, which is one of the reasons we are making the move. Schools are important (we have two young daughters, neither in school yet), but it seems both areas have very good public schools overall.

Can anyone compare/contrast these two areas for me? I will be working from home and my wife will be leaving the workforce to raise our family, so we aren't too concerned about commuting for now. It's still obviously a consideration for the future and re-sale value, but not so much right now. We are looking for a nice, family friendly area that is a little quieter than our current life. We like there to be a diverse array of activities- street fairs, farmers markets, parks, a charming town but also not too far from malls/shopping centers.

Some people have said that the two areas are fairly similar, just Rockville is bigger and busier than Ellicott City, while others have said the areas aren't all that similar. Has anyone spent a good amount of time in both areas and care to give their opinion? Is the quality of life/culture similar or different? Thanks!

Rockville!

http://www.rockvilleliving.com/

[firefightermom]

Well, Rockville is in Montgomery County, and Ellicott City is in Howard County. I have never been to Ellicott City, but worked in Rockville for 9 years and knew people who lived there.

Rockville is extremely crowded and congested. Traffic can be a nightmare, as is the traffic in the majority of the county. There is a small historic section. There is a newer town center with shops, etc. The schools are some of the better ones in the county. Lots of diversity with residents. Tons of good restaurants and shopping. Fairly close to DC if you need that, and the Metro runs through Rockville also. More of an urban community than anything--the word charming does not come to mind when I think of Rockville. Housing is expensive, but it is everywhere in the Metro DC area.

There may be some nice quiet parts of Rockville still, but I never saw any of them. Hopefully someone can give you some more specific details. Good luck with the move!

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by firefightermom

Well, Rockville is in Montgomery County, and Ellicott City is in Howard County. I have never been to Ellicott City, but worked in Rockville for 9 years and knew people who lived there.

Rockville is extremely crowded and congested. Traffic can be a nightmare, as is the traffic in the majority of the county. There is a small historic section. There is a newer town center with shops, etc. The schools are some of the better ones in the county. Lots of diversity with residents. Tons of good restaurants and shopping. Fairly close to DC if you need that, and the Metro runs through Rockville also. More of an urban community than anything--the word charming does not come to mind when I think of Rockville. Housing is expensive, but it is everywhere in the Metro DC area.

There may be some nice quiet parts of Rockville still, but I never saw any of them. Hopefully someone can give you some more specific details. Good luck with the move!

There r quiet parts of Rkv. The closer ur to Georgia, the quieter it is. And there's N. Potomac/Gaithersburg/RKV that's sort of quiet. The off of Randolfph RD, the developments around there r fairly quit. What u won't find in Rkv, is the large lots like on LI. If you want 1+ acre, you'll have to go to Ellicott City. I saw a home in El City, a week ago Patuxent Chase - New Homes in Ellicott City, MD by Toll Brothers . You won't find those sprawling properties in Rkv.

Coming from NYC, RkV may be a better fit. Afterall, once upon a time I lived in NY. and Rkv would be my choice.

I don't think the two areas are similar; they have a very different feel. If ur looking for anything with the likeness of rural, El' would be it. One really has to spend a few days looking into both in person before making a decision.

[moving2MD]

Thanks for the help so far. We aren't actually in NYC right now, we live in the suburbs about 20 miles North/West. So, I'm not looking for a huge lot, anything in the .25 to .75 acre range would be great. I have noticed that there are more of these available in the Ellicott City area, but you can find them in Rockville if you look hard enough. Housing seems a bit more expensive in Rockville, but we can find enough in our price range in either place.

I just got back from a weekend in Ellicott City, I was very surprised to see so many subdivisions. There are still plenty of more established neighborhoods, but the amount of recently built up areas and to-be-built construction was higher than I expected. Not sure if it's because so many people are moving to the area, but it seems like it might throw the supply/demand balance out of whack a bit for the housing market. We'd be more looking for a newer/updated home (or we could buy then update) in a more established neighborhood- not really intererested in living in a McMansion. Seems to be enough to choose from in both areas though.

Traffic is a concern with Rockville- I understand that since it's generally a desirable area, there is going to be congestion, but it would be a pain if it took 30 minutes to go 5-6 miles to get to the store or park. That's one of the reasons we're leaving this area. I do like having the Town Center, access to the Metro, etc. I haven't really spent much time in Rockville, just going based of what I've heard and read here. I'm going to visit to see for myself as well, but any other insight would be great.

In terms of the people, I know it's not really fair to generalize, but would you say the people are a little more "stuffy" in Rockville than EC? I've read the complaints about MC in general, but Rockville specifically doesn't seem to have quite as bad of a rap. I'm looking for a little more of a down-to-earth culture as opposed to a cut-throat materialistic one. I know both counties are wealthy, just trying to get a feel for the day-to-day lifestyles.

Thanks again!

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by moving2MD

Thanks for the help so far. We aren't actually in NYC right now, we live in the suburbs about 20 miles North/West. So, I'm not looking for a huge lot, anything in the .25 to .75 acre range would be great. I have noticed that there are more of these available in the Ellicott City area, but you can find them in Rockville if you look hard enough. Housing seems a bit more expensive in Rockville, but we can find enough in our price range in either place.

I just got back from a weekend in Ellicott City, I was very surprised to see so many subdivisions. There are still plenty of more established neighborhoods, but the amount of recently built up areas and to-be-built construction was higher than I expected. Not sure if it's because so many people are moving to the area, but it seems like it might throw the supply/demand balance out of whack a bit for the housing market. We'd be more looking for a newer/updated home (or we could buy then update) in a more established neighborhood- not really intererested in living in a McMansion. Seems to be enough to choose from in both areas though.

Traffic is a concern with Rockville- I understand that since it's generally a desirable area, there is going to be congestion, but it would be a pain if it took 30 minutes to go 5-6 miles to get to the store or park. That's one of the reasons we're leaving this area. I do like having the Town Center, access to the Metro, etc. I haven't really spent much time in Rockville, just going based of what I've heard and read here. I'm going to visit to see for myself as well, but any other insight would be great.

In terms of the people, I know it's not really fair to generalize, but would you say the people are a little more "stuffy" in Rockville than EC? I've read the complaints about MC in general, but Rockville specifically doesn't seem to have quite as bad of a rap. I'm looking for a little more of a down-to-earth culture as opposed to a cut-throat materialistic one. I know both counties are wealthy, just trying to get a feel for the day-to-day lifestyles.

Thanks again!

Hmm...stuffy...not sure how to answer that one. Only know a few people who live in El City and they're not stuffy. Residents of RKV are very diverse, you have a bit of each living there, and alot of professional people. My boss who is Jewish has lived in RKV all her life and her kids have done well for themselves and are products of the public school system. A good friend of mine who is artist and black, recently bought a home there so that his kids can attend Richard Montgomery HS. Traffic is bad (nothing like NY though) all over this area, so that shouldn't be too much of a concern. MC has it's problems, but it's somewhat blown out of proportion. Actually I have a friend who lives on .5+ in RKV, but it's an older home, and I have another who sits on a zero property line. So it's a mixed bag.

If commuting to work is not an issue, why not look further up 270 into Urbana or Boyds. If I had to do it over again, with young kids I would move into a young development so that my kids can have alot of kids to play and grow together.

[tonyc]

Also ur be right up the street from Chevy Chase and Bethesda and a straight shot to Capitol. Close to Rio Town Center, Kentlands, Montgomery Mall, White Flint Mall ...I could go on and on...RKV

[moving2MD]

There are a few reasons why we aren't looking further north on 270- schools, distance from family, etc. We don't want to be right in the hustle and bustle, but we'd like to be close enough where we can get there when we want to. Commuting isn't an issue for us right now, but it may be in the future, plus we're considering resale value. That far north seems to be a little too quiet and out of the way for our tastes. It does look nice though.

Are there any economic factors we should consider between the two area's that could make one a better long term investment over the other? Things like the ICC, major expansion plans in Columbia, expansion of the Metro/pubilc transportation out to Howard Co., etc? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Mom2M&J]

I lived in Rockville years ago, and ow I live in Ellicott city. I like it much better here. It's quieter here. The only advantage I see to Rockville is that there is a lot more shopping available, more restaurants, services, etc. We have to go to Columbia for a lot of things (mall, restaurants), but there is enough here in EC for the basics. My kids are not in school yet, but we hear that Howard schools are very good.

[moving2MD]

Thanks, Mom2. Have you noticed a difference in the people between the two places? I know Ellicott City is a bit slower than Rockville, but are the people a bit more laid back and easy going as well?

Are there fun things like farm stands, farmers markets, outdoor concerts, parades on holidays, etc. in Ellicott City? I imagine Columbia has some of these things, which wouldn't be too bad since it's close by.

Thanks!