Glen Burnie (Annapolis, Severn, Severna Park: crime rate, daycare, townhouse)

[cent188]

Can anyone tell me about Glen Burnie, Md? How is the crime rate and school system? I'm looking to buy a house.

[tamille]

We live in Glen Burnie in a neighborhood called Point Pleasant. Neighbors are friendly and I think the neighborhood is safe. There is crime everywhere and I do not think Glen Burnie is on the top of the list. I would feel safe walking down the street at night or day, leaving my doors open at night and I have left my car doors open at night (Car was still there in the morning). Glen Burnie as a whole is a great town. There are a couple of malls, great eateries and the schools are good. We are convenient to 100, 95, 695 and 10. Take a drive through, you will find we are a very friendly town. [moderator cut]

[vfoulk]

Glen Burnie, from this page and many others who live in the area is said to be quite nice. I too am considering relocation to GB. The quality of the neighborhood is my first concern, but is followed closely by a few more questions if anyone might be able to answer...

How is the noise from the airport?
How is the commute from GB to Washington DC? I have been looking at commute times and I am willing to accept some distance from DC, if the commute isn't too too bad, how does the MARC + METRO compare to the drive into lower DC?

THANKS!

[kirstie707]

When you live in a metropolitan area you are always at risk for crime. I wouldn't say any area around here is totally safe, you need to be smart, lock your doors, and use your common sense. Keeping that in mind, Glen Burnie is ok, the housing market is certainly more affordable. It depends on what type of town you are looking for. Personally, I think that Severna Park, Crofton have much better schools. (I teach in Anne Arundel County). However, those areas are more expensive...yet you are closer to Annapolis. The commute to D.C. depends on the time of day. It can take anywhere from 50-90+ minutes- it all depends on traffic. Good luck!

[Janipoo]

Personally, I would stay away from the Glen Burnie schools. The High school has the cops there contantly. Marley Elementary and Middle are newer schools but still has problems. I live in Pasadena and the schools are better. Severna Park and Arnold are suppose to be the best in the county but you will pay to live there. Glen Burnie has all the shopping and it seems like there is more coming everyday. I would check out the neighborhood before purchasing though, not all Glen Burnie is attractive along with if you do look in Pasadena stay away from Green Haven area.

As far as the airport, there are planes that fly overhead but you really get used to them, it would be a lot worse over in the Hanover area where they are really low coming and going. The commute to DC well, you have a fairly decent ride until you come to 495 from 95 and then you will sit. I would say a good hour and a half. You can pick the Marc Train up on 100, that isn't that far away, the Metro you will have to drive to get to. The Marc train is a much better way to go, not as many stops as well and there is plenty of parking there. The metro (I haven't used it in a long time) didn't have too much parking for commuters.

[Hdani1]

I've lived in Glen Burnie since first grade (now freshman in college). Honestly, you don't really notice the planes (at least where I live); they rarely fly over residential areas.

My father commutes to DC everyday--it takes about an hour during rush hour.

As someone who attended Glen Burnie schools, I do not feel they are as bad as Janipoo suggests. Yes, the ones around Severna Park are supposed to be better, but students in other schools still graduate and go to college or get good jobs. And I've seen a lot of effort being put in to improve the school systems.

No, not all of Glen Burnie is attractive, but it's the same way in any city. I find Glen Burnie to be a fairly safe city--you can look at the Gazette's website and find articles on what's going on if you'd like information on community events.

[gdog1985]

I wouldn't raise my kids in Glen Burnie personally. The high school has problems year after year with drugs and weapons being brought to school. Glen Burnie as a whole isn't a nice place to live.

[KRB97]

There are many very nice places in Glen Burnie. My parents and sister live there and have never experienced any crime. My parents live in a neighborhood where the neighbors say hi, people are always out walking their dogs and they always feel safe. They have lived there for over 20 years. Are you looking for a single family home or a townhouse? If you PM me, I will tell you about the nicer areas. There are a lot of blue collar neighborhoods, but even in those, the people are friendly and the neighborhoods are safe.

[shanni]

My husband and I moved to the area recently for his job transfer. It was very hard trying to find a nice place to live that we could afford (under $380). I did a bunch of research and have asked questions, specifically about Glen Burnie and have found such extreme responses as "I wouldn't go there" to "I love it there".
After a LOT of driving, searching and picking our Realtor's brain, what we wanted in a home and what we could afford led us to the new townhome development by Lennar and Ryan called Tanyard Springs. We drove by all hours of the day and night, various days of the week and couldn't find anything wrong or any "bad" things going on. We also spoke to some of the residents in the complex and they said they love it! Our daughter is only 2 and I am a stay at home mom so I don't have to immediately to worry about school or daycare. By then we might move on to a new home/town, but for now I'm pretty confident we made the right choice.

[gdog1985]

Originally Posted by shanni

My husband and I moved to the area recently for his job transfer. It was very hard trying to find a nice place to live that we could afford (under $380). I did a bunch of research and have asked questions, specifically about Glen Burnie and have found such extreme responses as "I wouldn't go there" to "I love it there".
After a LOT of driving, searching and picking our Realtor's brain, what we wanted in a home and what we could afford led us to the new townhome development by Lennar and Ryan called Tanyard Springs. We drove by all hours of the day and night, various days of the week and couldn't find anything wrong or any "bad" things going on. We also spoke to some of the residents in the complex and they said they love it! Our daughter is only 2 and I am a stay at home mom so I don't have to immediately to worry about school or daycare. By then we might move on to a new home/town, but for now I'm pretty confident we made the right choice.

Tanyard Springs isn't in Glen Burnie, it's in Pasadena off of Marley Neck Blvd. The complex starts in the $300,000's and your "luxury view" is of the smokestacks at the paper plant. Wait until summertime when it's really warm outside and you get the smell from the plant....