How's Hagerstown?

[Thruway]

Originally Posted by movedtherein1961

I moved to hagerstown in 1961, my dad worked for Mack Trucks. I grew up here, graduated North High in 1971. And it is true Hagerstown resents all of these so called newcomers who are moving here from Loundon and Montgomery Countries, driving up the price of our real estate. Just like the Hagerstonians hated the Mack Truck migrants back in the early 60s, the same is happening now. We are not real big on turning our town into something similar to Northern NJ, Long Island, Northern VA or Metro Washington. Yes we have beautiful country and yes the county commissioners are interested in preserving the farmland. We are not interested in turning our county into Loundon, Fairfax or Montgomery thankfully. There was already a major problem in Boonsboro because these Virginia transplants are not happy with the high school, they do not feel it was up to par. You are not going to get Loundon or Fairfax schools in Washington County, it just is not going to happen. Frederick was ruined by NY and NJ transplants back in the late 80s, we are not interested in doing the same to Hagerstown.

Do you consider Hagerstown and Washington County rural?

[alido]

Tberg:

1) Parts of Washington County is rural and still have active farms, other parts are highly developed, and have the rows and rows of townhomes.
2) Same old story that happened in counties closer into DC
3) JOBS are the main reason the growth has been slower in Western Md/It is a matter of logistics.
4) I lived in Western Mont Md & my neighborhood was growing every day in Clarksburg. It was consistantly expanding.
So, when I say hagerstown has grown alot within the city limits, you may disagree. As our accounts or experience of Western Montgomery County is completely different. Hagerstown may still be classified as rural but it has really grown, and is a small city. Wash County (which surrounds Hagerstown) still has some rural areas.

Some of my neighbors in West. Md commute to DC, N.Va, Mont & Fred County Md. The further out you go the longer the commute. SO, the density drops off where jobs drop off, or reasonable commutes become impossible. I have lived in Hagerstown Md a long time & commute to Bethesda Md in Mont County. I have an advanced degree and technical training. In Western Md, there have been few jobs paying what my education and experience warrents.
NO COMPLAINTS, just telling it like it is. I am happy.
More tech corridors out here or more MARC lines would bring higher paying jobs. But more people would find us. Hmmmm, a balance/ a tightrope.

Continue to visit and absorb the area and see what is in your comfort zone. Maybe it is for you, maybe this area is not suited to your expectations. It is what it is. Washington County Md and Jefferson County WVa are both developing areas, that were once mostly rural. Maybe it will remain full of quaint towns or maybe it will develop sprawl. It is in a unique phase, balancing the old attributes/quaint old ways with the new ammenities/risk of too much development. Old story/nothing shocking/it happens/
Luckily, many in these hamlets are commited to a healthy balance and active in local planning. Do not see how anyone can say it is not growing out here in the exburbs.

[movedtherein1961]

Do you consider Hagerstown and Washington County rural?

It used to be and I would like to see it remain somewhat rural, why do you ask?

[alido]

"Do you consider Hagerstown and Washington County rural?"
"It used to be and I would like to see it remain somewhat rural, why do you ask?'
.................................................. ...................................
Million dollar question, it is growing fast but still maintains it rural roots. But each year brings change and growth. It is one place you just have to visit, to make any type of assessment or determination. Everyone has their frame of reference.

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Tberg,

I actually don't have much disagreement with the substance of what you said. I would hate it it if my hometown was "Loudanized." Understand though, that it is a very sensative subject out in the mountains. As much as we love our small town, forested live, our communities are dying out. Literally, the citizenry is aging, schools are closing, the population is literally shrinking by 1,000s of people each decade. So as much as I would love my community to regain vigour by each local couple having 4 children, and big employers setting much shop in county, and having each town expand its existing street grid pattern with single family homes that match the arcitectural style of the community, I know it doesn't work that way. People want to live in sterile, prefab communities, I know this because a major employer choose another small town over Cumberland because they said Cumberland didn't have enough "high-end housing stock." People generally would rather commute to make more money, have more "house", nicer cars, etc. than working local and having less material goods. This is reality, and if my community wants to join the 21st century and have a future other than decay, we need some part of this.

Sorry about the aggressive tone in the previous message, but we have a complex about out-of-towners telling us what to do with our land and our communities. I mentioned hypocracy, and I would stand by that assessment. Down-staters love to comment about how much they love to visit and how great it would be to live out there, but don't because they don't want a 100 year old house, they don't want to make less money, they don't want to send their kids to an 80yr old school. So there in lies the conundrum. People love the idea of real small towns and rural communities, but after their week long vacation is over they go back the burbs but still feel entitled to tell us not to change, because we have it so good.

Lastly, Smart Growth works great where you have exisiting infrastructure, when you don't have infrastructure, Smart Growth says you can't grow. This plans works great in the Montgomery, PG, Howard etc, where you already have 40 years of growth to base your future plans around. If you impliment this plan to an area that has had negative growth for the past 40 years, it just doesn't work. Smart Growth in Allegany County would push all development to Cumberland and west, why? Because their is no population to speak of in the Eastern 2/3 of our county. This is the part of our county that is within a possible commute to Hagerstown/Frederick. This is where potential growth could and probably will occur in our county. Smart Growth would prohibit this on principal and essential crush any economic/population stabilization growth in our community before it even has a chance to start.

What I don't udnerstand is why people, and developers, prefer communities where everything looks identical. I could much more easily accept new developments if they didn't all have the clearcut land, same color siding, and all looked prefab. Give them some damned character!

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by FlipperX

Wash. co. and westward is the forgotten part of the state as far as the state govnt goes.

Which is appealing to me - I live in Howard County and would just as soon O'Malley and his liberal buddies leave me alone.

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by alido

Tberg:

1) Parts of Washington County is rural and still have active farms, other parts are highly developed, and have the rows and rows of townhomes.
2) Same old story that happened in counties closer into DC
3) JOBS are the main reason the growth has been slower in Western Md/It is a matter of logistics.
4) I lived in Western Mont Md & my neighborhood was growing every day in Clarksburg. It was consistantly expanding.
So, when I say hagerstown has grown alot within the city limits, you may disagree. As our accounts or experience of Western Montgomery County is completely different. Hagerstown may still be classified as rural but it has really grown, and is a small city. Wash County (which surrounds Hagerstown) still has some rural areas.

Some of my neighbors in West. Md commute to DC, N.Va, Mont & Fred County Md. The further out you go the longer the commute. SO, the density drops off where jobs drop off, or reasonable commutes become impossible. I have lived in Hagerstown Md a long time & commute to Bethesda Md in Mont County. I have an advanced degree and technical training. In Western Md, there have been few jobs paying what my education and experience warrents.
NO COMPLAINTS, just telling it like it is. I am happy.
More tech corridors out here or more MARC lines would bring higher paying jobs. But more people would find us. Hmmmm, a balance/ a tightrope.

Continue to visit and absorb the area and see what is in your comfort zone. Maybe it is for you, maybe this area is not suited to your expectations. It is what it is. Washington County Md and Jefferson County WVa are both developing areas, that were once mostly rural. Maybe it will remain full of quaint towns or maybe it will develop sprawl. It is in a unique phase, balancing the old attributes/quaint old ways with the new ammenities/risk of too much development. Old story/nothing shocking/it happens/
Luckily, many in these hamlets are commited to a healthy balance and active in local planning. Do not see how anyone can say it is not growing out here in the exburbs.

I've seen this in a FEW areas, but not much here in the DC/B'more area...developments that have character and style of old.

A community like Hagerstown that wishes to grow, but to retain it's charm, would do well to have old-style homes built, but to modern standards and conveniences, at the edge of the city limits. Give them larger than average lots, early 20th century architecture with 21st century technology, even make them large square footage if you have to, but keep it "real" architecturally. Is that so hard? Or is it easier/cheaper to put up 200 McMansions of the same color and shape?