work in germantown, where to live (Frederick, Gaithersburg: condos, crime, townhome)

[madas]

We will be relocating to MD or VA and will be working in Germantown, MD. We have three kids ages 1, 4, and 6 so schools (public) and a family friendly neighborhood are very important. We have family in Ashburn VA, so we would like to be close to them as much as possible while minimizing the daily commute to work (Germantown). We would like new construction, single homes, up to 600K. We thought of poolesville and Leesburg since they are close to the White's Ferry which I am assuming can be used in a daily commute from Leesburg/Ashburn to Germantown. We are also looking at Urbana, middletown, new market, Clarksburg, and Ijamsville. Any suggestions?

[soymabelen]

Poolesville would be a good choice. It is small, very family friendly and with very good schools. The high school has a magnet program and kids from the Poolesville catchment area have better chances of getting in if they qualify since there is no limit as to how many students are admitted from the area as long as they meet the criteria.

The only possible concern might be some cancer clusters that I believe are being looked into right now.

The ferry is definitely a commute/transport option for most of the year, but bear in mind there will be times when it won't be an option due to weather/river conditions in which case you will have to go to Point of Rocks further north. We had several students at the private school where I used to work from the Leesburg area doing the commute September to June and is doable.

Clarksburg is also a very good option. Plenty of new construction and family friendly. The commute would be the best, although the schools might be a little more crowded than Poolesville.

Germantown itself has very good areas too. I would go for the areas closer to 117 and 118 going towards Boyds both South and West.

The other areas you mention would be fine, but the commute would not be too good as the traffic from those areas south is very heavy in the morning and equally bad north in the evening. You can always take the back roads, but don't forget sometimes you will have to deal with bad weather conditions, from heavy rain, to fog, snow and ice.

Good luck with your relocation.

[madas]

I appreciate your response. So it looks like Poolesville and Clarksburg would both work for us. We also looked at two new communities being built by Drees: "Canal Run" in Point of Rocks and "Linton at Ballenger" in Frederick. Any one has information on these two communities and the commute to Germantown?

[Tim Rankin]

Originally Posted by madas

I appreciate your response. So it looks like Poolesville and Clarksburg would both work for us. We also looked at two new communities being built by Drees: "Canal Run" in Point of Rocks and "Linton at Ballenger" in Frederick. Any one has information on these two communities and the commute to Germantown?

The commute from Frederick would be a bit rough. It's not far, but the traffic would be very heavy. From Point-of-Rocks, it would be further on the highways, but there's a good chance you could cut through on back roads [which would be a beautiful drive as well]. I would look @ it on google maps, and "drag" the route to the back roads. Can't comment on traffic there, though.

Additionally, from POR's there is a commuter train that goes directly to Germantown.

Maryland Transit Administration

[Debi18]

If you are interested in Canal Run, which would not be a bad commute to G-town and is also close to Leesburg, make sure you talk to the other builder sharing the Canal Run sub-division. Insignia Homes is a local builder, been in the area for many years and has an excellent reputation for quality and customer service.

[cpterp]

Why not just live in Germantown?

[madas]

Thanks for every one's advice.

Three reasons we are not considering Germantown, although it is still a possibility.
1. To my knowledge, there are no new developments in Germantown. We prefer a new construction
2. Based on many of the posts I read in this forum, Germantown is becoming less and less family freindly (safty and education).
3. I was trying to see if we can be close to both Germantown and Ashburn VA where we have family, hence we thought of Poolesville and Leesburg (The interest in Point of Rock and Linton at Ballenger in Frederick was mostly because of the attractive realestate prices, but the commute is going to be an issue as was suggested).

I am keeping an eye at the west and south west areas of Germantown towards Boyd as others had suuggested since these areas are still relatively safe and the schools are relatively good.

[psychofan]

Brand new townhome constructions in Germantown
Craftstar Homes: Craftstar Superstars

Brand new single family home constructions in Germantown
Craftmark Homes


These are located slightly south of 117 (Clopper Road), along Schaffers Road in the South Germantown/Boyds area.

[soymabelen]

Originally Posted by madas

Thanks for every one's advice.

Three reasons we are not considering Germantown, although it is still a possibility.
1. To my knowledge, there are no new developments in Germantown. We prefer a new construction
2. Based on many of the posts I read in this forum, Germantown is becoming less and less family freindly (safty and education).
3. I was trying to see if we can be close to both Germantown and Ashburn VA where we have family, hence we thought of Poolesville and Leesburg (The interest in Point of Rock and Linton at Ballenger in Frederick was mostly because of the attractive realestate prices, but the commute is going to be an issue as was suggested).

I am keeping an eye at the west and south west areas of Germantown towards Boyd as others had suuggested since these areas are still relatively safe and the schools are relatively good.

Boyds does have new construction or very recent. As far as schools, their elementary is Matsunaga, the middle is Kingsview and the high would be Northwest.

Another area you might want to consider is the Kentlands or the Lakelands areas in Gaithersburg, although they tend to be pricier. I think their new middle school was completed only a couple of years ago and they feed into Quince Orchard High.

I don't know where you are coming from, but commuting in this area is not pretty even if you take the back roads, since they often take the spill over from the major roads. I would personally pick a location that had a decent commute. I would also stay on this side of the Potomac and use the ferry just to visit family.

[cpterp]

Originally Posted by madas

Thanks for every one's advice.

Three reasons we are not considering Germantown, although it is still a possibility.
1. To my knowledge, there are no new developments in Germantown. We prefer a new construction
2. Based on many of the posts I read in this forum, Germantown is becoming less and less family freindly (safty and education).
3. I was trying to see if we can be close to both Germantown and Ashburn VA where we have family, hence we thought of Poolesville and Leesburg (The interest in Point of Rock and Linton at Ballenger in Frederick was mostly because of the attractive realestate prices, but the commute is going to be an issue as was suggested).

I am keeping an eye at the west and south west areas of Germantown towards Boyd as others had suuggested since these areas are still relatively safe and the schools are relatively good.

Germantown is actually pretty new. I would guess that the majority of residential units in Germantown were constructed within the past 15 years or so, and while there is currently a lull in new construction there are some brand new condos and single-fam homes on the market. Despite what some might say, Germantown is very family friendly and has consistenly been regarded by many as one of the best places to live in Maryland, and the country at large. Crime isn't really an issue here, although the rate is probably higher than more rural Poolesville and Point-of-Rocks.

If you don't choose Germantown I would highly recommend Clarksburg, which is practically all new development, is devoid of crime (something I'm sure the Germantown critics would agree to), but is still close to I-270 and all the amenities Germantown and Gaithersburg have to offer.