Moving to southern Maryland/job in suitland, where to live? (Annapolis: real estate, rental)

[horseyjen]

Another question...I've pretty much narrowed down my apartment search to two. One is in Accokeek. The other is in the St. Charles area near Waldorf. Both apartments have pros and cons. So it may come down to commute time. Which would be the easier commute to Suitland?

[fjennell]

Do not live anywhere in St. Charles on the east side of 301! Not a good area! I think commute times area about the same because you can take 210 if you are on the west side (Accokeek areas) or 301/5 if you are on the east side of waldorf.

[horseyjen]

Originally Posted by fjennell

Do not live anywhere in St. Charles on the east side of 301! Not a good area! I think commute times area about the same because you can take 210 if you are on the west side (Accokeek areas) or 301/5 if you are on the east side of waldorf.

Really? I visited St. Charles last weekend (Fox Chase Apartments) and the area seemed fine. I have no idea if I was on the east or west side of 301, though. Is there a traffic difference between 210 and 301/5?

[fjennell]

it's the west side so you may be OK - that area used to be pretty nice but they are starting to have some issues too. check the charles county sheriff's website for neighborhood crime stats - i don't think they list apts but you can check the housing around there is dorchester, hampshire and lancaster - I know lancaster is bad now. I prefer 210

[horseyjen]

Looks like I'm probably going to settle on the apartment in Accokeek. How badly does 210 get backed up? What are the best times to drive it? I don't know yet if an alternative work schedule will be allowed. If so, I might try to come in early mornings. Also, I know there is a bus from Waldorf to the Suitland federal center. Has anyone taken it? How is it vs. driving in?

[fjennell]

210 can get backed up, more so now that school is back in but still isn't "bad" IMO. the traffic in the entire NOVA/DC/MD area is "bad". I find that I can travel the 26 miles to my job via 210 (and I'm just past Accokeek) to 295 to DC in about 45 min on a normal traffic day. A lot of people like the bus, I haven't taken one from Waldorf before but when I used to take a bus from VA to DC I found that I could get there a lot quicker than the bus, listen to my radio and have my car available to leave whenever I want. The bus you can sleep, save wear and tear on your car and some jobs offer money towards the bus. I would try both for at least a week to see. Fridays are usually a lighter traffic day and you will get the occasional accident or slow day because it's raining, etc. on other days.

[horseyjen]

Cool...thanks for the input on the bus. My dad does the bus from Hagerstown, Md, to Rockville and then metros it from there. He prefers it to driving in and has been encouraging me to do the bus thing. But he has to put up with 270. Hopefully the traffic from Southern Maryland won't be quite so bad. Since there is free parking at the federal center, I may try driving. 45 minutes doesn't sound like too bad of a commute and I'm not actually going into DC, so hopefully it will be less for me. I should get transit subsidies that will cover some of the cost of the bus, though, so I may try it, too. Maybe take it 4 days a week and drive on Friday, since it is a slower day.

[juxtapos]

The drive across the Wilson bridge is too easy now that its completed. You can drive from Alexandria to Federal Center during the peak of rush hour in probably 20 minutes (~11 miles). It's almost a reverse commute too because there are fewer jobs in MD.

Alexandria inside the beltway has lots of garden-type apartments with mostly young professionals. Finding one for $1100 might take some work though. Alexandria outside the beltway along rt. 1 has some sketchy areas but would be cheaper. You could also try areas further west in Alexandria along the beltway without much extra driving time. I rented apartments inside the beltway in Alexandria for four years when I first started working after college (11 years ago), and it was fine with mostly young professionals as tenants.

Now I have a single family home in Clinton near Piscataway Stables. My neighbor has a horse stabled there but I can't vouch for their quality, though I have ridden horses there for fun. You'll probably have a slightly smaller place in Alexandria than in Accokeek or Waldorf, but your drive and amenities will be much better (the Mt. Vernon trail is awesome for jogging/biking along the Potomac).

Really this all depends if you want a more city living feel or a more country/rural feel where you live. But either way I would stay away from apartments in southern Prince George's inside or outside the beltway (which is unfortunate and will hopefully change one day if tenants and owners got their acts together).

Good luck!

[horseyjen]

Originally Posted by juxtapos

The drive across the Wilson bridge is too easy now that its completed. You can drive from Alexandria to Federal Center during the peak of rush hour in probably 20 minutes (~11 miles). It's almost a reverse commute too because there are fewer jobs in MD.

Alexandria inside the beltway has lots of garden-type apartments with mostly young professionals. Finding one for $1100 might take some work though. Alexandria outside the beltway along rt. 1 has some sketchy areas but would be cheaper. You could also try areas further west in Alexandria along the beltway without much extra driving time. I rented apartments inside the beltway in Alexandria for four years when I first started working after college (11 years ago), and it was fine with mostly young professionals as tenants.

Now I have a single family home in Clinton near Piscataway Stables. My neighbor has a horse stabled there but I can't vouch for their quality, though I have ridden horses there for fun. You'll probably have a slightly smaller place in Alexandria than in Accokeek or Waldorf, but your drive and amenities will be much better (the Mt. Vernon trail is awesome for jogging/biking along the Potomac).

Really this all depends if you want a more city living feel or a more country/rural feel where you live. But either way I would stay away from apartments in southern Prince George's inside or outside the beltway (which is unfortunate and will hopefully change one day if tenants and owners got their acts together).

Good luck!

Thanks Juxtapos, i was avoiding looking in Virginia. But you are the second person who told me Alexandria wouldn't be a bad commute. I'm starting to believe it! I may start looking in that area as the place in Accokeek fell through and I'm thinking about boarding my horse in WV for just a few months until i get settled.

[horseyjen]

I still haven't settled on an area or an apartment. What would the commute be like from North Beach to Suitland? There are some apartments there that I'm interested in.