Possibly relocating to Rockville MD from SoCal (Silver Spring, Bethesda: apartments, for rent)

[donita76]

Hi, my husband and I (no children) are considering living in the area of Rockville, North Bethesda so that he can commute to Mclean for his new job and that I can possibly commute to UMD for grad school.

What are we to expect for rents in 1bd/2bd apartments? We will only have his income while I'm in grad school, and he's taking a pay cut. We have a lot of law school loans and some CC debt. We're currently in a 1bd for $1290. We'll probably be living in the MD area for at least 3 years, then move out to nova after grad school.

Will we be able to find certain necessities close by like we're used to having; Trader Joes or a health food store nearby, a YMCA or health club?
What will my commute be like from Rockville to College Park?

Will we have close proximities for our interests like hiking, kayaking, Astronomy club, bookstores, farmer's markets?

Thanks, we appreciate helpful feedback!

[kdavani]

Apartment prices- with your income i would stick to rockville instead of bethesda, there is a HUGE price difference and rockville will be more similar to what you are paying now. I live in gaithersburg/rockville border and I am paying 1325$ for a two bedroom/1 bath. however, this is ONLY because our prices dropped this year due to the recession. Last year I was paying 1300$ for a 1 bedroom/1 bath. Rockville is about 100$ more expensive (i lived there 3 years ago) but I have no clue how much they went up or down due to the recession. I have a friend who recently moved to rockville and is living in the newer places built by wholefoods and a huge shopping center, he is paying 1400+something. There are older apartments in rockville though if you can't afford this. Pretty much anywhere in rockville you are close to a gym, food, and many shops.

Depending where you live in rockville (rockville pike is a VERYYY long road) it will take you +/- 15 min on your commute. Going to college park can take you anywhere from 25 min to 1h 30 min. It REALLY depends on rush hour. (7-830am and 430-6pm). It also depends on football and basketball games at UMD because this adds 1000s more people on the road, especially on route 1!!!!

Hiking/Kayaking you can do at the C&O canal or Great Falls, there are many places everywhere around the suburbs or DC. You will have to look this up but of course the better areas will be farther away from the city. In rockville specifically there will not be anything great because there are so many buildings. But there are a ton of great areas to go to on the weekends and many parks.

Farmers markets are everywhere also. There are some farther away like Poolesville and there are some in DC (Eastern market i think its called). Specifically in rockville there is an Amish Market that is GREAT!!!! it is in one of the shopping centers there but i forgot the name. However, they travel in only on certain days because they have their own farm area (truly Amish people) and then certain days of the week they commute in with all their products. So delicious! and very friendly.

Bookstores are everywhere. there is a Barnes and Nobles in one of the shopping centers next to an outdoors store and tara thai restaurant. Also in this same shopping center is a Greek place called Ambrosia, you HAVE to go here for lunch/dinner sometime!! the most amazing greek food ever.

[lchoro]

Rockville Pike doesn't feed directly to the Beltway. If you live on that road, such as Grosvenor, you have to drive over to Old Georgetown Rd which will add time to what appears to be a direct commute. Silver Spring would be an alternative which is close to Metro, College Park, and the Beltway. You can probably take a direct bus to College Park instead of drive or take the subway.

[kdavani]

Originally Posted by lchoro

Rockville Pike doesn't feed directly to the Beltway. If you live on that road, such as Grosvenor, you have to drive over to Old Georgetown Rd which will add time to what appears to be a direct commute. Silver Spring would be an alternative which is close to Metro, College Park, and the Beltway. You can probably take a direct bus to College Park instead of drive or take the subway.

Good point. The only way to get onto 270 or 495 is off Montrose or to go south on Rockville Pike(also called 355). To go to college park you would want to go south on rockville pike til you hit 495. Silverspring is another alternative but you have to be very careful about what neighborhood you live in. The main area downtown is nice but some parts are bad areas and just in general the areas surrounding silverspring aren't good. Likewise for college park, this is a high crime area. The only good part is inside the college campus itself.

[laminmd]

Please be aware that the commute from McLean to Rockville is absolutely horrible in the evenings! My husband used to work in Tyson's Corner, and every late afternoon his time in the car to our home in Bethesda took a minimum of one hour crawling along the beltway. It will take even longer to go out to Rockville from there.

As for your other concerns, I think you will have no problem with the positive "quality of life" amenities that you are seeking here such as Trader Joe's, YMCA, cultural and fitness opportunities, etc. This area is generally full of many wealthy, well-educated people who share some of your same interests and needs.

Good luck with your move!

[donita76]

To Kdavani - Your feedback was VERY helpful! I'm printing it out and saving this info for reference. Thank you!

[donita76]

Originally Posted by laminmd

Please be aware that the commute from McLean to Rockville is absolutely horrible in the evenings! My husband used to work in Tyson's Corner, and every late afternoon his time in the car to our home in Bethesda took a minimum of one hour crawling along the beltway. It will take even longer to go out to Rockville from there.

As for your other concerns, I think you will have no problem with the positive "quality of life" amenities that you are seeking here such as Trader Joe's, YMCA, cultural and fitness opportunities, etc. This area is generally full of many wealthy, well-educated people who share some of your same interests and needs.

Good luck with your move!

Thank you, I find this very helpful! Some people have been telling me that it would be about 45 mins to commute from Mclean back to Rockville area. Or it could be I misunderstood. Nonetheless, our dileman is trying to figure out what we can afford on one income while I go back to Grad School at UMD and he works in Nova.
I'm glad to know that the area in northern MD will be a good fit, it seemed like it the last time we visited.

[PBSG2]

Don't give up on North Bethesda. We moved out here this summer and found a great condo off of Tuckerman Lane. We pay $1900 a month but have a 2 bed/ 2 bath with loft (Have a little son, need the space). Don't just go to the apartment buildings, find an owner who is willing to rent out the place. Obviously some will be bad landlords but we found a woman who is fantastic. No nickel and diming you on everything and feels more like a home than a dorm room.

[DCnative1990]

you'd be better off choosing Silver Spring.

[tonyc]

The YMCA in Bethesda is excellent, but cramped!