Moving from CA (Baltimore, Columbia, Ellicott City: for sale, rent, crime)

[easytp]

Hi all,

We are moving from Irvine,CA. My husbands project is in Baltimore. I wanted to know which is the best place to settle in or near baltimore-maryland or near virginia. My kid is 4 so we want to settle where schools(public or private) are great.

Please help as its a big move from coast to coast and we hardly know about this place or anyone.

thank you,

[rexian]

Best place to live near Baltimore, MD with a good school district is Columbia/Ellicott City area. This is #4 of 100 best places to live in United States. I live in Columbia, MD for last 4 years. And I simply love it. VERY NICE TOWN.

- Rex

[RoadTripGurl]

I agree, can't think of any other place near baltimore with excellent schools.

[Zippy7fo]

Columbia, Ellicot City, Clarksburg or Clarksville, Sykesville are your best options and you will thank us mightly

[striver]

Somehow I stumbled onto this site, and couldn't resist commenting. First of all, Irvine CA is a VERY nice place... prepare to miss it! Not to be rude or cynical, I would not give too much creedence to the survey that shows Columbia/Ellicott City to be the #4 best place to live in the country... I moved to this area 35 years ago - have lived in Howard County MD (both Ellicott City and Columbia), and the VA counties of Fairfax and Loudoun since then.

If your primary interest in good schools, and you want to be in the Baltimore suburbs, I would definitely choose Ellicott City (Centennial or Marriott Ridge High Schools) or Columbia (River Hill High School). Be careful, because not EVERY school in these towns is 'top-notch'.

Besides that, I much prefer Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in VA to Howard County, although they are much more DC-oriented than Howard (which is linked to Baltimore, despite a percentage of the population commuting to DC). If you live in Howard, you are a Baltimore suburb. So if your husband needs to commute to Baltimore, living in VA is virtually out of the question --- due to traffic issues!

I lived in Columbia for 10 years, and Ellicott City for 10 as well. There IS a difference. Politically, I found Columbia to be much more in line with my inclination, which is fairly liberal. Outside of the boundaries of Columbia, the political climate is much more conservative (yet friendly and tolerant). The strange thing about Columbia is that it is a 'planned city', but unfortunately doesn't always feel very real. The 'town center' is kind of a joke -- it is built around a MALL and office buildings! And to be honest, not all areas of Columbia are safe... just read the police reports in the Columbia Flier and you can see that there are certain areas that keep reappearing because of crime problems. You don't want to buy in a place where you are afraid to walk outside alone at night. When I was lived in Columbia, I was lucky to be in a very calm safe area. I don't mean to sound cynical, because not ALL of Columbia is like this -- but there are real problems in some areas to be mindful of.

I have found that Baltimore is a fairly nice city, but unfortunately always seems to be living in the shadow of DC and trying to 'prove itself'. I always felt like I was hearing comments and statements that were trying to convince me that I was living in a "cool" place like NY or LA. If they didn't try so hard, it'd be better. (Drive down Charles Street in Baltimore at midnight on any Saturday -- it is a ghost town compared to DC at the same time). On a more positive note, Baltimore is an excellent place for health care, just as DC is.

So if you are pretty much committed to the Baltimore suburbs, I definitely would choose Howard County, but really check out the schools. If for some reason, you decide to move to VA, let me know so I can give you some pointers. I work in Montgomery County MD (just south of Howard County) and have to deal with traffic issues, but other that that, I've been very very happy with the VA suburbs.

Good luck to you -- at least you'll be seeing much more green here in the summer, but I'm sure you'll miss the moutains and the closeness to the ocean! All the best to you in your relocation.

[easytp]

hi,

We just moved to ellicott city and i definitely miss Irvine,CA but hoping to settle down. Thanks for all your replies.

Regards

Easytp

[NancyT]

We are considering a move to the Baltimore area from NE Florida. My husband is in sales, so he can be outside the city. We need good public schools, and I am wondering about the housing costs there. We like where we are living now, a larger golf course/cc community with 0 -5 yr. old homes. Does anyone know what the sq. footage is going for in the Baltimore area? Or perhaps a general price range of a newer 4 bed/3 bath 2500 sq. ft home? Any help is appreciated...

[beach08]

A newer house obviously depending on the area will vary greatly, here's just a few samples

Howard County
Woodbine - Orchard Woods Property Type Single Family
Status For Sale
Bed Rooms 4 BR Bath Rooms 2.50 BTH
Living Area 3,000 SQ. FT.
Lot Area 131,551 SQ. FT.
Offered At $979,900
Bel Air Harford County
Property Type Single Family
Status For Sale
Bed Rooms 4 BR Bath Rooms 3.00 BTH
Living Area 2,012 SQ. FT.
Lot Area 91,040 SQ. FT.
Offered At $750,000

[Smalltownmd]

Originally Posted by easytp

Hi all,

We are moving from Irvine,CA. My husbands project is in Baltimore. I wanted to know which is the best place to settle in or near baltimore-maryland or near virginia. My kid is 4 so we want to settle where schools(public or private) are great.

Please help as its a big move from coast to coast and we hardly know about this place or anyone.

thank you,

Poolesville High School is rated in the top 2% of high schools in the US. This is why we live here. It's about 35 minutes from DC and about 50 from Baltimore.

[CorpsWife]

Hi All ... my husband is being transferred from San Diego to the D.C area. I have a job lead in Baltimore, MD. I am a CA native, raised in the Bay Area of Northern CA, and love culture and a slightly more affluent community, although nothing too luxurious as we are only 'slightly yuppie' and don't live above our means. I currently reside in Del Mar, CA. I have no clue as to what areas would be comparable, and half-way between DC and Baltimore. My husband dreams of getting on a train to work each day, I can do train or car, whatever ... I am used to a commute. I don't need the most fancy area (what I undertand Bethesda or Annapolis to be), but I don't really care for the small town atmosphere. I know I may have to get used to some differences, but I am addicted to the CA luxuries of Starbucks, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Gourmet markets and bistro dining. I'd love to live in a community where I can walk to coffee, or dining, as I am able to now. I don't have children yet, but plan to when I am there, so I will need good daycare. I am at a loss. I don't know which areas are safe, I don't know which areas are fun. I have heard that Columbia is good, but I don't know what areas to look for in terms of walking distance to dining, etc. We will only be there 2 years, so I will rent a 3 bedroom home, hopefully with a yard. Any help anyone can give would be great. Thank you.