Moving to NAS PAX area, need info on rentals (California: real estate, crime)

[edhawley59]

Hello, Myself and my family will be moving to the Naval Air Station area in southern MD and are trying to get some info on area as far as house rentals. We are looking for a three to four bedroom house but all I see in the Real Estate pages are approx, 1500.00 and up. is this the the normal rental prices as we are looking at a budget of around 1000.00 to 1200.00 for the rent. any info on surrounding areas would be greatly appreciated IE; schools, safety, shopping ect... We are coming from the PA mountains and are looking foward to residing in the area and hope to have a positive impact on our community, any input would help out immensely. Thanks

[toje11321]

St. Mary's County is still rural in places. They have Amish markets, plenty of fishing, crabbing, etc. They are building new homes there as well. It is home to the first settlement (1632). People seem to be friendly. All that aside, you may find homes on the market in your price range. The corner markets there may even have some information for you. Crime doesn't seem to be a problem. Leonardtown, Md. is the county seat. Actually, check out the website of their local newspaper, www.stmarystoday.com. It will give you an idea of the area and crime reports. Good Luck!

[hinsey86]

The housing prices there are high. Partly due to its proximity to DC (people do commute that distance) and the fact the salaries of alot of the technical folks are higher than most median incomes. If you are looking for a bit cheaper area you may want to check out Calvert County. It is just over the bridge but prices do drop. We left Pax last October after five years and we saw some houses double in price over that time. A good site for info is removed
St. Mary's Today is a real rag and not your typical newspaper.

[Tounces]

We're in St. Mary's due to my husband being stationed at Andrew's. You'll like the PAX area. Many commute from our area around Charlotte Hall. If you shop around you can still get a good deal. We only rented for 1 month. The prices od housing is still rising. Its a good investment to get into a house here because of that. There are shopping malls in close by California and Hollywood. These are nice and a lot are newer because growth in the area is still big. You don't want to be next to the homeless housing that is close by the base. If you look further North past Hollywood towards Mechanicsville etc. you will find good places that are safe and more affordable. The more rural areas will keep you away from the crime (there is a little) that is around the base. The St. Mary's schools are ok but some are not up on the latest trends in education. Its more small town atmosphere with a growing, crowded area around PAX. There is a nice recreation spot for military down by Solomons. There is a fishing/crabbing pier, swimming, camping, activities, boat launch etc.