Would you move to MD? (Chesapeake, Williamsburg: house, neighbourhoods, income)

[spencgr]

FOR VIRGINIA RESIDENTS ONLY: So, I was recently talking with a friend who was house hunting, and I thought Bethesda might be a good fit. When suggesting it, she said, "oh, no, I'm not moving to MD." I smiled because my husband and I also had a similar sentiment when we were house hunting.

The funny thing is that neither one of us is a NoVA native (he's lived in VA for most of his life), but both would rather stay in Virginia. (I've lived in 7 different states and my father was actually raised in Rockville.) On these forums, I've heard a lot of similar talk, but I wonder how true it is.

So, just curious, is Maryland just another suburb to you; or will you never move there?

(for the record, I think we would actually move to MD if it really made sense for our commutes/ jobs, but we would have long discussions about it first.)

- I did post a similar question in the Md forum....

[BOS2IAD]

No. Taxes, in general, are higher in MD. There are other reasons I wouldn't move there...but...don't want to derail the thread

[LynchburgLover]

We escaped -- and God is my witness, never going back.

[Sarsippius]

Maryland is lovely.

The diff between VA & MD is that Maryland has the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay!

Other than that, both places are full of trees and handsome neighbourhoods and humid as hell in the summer.

I have to say, though, Colonial Williamsburg sure was pretty and caused a stirring deep within me.
And for that matter, so did some historical sites in southern Maryland...
I must've been around back in them days...a no good pirate or bandit of some sort, I'm sure.....

[justtitans]

Grew up in MD, it will always have a special place in my heart, but I could never live there again unless something insane happens. It's just not the place for me and my family. I don't blame anyone for wanting to live there though. There are some nice qualities but overall I believe VA is a better state for me and my family.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Sarsippius

Maryland is lovely.

The diff between VA & MD is that Maryland has the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay!

Other than that, both places are full of trees and handsome neighbourhoods and humid as hell in the summer.

I have to say, though, Colonial Williamsburg sure was pretty and caused a stirring deep within me.
And for that matter, so did some historical sites in southern Maryland...
I must've been around back in them days...a no good pirate or bandit of some sort, I'm sure.....

thank you for your post, as it reminded me to clarify that the post is for current residents only.

You should probably know that Virginia also has the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay...those aren't differences between the states...

[Carlingtonian]

We have friends in Maryland, and we would consider living there were it not for a few things make would it impractical for us:

1. Commute--the close-in communities in MD are farther from where most of the jobs in DC are than are the close-in places in Virginia.
2. Taxes are reportedly higher (though assessments in VA are higher, so maybe it's a wash.)
3. It seems like the nice parts of near-DC MD are preyed upon more often by criminals who live in the lower-income parts of Maryland. (They do on occasion visit VA as well.)
4. I have this sense that among upper-middle-income Marylanders, there's an assumption that you must espouse the liberal viewpoint on all subjects. When we hang out with MD people, my wife and I (both repeat Obama voters) feel like closet conservatives!

[elias9193]

I grew up in MD, I lived in PG county for the first 16 years of my life and I was scarred for life.
There is no way I would ever go back there to live, too many bad memories back there. I Lived
seeing KKK marching down the street in the 60's, then race gang fights in Northwestern HS. I
know its changed but its very hard to erase those bad memories. I just go and visit family now or
I go to MD for business, nothing more!

[airjay75]

My job is in DC and likely a long-term job. As long as I am close to a Metro line, my commute is going to be about the same. If my wife found a job in Maryland and she thought it would likely be a job she wanted to stay at for the next 30 years, we would likely move (assuming the commuting differences were significantly different from what it is now). I just don't see the differences between Virginia and Marlyand being different enough to put up with a miserable commute for the rest of your working career.

[car54]

I wouldn't move to the MD suburbs of DC. What would be the point?

However, we do own a waterfront home on Maryland's Eastern Shore where I dock my boat. We spend a lot of time there and may one day live there full-time.