Crunchy-Granola areas convenient to College Park? And commute ?s... (Baltimore: to rent, co-op)

[NorthByNortheast]

Hi all -

Wondering if there are any areas that are on the quirky/crunchy side that we could look at to live in. One of us would be commuting to College Park.
The other is unknown at the moment; current leads are in Alexandria VA or Baltimore (I know, totally opposite directions)...but those are tenuous leads. Could also end up working in DC. Partly, we would figure it out based on where we decide to live, so as I said, I'm looking for suggestions on whether there are any areas we might like.

We're 30-ish, no kids yet. Into acoustic music, food co-ops, cycling, want to find a progressive area to live. DC is a possibility, but kind of expensive, and we'd have to rent. We know much less about the suburbs, so that's what I'd love to get suggestions on. Is it possible to find this type of area in the suburbs? We'll probably rent at first, want to get at least 2 bedrooms, up to $2000/month. I guess if we bought right away, we'd be limited to about $350k.

To split it up, I'm wondering about areas
- right near College Park
- between Baltimore and College Park
- between Alexandria and College Park

Any tips or red flags on the commute would be great too (i.e. "commuting to Baltimore from DC is crazy" or "live near Baltimore instead of College Park")
Thanks!

[mcjb2]

In PG county you should look into the Gateway Arts District area - Mount Rainier / Brentwood / Hyattsville. - Glut Food-coop, progressive residents, affordable. Lots of younger residents moving in, buying homes and fixing them up.

Takoma Park in MoCo is also a possibility - TP/SS food co-op, progressive residents, more expensive but better schools if that's a factor. More of an aging hippy-turned-yuppy population.

[PGC301]

You could look into Greenbelt as well. It's right near the Parkway so it's convenient going to DC or Baltimore. There's also a grocery co-op in Old Greenbelt.

[HurricaneDC]

Takoma Park and Mount Rainier are crunchier than a bowl of Kashi cereal.

[OfficeLinebacker]

When you said Granola I immediately thought Takoma Park. I get a lot of customers from there for my cell phone repair business. They're cool. I'm not a granola boy but I do like to eat healthy and I do yoga and stuff. I think TP is your first bet but it's pretty expensive.

Greenbelt is a good one, they have a really great co-op and it's pretty crunchy, too.

Great thread!

[Moth]

Takoma Park. Look no further.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by OfficeLinebacker

When you said Granola I immediately thought Takoma Park. I get a lot of customers from there for my cell phone repair business. They're cool. I'm not a granola boy but I do like to eat healthy and I do yoga and stuff. I think TP is your first bet but it's pretty expensive.

Greenbelt is a good one, they have a really great co-op and it's pretty crunchy, too.

Great thread!

What's the CO-OP all about in Greenbelt?

I've often heard the name, but not sure what it entails exactly. Basicall, it's a grocery store that is cheaper, as the entire community takes on ownership, right?

Just wondering how that works if 'just anyone' goes there as well...

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

What's the CO-OP all about in Greenbelt?

I've often heard the name, but not sure what it entails exactly. Basicall, it's a grocery store that is cheaper, as the entire community takes on ownership, right?

Just wondering how that works if 'just anyone' goes there as well...

It's just a grocery store, but owned by the community instead of a faceless corporation. I've only bought chap stick in the Greenbelt co-op but previously shopped at one in a much, much crunchier town in New England and it was similar. Prices are not necessarily cheaper.