Moving To The Maryland Suburbs of DC? START HERE! (Columbia: sales, rent)

[bufflove]

Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring are all very large areas that encompass both safe and a bit shaddier areas so it's hard to declare any to be one or the other. If you're talking about downtown Rockville and downtown Silver Spring then safety isn't much of a problem as quality of life issues generally don't rise above petty theft (don't leave valuables out in the open in your car in any dense area like the DC region).

The commute from Rockville and especially Gaithersburg will be longer than from Silver Spring, not only because they're further away from Beltsville, but also because you lose the benefit of having a bit of a reverse commute from Silver Spring out to Beltsville. Google Maps can tell you more, but be aware that route 200 is a toll road so that'd be cost to take in account if living out in Gaithersburg.

Apartment availability shouldn't be much of an issue in any of the areas, unless you're set on trying to get into a specific building, maybe, or looking for a 2br+ which are rarer to find. Yes, in general there is high demand for housing, but there is new supply coming online all the time (especially in downtown Silver Spring) as well as relatively high turnover.

[akck]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring are all very large areas that encompass both safe and a bit shaddier areas so it's hard to declare any to be one or the other. If you're talking about downtown Rockville and downtown Silver Spring then safety isn't much of a problem as quality of life issues generally don't rise above petty theft (don't leave valuables out in the open in your car in any dense area like the DC region).

The commute from Rockville and especially Gaithersburg will be longer than from Silver Spring, not only because they're further away from Beltsville, but also because you lose the benefit of having a bit of a reverse commute from Silver Spring out to Beltsville. Google Maps can tell you more, but be aware that route 200 is a toll road so that'd be cost to take in account if living out in Gaithersburg.

Apartment availability shouldn't be much of an issue in any of the areas, unless you're set on trying to get into a specific building, maybe, or looking for a 2br+ which are rarer to find. Yes, in general there is high demand for housing, but there is new supply coming online all the time (especially in downtown Silver Spring) as well as relatively high turnover.

Thanks for the info bufflove. I think they decided to place an application and hold at one of the apartment complexes. That way they're assured of a place and if it doesn't meet their requirements, they'll only be out the application fee. It takes the pressure off if suddenly everybody moves to Maryland and all the apartments are leased the day before they arrive.

Again, thanks to everyone for your input. It was invaluable as it can be overwhelming when you know nothing about the area.

[MovingAgainUgh]

Hi All,

I am moving from out of state, relocating because of work. I'm not sure which cities or which neighboring state to live in. I have done some research and it seems that cities in Maryland may be my best option but I'm still open to VA.

I will be working in DC near McPherson Metro Station or Metro Center. I am a divorced African-American woman with one child. We are used to a suburban environment and I am looking for a good middle school that feeds into a good high school. I am looking for a diverse school where my child won't be the only AA boy in the class. I have a car but would like to use the metro and public transportation as much as possible. My budget is about $2250 for a 2bedroom / 2 bath apartment or townhome.

I'd like to have less than an hour commute, however if I can get more space for my money then I don't mind being farther out. I checked out downtown Silver Spring and love the area but did not have a good experience visiting the school. I have heard Rockville might work or Laurel Md in Howard County. Also, I am open to Virginia as well. Please let me know if you have any suggestions...

Thanks in advance!!!

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by MovingAgainUgh

Hi All,

I am moving from out of state, relocating because of work. I'm not sure which cities or which neighboring state to live in. I have done some research and it seems that cities in Maryland may be my best option but I'm still open to VA.

I will be working in DC near McPherson Metro Station or Metro Center. I am a divorced African-American woman with one child. We are used to a suburban environment and I am looking for a good middle school that feeds into a good high school. I am looking for a diverse school where my child won't be the only AA boy in the class. I have a car but would like to use the metro and public transportation as much as possible. My budget is about $2250 for a 2bedroom / 2 bath apartment or townhome.

I'd like to have less than an hour commute, however if I can get more space for my money then I don't mind being farther out. I checked out downtown Silver Spring and love the area but did not have a good experience visiting the school. I have heard Rockville might work or Laurel Md in Howard County. Also, I am open to Virginia as well. Please let me know if you have any suggestions...

Thanks in advance!!!

When you say diverse school, I think you have to define that more. Do you have a preference to not have your child be the only black student in the class or for him to be in a class that is predominantly black? That may change the answers a bit.

I think Rockville and Laurel may be a good start. I wouldn't suggest Virginia only because the schools that have some black kids in it (schools in Alexandria, Hybla Valley/Mt Vernon), are not all that great and the ones that are good, have virtually none (schools in Burke, Vienna, Arlington). Maryland school are more diverse and typically the school in Howard and Montgomery County are the better ones.

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by MovingAgainUgh

Hi All,

I am moving from out of state, relocating because of work. I'm not sure which cities or which neighboring state to live in. I have done some research and it seems that cities in Maryland may be my best option but I'm still open to VA.

I will be working in DC near McPherson Metro Station or Metro Center. I am a divorced African-American woman with one child. We are used to a suburban environment and I am looking for a good middle school that feeds into a good high school. I am looking for a diverse school where my child won't be the only AA boy in the class. I have a car but would like to use the metro and public transportation as much as possible. My budget is about $2250 for a 2bedroom / 2 bath apartment or townhome.

I'd like to have less than an hour commute, however if I can get more space for my money then I don't mind being farther out. I checked out downtown Silver Spring and love the area but did not have a good experience visiting the school. I have heard Rockville might work or Laurel Md in Howard County. Also, I am open to Virginia as well. Please let me know if you have any suggestions...

Thanks in advance!!!

FYI, there are multiple well-rated, diverse middle schools serving the downtown Silver Spring area. Did you have a bad experience visiting SS Int'l or Takoma Middle? It might be worth visiting whichever you haven't if you're interested in the area. Or just chalk your experience up to bad luck as both are highly-regarded on the whole.

[Movnonup]

I'm going to be relocating for work, office will be very close to BWI. I have no kids so school districts are irrelevant. I want to be in a safe area with a high walkability score, access to parks or trails, possibily high energy. Not too young, but not suburbia. I also don't want a 2 hour commute (love Arlington), but would like to be near public transportation into DC if possible for weekend fun.

Any good suggestions? Max rent $3000. Not looking to buy.

Thanks for any help.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Movnonup

I'm going to be relocating for work, office will be very close to BWI. I have no kids so school districts are irrelevant. I want to be in a safe area with a high walkability score, access to parks or trails, possibily high energy. Not too young, but not suburbia. I also don't want a 2 hour commute (love Arlington), but would like to be near public transportation into DC if possible for weekend fun.

Any good suggestions? Max rent $3000. Not looking to buy.

I'd suggest Annapolis, close to the downtown for high walkability. However, I don't think there is public transportation to DC on the weekends.

The other option is the higher-rent neighborhoods of Baltimore like Harbor East. I suggest looking in the Baltimore sub-forum for details. I believe there is train service to DC on the weekends now.

[summerbentley]

Hi I want to purchase a 4 unit building. I am looking for an area where I can keep it rented, it's safe and close to transportation and work. I travel a lot and don't really need a house.

What area would you recommend?

[Terp2012]

I would probably recommend Silver Spring... but it might be hard finding that type of building, I'm not sure. You may want to find a real estate agent who specializes in that. I think there are alot more multi-unit buildings in DC. A family friend invested in a 4 unit place in DC right before the crash... now that the market's coming back I think they are finally getting close to being able to sell and make a profit.

[Lafis]

Hi,
My husband and I will be moving to Maryland from Massachusetts for his job at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt. We would appreciate any advice you could give us on what towns to consider. (I will be working, too, but I won't be applying for jobs until after we move. So his commute is probably the only one to consider right now. It would be nice to live near public transportation though that is not a requirement at this point. I suppose it might be important, depending on where I wind up working, but again, that's up in the air.)

We want to rent a single family home with lots of space. We hope to be able to afford a place with lots of storage, maybe a home office, a guest room, etc. We don't have children, so we're not concerned about what schools we'd be near. We're thinking we might get a dog, so we'd love to hear about areas with dog parks or especially dog-friendly neighborhoods.

Safety is a top priority for both of us. Beyond that, my husband is pretty flexible in terms of what kind of community we would choose. I have stronger feelings on the subject:

I would very much like to live somewhere that has an artsy, progressive, extremely friendly feel, with fun community events that don't necessarily focus on families with children. We're moving away from an area that has lots of farmer's markets, continuing ed classes, cooperatives, social/political grassroots activism, unique street festivals, natural foods stores, freecycle groups, time banks, community gardens, and participatory arts actvities (such as singing gatherings where everyone joins in, open freestyle dance nights, improv jams, artists' open studios, etc.). I know we are not likely to find all of these things; however, I would like to move to a community that at least has that kind of vibe, with reasonably close access to as many of these things as possible.

We've done a bit of research: Takoma Park was recommended to us, but it doesn't look like TP has many options for the kind of space we would prefer. We've been looking into Silver Spring, especially the northern part, and have seen some good options there. Old Greenbelt looks good to us.

What do those of you who know the area think? What other areas should we look into? Are there other questions that locals know to ask but that might not occur to out-of-staters?

Thank you for any help you can offer.