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awesome, thanks for the advice. What about Bowie? We have seen some ok things there (online only). Bowie seems close to Crofton. Is it a decent place?
I don't know enough about Bowie to say. Although it is close to Crofton, it is still in Prince George County. I have such a phobia about Prince George County schools, that I would not recommend it. PG schools have their defenders, especially if the child is in a GT program or magnet school. I just can't recommend it to someone from outside the area.
How old is your daughter? Could you consider a private school for her?
Last edited by goldenage1; 08-31-2013 at 06:12 AM..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Washington,_MD (where I lived for many years) is 75% African American (middle-class), but also has a large Filipino population (the Filipino population has its own community center building, a nursing home, restaurants, and churches).
Housing prices are much lower and affordable in Prince Georges County (which includes Fort Washington) than in other suburban counties in the Washington metropolitan area. But Southern Prince Georges County / Fort Washington area has fewer jobs, fewer shopping Malls or dining options, and less access to Universities and public transportation, than other suburban counties do. Some people like the riverfront views of parts of Fort Washington, and the nice trails inside the Fort Park, as well as the Henson Creek trail (described in the article I linked above). The reconstruction and widening of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Beltway) in 2008, has made it much easier/ faster to drive between Fort Washington MD, and suburban Virginia, than before.
awesome, thanks for the advice. What about Bowie? We have seen some ok things there (online only). Bowie seems close to Crofton. Is it a decent place?
As people have said, Bowie is in PG and the schools arent that decent. You have some great ones and some not so great ones. For the price range, you can buy look into the 20721 zip code. The homes are newer, However, the schools zoned are Pointer Ridge elementary which is not a good school. The middle school is Benjamin Tasker which has been going downhill for a while with bullying, low test scores, administration changing every 3-4 years. Bowie HS is overcrowded and even though it is supposedly one of the "better" schools in PG, its having its own share of problems as well with bullying, fighting, and apparently the test scores are dropping as well.
30 minute commute should put you in Crofton, Odenton, or Gambrills in AA County. For your price range and schools I would say Laurel (Howard County side) there are numerous new construction going on all over the town with Emerson community, Maple Lawn, and are about to break ground on 2 new construction areas. Also Forest Ridge, Laurel Woods, Gorman Crossing, Hammond are very good ES, Murray Hill Middle, Hammond Middle, Resevoir HS, Hammon HS are very good schools in the area.
Ok, so it appears I have an opportunity to take a job in Landover, MD. We currently live in San Diego, but lived in Raleigh for 3 years and loved it. Looking for a young, middle to upper-middle class neighborhood that has a great friendly atmosphere. Our must haves are 1.) no more than 30 min commute to landover, 2.) newer development (under 10yrs old), 3.) good schools for our daughter, and 4.) close to shopping for the wife (i.e. Target, malls, etc...)
Any comments or advice are appreciated. On realtor dot com the area that keeps popping up is Upper Malboro. Our price range (coming from California where things are over priced and inflated, but works in our favor this time) is the $400,000 - $600,000 range.
Please guide me to some areas I should consider. thanks in advance
I have lived in the Bowie area for several years, and I like it. I prefer the areas with zip codes 20715 or 20720. Two of the county's top-ranked elementary schools (Whitehall and Tulip Grove) are in the 20715 zip code. Another decent elementary is Rockledge, also in 20715. The county's top-ranked middle school (Ogle) is in 20715. The TAG magnet school (Heather Hills) is in 20716, but the attendance area is Bowie and the surrounding area. The houses in this zip code are mostly older and list for below $400,000, but the neighborhoods are mostly very nice and quiet.
Communities in 20720 often are zoned for Bowie schools. Try searching for communities off Church Road, then using the school finder search on the PGC public schools site. Housing in 20720 is newer.
Another military transplant on our way. Tons of ?'s.
Let me preface this by noting that I have gone through about 7 pages of data and have certainly read a great deal of information, but I still have a few lingering questions. And I have an issue with brevity, so thank you in advance for those who take the time to read it all and offer in put.
Basic info:
-Family of 4 (38, 36, 15, 12) with 3 furbabies
-Locating to Ft. Meade in December
-We're you're run of the mill independent-liberalish-(the horrors!)-fun-somewhat-uncoventional-friendly-and-easy-going family.
-We're also going to be a one-income family until I can find employment, which is obviously going to be a huge factor.
-We're currently in Colorado were the cost of living and population is drastically lower.
I should also note that this move was completely unexpected for us. We're a little excited for a new adventure, but also rightfully nervous about starting over and uprooting our kids. My husband only has 2 years until retirement and we'd been repeatedly told that it would be highly unlikely that we'd PCS again. Yes, we're in the military. PCSing is par the course, but there are several other factors involved in why we were told we likely wouldn't move again. That said, and despite the shock, we're looking for silver linings and trying to make the best of it!
1. Schools. So much conflicting information (read: opinions). I try to go by ratings from GreaterSchools, but even a school with a 10 rating is often met with negative reviews elsewhere so it's hard to decipher what's legit. Since we're only going to be there for 2 years, our primary focus is on keeping our children in great schools. My daughter is in honors class (high school) and my son has been in full-day magnet gifted and talented programs (both in Texas and Colorado) since the 1st grade (he's now in 7th). I can't seem to find info through various district websites about GT programs.
Thoughts on best middle & high schools based on academics, theater programs, music programs, and sports?
Are there any full-day GT magnet programs in the area?
2. The elusive WHERE TO LIVE question. As with schools, there's a great deal of conflicting information on where to live. I understand traffic in commutes is a beast nearly anywhere in the area, so keeping that in mind, we're not opposed to living 15-20 miles from Ft. Meade purely because we're really focused on good schools and that's most important in location. We're not going to compromise our kids' educations for the sake of convenience, you know?
We don't need the cookie-cutter American ideal, but we do need great education opportunities and safety.
We also need to rent because buying for only 2 years seems a bit pointless in today's market.
Which brings us to the biggie: mula. We're obviously a little limited with only one (E7 income) and we're rolling in with a our fair share of debt. Is there really any hope for a decent rental near good schools?
We currently pay less than $1500 a month for a brand new 2,160sq ft single family home. Of what I've seen so far on Zillow, we'd be lucky to get a shoe box for $1500 in MD. *gulp* This has us very nervous about our options. Obviously BAH goes up, but we know nothing about utility costs or anything else piled on.
3. I have a BA in sociology (newly received) and currently work at a non-profit transition program with mentally & physically disabled young adults. Does anyone have any information of similar jobs or jobs within social service organizations in the area?
I really do appreciate any feedback that helps our family hone in on an area and our options. Relocating is a really huge deal for a family and we want to be as informed as possible in order to make the best decisions. We've been at our current location long enough to have started roots and formed a surrogate family. So this upcoming move is causing a wee bit of anxiety, especially for my kids, with good reason.
I also appreciate you taking the time to read my novella. I would ask, though, that if you think a school is awful or an area is awful and we should avoid it, can you explain details on why? We're looking for solid information, not just opinions because someone hates the liberals in the area or the traffic or the pizza joint down the road.
Let me preface this by noting that I have gone through about 7 pages of data and have certainly read a great deal of information, but I still have a few lingering questions. And I have an issue with brevity, so thank you in advance for those who take the time to read it all and offer in put.
Basic info:
-Family of 4 (38, 36, 15, 12) with 3 furbabies
-Locating to Ft. Meade in December
-We're you're run of the mill independent-liberalish-(the horrors!)-fun-somewhat-uncoventional-friendly-and-easy-going family.
-We're also going to be a one-income family until I can find employment, which is obviously going to be a huge factor.
-We're currently in Colorado were the cost of living and population is drastically lower.
I should also note that this move was completely unexpected for us. We're a little excited for a new adventure, but also rightfully nervous about starting over and uprooting our kids. My husband only has 2 years until retirement and we'd been repeatedly told that it would be highly unlikely that we'd PCS again. Yes, we're in the military. PCSing is par the course, but there are several other factors involved in why we were told we likely wouldn't move again. That said, and despite the shock, we're looking for silver linings and trying to make the best of it!
1. Schools. So much conflicting information (read: opinions). I try to go by ratings from GreaterSchools, but even a school with a 10 rating is often met with negative reviews elsewhere so it's hard to decipher what's legit. Since we're only going to be there for 2 years, our primary focus is on keeping our children in great schools. My daughter is in honors class (high school) and my son has been in full-day magnet gifted and talented programs (both in Texas and Colorado) since the 1st grade (he's now in 7th). I can't seem to find info through various district websites about GT programs.
Thoughts on best middle & high schools based on academics, theater programs, music programs, and sports?
Are there any full-day GT magnet programs in the area?
2. The elusive WHERE TO LIVE question. As with schools, there's a great deal of conflicting information on where to live. I understand traffic in commutes is a beast nearly anywhere in the area, so keeping that in mind, we're not opposed to living 15-20 miles from Ft. Meade purely because we're really focused on good schools and that's most important in location. We're not going to compromise our kids' educations for the sake of convenience, you know?
We don't need the cookie-cutter American ideal, but we do need great education opportunities and safety.
We also need to rent because buying for only 2 years seems a bit pointless in today's market.
Which brings us to the biggie: mula. We're obviously a little limited with only one (E7 income) and we're rolling in with a our fair share of debt. Is there really any hope for a decent rental near good schools?
We currently pay less than $1500 a month for a brand new 2,160sq ft single family home. Of what I've seen so far on Zillow, we'd be lucky to get a shoe box for $1500 in MD. *gulp* This has us very nervous about our options. Obviously BAH goes up, but we know nothing about utility costs or anything else piled on.
3. I have a BA in sociology (newly received) and currently work at a non-profit transition program with mentally & physically disabled young adults. Does anyone have any information of similar jobs or jobs within social service organizations in the area?
I really do appreciate any feedback that helps our family hone in on an area and our options. Relocating is a really huge deal for a family and we want to be as informed as possible in order to make the best decisions. We've been at our current location long enough to have started roots and formed a surrogate family. So this upcoming move is causing a wee bit of anxiety, especially for my kids, with good reason.
I also appreciate you taking the time to read my novella. I would ask, though, that if you think a school is awful or an area is awful and we should avoid it, can you explain details on why? We're looking for solid information, not just opinions because someone hates the liberals in the area or the traffic or the pizza joint down the road.
Thank you!
Jenn
First CONGRATS on your degree!!!
I would say $1500 is doable, but hard. Anything closer to Ft. Meade will not give you a house, moreso a 2 (maybe 3) bedroom apt. However, you could look into Severn, MD which is near Ft. Meade, and you could look into Jessup, MD which is off Rt 32 which passes through Ft Meade.
Jessup is in Howard County, which has the best schools in Maryland. You wouldn't have any problems with your children attending there. I think they would attend school in Columbia but not sure which one.
Severn is in AA County, your daughter would attend Meade HS, which is a good school, It has an IB Program and your son could attend MacArthur or Meade MS which are good also.
another option would be Crofton, again in AA County, try to look at the part near 32 which would send your daughter would attend Arundel HS. which is a great school also. I wouldn't know where your son would go.
As for jobs, I would say try case management jobs such as Outreach Centers, local/County government agencies. Im a State employee and we hire every so often, but with 2 years it wouldn't be befitting to leave after u got hired.
I agreed with all the suggestions. Ellicott City and Columbia have great schools, but $1500/month will only get you an apartment ther. The family's budget will certainly be helped if the mom can find a job. There are some state jobs which are contracted, with no or minimal benefits. If she has benefits from the husband, contracting is an option.
I agreed with all the suggestions. Ellicott City and Columbia have great schools, but $1500/month will only get you an apartment ther. The family's budget will certainly be helped if the mom can find a job. There are some state jobs which are contracted, with no or minimal benefits. If she has benefits from the husband, contracting is an option.
It would be best to go with contracting anyway since you plan to be here for only 2 years
EducatedBro82 provided really good info!!! I just have to disagree with Meade High School. I know too many kids who hated it there and their parents did everything they could to transfer them. I can't speak from personal experience.
Electric/gas rates are high here, but I don't think they're that much different from Colorado (I lived in C. Springs for quite a while). Just practice turning off lights and not using the a/c and heat excessively and you should be okay. Unfortunately, I doubt you will find a home the size you have in CO for the price you're paying in CO.
My suggestion would be to see if you can live in Piney Orchard located in Odenton. It's a safe suburban community about a 10 minute drive to Ft. Meade, and your children would attend Arundel Middle and Arundel High. Although the schools are old (the high school was founded in 1854 as a prestigious one room school...it has been updated since then, LOL) and both could use improvements, they are loved and supported by students, parents, and surrounding community.
The West County Library is in Odenton and is a great resource to the community!
Waugh Chapel is a nearby shopping center (closer to Crofton) that has had major additions in 2012 - 2013, with lots of affordable restaurants, stores, and a movie theater.
So, if you can, start with Odenton, Gambrills, and Crofton. The parts of Odenton that are west of Maryland route 32 have very nice homes (apartments, townhomes, and single family homes) at lower prices. I think the prices are lower due to the proximity to Ft. Meade...the communities are right outside the gate, and the children who live there go to Meade High. Again, it's not the worst school, probably not even bad, it just has a bad reputation in the Fort Meade area.
I have friends who have children at Meade. They like the school and the parents like the school. it has changed from those few incidents in the 90s. The school has reformed and redeemed itself. White, Black, and Asian alike go to the school and its actually doing better.
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Another military transplant on our way. Tons of ?'s.
