Owen Brown Villages to Live (Baltimore, Columbia: middle-class, renting, condo)

[Thatlawyerdude]

I have lived in Columbia and have been renting for a bit more than a year now. We are looking to purchase a condo/townhome in Columbia in the ~250k range. Most of the success we've had in finding townhomes in our price range are in the Owen Brown area. I know, generally, Owen Brown carries with it a relative negative image, particularly as compared to other parts of Columbia and Howard County. Is Owen Brown actually a bad neighborhood, or just "bad" because HoCo is one of the wealthiest counties in the country? (I grew up in a very middle-class suburb). Also, to the extent we bite the bullet on one of these townhouses, are there parts of Owen Brown that are better than others? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[shoalinstyle7]

I'm from HOCO (lived in ellicott city and columbia most of my life). I think "bad" is all about perspective, personally I don't think anywhere in HOCO is "bad." "Bad" to me was West Baltimore and Southeast DC. I will say that if you move to a less desirable area in HOCO, take that into account with the resale value. Everyone will have their own opinion on this, but I have seen the demographics in HOCO shifting as more people move into the major cities and people from the major cities get "pushed out" into the suburbs. I have seen HOCO get worse and not better (over crowded, more crime, etc....), but the home prices still reflect the old days.