Apartments between BWI and DC (Columbia, Glen Burnie: rentals, crime, month-to-month)

[SashaNC]

Which areas have the best commute to DC? I will be working near BWI and going to school during the day in DC. Im looking for areas located between the two with a easy commute. Some of the areas I have researched are: Columbia, Glen Burnie, Laurel and Odenton.

[childofaaco]

The north end of town tends to have more crime than the south end of town. Most Glen Burnie apartments will not have in-unit washer/dryers, though the laundry rooms of both places I've been have been fine. I've lived in Woodside and Windbrooke. I loved the actual apartment I had at Woodside, very nice. The pool was also nice. I disliked the throngs of children roaming about screaming unsupervised in the afternoons (Supervised children playing, even occasionally loudly is fine; hanging over the balcony screaming at the top of their lungs repeatedly to kids on the ground, is not). More than I disliked the children, the dealbreaker for me was the police activity due to the quad-style housing across the street. Helicopters hoovering over the neighborhood and police constantly in the area. Windbrooke is one of 4 complexes (Windbrooke, Rainbow View, Tall Pines, Hidden Woods) served by Hendersen-Webb in an area they call "The Forest" All the complexes are about equal. The apartment is a bit more dated, but I like the area. Minimal police activity (they will sit in the area and do paperwork/run radar occasionally), security guards that mostly keep outsiders moving on their way. We have had problem neighbors, they normally last about 6-9 months and get evicted due to non payment. The catch is the lease terms. You sign a one year lease, no big deal. 2 1/2 months(!) before your lease is up you have to tell them if you are leaving or want to go month to month (for a higher price), otherwise you are auto-renewed into another 12 month lease. If you do "month-to-month" you have to give 60 days notice if you want to leave. You can buy out your lease with a 60 day notice and paying 2 months rent on top.

If you just need a place to sleep, don't care who your neighbors are and prefer neighbors who don't care who you are, and are looking for inexpensive, Glen Burnie is a good bet. Lock your car doors at night, check apartmentratings.com (take with a grain of salt, disgruntled residents are more likely to post than happy ones).

Another good alternative is checking for private rentals on craigslist.

Anne Arundel County does not have the best bus service, so you will probably have to drive to BWI, which should not be too bad of a traffic issue for you. I always endorse taking transit into and around DC, check Maryland Transit Administration Home Page for the MARC schedules, the Penn Line will take you from BWI to Union Station in DC where you can transfer to Metrorail Metro - Homepage if your school is close to a Metro stop. The current cost of a monthly MARC(BWI-DC)/Metro pass is $230, and with gas prices the way they are - a good deal.

[gdog1985]

Originally Posted by SashaNC

Which areas have the best commute to DC? I will be working near BWI and going to school during the day in DC. Im looking for areas located between the two with a easy commute. Some of the areas I have researched are: Columbia, Glen Burnie, Laurel and Odenton.

What price range are you looking in? Odenton would be the best out of those that you listed. Most parts (near Piney Orchard Pkwy) are clean and very nice but you're looking at $1600-$2200 a month to rent at the same time. Glen Burnie isn't a great place to call home but as the other person stated if it's just to lay your head down once in awhile it would be ok. I'm a stay at home mom full time so for me the noise and crime would be a total deal breaked in Glen Burnie. Marley Run Apartments in Pasadena are very nice now that they have been renovated and are under new management (it's amazing how nice a place can be after a drug raid). They're renting in the $890-1100 range.

[KRB97]

Originally Posted by gdog1985

What price range are you looking in? Odenton would be the best out of those that you listed. Most parts (near Piney Orchard Pkwy) are clean and very nice but you're looking at $1600-$2200 a month to rent at the same time. Glen Burnie isn't a great place to call home but as the other person stated if it's just to lay your head down once in awhile it would be ok. I'm a stay at home mom full time so for me the noise and crime would be a total deal breaked in Glen Burnie. Marley Run Apartments in Pasadena are very nice now that they have been renovated and are under new management (it's amazing how nice a place can be after a drug raid). They're renting in the $890-1100 range.

I agree that Marley Run is very nice, and that Glen Burnie is affordable. But I think it would be the LEAST convenient commute to DC out of the places that they have looked into. I would choose a neighborhood closer to 95. Columbia has some very nice neighborhoods that would be a better commute.