Possibly moving to Rockville,MD from Colorado Springs,CO and need some help (Bethesda: crime, house)

[utter9989]

My wife just graduated from nursing school and we are contemplating moving to Rockville, MD or Sarasota, Fl for a a couple of years to explore the east coast living. We've heard many stories about Maryland to include:

Pros: Very good schools, income, mountains, ocean, and outdoor activites,

cons: lots of traffic, we've been told the people are a little un-friendly, and the cost of living is expensive.

We have done research and found the area to be very nice, and the incomes are higher to off-set any higher cost, but we are a little concerned about comments about people being to themselves and very opinionated-which is ok to a point. My wife and I are into outdoor fitness, and were curious-does Maryland have a decent outdoor experience; is the snow skiing?

Could I get the opinion of current Maryland residents feed back on the following: What is the main difference between Colorado and Maryland for those who have been both, cost of living, people, real story on traffic and crime. Thank you for all your help in advance for this is a very tough decision.

[mdswines]

Hi there. There is snow skiiing in Wester MD & in PA .... You'd probably have to drive about 3+ hours to get to either ... same goes for any good hiking .... but don't expect anything like what you have there in COS.

[GeorgeSpelvin]

I will say this much: Regarding outdoor activities, the problem in Maryland-Northern Virginia-DC (and everywhere South) is that the humidity is unbearable from June through early September. You WILL notice a major change from Colorado and other areas out west that are much more arid. Of course, Florida will have at least the same summer humidity problem plus it will be 5-10 degrees hotter. You would have the mild winter, of course.

Traffic is very bad in southern Maryland (obviously the closer to DC, the worse it is). It is probably worse than Denver traffic or at least a toss-up.

Just my personal opinion -- I think moving from Colorado Springs to Maryland would be a real downer if you are into outdoors stuff and have gotten used to that dry, sunny climate. I wouldn't do it unless there's some other gain -- like a huge raise!

[mamaecho]

Okay, here's my opinions.. I'm from the midwest (although my MIL & FIL live in Colorado Springs)..

1. People don't talk to you.. for example.. when I'm back home (in Indiana) when I go to the store, people say things "Wow, isn't this a great deal on pineapples?" and you chit chat. Here this does not happen, hardly ever... and normally if it does, it's because the person is a transplant from the midwest/west

2. The weather will be completely different than what you are used to. My MIL basically feels smothered and sweaty when she is here

3. There are beautiful places to hike, like the Apalacian Trail. If possible, I would suggest you move out away from the city if it's possible for you.. perhaps Frederick or Washington Co. There are two beautiful state parks that have gorgeous lakes to swim in in the summer.. about 40 minutes from Montgomery Village (so maybe 50-60 minutes from Rockville).. Greenbriar Lake and Cunningham Falls.. Cunningham has more on the idea of hiking.

4. You can ski at Deep Creek.. which would be about 3-4 hours from Rockville

5. Traffic is horrible. In the midwest, if something is 15 miles away, you guess it takes 15 or so minutes to get there.. here it's normally doubled.

[horseyjen]

Not to discourage you from MD, but my own experience is that the increased salary is not enough to cover the increased cost of living. I'm a federal worker getting ready to move from Biloxi, MS to Southern, MD, and even with the promotion i'm getting, I could still live better in Biloxi on my current pay grade. However, for a young professional, there are just way more opportunities for jobs and career advancement (in my field anyway) in the DC area than anywhere else. I've never been to Colorado but I did live near Sarasota at one point and I might consider that area over Rockville. But I've gotten used to the warm winters the past few years and am not looking forward to going back to the cold and snow of DC. That said, I think it's fully possible to be outdoorsy in the DC area...I grew up skiing at Whitetail in Mercersburg, PA (compared to out west, it won't be great skiing but it's something), I ride horses, and I love to hike, etc. You can do all of these things within an hour or so of the DC area. So it could work for you.

[laminmd]

I live in Bethesda, not too far from Rockville. My husband and I spent 6 weeks 2 summers ago exploring towns all over Colorado for relocation when my youngest finishes high school (happens soon now!). My experience of the Colorado Springs area is that in general, people are WAY more conservative than your average person in Montgomery County...think "Boulder" and you will have a pretty good concept of how liberal people tend to be around here. If you are looking for a more socially conservative area, you might want to consider living on the Virginia side of the river, with easy access to a metro, and commuting on the train to your job in Rockville. Regarding outdoor fitness, other people have already posted the key points but I do want to add that there are MANY people into being "outdoorsy" and athletic in this area and in that way, you should fit right in. The easy access to the entire Chesapeake Bay area as well as the Delaware seashore and the mountains and wineries in Virginia make this city an extremely attractive and desirable place to live. Bottom line: there is plenty of culture in the city and an abundance of beautiful outdoor places within a 3 hour drive for the weekends. BUT...The traffic is absolutely HORRENDOUS. People as a general rule are not as "friendly" as they are in Colorado. However, if you approach them in a friendly manner they will usually reciprocate. Hope this helps and Good Luck.

[utter9989]

Originally Posted by laminmd

I live in Bethesda, not too far from Rockville. My husband and I spent 6 weeks 2 summers ago exploring towns all over Colorado for relocation when my youngest finishes high school (happens soon now!). My experience of the Colorado Springs area is that in general, people are WAY more conservative than your average person in Montgomery County...think "Boulder" and you will have a pretty good concept of how liberal people tend to be around here. If you are looking for a more socially conservative area, you might want to consider living on the Virginia side of the river, with easy access to a metro, and commuting on the train to your job in Rockville. Regarding outdoor fitness, other people have already posted the key points but I do want to add that there are MANY people into being "outdoorsy" and athletic in this area and in that way, you should fit right in. The easy access to the entire Chesapeake Bay area as well as the Delaware seashore and the mountains and wineries in Virginia make this city an extremely attractive and desirable place to live. Bottom line: there is plenty of culture in the city and an abundance of beautiful outdoor places within a 3 hour drive for the weekends. BUT...The traffic is absolutely HORRENDOUS. People as a general rule are not as "friendly" as they are in Colorado. However, if you approach them in a friendly manner they will usually reciprocate. Hope this helps and Good Luck.

Thank you for your information on Maryland, I hope you find a great place here in Colorado, for it's truely the best state for many reasons. We will only be in Maryland (Roxville) for 1-2 yrs. Great luck with your future move and son's graduation!

[LovinCO]

So - we did the opposite - I am from Rockville/Potomac area - lived there 40 years and 2 years ago moved to COS! It is VERY different....you mentioned outdoor fitness, I have to be honest with you guys, there is no comparison to CO. You can't drive 10 minutes and find hikes, trail running, mountain biking, skiing...nope, not in Rockville....What you will find is the best schools, culture, very educated/diverse people, arts, professional/eclectic people, fancy cars, crazy good shopping, open-mindedness.....

I have to say we love COS - we were ready for a change - get out of the hussle and bussle, simplify our lives, lower cost of everything....

So traffic....REALLY bad, no question about it - 270 (main highway) and 495....crazy bad.

Crime - there is not a lot of crime in Montgomery Co.

Cost of living - we sold our house for 750k - brick colonial, 3200 squ. feet, built in 1992 and bought the same size house in the Old North End downtown - victorian for $450 - pretty expensive outside of DC in Mont. Co. - we'd have a hard time affording a house if we had to move back-

Hope this helps - any specific questions...just ask - Good Luck!

[tonyc]

From the Springs to Rockville..

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by LovinCO

So - we did the opposite - I am from Rockville/Potomac area - lived there 40 years and 2 years ago moved to COS! It is VERY different....you mentioned outdoor fitness, I have to be honest with you guys, there is no comparison to CO. You can't drive 10 minutes and find hikes, trail running, mountain biking, skiing...nope, not in Rockville....What you will find is the best schools, culture, very educated/diverse people, arts, professional/eclectic people, fancy cars, crazy good shopping, open-mindedness.....

I have to say we love COS - we were ready for a change - get out of the hussle and bussle, simplify our lives, lower cost of everything....

So traffic....REALLY bad, no question about it - 270 (main highway) and 495....crazy bad.

Crime - there is not a lot of crime in Montgomery Co.

Cost of living - we sold our house for 750k - brick colonial, 3200 squ. feet, built in 1992 and bought the same size house in the Old North End downtown - victorian for $450 - pretty expensive outside of DC in Mont. Co. - we'd have a hard time affording a house if we had to move back-

Hope this helps - any specific questions...just ask - Good Luck!

^^^ yup. No AC/humidity..peace and tranquility....real ski slopes..dry snow...