Quarry Lake (Baltimore, Columbia, Catonsville: for sale, condos, houses)

[Sicilee]

Planning a move from Philadelphia (city) to Baltimore for work in the Woodlawn/SSA area. Looking at Quarry Lake condos and possibly Columbia area. Prefer more of an urban setting but not central Baltimore city.

Any thoughts on the Quarry Lake area? No children. Not into nighlife.

Also, how long would the commute be, and are there viable back roads to take during rush hour?

Thanks.

[Miss Crabcakes]

If you mean Quarry Lake in Mt Washington then your commute to Woodlawn should not be bad. You'd probably get on 695 to exit 17. I'd think you'd be looking at 30 -40 mins depending on traffic, which is pretty standard for Baltimore County.

This is around the corner from me. Its beautiful, very clean and brand new. No nightlife. Also very close to 695. I'm not sure of backroads but they would probably take longer.

[Sicilee]

That's the one - thanks for taking the time to respond. I was hoping to keep the commute under 30 minutes but oh well. It does seem like a nice part of Baltimore county.

[Merc63]

I'm not far from there and backroads take less time than the beltway to get to work on or even get anywhere, with the exception of late evening hours.

The whole area is a decent place to live, however. I'm actually a bit closer to woodlawn in Pikesville, where there are a lot of good houses for sale as well. It takes me about 15 minutes to commute to Woodlawn from my house, and I'm only a couple blocks from the metro station that takes you downtown if you want nightlife.

[KLynch10]

I can't imagine your commute would be bad at all. I can get to SSA in 15 minutes from my Fed Hill home and Mt. Wash/Pikesville is closer. If you like it, I say go for it, it won't be a bad commute, and your gas costs will be low.

You will be going with traffic though. If you want to go against traffic, I would suggest living in Catonsville.

[sobo16]

I used to do a similar commute. I would take back roads in the morning, but the beltway was fine coming home. You hit a little bit of traffic on 695 for about a mile until the Windsor Mill overpass, but then it's smooth sailing.

[Sicilee]

Thanks everyone -- very helpful information. We did settle on Quarry Lake. Wanted a nice newer condo. Low maintenance. One floor. Close to the city but not in it. Seems like a good spot. Hope to be there by late August.