Commute from Ellicott City to Towson ?

[KLynch10]

Originally Posted by GunsMass

Towson has become pretty ghetto these days. I wouldn't agree that it and Ellicott City are very similar. That being said, Ellicott City is too far and painful a commute.

You might want to consider buying in Northern Baltimore County, perhaps off of Ashland or Paper Mill Road. Hunt Valley has still retained a niceness, generally, and the commute would be all of 10 minutes.

Wow, you are just on a roll today!

[SmokeyLisa]

Depending on the time of the commute and where in Towson and EC you would live then it should take you anywhere 30 - 50 minutes. There is a lot of traffic near Towson and near 695. The problem is the accidents, and construction. There is usually something happening on 695. I would definitely look closer to Towson even though the commute to Towson is reasonable IMO, it just isn't necessary unless there is another reason that you want to live in Howard County or EC. If you are choosing based off of schools, Towson does have some overcrowded schools but some of the schools in Howard County are crowded also. You get no school choice in Howard, you are stuck with what you get. In general the schools are good and the ones in EC seem to rank better than most in Howard or Maryland but you could be redistricted so keep this in mind.

[carroll4628]

If you stay on the northern edge of Howard County (close to Rt 40), you'll be fine with all the schools and would have Howard HS (not the top of the pack, but then you won't pay an extra $40-$50k premium for Centennial).

If you can work from home a few days, I'd recommend EC. I have neighbors who do that commute. But, I would really take a look in Hunt Valley if you're going in to Towson everyday.

[esby]

Thanks for all your responses. I am still looking for good elementary schools and nearby apartments for rent, in and around Towson. Any suggestions/recommendations on that would be highly appreciated.
Thanks once again!

[catsy girl]

Originally Posted by esby

Thanks for all your responses. I am still looking for good elementary schools and nearby apartments for rent, in and around Towson. Any suggestions/recommendations on that would be highly appreciated.
Thanks once again!

i grew up in baltimore ( towson area ) and lived there until ten years ago. my husband taught in the towson/timonium area for many years, and retired in the late 90s. although i feel i still know the area rather well as i still travel there often and have friends who live and work in that area, my information may not be as current as someone who is living there now.

my husband and i lived in ellicott city during the last ten years he taught in timonium, and, even 15 years ago it was usually a tough commute, for the reasons already given- accidents, road work, excessive traffic on those parts of the beltway he'd have to travel.

as far as schools, rodgers forge elementary, dumbarton middle, and towson senior have been the stars in that area for many years and from what i understand, still are. most of the rodgers forge townhomes ( a very nice, convenient neighborhood ) are in that school district and there are usually some available to rent. i don't know about costs. anneslie ( another neighborhood close by ) has single homes- bungalows, cape cods, some small colonials-and are also in that school district ; they would probably have some rentals. again i don't know what prices are.

i grew up in that general area and went to those schools- many, many years ago. they have always had a good reputation and the neighborhoods surrounding them are still considered to be very desirable. i'm certain there are other "towson" neighborhoods that would be a good match as well, but these are the ones with which i'm most familiar.i don't think you could go wrong with this area.

good luck in making your decisions.

catsy girl

[esby]

Hello catsy girl, thank you for your response and all the details that you gave about the Towson area. It was very helpful and informative and it helps make my decision much easier.
Thank you!

[Free14us]

Esby -

Whatever you do do not commute from EC to Towson, this is a commute from Hell. Route 70 is terrible in the morning and evening as is 695

Towson has some nice neighborhoods as does Lutherville, Ruxton. and Timonium. Rogers Forge might be another alternative.

I believe what the one poster was referring to was downtown Towson which has been experiencing a bit of malaise, closed stores, bad elements hanging about, but there are a lot of nice neighborhoods in Towson too.

Why subject yourself to the commute from hell when there are much better alternatives close by?

[dclamb3]

Originally Posted by esby

I am thinking of moving from the Mid-west to work in Towson, MD. Based on various forums, I think Ellicott City would be a nice place for me & my family to move to.
How is the morning commute from Ellicott City to Towson ? Google Maps says 33 minutes. Is that a good estimate, or is there lot of traffic ?

Thanks.

Unless you enjoy very long commutes or can drive to work during non-rush hour times, I'd recommend living much closer to Towson. The Towson area is notoriously congested during rush hour, even moreso than the rest of the beltway. They're also doing highway construction which, who knows when it will be complete, that will also add to your drive time.