columbia rental question (Baltimore, Ellicott City, Catonsville: section 8, best city, rentals)

[werdna35]

So I was originally expecting to relocate to Crofton, MD for work, however the offer has changed to a location in Columbia, MD (Still fairly close). I am not sure if this was the right sub forum or not (honestly, I dont know what is considered a DC suburb and what isnt, as they all seem fairly close to DC). Anyway, I don't know too much about Columbia and any good information on the area would be helpful. Rental info would be great, too. I don't mind not living exactly in Columbia if it means less in terms of rent, but I want a nice, safe area thats not crazy expensive. BTW, I'm 25 and would be moving with my gf, if that info is helpful at all?

Thanks!

[carroll4628]

Columbia is a series of "master planned" communities started in the 1960/70s and have since grown. There are "villages" surrounding the center of Columbia (which is a lake and the mall). The Columbia Village Associations, Howard County, Maryland (MD) (http://www.columbiavillages.org/index.html - broken link)

So, for your situation I'm not sure I would live in Columbia because there is a "premium" in Howard County due to the good school system. If you don't have kids, there's no sense in "paying for" the schools. However, you don't want/need to have a crazy commute. I would look at Laurel, Severn to the south/east or Catonsville to the north.

[werdna35]

I'm confused... so the villages are like small towns within greater columbia? What kind of commute with traffic would it be from laurel, severn, or catonsville? Which would offer the best rent/safety ratio? Would Ellicott City be advisable as well? A friend of mine said he really liked that area.

[werdna35]

or even odenton? the commute is faster than from severn

[SmokeyLisa]

If you like Columbia and do not mind the rent, at 25 I would like in town center or pretty close to it. It is pretty safe but for the burbs there are things to do and you will find young couples and the ederly in town center. There are not too many families in town center. You can live in EC the rents are not that much cheaper but I think they are slightly cheaper. I would recommend Mount Joy or finding a rental near the historic area of EC.

If you do not care as much about activities then I would also look at Avalon properties in the Dorsey Search area of Columbia, Rentals in the EC search of Dorsey Search, Rentals in Montgomery Run, House rentals near Centennial Park might be a good option. You did not name a price and I think the vast majority of EC and Columbia are nice so you should not have any issues except for price. This area is pretty pricey and rentals are preferred these days as a lot of people are choosing not to buy but rent instead.

Not sure where you are coming from, but at 25, I think you would be able to handle or be used to the safety issues in this area unless you are from a rural area. Most college areas and places that young people hang out are not exactly safe. Columbia and EC are both relatively safe but you will get nuisance crimes, robberies with a weapon. Shootings and Murders (acquitance and stranger) are very rare but they do happen.

[werdna35]

I am moving from Harrisburg, pa. But thank you for the info! that helps narrow down the search a little bit for me!

[andrew_s]

Columbia is going to cost more rent wise then most surrounding areas. Sure "west Columbia" or Clarksville will be the top of the pricing scheme, but still living in Columbia is going to be some of the priciest places in howard. Ellicott city, Elkridge and Laurel are good substitutes if its too pricey in Columbia. In the general sense Columbia is pretty safe, and since it is broken into villages youll see a hierarchy of "affluence" depending on which village you live in. As it stands right now Hickory ridge and kings contrivance are the top two.

As far as crime goes, well its on a rise as of now, but that is also the same across most everywhere due to the economy and urban sprawl. But do I feel safe living in Columbia coming from a more rural upbringing? Sure. I dont have to watch my back when I walk my dog at night, but I do feel like a deadbolt and locking my jeep is a necessity. If you want a close to city life with the relative safety of suburbia then Columbia could be for you.

[goldenchild08]

Columbia is one of the most unique towns in Maryland. Columbia is one of the more diverse towns in Maryland. Columbia has become more diverse in the past ten years. As of today, Columbia is about 50% White, 25% Black, 10% Asian and the rest of the population being Hispanic or mixed race. As a previous poster stated, Columbia was a planned community founded by legendary late developer Jim Rouse. Rouse wanted create a community where people of all races, religions and incomes live side by side together in peace. Columbia was also founded as a place that was welcome to interracial couples and mixed race children/people. Columbia actually lives up to these lofty ideas. Although many people believe all of Columbia is wealthy/upper middle class suburb, people of all income brackets live here. People who live in public housing go to grade school with people who live in mansions in Columbia. Areas like Harper's Choice, Wilde Lake and Long Reach are where the bulk of public housing exists in Columbia. These areas of are full of Baltimore, DC and New York natives. These areas are not necessarily dangerous. In fact, I would not classify any area in Columbia as truly dangerous. Crime is certainly rising in Columbia as jobless teenagers and 20 somethings resort to petty crimes like robbing pedestrians on the walking paths. Most of the crime here is opportunistic robbery; often unarmed, burglary, random assault, petty drug dealing of mostly weed, auto theft, etc. Columbia has about one or maybe two murders a year that are often domestic; although the rare shootings do occur once every year or few years. This is phenomenally safe for a city of Columbia's size. Crime here is no where near as bad or scary as it is in Baltimore, inner beltway PG County or any real big city or inner city ghetto in America. Also, Columbia has a heavy police presence, which is a good thing. You will see many police cars on the road everyday in Columbia. BUT it is easy to get in trouble with the law in Columbia for someone used to the big city because there is not much going on around here. Unlike Baltimore or DC, you will be thrown in jail for having a tiny personal stash of weed on your person or driving after having few beers.

All in all, Columbia is viewed as a safe place to raise kids and it is. It is very quiet here for the most part. The two main age groups in Columbia are well established good job having folks over 40 years old and their kids who are often ages 0-18. There aren't many 20 somethings or even a whole lot of early 30 somethings in Columbia because of the high cost of living in Howard County. Columbia is pretty boring for young single people in their 20's who often commute to Baltimore or DC to play and work. The only people who hang around Columbia are people without cars, who are often teenagers, and the elderly who like to stay close to home at all times.

Columbia is full of wooded areas and parks interconnected through an extensive series of walking/bike paths. As I stated before, some of these paths are not always as safe as they once were. Most people in Columbia rely on cars to get around. Columbia was not exactly designed for pedestrians. The public transit out here is notoriously unreliable as buses only come by stops about once an hour; if that. However, riding the bus to get Columbia is definitely doable. If you work in DC or Baltimore, you don't even need to drive into the city everyday as an extremely reliable and comfortable commuter bus, that costs about $4-5 a trip, comes through in the morning and back around when most people get off work.

Ultimately, Columbia is an extremely desirable place to live. Columbia easily has one of the highest qualities of life in America. Columbia has consistently ranked very high on CNN's "Best City to Live" list year after year. Columbia is a great place to live if you can afford it.

Best Places to Live 2010 - Top 100: City details: Columbia, MD - from MONEY Magazine

[smitity]

I've rented in columbia for the past year. It is a good place to live in general. Lots of families, and really good schools. There is a bit of section 8 housing in the area, but its pretty easy to recognize those areas when you're looking for rentals here. Definitely drive around the area before you sign a lease, just to make sure you like the neighborhood and can feel safe there. I've never felt unsafe walking around, but there is crime here, as anywhere really.

Price wise expect to pay around 1300+ for a 2-bedroom in a decent area. But there may be better deals out there now. If you plan to eventualy own, keep in mind that Howard Co has very high property taxes and Columbia is notorious for its homeowner's associations (and its fees). We're actually moving to Anne Arundel county to buy our 1st house, in part because of this.

The "village" set up of Columbia is really nice, because it means you're never more than a few minutes drive from a grocery store, it also fairly easy to get to big box stores. There's a surprising diversity in restaurants in the area, including good Indian, vietnamese, mexican, among others. However, you might find the night life lacking, so you would have to drive in to Baltimore or DC for that. There's alot of green space, including the Patuxent Branch Trail, several walking/bike trails between neighborhoods, and a few lakes. You're also not too far from other decent outdoor rec areas like Patapsco, the eastern edge of the MD mountains, among others.