Where in Balt. Co. for DC commute - family w/kids? (Baltimore: home, transfer)

[NeoSoulBrotha]

We're a young professional couple where one or both of us will commute to DC for work. Mid 30s, 2 kids (6 and 1). We want to be close to city amenities, but understand the reality of needing decent schools/safety. I will be working in DC and my wife is deciding between teaching for Balt Co./DCPS. Budget is $350-400k.

Our options are:

1. DC metro
2. DC suburbs (PG/Montgomery)
3. Baltimore metro
4. Baltimore County

Outside of some exceptional circumstances, 1 and 3 are out of the question. We'd love to live in the city, but with 2 school-age children it's nearly impossible. In DC, school choice is available but cost of housing is a dealbreaker. In Baltimore, public schools are a dealbreaker.

That leaves DC suburbs, or Baltimore County. PG/MOCO home prices are doable with good to marginal schools, but would bore us to tears. In Baltimore, we'd be close to relatives with city life nearby.

I'm thinking:

Owings Mills - can catch light rail at OM to downtown, then MARC.

Catonsville / Windsor Mill - drive to BWI or Halethorpe MARC station

Towson/Hunt Valley - light rail at Timonium or Hunt Valley to BWI.

Any thoughts on what the best option would be?

[seanlax]

Originally Posted by NeoSoulBrotha

Towson/Hunt Valley - light rail at Timonium or Hunt Valley to BWI.

OMG please don't do this! That is a ridiculously long commute. You'll never see your kids!

I think you are on target with Catonsville! Excellent area and it seems to meet your needs almost perfectly. And you can get downtown very quickly for various activities. Just be wary of Shipley, Roberts and Leewood Av; it's the least desirable part of Catonsville, and not exactly kid-friendly.

[james777]

seanlax is right. If you are going to work in DC and live in the Baltimore suburbs, you need to confine your search to the south and southwest suburbs of Baltimore. If you go to the north or northwest suburbs, you will have an unbearable commute for several hours a day. Consider Catonsville, Arbutus, Linthicum, or anywhere near the MARC train stations between Baltimore and Washington. If your wife decides to work in DC, I suggest you get as close to DC as possible, such as Laurel or Beltsville.

[MidValleyDad]

First of all Has your wife been offered a position in BCPS? Has she been told what the location would be? The location would have a large impact on areas you would want to consider (or if she would want the job at all) assuming you will be commuting to DC

I commuted into the DC area for 30 years and I would never have considered living in BaCo. I was willing to accept the commute from Frederick County and that commute was long enough.

[Michael21214]

Why not Anne Arundel County?

[NeoSoulBrotha]

Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that Hunt Valley is an option of last resort, based on the distance. Hopefully if she goes to BCPS, it would be at a school on the west side of the county. (I made a daily, 55 minute drive from White Marsh to Hunt Valley / Cockeysville for 5 years and it was absolutely miserable).

Anne Arundel is an option if we both go the DC route (or she teaches in AA/PG) - Glen Burnie or Crofton could potentially be a fit.

[redd1skng]

Originally Posted by NeoSoulBrotha

Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that Hunt Valley is an option of last resort, based on the distance. Hopefully if she goes to BCPS, it would be at a school on the west side of the county. (I made a daily, 55 minute drive from White Marsh to Hunt Valley / Cockeysville for 5 years and it was absolutely miserable).

Anne Arundel is an option if we both go the DC route (or she teaches in AA/PG) - Glen Burnie or Crofton could potentially be a fit.

But... AA County, Glen Burnie, Crofton would take you away from the city to the 'boring' suburban life you touched on in your original post.

The Catonsville / Windsor Mill area is nice and would meet the requirements you mentioned.

[james777]

Originally Posted by NeoSoulBrotha

Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that Hunt Valley is an option of last resort, based on the distance. Hopefully if she goes to BCPS, it would be at a school on the west side of the county. (I made a daily, 55 minute drive from White Marsh to Hunt Valley / Cockeysville for 5 years and it was absolutely miserable).

Anne Arundel is an option if we both go the DC route (or she teaches in AA/PG) - Glen Burnie or Crofton could potentially be a fit.

You say a 55 minute one way commute made you absolutely miserable, but you are keeping as an option a commute from Hunt Valley to DC which would be a minimum of a two hour one way commute???? That is a two hour commute if the stars align and the weather is good. If the weather is not good, or if the train hits a pedestrian, as they seem to be doing quite often these days, God only knows how long it will take.

You need to study maps of the DC metro and the three MARC train lines. As close to a station as possible is where you want to be.

Since you want to be in the Baltimore area, there is one hidden gem that may help put you into proximity of reasonable cost housing and that is the MARC train station at Martin Airport in Middle River. It is an easy but long commute from there direct to Union Station; you don't even have to change trains. Many make the commute every day. I've taken it a few times and one can get quite comfortable in the new rail cars. But as I said before, if your wife decides to teach in the DC public schools, you really need to be in the DC metro, not the Baltimore metro.

Good luck.

[Alex1484]

Having done the commute from Hunt Valley to DC back when i lived at home with my parents for 3 years, it was easily 1.5 hours-2hrs each way only because i took the early 4:45 AM marc train and was out of DC by 3:15 pm. My only saving grace was that I had fridays off. With kids in the mix, i just don't see this kind of commute working out. Your best bet out of the options given is look for a home in the catonsville/Arbutus area and pick the Marc train at the halethorpe station to get into DC.

Just so you know the light rail doesn't start that early and is very slow. You want to minimize the amount of transfer points as possible as one can easily affect your schedule on the others. With the Marc train, you will only have to deal with the metro depending where you will be working in DC.