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Old 02-15-2011, 06:06 AM
 
2 posts, read 3,622 times
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Hey everyone -- We live in downtown Frederick right now and LOVE it there, but my husband's starting a job in Indian Head, MD, soon and I'll be taking a few prereq classes at Anne Arundel Community College before starting school at Towson University in Spring 2012, so we need to move to a more central location between all these things.

We're looking to rent west of Annapolis because it's pretty close to being the halfway mark and near a lot of fun stuff and the major roads, but we're also trying to avoid massive commuter traffic and sky-high rent. I'll be looking for a job, too, so I'd like wherever we live to have a decent employment market that won't require me to work an hour away on top of my school commute.

The thing we love about Frederick is its small-town feel -- but with lots of restaurants, culture, and nightlife -- safety, and relatively low cost of living. We also love its "personality" -- we're not huge fans of sprawling suburban bedroom communities or cookie-cutter housing developments.

Right now, we're looking at the Severna Park-Crofton-Odenton area... Are there any "Frederick-like" towns around?

Thanks!

Last edited by ErinMcDee; 02-15-2011 at 06:15 AM..
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Old 02-15-2011, 09:56 AM
 
Location: Cumberland
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Not really. The stretch of I-70 between Frederick and Baltimore/Annapolis is almost entirely devoid of "towns". Plenty of people live in that cooridor, but it is nearly completely suburban. Indian Head is further south right? Maybe something like Laurel, or Bowie would work, but I would hardly compare either of them to Frederick in terms of history or architectual style.
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Old 02-15-2011, 10:30 AM
 
Location: NYC
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There are neighborhoods of Baltimore City that have what you are looking for and would be a convenient commute.
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Old 02-15-2011, 02:58 PM
 
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Unfortunately I don't know if I'd call Baltimore to Indian Head "convenient." However, Towson and Indian Head are 80 miles apart so most likely one or both of them won't have a convenient commute anyway.

And as has been said, much of the places between Annapolis and Indian Head, including the three towns you mentioned, are mostly just sprawling suburban bedroom communities. Annapolis itself fits most of your requirements, except for the low cost of living, which is a pretty big exception.

The only other place I thought of would be Laurel, which is pretty much the exact midpoint between DC and Baltimore (but still easily over an hour to Indian Head), has a little main street area, and is actually pretty affordable compared to a lot of surrounding towns.
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Old 02-15-2011, 03:23 PM
 
Location: NYC
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Woops, I wrongly assumed that Indian Head was a place near Fort Meade (I don't know why I thought this). Baltimore is certainly not convenient to there. But you two are going to be dragged in so many directions I don't know what would be convenient. Greenbelt, Bowie or Laurel maybe?

A more urban alternative might be the central areas of Hyattsville and Mt Rainier, MD? I've not been to either but I understand that they are trying to market themselves to be something like what you seek (though decidedly smaller). Here's what the main drag of Mt Rainier looks like: Mt Rainier

Plus you are adjacent to DC for other activities.
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Old 02-16-2011, 09:51 AM
 
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Okay, we'll just have to make it work... thanks for all the suggestions!
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Old 02-16-2011, 09:57 AM
 
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Just realized you said you weren't starting at Towson until Spring 2012. If you're just renting honestly I wouldn't worry too much about being terribly convenient to there since you have almost a year before you have to go there so it may just be easiest to move again once you start there.
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Old 02-17-2011, 07:56 AM
 
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Eek! I'm from Severna Park, and I can't say there is anything in that area that is like Frederick!

I'd say the closest thing you'll probably get is Ellicott City or Annapolis proper, but the commute to Indian Head is still going to be pretty far and the rent is not going to be cheap.
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