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Frederick has really come very far in development. Not only are they re-doing the Carroll Creek area, but they are putting many new buildings and shops on an industrial area that has been forgotten for awhile. Anyone who thinks Frederick is still just full of "hicks" should stop in town sometime!
My husband works for the police department and the crime in Frederick compared to surrounding areas is very very bad. It is thought to be caused by the explosion of ppl moving out here to escape high housing costs and the lack of jobs here. We lived there for two years and I'm so glad to be gone. The schools are also horrendous compared to surrounding areas. The worst around.
City-data crime indexes for 2006:
hagerstown 421.8
frederick 384.2
annapolis 679.6
Higher numbers are worse. I don't think most folks would say Hagerstown or Annapolis are "high crime" areas!
Very true that people are moving to Frederick to escape high housing costs. Housing in Frederick is very much a bargain by DC standards.
"Horrendous" schools? C'mon. It may not be Bethesda, but horrendous? Are we...prone to...exaggeration?
My two cents worth: Frederick is a diamond in the rough. Lived there for two years and LOVED it. Wish I could move back.
Yes, that comment about high crime surprised me too. I go into Frederick all the time and never felt unsafe - at all hours in the downtown area - single woman here.
I've lived all over Maryland, and travelled to 46 states and abroad. After college I moved here with my future wife to raise a family because the quality of life is good, the area is safe and the schools are good. While not perfect, generally I think Frederick offers the best of all worlds. There are plenty of rural, agricultural areas north of town; Frederick itself has a charming, historic downtown, yet the big cities of DC and Baltimore are only 40 minutes away.
Now single, I find living downtown in the historic district is great. There are 21 restaurants and bars within 7 blocks of my row house. Something is always going on.
Dining out is great and there are lots of different restaurants from which to choose. From fine dining to bar food, Frederick is becoming one of the best areas in the state for dining out. Believe me, it was not that way when I first moved here.
Anyone that has not been in Frederick for the last three years hasn't seen anything of the new Carroll Creek Park area. Originally Carroll Creek flooded downtown Frederick every twenty years or so. However, it has now been turned into a lovely park. The park was originally modelled after the Riverwalk in San Antonio and, while it is smaller, it is gaining some of the feel of the Riverwalk with a number of restaurants, condos and shops sprouting up along the Creek. It is a great place to stroll, walk the dog or ride a bike.
Besides the restaurants, from my house I can walk to two theaters, a performing arts center, a visual arts center, a state-of-the-art library, a minor league baseball stadium, MARC commuter rail service, Hood College, a Civil War museum, two outdoor amphitheaters, half a dozen parks and dozens of cool little galleries and shops.
If that weren't enough, I love the history that Frederick has to offer. Home of Francis Scott Key, John Hanson, Roger Taney, tons of Civil War history, and the first colonial rebellion against the English crown, I guess I just like history and Frederick is under-rated in that regard.
Downtown Frederick is a lot like Old Town Alexandria but, so far, a little less developed. It is also similar to Annapolis, but without the Naval Academy or state government. Downtown Frederick also resembles Fells Point in Baltimore, but with more residential.
Although I wish the air show and the blues fest were still downtown, there are lots of events in town and there is always something to do, especially in the warmer months. I especially like the Summer Concert Series in Baker Park every Sunday evening and the In the Street Festival in early October is a blast too.
Frederick is also home to Ft. Detrick, a major employer and the U.S. Army's homebase for biological research.
The entire region is a very historic and scenic area. North and west of Frederick are mountains. A short drive to the north is Gettysburg and two ski resorts, Whitetail and Ski Liberty. Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain National Park, home of Camp David, are both nice places to visit. Even the Catoctin Zoo has improved and I've found it to be a great family trip.
To the west is Antietam and Harpers Ferry. Antietam is such a solemn patch of ground, hallowed like no other in the country, save for maybe Gettysburg and Arlington National Cemetary. Harpers Ferry is a great day for family or visitors to the area.
To the south and east, toward the water, are Washington, DC and Baltimore. Washington is more white collar and Baltimore more blue. Both are easily accessible major metropolitan areas with lots to offer. Both these world class cities have more to offer than I even care to mention here.
Although I might make it sound that way, naturally Frederick is not perfect. Some of the problems here, in my humble opinion, are traffic, homeless, trash and crime.
Because there are many high paying jobs in the major metropolitan areas to the south and east, many people commute to work. So, rush hour can be frustrating on the roads. Been there, done that. Jobs in Frederick generally pay less than the jobs down the road, but there are more and more high-paying jobs coming to Frederick.
We have our share of homeless in Frederick too. I believe this is due to a combination of factors but mostly because we take care of our homeless so well. Due to strong social care organizations, like Beacon House and the Community Action Council, no homeless person goes hungry in Frederick.
Lately, trash has been an issue County wide. About ten years ago they expanded the landfill hoping it would last another thirty years, but it didn't. So now Frederick County is contemplating building a waste to energy incinerator. I just hope that they don't build it adjacent to the Monocacy National Battlefield.
Although I have always felt safe in Frederick, like any urban area there is a degree of crime. Generally, I have found most crime is due to the occassional bar fight, domestic violence, drunk driving and petty theft. Also, in the last few years there has been a smattering of gang graffiti pop up. None of these things are desirable but all are taken care of handily by the local police force.
Well, there's my take on things. Frederick is growing and changing fast, so this post will no doubt become outdated relatively quickly. The next step for Frederick is to complete the East Street extension to I-70 and the development of the Carroll Creek Park further east.
When I first moved here there were many people that have lived here all their lives and many of them had never left Frederick County. Hence the term Fredneck was born. (The DJ Greaseman was the first person I know of to use that term.)
Now, twenty years later, there are more people in Frederick that have moved here from more metropolitan areas, like Montgomery County or the Pittsburgh area. The area has grown and gone through tremensous change.
Last year Frederick was deservedly named one of the Great American Main Street award recepients by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And, although Frederick still maintains a bit of the "Mayberry" feel with its rural setting and famed clustered spires.....with economic motors like Ft. Detrick, Bechtel, MedImmune and BP Solar, and with six-story buildings rising along Carroll Creek and, hey, Wegman's is moving to town, the term "Fredneck" no longer accurately describes the area. Now, Frederick is just as much known for its biotech companies, thriving arts community, restaurants and high quality of life.
Last edited by cosmkdbree; 01-23-2008 at 02:12 PM..
Reason: spelling and grammar
BTW, as for schools, Frederick County Public School system was recently named by Forbes Magazine to be the twenty-first best in the country in terms of best education per spending per pupil. Not to bad. Here's the link: [url=http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/05/schools-taxes-education-biz-beltway_cz_cs_0705schools_2.html]Best And Worst School Districts For The Buck - Forbes.com[/url]
I still like Frederick but I am a bit shagrined by all of the sprawl that is occuring outside of the city. I fear eventually it will be completely swallowed up by DC and Baltimore. The downtown area is very nice and I enjoy going there to the antique places. There is a lot of neat architecture in town also.
Great post cosmkdbree. It's nice to see such an accurate and lengthy review of the city posted - makes me want to move home really bad.
Jonjj I share your concern about the sprawl. A few years back the city started passing on some of the infrastructure costs to developers, in the way of impact fees. I think that slowed it down somewhat...
Ok heres the deal. I was born in Frederick in 1986 and can remember when it was a quaint town. This is far from the truth now. Frederick is anything but quaint with the traffic and city infrastructure in the downtown area. The only reason Frederick gets a bad rep is because it is the second largest county in MD and it has alott of land. Therefore, areas near WV and PA are indeed redneck. But the real people from the city of Frederick never go to Thurmont or Brunswick. There is simply nothing there and yes there are rednecks. But as far as im concerned the city of Frederick is a great place. Downtown is very liberal and not for conservative people. There is far more art and music associated with Frederick than anywhere in MoCo other than Takoma park. Also the restaurants in Frederick are amazing. Although they are pricey and fancy, it is a great place to go out on dates and business dinners. Some of my favorites are The Tasting Room, Acacia, and Volt. I definatley do not see any more "trailer trash" in Frederick than i do when i visit places like the rockville/twinbrook area and wheaton in MoCo. Also frederick doesnt have the bums that camp out on the Rockville pike, which is nice. Unfortunatley though Frederick is growing too big and losing its unique identity to suburban Baltimore/DC sprawl. But overall in terms of living it is far away from DC and the traffic is miserable but crime is lower than MoCo and it is slightly cheaper but not much. If you really want cheaper living i suggest maybe some out there place like hagerstown. I havnt ever been there but i assume the rent is cheap due to it being in western MD.
I've heard people call it Fredneck and folks here use words like 'white trash', 'trailer park trash', 'red neck' 'hick' and all that much too freely.
One poster said whites try to act black, but I have yet to see that. Its looks like some of the white population here live a rough life. I have also seen the 'hood' in frederick...not too pretty.
I work here, but don't think I'd ever live. Although Ballenger Creek seems to have a little more flair and is a tad bit more upbeat.
In the words of one of my co-workers 'I would not be caught after dark in Hagerstown or Frederick'.
People who speak in derogatory terms like that about the residents of Frederick are nothing but a bunch of racists.
Ok heres the deal. I was born in Frederick in 1986 and can remember when it was a quaint town. This is far from the truth now. Frederick is anything but quaint with the traffic and city infrastructure in the downtown area. The only reason Frederick gets a bad rep is because it is the second largest county in MD and it has alott of land. Therefore, areas near WV and PA are indeed redneck. But the real people from the city of Frederick never go to Thurmont or Brunswick. There is simply nothing there and yes there are rednecks. But as far as im concerned the city of Frederick is a great place. Downtown is very liberal and not for conservative people. There is far more art and music associated with Frederick than anywhere in MoCo other than Takoma park. Also the restaurants in Frederick are amazing. Although they are pricey and fancy, it is a great place to go out on dates and business dinners. Some of my favorites are The Tasting Room, Acacia, and Volt. I definatley do not see any more "trailer trash" in Frederick than i do when i visit places like the rockville/twinbrook area and wheaton in MoCo. Also frederick doesnt have the bums that camp out on the Rockville pike, which is nice. Unfortunatley though Frederick is growing too big and losing its unique identity to suburban Baltimore/DC sprawl. But overall in terms of living it is far away from DC and the traffic is miserable but crime is lower than MoCo and it is slightly cheaper but not much. If you really want cheaper living i suggest maybe some out there place like hagerstown. I havnt ever been there but i assume the rent is cheap due to it being in western MD.
You grew up in Frederick and never went 25 miles west to Hagerstown?
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