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Again, appreciate you linking all this data. Makes it easier for me! Been meaning to check out Columbus more, not super excited about it though. Rochester and Greater Detroit are interesting and I'll have to plan visits. I love the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding mountains are beautiful, but from what I remember it drops off pretty quickly into very impoverished, hillbilly type areas.
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Originally Posted by kyle19125
In case it became lost in the wave of link-heavy posts, I thought it could be good to repeat..
I'm definitely interested in the Durham area and will plan a visit. Any knowledge on race relations and the social climate?
I think that the U.S. 301 corridor in Prince George's County, Maryland would work for the OP. Specifically, I'm thinking of the vicinity of either Upper Marlboro or Brandywine.
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Originally Posted by HueysBack
Necessities (*required - 15 points each):
- 2+ acres of land
- A home large enough for 4 or 5 people priced under 500k
- 15%+ African-American's in school district
- 2+ acres is achievable once you get a bit of distance away from the U.S. 301 highway itself.
- Though it may seem counter-intuitive, around here it is often the case that the larger homes are on the smaller lots, and vice versa. But there are some 3-bedroom ranchers on decent sized lots.
- In Maryland, school districts are county-wide. I don't know the demographics of these specific areas, but Prince George's County as a whole is majority African-American.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HueysBack
Niceties (10 points each):
- Within 30-45 mins of a mid-large city center
- Is semi-affluent but relatively affordable
- Has good outdoor recreation opportunities
- Is not in an area prone to natural disasters like 500yr floods, terrible droughts, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, etc.
- Within 30mins to an airport for major US destinations
- Yes, BUT. This area is within range of Washington and Annapolis, and (if you're willing to stretch it a little bit) Baltimore. But this region is infamous for its traffic congestion, especially heading into Washington. The times are feasible during off-peak hours, but if daily commuting is a factor, one must be willing to be flexible; take back roads, go in way early in the morning; work compressed work-weeks; etc.
- Prince George's is often touted as the highest-income majority black county in the United States. Yet it's still reasonably affordable, by Washington standards at least.
- There are a number of county and state parks in the area. And if you expand your criteria to include easily accessible locations for weekend trips, opportunities abound.
- Tropical storms and the rare Category 1 hurricane have been known to hit. Those other things are extremely rare, but they have been known to happen. (Yes, even earthquakes; but not strong enough to case any damage.)
- BWI Marshall and Reagan National are both on the outer edge of 30 minutes -- maybe, without traffic. However, "without traffic" is the exception, not the rule.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HueysBack
Novelties (1 point each):
- Nearby upscale shopping
- Has a younger/hip vibe close by
- Is diverse beyond Black/White
- Has a healthy tech scene
- Is near a large(ish) body of water
- Most shopping is mall based or big-box based except in the cities themselves.
- I'm not young or hip, so can't help you there.
- Diverse beyond black and white? Not really.
- Tech scene, as in employment? That's more in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia. You'd be looking at a painful commute from Upper Marlboro or Brandywine.
- Is the Chesapeake Bay a large enough body of water for you?
I'm definitely interested in the Durham area and will plan a visit. Any knowledge on race relations and the social climate?
Durham has a deep history as one of the few US cities with a significant population of Black professionals which extends back to when the city had what was referred to as Black Wall Street.
While that's much more a thing of the past Durham still manages to balance race relations well from my experience as a city with over a third Black residents. Many Blacks in Durham (like pretty much the rest of the US) choose to self-segregate but their is a significant number who I feel mainly through employment at Duke University or Duke University Medical Center (or other employers with a more professionals-oriented workforce) reside alongside White, Hispanic or Asian residents and function well collectively. The progressive population of the Black community is active in the framework of the city's day to day life and working more toward self-inclusion.
I think that the U.S. 301 corridor in Prince George's County, Maryland would work for the OP. Specifically, I'm thinking of the vicinity of either Upper Marlboro or Brandywine.
- 2+ acres is achievable once you get a bit of distance away from the U.S. 301 highway itself.
- Though it may seem counter-intuitive, around here it is often the case that the larger homes are on the smaller lots, and vice versa. But there are some 3-bedroom ranchers on decent sized lots.
- In Maryland, school districts are county-wide. I don't know the demographics of these specific areas, but Prince George's County as a whole is majority African-American.
- Yes, BUT. This area is within range of Washington and Annapolis, and (if you're willing to stretch it a little bit) Baltimore. But this region is infamous for its traffic congestion, especially heading into Washington. The times are feasible during off-peak hours, but if daily commuting is a factor, one must be willing to be flexible; take back roads, go in way early in the morning; work compressed work-weeks; etc.
- Prince George's is often touted as the highest-income majority black county in the United States. Yet it's still reasonably affordable, by Washington standards at least.
- There are a number of county and state parks in the area. And if you expand your criteria to include easily accessible locations for weekend trips, opportunities abound.
- Tropical storms and the rare Category 1 hurricane have been known to hit. Those other things are extremely rare, but they have been known to happen. (Yes, even earthquakes; but not strong enough to case any damage.)
- BWI Marshall and Reagan National are both on the outer edge of 30 minutes -- maybe, without traffic. However, "without traffic" is the exception, not the rule.
- Most shopping is mall based or big-box based except in the cities themselves.
- I'm not young or hip, so can't help you there.
- Diverse beyond black and white? Not really.
- Tech scene, as in employment? That's more in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia. You'd be looking at a painful commute from Upper Marlboro or Brandywine.
- Is the Chesapeake Bay a large enough body of water for you?
Are there parts of these places that come to mind or close to the criteria?
Are there parts of these places that come to mind or close to the criteria?
Off hand, I can't think of anywhere in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia where you could get a house on 2 acres for under $500,000. If any such place does exist, it's likely to be remote from the main highways, thus making it difficult if not impossible to access major employment center in under 45 minutes. And it also might be hard to find a school in that area with a 15-plus percent African-American student population.
Maybe, possibly, somewhere in the vicinity of Poolesville, MD might work. Possibly. Though I don't think that area has the demographics that the OP is looking for.
Off hand, I can't think of anywhere in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia where you could get a house on 2 acres for under $500,000. If any such place does exist, it's likely to be remote from the main highways, thus making it difficult if not impossible to access major employment center in under 45 minutes. And it also might be hard to find a school in that area with a 15-plus percent African-American student population.
Maybe, possibly, somewhere in the vicinity of Poolesville, MD might work. Possibly. Though I don't think that area has the demographics that the OP is looking for.
What about Charles County? It has the demographics, but I'm not sure about the property/price factors though.
What about Charles County? It has the demographics, but I'm not sure about the property/price factors though.
Charles County is actually what first came to mind when I read the OP. It has the demographics and it has the affordability, and it has the lot sizes (in areas away from Waldorf or La Plata proper). What it doesn't have is 45-minute access to a major employment center nor 30-minute access to a commercial airport.
That said, plenty of people from that area endure the commute into Washington, so if the OP is willing to be flexible on that point, I think that Charles County would tick a lot of his boxes.
EDIT to add: Nanjemoy meets the "necessities" quite nicely. But it really craps out on everything else, other than proximity to water. I would not recommend it. If the OP wants to look in Charles County, somewhere to the east of Route 5, away from Waldorf, might be his best bet. Maybe somewhere around Route 381 or something.
Charles County is actually what first came to mind when I read the OP. It has the demographics and it has the affordability, and it has the lot sizes (in areas away from Waldorf or La Plata proper). What it doesn't have is 45-minute access to a major employment center nor 30-minute access to a commercial airport.
That said, plenty of people from that area endure the commute into Washington, so if the OP is willing to be flexible on that point, I think that Charles County would tick a lot of his boxes.
EDIT to add: Nanjemoy meets the "necessities" quite nicely. But it really craps out on everything else, other than proximity to water. I would not recommend it. If the OP wants to look in Charles County, somewhere to the east of Route 5, away from Waldorf, might be his best bet. Maybe somewhere around Route 381 or something.
Thanks! Yeah, that's pretty far out and rural. Plus, not sure how I'd feel about living so close to that much military.
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