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Old 06-14-2010, 09:12 AM
 
43 posts, read 141,491 times
Reputation: 25

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flchic View Post
Thanks firefightermom! I am now looking into PA and Virginia. Maryland seems extremely expensive and seems like Florida too much. I won't make any final decisions until I visit the area, but it's not looking very promising for Maryland. I'm just kind of checking out my options.
Hagerstown is actually great bang-for-buck as long your husband can handle the commute. West Virginia is the same.

Communities along the Appalachian Mountains are some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

I spent my first 18 years in Middletown Valley and have lived around Baltimore ever since.
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Old 06-14-2010, 09:57 AM
 
1,312 posts, read 4,778,229 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quaintpancake View Post
Hagerstown is actually great bang-for-buck as long your husband can handle the commute. West Virginia is the same.

Communities along the Appalachian Mountains are some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

I spent my first 18 years in Middletown Valley and have lived around Baltimore ever since.
Hagerstown is cheaper than Middletown...but the house I bought in PA cost $40 grand less than the exact same house in Hagerstown...same builder, same everything. I really liked Middletown, too, but it was out of our price range.
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Old 06-14-2010, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Williamsport, MD
49 posts, read 215,555 times
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Thanks Quaintpancake! I am so thankful for this website. I don't know what I would do without all your info.

=-)
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Old 06-15-2010, 03:44 PM
 
Location: Williamsport, MD
49 posts, read 215,555 times
Reputation: 45
thanks quaintpancake! I appreciate your feedback!
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Old 06-18-2010, 08:40 PM
 
1,021 posts, read 2,306,065 times
Reputation: 1478
Default FL Transplant

I haven't lived in NV but I have lived in Miami. Be wary of some of the perspectives you receive from individuals living east of Hagerstown in MD. Their expectations of "livable" (created by metro DC standards) are somewhat unhinged from most reasonable places in the country. By all means review the city-data page for Hagerstown. Issues of crime and horrific schools just don't occur in Hagerstown. A lot of people tend to think Frederick is a lot better. It is a slightly larger Hagerstown and much more expensive. Keep in mind that the counties surrounding Washington DC (Fairfax and Loudoun in VA, Montgomery and Howard in MD) are essentially the wealthiest counties in the entire USA and Frederick is actually quite wealthy as well. But a lot of this wealth is generated by upper middle income people that could no longer afford to live in Montgomery County. This wave of being outpriced from Metro DC never really reached Hagerstown in large numbers. Hagerstown has basically the same things as Frederick just at 2/3 the cost.

Hagerstown schools are NOTHING like what you would see in Miami. There is no comparison. There just aren't any schools where their resources and personnel are bogged down by a vast majority of the students being ESOL. In terms of bad areas, what constitutes "bad" in Hagerstown would not even register in Baltimore much less a Miami. Washington County is fairly large geographically so if you go to the outskirts yes there will be rednecks but Hagerstown proper is a very decent small city with very nice surrounding suburban neighborhoods of varying ages. Hagerstown is actually noted for having very good shopping for a city of its size but there is nothing which would consitute upscale retail or dining.

It will not snow for months out of the year. Hagerstown is a chilly valley town during the winter but snow events are not continuous. However, Hagerstown is 70 miles from both DC and Baltimore and there is no mass transit directly to Baltimore. You can go to Martinsburg, WV (20 min away) to catch the MARC Train to DC but unless you are making serious bucks commuting from Hagerstown to Baltimore or DC for a job would be more of a hassle than it is worth.

But don't be scared off by the expense of Frederick and areas east toward DC and Baltimore in Maryland. That doesn't reach Hagerstown. The cost of real estate and rent in Central MD is astronomical and ridiculous. I am still flabbergasted of the willingness for people to pay well over $300,000-$400,000 for a 3 bed/2 bath townhouse in Frederick or Montgomery County in not the greatest of areas . You will often hear how much better Frederick is than Hagerstown but one thing that Frederick allowed that Hagerstown didn't was a glut of apartments and townhouses being built that now house what some people consider an "unsavory" population.

I hope this helps with your move!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Flchic View Post
My hubby just got a job offer in the tri state area: dc, va, md and will be traveling in those areas for work. We are looking to move to Hagerstown and have lived in major cities like Miami, FL and rural areas like Ely, NV. This is not an issue. What I'm wondering is about the schools. One of our kids is in h.s. and the other in elem. Any areas to steer clear of b/c of the bad schools? We are looking to rent first and get a feel for the are to then possibly buy a home in the rural area or outskirts of Hagerstown. Any ideas?

Also, i'm wondering about the weather. We live in nevada where it snows 7-8 months out of the year and it's killing this poor florida girl. I love the snow, but maybe for a few months only..... not most of the year.

Is there any particular area of Hagerstown (besides downtown) that we should stay away from? We will be a two income home and need proper afterschool for our youngest (at least) so that's another problem for us. Please, any insight would be helpful. Last time we moved blindly...we ended up here in redneck town where they don't even have a walmart. We dont mind the redneck stuff, but the lack of stores is horrendous. I have having to drive 3-4 hours to buy decent groceries.

I worked at the hospital billing office here and want to know how the hospital is in Hagerstown as well. I am also a medical assistant and have worked as an executive assistant for the last few years. How's the job market in the surrounding areas? I may have to travel to dc or baltimore for work, but that's okay.
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Old 06-19-2010, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Hagerstown
461 posts, read 1,285,289 times
Reputation: 158
Steelers10, good advice, you just hit the nail on the head. Very accurate description/advice for those looking to move to this area.
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Old 06-19-2010, 11:12 PM
 
1,021 posts, read 2,306,065 times
Reputation: 1478
Default Accuracy

thanks, htownterp. On one end "boosterish" advice is given about a city while leaving out salient details that may be important to someone relocating to an area site unseen. On the other hand I see a lot of posters who are miserable in their current situations living closer into DC and I assume are making themselves feel better by bashing Washington County for being "country" or "remote". This is far from the case and Hagerstown's historic role as a hub and the conjunction of I-81/I-70 actually gives the city better highway access to most metro areas along the Eastern Seaboard. The nightmare which is I-95 doesn't have to be used but Washington, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Winchester, Charlottesville, etc. are still within fairly close proximity to Hagerstown. You can enjoy the atmospheres of these cities without having to deal with the day-to-day real and emotional costs of commuting to or within those areas.
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Old 06-20-2010, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Hagerstown
461 posts, read 1,285,289 times
Reputation: 158
Yeah, I've always gotten a kick out of people in the Balto/Wash area that think this place is "in the middle of nowhere" or remote. To me, those comments show a lack of "Worldliness" and are silly. I've been to some places that are truly in the middle of nowhere, places where the nearest grocery store is hours away.Eastern Montana, Western Nebraska, Northern Nevada, etc..... that's middle of nowhere.

I was seeing a specialist at a hospital in Baltimore a month ago who has lived in MD for 30 years, and he told me he has never been west of Howard County! That's crazy to me. This is such a beautiful state, and to have your only experiences come from the metropolitan area is kind of sad to me.
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Old 06-20-2010, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Williamsport, MD
49 posts, read 215,555 times
Reputation: 45
Thank you all for your input. I also received a private message..thank you as well! We visited MD this past weekend and fell in love. We will be moving in about 3 weeks. I was sold once I was up on that highway by the mountain near Frederick and could see the green mountains in the horizon. SOOOO peaceful! Loved it. Didn't love the traffic, but I guess as the area grows, so do does the traffic. That's normal. =0)
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Old 06-23-2010, 08:06 PM
 
Location: Lake Norman, NC
8,877 posts, read 13,926,608 times
Reputation: 35986
FLChic.. So glad to hear you loved it on your visit. We used to live about 20 minutes north of Frederick in Carroll County (just below Gettysburg. PA and the state border). Even though we lived there for only about 3 years, I consider it to be my adopted home!

I try to get back up to Carroll and Washington Counties at least 3 - 4 times a year to visit with friends and just hang out in the area. It is so beautiful in rural scenery and historical significance.

Good luck with your move and enjoy your new life in that area. I'm jealous!
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