Maryland & Job Search/Commute (Baltimore, Bowie: middle-class, fit in, crime)

[grace9090]

I'm looking to move to Maryland soon and need help. I am trying to decide what location would allow me to search for jobs in the widest geographic area (including DC) or at least relatively large area.

1. I'm trying to stay within an 1 1/2 hour commute (car or train)
2. Am an African-American female and would like to live where neighborhood is ethnically mixed
3. Don't know if this helps with advice, but MBA from top-tier school (will be seeking job in community relations, public affairs, marketing).
4. Will probably seek roommate situation so housing prices or somewhat irrelavent
5. Safety is VERY important!
6. Prefer something with a somewhat suburbia feel
7. Safety is VERY important! (Yes. I listed it twice)

Currently residing in CA and just hate it.

ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[emsgoof]

Best advice I could give is don't move to Maryland... crime is up, taxes are going through the roof (with nothing to show for it), and commute times are going up. Housing prices are still sky-high, because people are refusing to lower the prices on their houses (ooooohhh... a couple areas came down an average of $30K... on a $750K house, that isn't a whole lot!)
1- Might be able to find something, but only if you live within 25-30 miles of your employment location
2- Some areas are ethnically mixed, some are still rather bigoted. It's a toss-up (and changes about every 3-5 years)
3- Everyone who has decent jobs has a Master's degree... probably more Master's degree holders in the Baltimore/DC region than anywhere else (other than maybe Cali). Nothing to stand out there honestly.
4- You better make the housing cost relevant. $1 million townhouses around, multi-million McMansions around, and these are what you'll find in that 25-30 mile area around the employment location. Lower prices = longer commutes
5- There are some postings already on the forum (repeatedly) about the perceived safety of various areas... Do a search (or just read pages 1-3... normally the same arguments over and over again)
6- Suburbia- yeah, lots of that around. But relates to your #1, and #4.
What is it you're running away from in California? Please be specific, because honestly you're probably going to find it in Maryland too.

[RoadTripGurl]

I agree with emsgoof. Where in CA do you live? You may have more diversity there than we do here. I can't really tell you anything good about being near the DC metro area except that you would be near DC and probably closer to your job. We have it just as expensive as CA does but the weather sucks, schools suck, jobs kind of suck and the pay sort of suck as well. I commute an hour and a half to work and I live 20 miles north of Baltimore City. Why? Because it is waaaayyy safer than most other parts south, housing is IMO better quality and cheaper and the schools are better. Crime is super low but the commute sucks. And again with the weather sucks as well. However, if you want the diversity you seek, I would try DC somewhere like Georgetown. Other than that, it's not much going on here

[Tesaje]

While all of the below is true, it really depends on how much $$ you earn and where your job is located. Generally the safer areas are going to be the outer suburbs or exburbs. The MARC train is relatively good - beats driving and places as far away as Martinsburg, WV are within the 1.5 hour commute most days. There's also the line that goes beyond Baltimore and the Virginia line (VRE) going south of the district. Anywhere near a metro stop will be pricey.

It sounds like you are an educated, middle-class AA. That means you can fit in pretty easily in most communities now days with only minimal Neanderthal racism around. For true ethnic diversity, it means closer in and that's higher prices and higher crime.

I wouldn't want to move here without a job already lined up. Commutes can be really brutal if your job is on the other side of where you live.

[berry987]

The DC area is a tough place to live these days. I live in Anne Arundel County and my husband commutes to DC and we are looking to move to Wisconsin. His commute is rough (1 hr - 1.5 hrs each way) and the reason we have to live out here is we could *only* afford 575K for a house. Anything closer in that price range was either an unsafe neighborhood or a tiny townhouse (we have two kids). We lived in NE DC for 4 years and figured we'd get used to the fear of crime, but were robbed at gunpoint in front of our house. That was the final straw. We're now looking to move somewhere more affordable, more livable. I really wouldn't move here without a job lined up (commuting across DC from MD to VA or vice versa is brutal) and some serious cash for a house. I've lived here for 20 years, but I can't see staying much longer.

[berry987]

On a positive note - check out Bowie, MD for a diverse area with a nice neighborhood feel that is still pretty safe. I also know that there is a very large middle-upper class African American population there. A lot of people rave about Bowie. I'm not sure about the schools, but it is closer to DC than my neighborhood, so depending on where in DC you work, your commute should be about 1 hour.