Town within 30 min commute of Linthicum? (Ellicott City, Catonsville: houses, middle school, live)

[mavailnowhere]

We may be relocating to MD from Boston area and my husband is looking to get away from the 1 hr+ commute he has currently. I have kids in elementary & middle school so good schools & safety are important. A youth hockey league would also be great! Sykesville area looked ideal but I fear the commute will still be close to an hour. We are a conservative family and our price range is $500,000 at the high end.

Thanks in advance!

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by mavailnowhere

I have kids in elementary & middle school so good schools & safety are important. A youth hockey league would also be great! Sykesville area looked ideal but I fear the commute will still be close to an hour. We are a conservative family and our price range is $500,000 at the high end.

I'd suggest the closer parts of Howard County like Ellicott City and Elkridge. Maybe also the places near Fort Meade like Crofton and Odenton where you are more likely to find military folks with conservative views. They are in Anne Arundel County. In your price range, you will be in safe, suburban areas.

Check the recreation leagues for Howard and Anne Arundel for youth hockey, as I don't really know. Natural ice rarely freezes solid around here, so kids don't have the tradition of skating outdoors.

[bande1102]

If you end up in the Crofton area, I know several of the kids play hockey through the Naval Academy. There's also Piney Orchard Ice Arena. I worked in Linthicum and the commute from Crofton was around a 1/2 hour, I think. Pretty simple commute, especially once you get on 97.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by bande1102

There's also Piney Orchard Ice Arena.

Good suggestion. It is in Odenton and associated with Nelson Hockey. There is more info on their FB page.

The Naval Academy ice rink is the location for this youth league: http://www.navyyouthhockey.org/

[PylesFord]

If your high end is $500K I would suggest the Old section of Crofton. Conservative & Safe!!!

[P47P47]

Why 30 minutes from Linthicum?

If the job is in Linthicum, why not live there, too?

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by P47P47

If the job is in Linthicum, why not live there, too?

Ummmh - Jets landing at the airport right over your head? Some people like to get away from the job and be far way from the office.

True, there are some decent houses in their price range, and the Linthicum Elementary School has a good rating. I still suggest Crofton or Odenton for more pleasant surroundings.

[P47P47]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Ummmh - Jets landing at the airport right over your head?

While there's certainly some noise from the airport, Linthicum isn't in the glide path for any of BWI's runways, and the proximity to the airport really isn't much of a problem.

[santafe400]

Catonsville/Oella area, perhaps? Especially the area South of MD-144.

[mavailnowhere]

Thanks for the info! I will investigate all these options. I guess I assumed anything without a commute would be too expensive...and $500K is really pushing it; $400K is more realistic.

Any thoughts on Sykesville? Seems like the homes and schools there are really nice. I get the feeling that area is more of our family's style/speed, but I wonder if the commute will be too much for my husband. He battles Boston traffic each day and the commute is an hour with no problems. He leaves really early (like 5:30 here in MA) so I wonder if he would beat the rush? I suspect he would be on the road by 6:30am at he lastest. Thoughts?

Thanks so much!