Columbia, Maryland (Silver Spring, Ellicott City, Elkridge: real estate, rentals, condo)

[ilovemaryland]

I am trying to do research on Columbia, Maryland to see if it is better than Alexandria, Virginia. Or, Howard County as a whole, compared to Fairfax County.

I've been to Columbia myself and I think it's the most SPECTACULAR place to live; the schools are great, the houses are nice, and everything is in close proximity. Fairfax County in my opinion, is going downhill faster than you could say "downhill" and it lacks excitement and activities. My mother happens to LOVE the school system in Fairfax County, which she says is the only reason why she won't move to Howard County. My disagreement to that is that Fairfax County schools aren't all that great, they're average really. I go to Edison High School now, and that school is a MESS!! Leaky pipes drip from the ceiling, there are holes in the ceiling, mis-matched lockers; the school hasn't been renovated since it was built in the 40's!! And supposedly, Fairfax County has all the money. Well, I'd like to see what they do with it. It is true, that Edison has new and improved technology for teaching, but they didn't spend any money on the equipment. It was donated from the creator of Smartboards because he was a graduate of Edison. I wonder what Edison would have if he had attended say, Thomas Jefferson instead. Howard County has new schools, large and beautiful looking and they are kept clean.

But before i get off track, i just wanted some opinions on Howard County vs. Fairfax County. Crime rates, School ratings, Housing costs, things like that.

And i hear Columbia is a very safe community. Through my personal experiences, I will tell you Fairfax County is not safe, and it is getting worse everyday.

Well, REPLY AWAY EVERYONE!!

[dullnboring]

From a statistical point of comparison between Howard County and Fairfax County, Fairfax has a lower crime rate, Howard has cheaper homes, and Fairfax has better schools. However, the differences aren't so large as to be able to say that one county is markedly "better" than the other. In other words, even though there is technically more crime in Howard County, it is still an incredibly safe place where you're no likely to be mugged or your home broken into. Similarly, while home prices are more expensive in Fairfax, it's not like homes in Howard County are a bargain either. I feel like they both sort of cater to a similar people; the whole suburban type, and they offer that type of environment with the subdivisions and strip malls and soccer moms and such. They're more or less the same. Fairfax however has more of an urban edge in parts (notably those areas near Arlington and Alexandria) that Howard County seems to lack.

I grew up in Fairfax County and don't care for it. I feel like many of the things the county is touted for (namely schools) are overrated while a good deal of the negatives are glossed over. I've heard good things about Howard County. I think a good way to get a feel for an area is to hear from people who live or who have lived there, and generally, it seems to me that those who live in Howard County are happy where they are, with their schools, with their neighbors, and so forth. I can't say the same for Fairfax County where people just don't seem happy with things. Maybe it's a cultural thing in terms of the people that Fairfax draws, the sort of people who are always on the lookout for the "bigger and better" and never really are happy with where they're at. I'm not sure. That's just mental rambling on my part.

I've never really thoroughly explored Columbia. I've heard nothing but good things about it. It's not the sort of place I would most likely live but then again, my wants are different than the majority of people's on here, and I tend to favor cities. If I had my way and had to stay in the DC area, I would move into DC or a close-in suburb like Arlington, Alexandria or Silver Spring.

[jessy0780]

I live in Howard County, and love it! We moved here specifically for the schools, which are wonderful. Columbia/ Ellicott City was recently voted #4 in Best Places to Live in the country. Just like anywhere, there are parts of Columbia that aren't great- but most of it is very nice, the same thing with Elkridge.

[whycry30]

Did you know that Columbia was ranked 4th, along with Ellicott City, as one of the most desirable places to live in the US?

While I've lived here for a very brief time (1 yr), you are correct that it is a, well maintained, people friendly,and overall great place to live. It's apparent, that there is a profound and consistent effort to maintain the quality of life. To most, even the so-called "bad" areas of Columbia would be considered nice elsewhere.

One of the drawbacks, as I see it, is that it much to "people" congested and as a result, it seems the businesses are unable to sustain an optimal level employees to handle the volume. As a result, customer service here is horrendous!!

On the flip side.... real estate prices reflect its desirability (rentals and homes). Rents for a 1bdrm. range from $1000 and up. Condo prices are not too bad, 1 bdrm. go for approx. $175k.

But, you cannot beat the convenience of everything.

[ilovemaryland]

Thank you all for your feedbacks on Howard vs. Fairfax County. I still want more than ever to move to Howard County; I feel as though Howard County has much more to offer my family and Fairfax County has done nothing but pulled money out of our pockets in exchange for nothing. The streets are still horriblie, gangs are everywhere, and the schools are definently overrated.

[scoutsadie]

My husband and I moved from Springfield, VA to Columbia in September, and we LOVE it.

Traffic is one of the number one things we hated in noVa, and we are amazed at how much better the traffic is here (at least in the southeast part of Columbia -- KC and Owen Brown).

Another thing we love about Columbia v. Springfield is the lack of sprawl. While Columbia does still have some strip malls, the town has backed them off of the roads somewhat, so you see a lot more green (trees, grass) and a lot less neon. There are so many more parks and bike paths here. The planned community aspect is a huge benefit, in our opinion.

We don't have kids, but I understand that the schools here are first-rate, and we love the library system.

I commute by train into DC and it is not a bad commute at all (as far as I'm concerned).

Good luck!

[manydubs]

If you have children and U want them to get a quality education than Howard county is the place to be.

The only draw back is housing is way over priced.

but the blend of ethicity and convience of any kind of shopping, food and the parks is splendid!

[ilovemaryland]

It seems to me that Howard County is a better place to live than Fairfax County. Fairfax County's crime rate is growing rapidly because it is becoming overly populated. My mom is thinking about moving to Maryland again. She hates PG county with a passion but even she is considering moving back there now. I live in Alexandria, off of route 1 and I'm familiar with Telegraph rd, Franconia, and the Huntington areas. They are getting worse everyday. I'm not one to complain a lot but Fairfax County needs a LOT of improvement. Thanks for the feedback everyone. If anyone else has more information it would help!

[carissae]

Columbia is indeed a very pleasant place to live in, clean, well organized and beautiful homes and schools. Howard County has one of the best schools in the area. You may want to check out the following:
Centennial High School
River Hill High School
Mt Hebron High School

My son is studying in Centennial High and he loves the school.

We were evaluating Fairfax County previously but after going through Great Schools.com to see the feedback, we decided to live in Ellicott City near Columbia.

[ilovemaryland]

I feel like many of the things the county is touted for (namely schools) are overrated while a good deal of the negatives are glossed over.

dullnboring, I feel the same exact way. Fairfax County's school system is extremely overrated and while the school system is so called "advanced", they go through a whole class in a semester. In other words, English, Math, Science, etc. etc. are year long classes in most schools, but here they are semester long classes which cause them to go extremely fast in the schoolwork. I see nothing good about that at all. Students need to go slow and instill the knowledge in their heads so that they may be able to actually remember it and LEARN something. Some of the schools here are old and dirty. Edison hasn't been changed at ALL since the 40's; the lockers are actually different colors (you'll be going down the hall looking at a line of blue lockers when, all of a sudden, a bright pink one just stands out in the middle of them. Some are even spray painted different colors.) The ceilings are sagging because of leaking pipes and there are roaches in the science hallway. Don't get me wrong, i make the best of my situation because for right now it's the best I can do, and I'm far from complaining because I have somewhere to live and I'm grateful, I'm just telling it like it is. I feel as though the negatives are glossed over too; the traffic is horrible, the housing prices are beyond unaffordable; a 3 bedroom townhouse neighborhood's starting prices are in the 700k's. It is also becoming overpopulated. I've really had enough of Fairfax County, I hope we move soon.