Possible relocation to Stevensville/Kent Island area. Advice? (Baltimore, Columbia: apartments, for rent)
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I just got a call for an interview at the Kent Island branch of the Queen Anne County library, and I was wondering what it was like to live in that area. The starting salary for the position is around 47K, and honestly, living in Columbia, SC, I'm used to apartments and rent being around $700-800, but I know there's a higher cost of living in MD, so I have to adjust for that with a higher salary, as well. I don't think I'd want to pay more than $1200 for rent, that's pushing, it really. But here's my deal:
I am 25 years old and would be living with my boyfriend who is also 25. We like to eat, I like to shop, and we really need close proximity to things to do. I don't mind driving a bit to get to where I need to; I'm used to a 30 minute commute for work and lived grew up in a small, rural town that was at least 20 minutes from anywhere worth going to. My boyfriend likes to be within a short drive's distance to wherever he needs to go, but he might have to compromise with me on this depending on what our options are should we need to move.
What areas do y'all suggest? I have 0 knowledge of Maryland other than it's on the other side of DC. What's it like up there??
I just got a call for an interview at the Kent Island branch of the Queen Anne County library, and I was wondering what it was like to live in that area. The starting salary for the position is around 47K, and honestly, living in Columbia, SC, I'm used to apartments and rent being around $700-800, but I know there's a higher cost of living in MD, so I have to adjust for that with a higher salary, as well. I don't think I'd want to pay more than $1200 for rent, that's pushing, it really. But here's my deal:
I am 25 years old and would be living with my boyfriend who is also 25. We like to eat, I like to shop, and we really need close proximity to things to do. I don't mind driving a bit to get to where I need to; I'm used to a 30 minute commute for work and lived grew up in a small, rural town that was at least 20 minutes from anywhere worth going to. My boyfriend likes to be within a short drive's distance to wherever he needs to go, but he might have to compromise with me on this depending on what our options are should we need to move.
What areas do y'all suggest? I have 0 knowledge of Maryland other than it's on the other side of DC. What's it like up there??
Living in/near Annapolis is your only real option as far as "close proximity to things to do." DC and Baltimore regions are just too far for a daily commute.
I just got a call for an interview at the Kent Island branch of the Queen Anne County library, and I was wondering what it was like to live in that area......
What areas do y'all suggest? I have 0 knowledge of Maryland other than it's on the other side of DC. What's it like up there??
I think Stevensville would be a great place to live if you are interested in being near the water for fishing and boating. There is a lot of shopping at the outlet malls. There are great local seafood restaurants and a few places that have live music. If you need more action, it is an easy drive to Annapolis on the weekends.
If you don't jump and take the job, somebody else would love to have it.
Check out nearby Easton. From what you've set I think it might be a place that suits you fine. There are plenty of places to shop, eat, drink, and there's even a fair amount of entertainment there. If you need anything big and flashy, its still not very far from Annapolis, Baltimore or DC (45 - 70 minutes). It's also not very far from places that offer a total escape from civilization, like Tilghman Island, and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
Something you should know about Kent Island is that most of is rapidly sinking. That's the majority of Maryland's issue with sea level rise. Even if the sea level barely rises, we still ahve to deal with subsidence, which is having an impact regarldess of climate change. And the more it is developed, the rate of subsidence increases. Romancoke is seeing the dramatic effects of this right now; septic tanks are failing everywhere down there and the county and state have had to make massive investments into sewer projects and septic removal so that people don't get sick as their homes and yards are literally sinking into poo. Its probably the biggest story in the area right now.
I don't live in Queen Anne's County, but I go there for work every now and then. I find the people there to be friendly and the pace of life seems to be pretty comfortable. If your job is in Stevensville, I would say that Stevensville itself would be the first place to look for a place to live; no point in doing any more of a commute than you have to. As far as shopping and dining goes, there are some stores and restaurants, both chain and local, in the immediate area (Stevensville, Chester, Grasonville) -- Kent Island finally got a Chick-fil-A, yay! -- and there's the outlet mall in nearby Queenstown. The nearest major enclosed mall is in Annapolis, which isn't all that far away but it's on the other side of the Bay Bridge. (If you plan on visiting Annapolis or Washington or Baltimore with any regularity at all, buy an E-Z Pass to pay the bridge toll electronically.) Annapolis or Easton are where you go if you want the standard big-box stores.
If you're interested in nightlife . . . well, that's what Annapolis is for. (Or, if you're feeling even more adventurous, you can make the trek to DC or Baltimore.) People go to Stevensville (and Queen Anne's County as a whole) to put their heads on their pillows and go to sleep, not to party the night away.
Do you know where your boyfriend will be working? Despite the distance (approximately 40 miles from Stevensville to both DC and Baltimore), plenty of people make the commute every day. There is bus service from Stevensville to DC and also very limited service from there to Annapolis. There's no service to Baltimore, but there is a plan in the works to implement some. Housing costs are lower on the Eastern Shore than they are on the other side of the bridge, which is why you see more and more people moving there and doing the cross-bridge commute.
Whatever you do, learn the back roads so you can avoid U.S. 50 on summer weekends. The beach-bound traffic is a pain.
The Eastern Shore (which is the entirety of Maryland east of the Chesapeake Bay) has a reputation of being more "Southern" than the rest of the state, so given that you are coming from South Carolina, you may find that living there would be less of an adjustment than if you moved to another part of this state.
Good luck to you, and (maybe) welcome to Maryland!
I don't live in Queen Anne's County, but I go there for work every now and then. I find the people there to be friendly and the pace of life seems to be pretty comfortable. If your job is in Stevensville, I would say that Stevensville itself would be the first place to look for a place to live; no point in doing any more of a commute than you have to. As far as shopping and dining goes, there are some stores and restaurants, both chain and local, in the immediate area (Stevensville, Chester, Grasonville) -- Kent Island finally got a Chick-fil-A, yay! -- and there's the outlet mall in nearby Queenstown. The nearest major enclosed mall is in Annapolis, which isn't all that far away but it's on the other side of the Bay Bridge. (If you plan on visiting Annapolis or Washington or Baltimore with any regularity at all, buy an E-Z Pass to pay the bridge toll electronically.) Annapolis or Easton are where you go if you want the standard big-box stores.
If you're interested in nightlife . . . well, that's what Annapolis is for. (Or, if you're feeling even more adventurous, you can make the trek to DC or Baltimore.) People go to Stevensville (and Queen Anne's County as a whole) to put their heads on their pillows and go to sleep, not to party the night away.
Do you know where your boyfriend will be working? Despite the distance (approximately 40 miles from Stevensville to both DC and Baltimore), plenty of people make the commute every day. There is bus service from Stevensville to DC and also very limited service from there to Annapolis. There's no service to Baltimore, but there is a plan in the works to implement some. Housing costs are lower on the Eastern Shore than they are on the other side of the bridge, which is why you see more and more people moving there and doing the cross-bridge commute.
Whatever you do, learn the back roads so you can avoid U.S. 50 on summer weekends. The beach-bound traffic is a pain.
The Eastern Shore (which is the entirety of Maryland east of the Chesapeake Bay) has a reputation of being more "Southern" than the rest of the state, so given that you are coming from South Carolina, you may find that living there would be less of an adjustment than if you moved to another part of this state.
Good luck to you, and (maybe) welcome to Maryland!
Not that no one else's response was uninformative, but yours was the most informative, so I'm responding to you lol.
I've read about this bridge -- how much is the toll? I read somewhere that it was like $8. That's awfully high isn't it? Tolls around here are only like a dollar or two.
I'm not much of a partier. I go out to have a few beers about once a month, so driving a little bit to get to the bars wont be an issue. Boyfriend doesn't drink so I don't have to worry about him. Hes an outdoorsy person and loves the mountains; I know MD is pretty far from mountains but I think he'll like being around the water.
BF is currently underemployed and is working retail at a chain book store. He has a sociology degree and is about to go on a major long distance hike, so he'll be looking for work once he gets back. Whats the job scene like up there??
Not that no one else's response was uninformative, but yours was the most informative, so I'm responding to you lol.
I've read about this bridge -- how much is the toll? I read somewhere that it was like $8. That's awfully high isn't it? Tolls around here are only like a dollar or two.
I'm not much of a partier. I go out to have a few beers about once a month, so driving a little bit to get to the bars wont be an issue. Boyfriend doesn't drink so I don't have to worry about him. Hes an outdoorsy person and loves the mountains; I know MD is pretty far from mountains but I think he'll like being around the water.
BF is currently underemployed and is working retail at a chain book store. He has a sociology degree and is about to go on a major long distance hike, so he'll be looking for work once he gets back. Whats the job scene like up there??
BF is currently underemployed and is working retail at a chain book store. He has a sociology degree and is about to go on a major long distance hike, so he'll be looking for work once he gets back. Whats the job scene like up there??
He could probably find something similar on the Eastern Shore or in Annapolis in a bookstore or outdoor equipment store. There isn't much demand for sociology majors unless he managed to get some social work or counselling experience. If he had skills needed in the corporate world, the UnderArmour people are in Baltimore, and the Goretex people are in Delaware.
Last edited by goldenage1; 12-04-2015 at 05:41 AM..
As posted above, toll rates are $2.50 with a Maryland E-Z Pass or $4.00 with cash or with another state's E-Z Pass. This is a round-trip toll, collected only in the eastbound direction. Commuter plans are available, so you'd want to check into that if either of you end up living on one side of the bridge and working on the other.
Speaking of the Bay Bridge, I hope neither of you are afraid of heights. The road deck is 185 feet above the bay at its highest point, and the view is spectacular. "The Bridge" is spoken of in the singular, but it's actually two parallel spans; the eastbound span has 2 lanes and the westbound span has 3. It's about 4.5 miles long.
The job market is pretty good in the Annapolis area, and not too bad on the Eastern Shore. I'm afraid I don't know what kind of work one would do with a sociology degree. For retail work, there are some opportunities in Queen Anne's County, but more in Anne Arundel County (Annapolis) or Talbot County (Easton).
As for mountains, junior versions of them may be found in Western Maryland or the western part of Virginia; you can reach the first range of these mountains in about two hours from Stevensville, IF (and this is a very big IF) traffic is flowing freely. The Eastern Shore itself is quite flat. But if it's water you seek, you'll find plenty of it there.
If living on the shore ends up happening, there are quite a few well-paying jobs available if you look in Dover. It's around an hour in a much easier and peaceful commute. I don't know what would be in Dover that couldn't be found in Annapolis, as they are both state capitols, but the timing might work in your bf's favor.
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