Potential Howard County or Montgomery county move (Baltimore, Columbia: fit in, mortgage)

[basement13]

We currently live in Baltimore county and our 3 kids (5, 7, and 17) go to private schools. We no longer want to pay for private schools and hope to divert the tuition into mortgage payments on a new construction or fairly new house.

Our main criteria are schools, diversity and commuting distance to DC. We are African Americans. My commute time on the MARC and Metro to Farragut North in DC was about 1 hour 40 minutes before Covid-19. I would be happy with a 1 hour commute to DC if possible. While my wife currently works in Bel Air, she’s a nurse and can easily find a job anywhere.

We have a budget of about $1M but would gladly pay a lot less if we find a house less than 10 years old on a 1 acre lot with zoned elementary, middle and high schools rated 8+. My wife only likes the open concept designs of the newer homes plus I don’t have the time or will to fix things.

Ellicott city would be ideal but can’t seem to find a newer construction where the houses are not packed like sardines. I have a problem paying $1m for a newer house on a lot smaller than 0.5 acres, which pretty much rules out Montgomery county.

We like the NV homes construction in Sykesville but do not know what the traffic to DC was like pre-Covid and potentially be like post-Covid.

About the only area that I’ve ruled out is the area zoned for Glenelg High school due to the recent racial issues.

Should we even be looking at Sykesville or just stick to Ellicott city and Clarksville areas?

[bus man]

If you want 1-acre lots, you can pretty much forget about Ellicott City. Clarksville is a much better bet. You might also want to try Woodstock or West Friendship in a more northerly direction, or Scaggsville or Fulton or Highland in a more southerly direction. I wasn't aware of any racial issues at Glenelg H.S., but it is the least diverse high school in Howard County. So if diversity is important to you, look elsewhere. Also, keep in mind that in Howard County, "diversity" doesn't always mean a sizable black population. Sometimes, it means a sizable Asian population.

Traffic from Sykesville is typically a pain coming down Route 32. It'll get better once they've finished widening it, which they're working on now from I-70 down to U.S. 29. But if you're looking for access to the MARC train, I would suggest trying to find something closer. Also, don't rule out the commuter buses. MTA Routes 305, 315, 325, 335, and 345 all operate between Columbia and Washington, and all of them serve the Farragut North vicinity. There are so many of them because they have different stops in the Columbia area, and follow different routings within Washington.

https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule?type=commuter-bus

When are you thinking about making this move? If your 17 year old is a rising senior, it seems kind of a shame to pull him/her out of their school for their last year.

[stank1964]

Howard county’s school system “leadership” is redistricting the county school system. Do you know anything about this? If not, you better study up. They are mixing up the kids and even splitting up single families with some kids going to school in one direction and the other kids going to school in the opposite direction. They are busing kids that used to walk to school, some kids can see the school from their home are boarding busses for 20 minute rides.

Apparently it’s a big deal for what is/was one of the best school systems in MD.

[macroy]

I currently live in EC. And grew up in Mont. County. Between the two, I'd take EC or Howard County in general. It's subjective, but I feel MC is a bit overgrown. HC is more like MC back in the 80's IMO.

You should be able to find something in your price range that meets your land requirements in Glenwood/Dayton/Clarksville, etc. I know you were concerned about Glenelg... that said, I wouldn't let four clowns stain things. If that is a real issue, aim for Marriotts Ridge or River Hill. Sykesville is Carroll County - an upcoming school system, but not quite Howard County quality yet.

I'm in the Marriotts Ridge district and do commute to Rockville a few times a week. Depending on when you leave, you can get to Shady Grove metro in about 30 minutes (even less if you are in Dayton/Clarksville). I don't know what the ride time is from SG to Farragut N - but I'm guessing 40-45? So that's a bit longer than your preference but a tad shorter than your current commute.

I'm guessing if you are in western HC, commuting to Shady Grove is likely preferred to driving east to MARC?

[basement13]

Originally Posted by bus man

If you want 1-acre lots, you can pretty much forget about Ellicott City. Clarksville is a much better bet. You might also want to try Woodstock or West Friendship in a more northerly direction, or Scaggsville or Fulton or Highland in a more southerly direction. I wasn't aware of any racial issues at Glenelg H.S., but it is the least diverse high school in Howard County. So if diversity is important to you, look elsewhere. Also, keep in mind that in Howard County, "diversity" doesn't always mean a sizable black population. Sometimes, it means a sizable Asian population.

Traffic from Sykesville is typically a pain coming down Route 32. It'll get better once they've finished widening it, which they're working on now from I-70 down to U.S. 29. But if you're looking for access to the MARC train, I would suggest trying to find something closer. Also, don't rule out the commuter buses. MTA Routes 305, 315, 325, 335, and 345 all operate between Columbia and Washington, and all of them serve the Farragut North vicinity. There are so many of them because they have different stops in the Columbia area, and follow different routings within Washington.

https://www.mta.maryland.gov/schedule?type=commuter-bus

When are you thinking about making this move? If your 17 year old is a rising senior, it seems kind of a shame to pull him/her out of their school for their last year.

Agreed to your point about diversity and more of a "mix" is what we're looking for.

I didn't even think of the MTA! Thanks for schedule. Shady Grove would probably be a better option for me to commute to instead of the MARC.

We did struggle with pulling our rising senior out of his current school. So much so that we spent 50k renovating the house in the last several months thinking that we'll use it for one or more years. Luckily, he seems fine with moving before September and I think he's well adjusted to fit into any new environment.

[basement13]

Originally Posted by stank1964

Howard county’s school system “leadership” is redistricting the county school system. Do you know anything about this? If not, you better study up. They are mixing up the kids and even splitting up single families with some kids going to school in one direction and the other kids going to school in the opposite direction. They are busing kids that used to walk to school, some kids can see the school from their home are boarding busses for 20 minute rides.

Apparently it’s a big deal for what is/was one of the best school systems in MD.

I heard about it around January but would still need to study up. Thanks!

[basement13]

Originally Posted by macroy

I currently live in EC. And grew up in Mont. County. Between the two, I'd take EC or Howard County in general. It's subjective, but I feel MC is a bit overgrown. HC is more like MC back in the 80's IMO.

You should be able to find something in your price range that meets your land requirements in Glenwood/Dayton/Clarksville, etc. I know you were concerned about Glenelg... that said, I wouldn't let four clowns stain things. If that is a real issue, aim for Marriotts Ridge or River Hill. Sykesville is Carroll County - an upcoming school system, but not quite Howard County quality yet.

I'm in the Marriotts Ridge district and do commute to Rockville a few times a week. Depending on when you leave, you can get to Shady Grove metro in about 30 minutes (even less if you are in Dayton/Clarksville). I don't know what the ride time is from SG to Farragut N - but I'm guessing 40-45? So that's a bit longer than your preference but a tad shorter than your current commute.

I'm guessing if you are in western HC, commuting to Shady Grove is likely preferred to driving east to MARC?

The part of Sykesville that we're looking is considered HC and the sub-division actually just changed the name of its location from Sykesville to Marriottsville.

With regard to Glenelg, it's probably a case of a "single story"....I'll look more into into. Thanks!

I agree that commuting to Shady Grove would be better. At the very least, I'll avoid having to transfer to the Metro at Union station and the overall commuting cost would probably be cheaper.

[K-Luv]

No matter which way you go, if you have normal working hours the commute from Sykesville to DC will be a pain in the behind.

For whatever reason, some highway projects in Maryland go really, really, slow. The HWY 32 expansion is one such project. Regardless, I personally think that adding an extra lane will not do much to alleviate jams.

To the original question, I would suggest a look at Clarksville or the Clarksville/Columbia border area.

[troymclure]

Originally Posted by basement13

We currently live in Baltimore county and our 3 kids (5, 7, and 17) go to private schools. We no longer want to pay for private schools and hope to divert the tuition into mortgage payments on a new construction or fairly new house.

Our main criteria are schools, diversity and commuting distance to DC. We are African Americans. My commute time on the MARC and Metro to Farragut North in DC was about 1 hour 40 minutes before Covid-19. I would be happy with a 1 hour commute to DC if possible. While my wife currently works in Bel Air, she’s a nurse and can easily find a job anywhere.

We have a budget of about $1M but would gladly pay a lot less if we find a house less than 10 years old on a 1 acre lot with zoned elementary, middle and high schools rated 8+. My wife only likes the open concept designs of the newer homes plus I don’t have the time or will to fix things.

Ellicott city would be ideal but can’t seem to find a newer construction where the houses are not packed like sardines. I have a problem paying $1m for a newer house on a lot smaller than 0.5 acres, which pretty much rules out Montgomery county.

We like the NV homes construction in Sykesville but do not know what the traffic to DC was like pre-Covid and potentially be like post-Covid.

About the only area that I’ve ruled out is the area zoned for Glenelg High school due to the recent racial issues.

Should we even be looking at Sykesville or just stick to Ellicott city and Clarksville areas?

About the only area that I’ve ruled out is the area zoned for Glenelg High school due to the recent racial issues.

Care to elaborate? My niece and nephew went to Glenelg, and there were never any racial issues. And you want to move to Sykesville? Have you done any real research at all?

[basement13]

Originally Posted by troymclure

Care to elaborate? My niece and nephew went to Glenelg, and there were never any racial issues. And you want to move to Sykesville? Have you done any real research at all?

Unfortunately, bad news travels faster than good news. Here's a fairly recent issue that I became aware of that made the news https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...d-high-school/