Accepted an offer at Ft Meade (Baltimore, Columbia: 2015, apartments, rentals)

[chinyere85]

This topic has probably been beaten to death, and I’m sorry if I’m being redundant and annoying but I haven’t seen any threads from later than 2015. So bear with me, please.

I’m moving to MD for a job at Ft Meade. I am a 35 year old SBF and will be moving alone. In the past I’ve always chosen comfort over proximity to work. But let’s me honest, I’m not exactly the earliest bird and traffic will only exacerbate that. So I’m choosing to live near work this time. That being said, there should be some very nice apartments near Meade, right?

I would ideally like something within 15 min from work, maybe 20 max if I take local roads. I want something more on the luxury side and very comfortable. 1 bedroom is all I need, but 2 would be nice. I’d like something close-ish to some sort of nightlife or entertainment (i.e. coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, theaters, bars). But nothing too crazy. Just regular hippie stuff. A 15 min drive to some sort of entertainment is good with me. I also want nature and parks for hiking ,walking, and biking riding and such.

Everyone has opinions of the cities in MD and it’s all kind of confusing. The Refineray Apts at Elkridge look great. So does Dartmoor in Hanover. But I’ve read that those towns aren’t so great?

What’s a city within 15 minutes of Meade, accessible by local roads, nice scenic neighborhood with a mixed demographic, good distance to entertainment and parks, very nice/luxury apartments, and under $2000 in rent?

[The Very Man Himself]

Lots of new and newish construction all around Fort Meade. You've got 4 counties all within a 15 minute drive without highway.

Odenton, or if you prefer O'Denton, & Crofton in Anne Arundel County, Columbia and Fulton in Howard, Burtonsville in Montgomery, and Laurel (Lor-elle) in Prince Georges. Several are walkable to the grocery store.There isn't a lot of "nightlife" in the burbs. In general I would not look at places north of Ft. Meade.

[emmmcubed]

I know nothing about these places, except having driven past/near them, but:

In Annapolis Junction:


https://www.ajapts.com/



I don't know how much "civilization" is in the immediate, walkable area, though; perhaps there are plans to build something like that out later.


This community:


https://www.southernmanagement.com/c...ndel-preserve/



is near Arundel Mills Mall. The Mall itself is not, in my opinion, a draw; it has some crime issues, although they seem to arise most often at very late hours, and in the parking lots. (Pro tip: when I need to go there, regardless of what store I need to visit, I park in front of the Bass Pro Shops and go in that way.)

But before you get to the actual Mall property, there are a few residence buildings (I think there is another one called "Palisades" or something like that) that are situated in a little "created community." So, for example, you can walk to a few restaurants, an urgent care center, a Starbucks, etc. (Go to Google Maps and plug in 7793 Arundel Mills Boulevard, Hanover, Maryland. Zoom in and look around; you'll see the shops, etc., and some of the residence buildings.)

[newhart]

Since a short commute is your top priority, I think the best chance for that would be Arundel Mills (close to the south entrance to the mall by 295), Piney Orchard, the Russet Green neighborhood in East Laurel, or Savage (BowlingBrook or Emerson).

[ersatz]

Originally Posted by chinyere85

This topic has probably been beaten to death, and I’m sorry if I’m being redundant and annoying but I haven’t seen any threads from later than 2015. So bear with me, please.

I’m moving to MD for a job at Ft Meade. I am a 35 year old SBF and will be moving alone. In the past I’ve always chosen comfort over proximity to work. But let’s me honest, I’m not exactly the earliest bird and traffic will only exacerbate that. So I’m choosing to live near work this time. That being said, there should be some very nice apartments near Meade, right?

I would ideally like something within 15 min from work, maybe 20 max if I take local roads. I want something more on the luxury side and very comfortable. 1 bedroom is all I need, but 2 would be nice. I’d like something close-ish to some sort of nightlife or entertainment (i.e. coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, theaters, bars). But nothing too crazy. Just regular hippie stuff. A 15 min drive to some sort of entertainment is good with me. I also want nature and parks for hiking ,walking, and biking riding and such.

Everyone has opinions of the cities in MD and it’s all kind of confusing. The Refineray Apts at Elkridge look great. So does Dartmoor in Hanover. But I’ve read that those towns aren’t so great?

What’s a city within 15 minutes of Meade, accessible by local roads, nice scenic neighborhood with a mixed demographic, good distance to entertainment and parks, very nice/luxury apartments, and under $2000 in rent?

One of my family members rents at The Refinery and I have been up there to visit. I thought the apartments were very nice for rentals under $2000 per month. The complex is newish, and located in an industrial/office park kind of area. I thought the apartment layout was nice - with a balcony and an open-kitchen plan. The apartments appear to be light, bright and airy. There is a multilevel parking garage attached, and each apartment has an assigned parking space, so that you can easily walk under cover from your car to your apartment.

Define "not great". Areas immediately outside the Ft Meade gates can be kind of rough. There are some very charming "hippie-ish" towns in Maryland but the greater Fort Meade surroundings are standard suburbia. Not charming, but comfortably consumerish. With a car, you can take day trips to more funky areas in Baltimore, Annapolis and the beach towns.

Except for a gym, not all that much seems to be within easy walking distance of The Refinery apartments. You will need a car to get around to stuff that interests you. Walkscore is a useful tool. https://www.walkscore.com/score/the-...inery-elkridge

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by emmmcubed

I know nothing about these places, except having driven past/near them, but:

In Annapolis Junction:


https://www.ajapts.com/



I don't know how much "civilization" is in the immediate, walkable area, though; perhaps there are plans to build something like that out later.


This community:


https://www.southernmanagement.com/c...ndel-preserve/



is near Arundel Mills Mall. The Mall itself is not, in my opinion, a draw; it has some crime issues, although they seem to arise most often at very late hours, and in the parking lots. (Pro tip: when I need to go there, regardless of what store I need to visit, I park in front of the Bass Pro Shops and go in that way.)

But before you get to the actual Mall property, there are a few residence buildings (I think there is another one called "Palisades" or something like that) that are situated in a little "created community." So, for example, you can walk to a few restaurants, an urgent care center, a Starbucks, etc. (Go to Google Maps and plug in 7793 Arundel Mills Boulevard, Hanover, Maryland. Zoom in and look around; you'll see the shops, etc., and some of the residence buildings.)

Better yet, use Google earth -and use Streetview.

[MDPeach22]

Originally Posted by chinyere85

This topic has probably been beaten to death, and I’m sorry if I’m being redundant and annoying but I haven’t seen any threads from later than 2015. So bear with me, please.

I’m moving to MD for a job at Ft Meade. I am a 35 year old SBF and will be moving alone. In the past I’ve always chosen comfort over proximity to work. But let’s me honest, I’m not exactly the earliest bird and traffic will only exacerbate that. So I’m choosing to live near work this time. That being said, there should be some very nice apartments near Meade, right?

I would ideally like something within 15 min from work, maybe 20 max if I take local roads. I want something more on the luxury side and very comfortable. 1 bedroom is all I need, but 2 would be nice. I’d like something close-ish to some sort of nightlife or entertainment (i.e. coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, theaters, bars). But nothing too crazy. Just regular hippie stuff. A 15 min drive to some sort of entertainment is good with me. I also want nature and parks for hiking ,walking, and biking riding and such.

Everyone has opinions of the cities in MD and it’s all kind of confusing. The Refineray Apts at Elkridge look great. So does Dartmoor in Hanover. But I’ve read that those towns aren’t so great?

What’s a city within 15 minutes of Meade, accessible by local roads, nice scenic neighborhood with a mixed demographic, good distance to entertainment and parks, very nice/luxury apartments, and under $2000 in rent?

I would agree with what many folks have mentioned. The area immediately outside of Ft. Meade is truly not the best and is more of an eye sore if you ask me. Areas like Jessup and some parts of Laurel have more room to grow but it's slowly getting there. Anne Arudel/Hanover area is good and alot of military and Ft. Meade employees live there but as stated, the only draw in that area is the Mall at Arundel Mills which has 100s of stores but I truly feel malls don't have the same appeal these days so it's not a big draw.
If you want a luxury apartment within walking distance of eating, movie theaters, and shopping - I highly recommend Evolution Apartments - https://www.liveatevolution.com/. I actually live in the building and have been here for almost 4 years. It's literally right next to the Laurel Towne Center which has a Harris Teeter, Reagal Cinemas, Buffalo Wild Wings, BJs Brewhouse, Panera, Burlington, Old Navy, etc. and you can walk to all these places fine. As far as a "night life"....not really much going on in Laurel for that. Silver Spring would be the place for this - namely Society Lounge and FireStation which draws a diverse crowd. If you are interested in Evolution, let me know. I'll actually be moving out in April to my first TH in the Anne Arundel county side of Laurel...I'm gonna miss walking to the Towne Center but hey just another step in life. Also Russett Green was mentioned earlier, that's close to Walmart and Sams Club and lots of walking trails if you prefer nature.