Yet another relocation

[SmokeyLisa]

You might want to PM newhart, he seemed very knowledgeable on the area and used to post fairly frequently.

[dph2]

Thanks a lot, Lisa!

That's great info about Columbia, off to exploring it I am

[boltongirl]

hi dph2;

I understand how difficult it is to scope out areas because we are in a similar situation. We moved from the UK 11 years ago and are now being relocated to Maryland. My husband will be mostly working in Baltimore/Columbia but in DC sometimes. I also narrowed my searches down to Ellicott, Severna Park etc, mostly beacause of the schools. However I would love somewhere that is walkable but it just isn't the same here, everything is so much bigger and spaced out! I'm now considering the Annapolis area as there seems to be a bit more going on.
Try schooldigger.com for school rankings through the state.
Have you considered Laurel? There are a few good schools there and also Silver Spring? I hear that's got a bigger center. Bethesda and Kensington would be perfect except for price! There is also a development called Maple Lawn in Fulton with supermarket, pool etc and a good school.
The other thing is that your wife may feel a bit trapped without a car unless you live right in the city. The driving tests here are nowhere near as hard as the British ones! It might be worth thinking about.
If you need any help with the UK/USA transition let me know and I may be able to help, I did find things pretty different when I first arrived.
Good Luck!!

[eponena]

Will you be working at the University of Maryland? If so, I would encourage you to look at University Park itself. It is a lovely neighborhood and there are many European families with children. The elementary school is very good, and if your son is already reading and writing he maybe able to skip kindergarten and advance to first grade (I know several children who were able to do this). The town is probably less walkable than you are used to, however you can walk to metro (to access the city) and the town has a shuttle that runs to metro during rush hour as well. With the exception of grocery shopping, my family is able to walk most of the places we go on a daily basis (library, restaurants, school, pharmacy, dry cleaning, preschool, church, etc.)

[dph2]

Thanks a lot, Boltongirl (as these things come I do have two Bolton Wanderers t-shirts... as they were selling for 5 quid each

Football (or should I already say soccer) aside, I may drop you a line - we're about to fly in less than 10 days so not really that much time left to deliberate.

[dph2]

Hi Eponena,

Did I say University Park? Sorry, I meant College Park - not that the difference is that huge as they're bordering each other.

That's an interesting (and a long commute saving) alternative, though we've been told consistently that PG county is to be avoided so perhaps my wife won't be that happy about it. But we'll definitely have a look, thanks.

[eponena]

I won't sugar coat Prince George's county's reputation -- it has it share of problems, but also many wonderful qualities. I have lived in University Park (UP) for over 12 years and I don't regret it for a moment. UP is an incorporated town so we have our own police force (just for the town), our own public works (we have our own trash and recycling), plus the town shuttle I mentioned in the earlier post. The elementary school is in the center of the neighborhood, so it is quite sheltered and walkable. The new principle is excellent, and our fourth grade math teacher was just named by the Gazette (a local paper) as teacher of the year. Test scores are comparable to schools in Montgomery and other counties. Please take a look -- I think you will like what you find!

[dph2]

Hmm, don't know about PG reputation but it's a fact that I can't find a single family home for rent in University Park. Not sure what that means exactly, other than the fact that obviously we can't move there if there's no house to rent... Do you happen to know some kind of a local source for lettings, Eponena? Thanks a lot!